Van Buren Middle School
eNews - November 2020
We have a lot to celebrate over the first nine weeks of the school year! From our annual 8th grade Mr. Yunker Day of Service to the Masked Lip Sync Contest to those earning positive referrals, we’re thankful to have shared these moments with our students, staff, and community! Be sure to stay connected with VBMS on social media: Follow @VanBurenMS on Facebook and Twitter!
Second Quarter Begins
It’s hard to believe we’re already starting our second quarter on-campus! The first quarter ended November 6. To check your child’s academic progress, please login to Schoology (details below) as we will not produce a grade card.
Video Tutorial – How To Create Parent Account & Link Accounts In Schoology
A Parent’s Guide To Schoology - Written Guides From Schoology
Student-Led Conferences - UPDATED
Our student-led conferences have changed in light of the pandemic. Students will share their portfolio with families at home and we are currently scheduling phone conferences with the teaching staff. These will take place Wednesday 11/11/20, Thursday 11/12/20, and Thursday 11/19/20, 3-7pm. Schedule you phone conference here: https://www.myconferencetime.com/vbs/
Gifted Documents - WEPs and WAPs
Families of middle school students receiving gifted services should watch their mailbox for the annual gifted documents - written education plans (WEPs) and written acceleration plans (WAPs). These will be accompanied by a letter with instructions - one copy should be signed and returned to school by November 24.
School Fees
In a typical year, we collect the majority of our school fees during Opening Knight. Because this event was cancelled, a statement was mailed to all middle school families detailing school fees for 2020-2021 if they had not yet been paid. Please remit payment as soon as possible - either via check or cash to the MS/HS office or via PaySchools (see information below).
Thanksgiving Break
Classes will not be in session Wednesday, November 25 through Friday, November 27 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
7th Grade Adopt-a-Family
The seventh grade team will be sending a letter home soon detailing its annual Santa Families service project. The team will spread joy to two families in need - a permission slip is required of students to participate and gifts should be returned (unwrapped) to school by Friday, December 4. Holiday gift wrap, bows, and ribbons are also needed.
Pandemic School Lunch Waiver
All Van Buren students are eligible to receive free school lunches (a regular lunch) as a result of the federal school lunch program waiver made possible through the CARES act. Additionally, any students purchasing a regular school lunch since the start of the school year will have that lunch cost refunded to their lunch account in the coming weeks.
On-Campus Student Attendance - Updated for Modified Hybrid
On-Campus Days: Attendance works the same as always - if a student will not be at school, we require parent contact by 8:30am the day of the absence with the student’s name and reason for absence.
Online Days: During online days, students are expected to log in to Schoology at least once each online day as we have to track student “attendance” per state mandate. There is no required time - teachers will be available for Zoom sessions and to reply to email messages. As students fail to login, we will address those “absences” on an individual basis.
VLA: Students should log in to the VLA platform regularly. As students fail to login, we will address those “absences” on an individual basis.
Using PaySchools for Lunches and School Fees
Van Buren Schools is now using PaySchools to accommodate online payments for our school lunches and fees. If you used PayForIt in the past for lunches, you can login here to migrate your account to PaySchools. If you never used PayForIt in the past, create a PaySchools account here. Note: Lunches and fees can still be paid for by bringing in a check or cash.
Important Links
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