Message from the Principal

Happy Spring! I am looking forward to sunnier days ahead with the birds chirping and the flowers blooming. Those days are just around the corner for us after the long winter of grey days. 

VMS will have a talent show on June 6th this year. Please encourage your child to try out if they are interested. Applications are in the main office for students. More information regarding the event will be sent at a later date. 

As with all the changes spring brings us in nature, VMS will also be seeing changes due to the bond/levy voters approved. Thank you! Here are a few of the highlights for the 2022 summer construction project at VMS:

• Renovation to the media center
• Renovation and reconfiguration of the 7th and 8th grade classrooms
• Flex spaces added to 7th and 8th grade classroom pod areas
• Conference rooms added throughout the building for students to utilize for meetings, test taking, group projects, etc. 

As of June 14th, VMS will be closed to staff, students, and parents for our large construction project. However, VMS will still have an office open for questions or concerns, so please do not hesitate to reach out this summer if there is anything you need.

Our future looks bright at VMS. We count ourselves incredibly blessed to have been able to work and learn alongside your children. Thank you for that privilege and your trust. Have a fantastic last month of the school year! 

School Board Recognition

Congratulations to Hayden Barziza, Anneliese Blomquist-Smith, and Ayla Thorsbakken, who were recently recognized by the ISD 728 School Board for their leadership at VandenBerge Middle School and their volunteer work at Arrows Heart Animal Rescue. These students eipitomize VandenBerge's mission of being Ready, Responsible and Respectful each and every day.

Student of the Week

Congratulations to our April Students of the Week!

Audra Bitzan, Gracie Gilbertson, Levi Harris, Ryan Henrichsen, Jamar Higgs, Kevin Kazadi, Nick Rebrovich, Kailey Ruby, Nicole Ryabikova, Delaney Sherrett, Aliya Staul, Shuarya Xeenvang

Greetings from the Art Room! 

Please join me in congratulating Tori Oslund and Brooke Allen, whose art is being recognized by ISD 728!!  Their art (shown below) will be showcased in the lobby and conference rooms at the District Office for the next year.

Tori and Brooke will be acknowledged for their efforts at the School Board Meeting on May 9th at the District Office. Both students will be presented with a certificate from Superintendent Bittman and the School Board Chair. 

Congratulations to these students for making us all VMS PROUD! 

Tori Oslund, 7th grade

Brooke Allen, 6tth grade

AVID

Our AVID classes continue to work hard on time management, organization and connecting as an AVID family.

• 6th grade AVID is working on Focused Note Taking and reviewing content from their classes. 
• 7th grade AVID finished college research and created college pennants.
• 8th grade AVID is working on collaboration and WICOR strategies to use in their classes.

We are recruiting current 6th and 7th grade students who are interested in joining our AVID program for the 2022-2023 school year. Please review the guidelines below and if you feel AVID would be a good fit for your student, please discuss it with them and encourage them to apply.

AVID is a program dedicated to helping students achieve their dreams of going on to higher education after high school. The AVID classroom is made up of students who are in the academic middle; GPA of 2.0-3.5, average to high test scores and most importantly, a desire and determination for learning. An AVID student would likely benefit from learning to stay organized, assistance with work completion, and creating good study habits.

AVID applications can be picked up from Mrs. Weinhold or the counseling office from May 2 - 10. Please assist your child in completing the application and have them return it to the counseling office by Thursday, May 12.

If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Weinhold (AVID Coordinator) via email at sarah.weinhold@isd728.org.

English

Grade 6: Students completed their reading MCA test and have since been continuing to sharpen their reading comprehension skills as we move into the argumentative writing unit. Students will be working on researching and writing about a debatable claim, then writing a four-paragraph essay that will compile all of their work. Please continue to encourage your students to read at home to continuously improve their reading skills.

Students in SOAR enjoyed doing some  "blackout poetry" for poetry month!

Grade 7: Students have been working on a digital program called Read Theory. They read short passages and answer questions to increase comprehension and fluency. Students who are not yet at the seventh grade level are working on completing 5 passages a week to increase their grade level reading scores. We will be focusing on mythology and storytelling for most of May, with a culminating project on the hero’s journey during the last week of school. 

Grade 8: We have completed our Reading MCA's! Students who took the test will receive a PRELIMINARY score in the upcoming weeks from their English teacher. We are now working in Unit #3 of StudySync. This continues our work with Informational Text around the theme of risk-taking.

Family and Consumer Science

Math

Greetings from the Math Team!

As we near the end of the year, student supplies begin to dwindle.  Please check with your student and replenish school supplies such as calculators, pencils, pens and loose leaf paper.  Let's finish the year with success! 

Remember that each math teacher provides opportunities for students to come for help with math homework and also to finish or retake tests. The math help schedule below shows times and places when ALL students are welcome to come in for extra help.

Media Center

Sad news but all books were due on April 29th. We needed to collect library materials earlier this year due to the upcoming summer construction. Please return all library books as soon as possible if you haven't done so already!

Students are seeing a shift in the library this month as we are getting closer to packing everything up. The end of April has brought on a lot of empty library shelves as books are being organized in a new way. We look forward to the remodel and getting books circulating again next year!

Our Stick Together Sticker Board is finally finished! We have been working on it slowly since Open House in September. Mr. Wold was the first to place a sticker, but it just got finished in April. We enjoyed seeing it come together during the school year and look forward to completing another one next year!

Music is in the Air

Elk River High School Zabee Theater

Thursday, May 19th at 7:00 pm

 

Phy Ed

We had so much with Roller Skating! This was a first for all our grades doing roller skating and students seemed to really enjoy this!

We will get outside this spring for some golf, tennis, football, kickball, and recreational games. We are sure hoping for warmer weather soon!

Science

Grade 6: Students are learning about weather and understanding what processes give us our weather patterns.

Grade 7: Students are finishing the vertebrate unit with the frog dissections. The next unit is the human body. 

Grade 8: Students are reviewing some of their sixth and seventh grade science curriculum to prepare them for high school. They will also be taking Science MCA test beginning Monday, May 2.

Social Studies

Grade 6: Focus of study has been on industrialization in Minnesota in the late 1800's.  Students have learned about 3 of Minnesota's major industries - flour milling, lumbering, and iron mining, and how these industries brought people and jobs to the state.  We will continue with this theme in our next chapter as we look at the rise of cities due to increased immigration and an economic shift away from agrarian roots. 

Grade 7: Students just began the WWII unit. They will learn about the world powers, the Holocaust, and how the war ended. The project students will create for this unit includes an AVID one-pager on either the Holocaust or the Japanese Internment Camps. 

Grade 8: Students are in the middle of our unit on the continent of Asia. They are learning about the history of North Korea and the isolated nature of the nation today. Students will learn the comparative advantage India has in the IT world and about fast fashion. Students will continue to learn about the economic growth of the continent, and will complete a group project covering the cultural characteristics of a country in Asia to wrap up the unit.

Distracted Driving Awareness Month

April was Distracted Driving Awareness Month and we want to share some information with you as we wrap up the school year.

We have heard from our law enforcement partners that they have seen an increase in distracted driving, particularly in our drop-off and pick-up lines that are extending out onto the roadways. Many drivers may think that if they are on the roadway and not moving or moving slowly, that it is okay to be on their cell phones. Law enforcement has asked us to educate and encourage our families to stay off their phones and keep their eyes up. 

Click the picture below for more information.

VandenBerge Flower Coupon Fundraiser

VandenBerge is selling Flower Coupon Books for $10!

Each coupon book includes SIX coupons, and each coupon is good for ONE seasonal bouquet, courtesy of Flowers Plus in Elk River. Coupons are valid through December 30, 2022.

This is our ONLY fundraiser this year and VMS KEEPS 100% OF THE PROCEEDS!

If each student sells just one card, VandenBerge will make over $5,000! But why stop at one?! The holidays are here, and a Flower Coupon Book makes a great gift! 

Click here to purchase your card now and HELP SUPPORT VMS!

Contact the main office at (763) 241-3450 for more information.

Health Office Updates

Beat the Rush - Get your Student’s Sports Physicals and Immunizations

In preparing for the 2022-2023 school year, it is important to complete the appropriate medical information for your child as soon as possible.  Immunization and sport physical dates that the school has received for your child are posted on Parent Portal. Immunization requirements reflect the current school year only which are posted on July 1st of each school year.  

Please note: Tdap and Meningococcal vaccines are required for students beginning 7th grade, and a Meningococcal booster is required for 12th graders.

For requirements and appropriate forms to be completed by your medical provider, please refer to the Health Services webpage.

COVID Testing Kits still available

MDH, MDE & CDC asked school districts to develop and implement a COVID-19 testing plan that fits their school community. ISD 728 requested & offered take-home Antigen tests for students that are interested. The district continues to have an abundant supply of test kits and would like to offer these kits for ALL family members. 

Interested families can request test kits from their student’s building health office to take home for their testing purposes and convenience. 

Yearbooks

This is the last call for yearbook purchasing. There are very limited yearbooks available for purchase, so place an order as soon as possible. Orders will be taken on a first come first served basis. In the case of overselling, the last orders placed will be refunded. You can order a yearbook by clicking this link or by pasting the link below into your browser.

https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1062737/VandenBerge-Middle-School/ 

Please contact Morgen Butts at morgen.butts@isd728.org if you have any questions about yearbooks or to check if you have placed an order.