Victory Middle School

Valentine's Candy Grams on sale for $1 all lunches Monday and Tuesday, Feb 6 and Feb 7th! Next PTSO meeting is February 13th @ 7pm in the VMS Library Panda Express is now $7.00 - Order form and $ are due the Wednesday before the Lunch date. (This is to allow enough time to process each order.) The next Panda Lunch will be on Thursday, February 23rd!

Ashton Bower is our STAFF MEMBER OF THE WEEK! "Ashton excels at knowing her curriculum and how to teach it in fun, engaging ways. She's also a mentor to others in her content area and the PLC Lead (I think) here at VMS. She participates in various committees and coaches Cross Country (and I think Track??) despite the fact that she isn't a full-time employee! She also does all kinds of fun things like making the stickers for Bridget's 40th birthday and bringing/making treats for her PLC- just" because! She is definitely the heart and soul of VMS and always embodies the Kodiak Way!

August Stringfield is our STUDENT OF THE WEEK! August was nominated by Ms. Clarke and selected for student of the week! Ms. Clarke stated the following about August: "August is an excellent student and member of his community! He works hard in the classroom and is very involved on campus. August is a well-rounded student that demonstrates the Kodiak Way in everything he does."

Talk to our lovely Bridget King to find out how you can have your Art exhibited at District Office

There are still openings for our March 2nd, 2023, BLOOD DRIVE at VMS from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. It's not too late to reserve your spot to save a life. Thanks.

Get ready for next week's lunch-time Valentine's Gram sales during all lunches Feb. 6th, 7th and 9th! Valentine Grams!!! Students can purchase grams for $1.00(lollipop with custom VMS pencil) at lunch 2/6, 2/7, 2/9 to be delivered at lunch on Valentine's Day! You can also purchase them online through the PTSO's webstore. Click here for their page: https://victoryptsostore.ecwid.com/Valentine%E2%80%99s-Day-Grams-p503590980

New Technology Service Desk Hours Beginning on Monday, February 13, the Technology Service Desk hours will change to provide support for secondary teachers and substitutes who may have questions before the start of the school day. The Service Desk will be available from 7:15a - 4:30p Monday through Friday. Staff can contact the service desk by calling 208-350-5000, pressing the "IT Service Desk" button on their district phone, or submitting a helpdesk ticket through the West Ada Support Portal.

Victory Middle School students know how to support their school by cheering on other VMS students AND helping clean up the school on game day. Way to go GAME DAY CLEANING CREW! You help our amazing custodians make our gym sparkle.

Throughout the month of February, American Heart Month, West Ada School District seeks to raise funds to provide automated external defibrillators (AED) to schools and athletic programs. An AED is a medical device designed to deliver an electric shock to a person with an abnormal heart rhythm causing sudden cardiac arrest. The delivery of the shock most often restores a normal heart rhythm. While schools are not required to have AED devices, we feel this is an important step in being prepared for any cardiac emergency. The goal is to purchase one AED per school and to provide portable AEDs for athletic programs throughout the district. Medical-grade AEDs cost approximately $1,550 - $2,000 per unit. Having already raised $6,000 toward this initiative, West Ada School District hopes to raise an additional $69,000. For families, PTAs/PTOs, etc. interested in making a charitable donation, they may follow the steps below. • Visit the West Ada Education Foundation website and submit an online donation with “Heart Healthy February - AED” selected as the designation • Mail a check to the West Ada Education Foundation with “Nursing - AED” in the memo; 1303 E Central Drive, Meridian, ID 83642 • Make an in-person donation by visiting the West Ada District Service Center; 1303 E Central Drive, Meridian, ID 83642

Valentine Grams!!! Students can purchase grams for $1.00(lollipop with custom VMS pencil) at lunch 2/6, 2/7, 2/9 to be delivered at lunch on Valentine's Day! You can also purchase them online through the PTSO's webstore. Click here for their page: https://victoryptsostore.ecwid.com/Valentine%E2%80%99s-Day-Grams-p503590980

8th Grade Boys Basketball This past week our basketball teams traveled to Lewis & Clark to take on the Explorers. The A-Team came out with a hard-fought victory and the B-Team lost a heart breaker at the buzzard. Our C-Teams competed well also, going 1-1 on the evening. It was a great test for our boys going on the road and having to compete hard to the final buzzard as all games were closely contested. Our boys will be in action next Monday, January 30th at home when we take on Heritage. Go Kodiaks! Raffle Get your raffle tickets for a great chance to win some amazing prizes and to help all our extracurricular activities and teams. Thank you for supporting the Kodiaks!

Next PTSO meeting is February 13th @ 7pm in the VMS Library Panda Express is now $7.00 - Order form and $ are due the Wednesday before the Lunch date. (This is to allow enough time to process each order.) The next Panda Lunch will be on Thursday, February 23rd!

February 2nd's Symphonic Band performance is coming up fast! Please donate to their trip to Pocatello if you can. THANK YOU!

"We had the CTE Presentations for 8th graders in the library yesterday and pulled students from their science classes each period. Oftentimes, when you combine two classes of the same grade for a presentation, things get a little chaotic and unruly, but Bailey set the expectations of the students from the beginning in her firm but fun way and it set the tone for the entire day. Lisa Currin and I both marveled at how well the presentations went as compared to years past- and that's truly saying something considering this year's 8th grade class! THANK YOU, Bailey, for being the amazing teacher (and person) that you are EVERY DAY- you are so appreciated!!"

Congratulations! Brinley Lathrop was nominated by Mrs. Callaway for student of the week! Here is what she had to say about Brinley - “Brinley has shown such a growth in confidence by often volunteering her ideas and answers in English class. Her ideas and comments extend our class discussion to a higher level, and she brings up perspectives that help all of us. She is the epitome of following the Kodiak Way. She's always respectful, responsible, safe, and kind. We're lucky to have her here at VMS!”

Our three VMS Future City teams took home four special awards from Saturday's Future City competition! It was a huge validation of all the hard work and long hours these kiddos put into learning about city infrastructure and climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and into creating their models, essays, and presentations! Congratulations to the students, parent helpers, and their amazing advisor, Elyse Thorpe! Halloway: Best Futuristic City Award, Multidisciplinary Solutions Award Taupo Kikorangi: Best Electrical Power Delivery System Award Beaver Leaf: Most Innovative Water Treatment Award

EXCITING COURSE SELECTION BEGINS! The course selection process for the 2023-2024 school year begins next week. During advisory classes on Monday, January 30, current 6th and 7th grade students will access the Victory Middle School website to locate online videos highlighting elective options for the next school year. The students will also go through a quick PowerPoint with information for completing course selection forms. Course selection forms will be distributed to students on Monday or Tuesday as time allows through the advisory classes. Completed course selection forms will be returned to the students’ English class on Monday, February 6. Students will use the forms to select 7th or 8th courses online. Parents, please review your students’ choices and sign your students’ course selection forms. Course selection for students absent on February 6 will be entered by counseling office staff based on the student's completed course selection form. Current 8th grade students will receive their high school course selection forms in mid-February. Online course selection will take place at Victory Middle School at the end of February. Current 5th grade students will receive their course selection form at the elementary school at the end of February.

TWO FRIENDLY REMINDERS: 1) Sign up for our VMS Blood Drive coming up March 2nd from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.Link Directly to Your Scheduled Blood Drive: https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=VICTORYMIDDLE 2) From West Ada District Office: This is a friendly reminder that School of Choice applications are due Tuesday, January 31, 2023 and must be submitted electronically (see below) no later than 4:00pm. For general information about School of Choice, please visit https://www.westada.org/page/enrollment-schools-of-choice. You may access the 23-24 SOC and Renaissance application links on that page, but here they are for easy access: General SOC application: https://survey.k12insight.com/survey1.aspx?k=RQsVYRRsQXXUsPsPsP&lang=0 Renaissance High School application: https://survey.k12insight.com/survey1.aspx?k=RQsVYRRsQXXWsPsPsP&lang=0 For more information about Idaho Fine Arts Academy and their audition process, please visit the following link: https://www.westada.org/o/ifaa/page/arts-audition-info After learning about IFAA’s audition process, you may submit an application here: https://survey.k12insight.com/survey1.aspx?k=RQsVYRRsQXQUsPsPsP&lang=0 Please visit the following link to access the out-of-district transfer application: https://survey.k12insight.com/survey1.aspx?k=RQsVYRRsQYPQsPsPsP&lang=0 For specific inquiries, please contact your desired School of Choice.

Good afternoon, VMS Community! I would like to invite you all to our 8th grade band's All-State preview concert tonight at 7:00 PM in the VMS main gym. It will be a relatively brief concert as only 8th grade is performing and should be finished around 7:20-7:30 PM. The concert will allow our students a chance to perform for our local friends and families, since not everyone will be able to attend the performance next Thursday in Pocatello. The students are excited to show off what they have been learning and are beginning to recognize the honor and distinction of the event. The last time a middle school band from our district was selected to perform at All-State was in the mid-90's. Our students will represent our school and community well, thank you for all of the support throughout the process. Brendan Grzanic

Remember this Thursday is Panda Lunch deliveries! Also remember to send cash with your student if they would like to purchase donuts this Friday for the "Donut Days" fundraiser! Donuts are $1