Vicksburg Middle School
348 E. Prairie Street
Vicksburg, MI 49097
Phone 269-321-1300 Fax 321-1355
Matt VanDussen, Principal
Dennis Kirby, Assistant Principal
VMS Principals’ Notes
CONGRATULATIONS STUDENTS
Again this year we partnered with Great American Opportunities for our fall fundraiser. If you
remember back to October, we had a magazine/cookie dough fundraiser to help raise funds
for 6th grade camp and school improvement projects. Through our partnership with great
American Opportunities, your student had the opportunity to earn tuition rewards to be redeemed at select higher education institutions as determined by how much product he or she
sold.
I am proud to announce that our middle school earned $107,000 in tuition rewards! This is
unbelievably exciting! We had 18 students receive $2500 certificates and 62 students receive
$1,000 certificates.
Important: W h e n you r e ceive you r ch ild ’s certificate, you need to register the rewards
online. They can then be tracked and that money will be available upon their graduation from
high school. All rewards are to be registered by the June BEFORE the students senior
year. Please go to http://gafundraising.com/tuition-rewards/ to learn more!
WEEKLY EVENTS
For specific middle school events, please go to our website at
http://www.vicksburgcommunityschools.org/middle_school/
and click on the “Weekly Events” tab along the left side of the screen.
Mission
To maximize the success and
potential of all students
Beliefs
8TH GRADE PSAT
If you are a parent of an 8th grade student, your child took the PSAT 8/9 this past February.
We received their individual score reports in May and have mailed them to you. Upon entering high school, your child will be guided through setting up their own College Board account
to access their PSAT/SAT scores. Their accounts will also be linked to Khan Academy where
they can work on specific skills and concepts that will help them in increasing their PSAT/SAT
scores.
CONGRATULATIONS KAMSC STUDENTS
We are proud to announce that two of our 8th grade students, Sawyer Barton and Adele Wilson, have accepted an invitation to attend the Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center beginning next year! We had a number of students apply, and it was an extremely competitive
field of students. Join with us in congratulating Sawyer and Adele!
1. All students can learn at high
levels
2. Students learn in different
ways and in different
timeframes
3. Mistakes are expected, inspected, and respected.
4. When students don’t learn
the way we teach, we will find
ways to teach the way they
learn.
5. Assessments provide feedback that influences teaching
and learning.
6. Students can and will take
responsibility for their learning.
Students have ownership and
vision for their learning.
GIVE AND TAKE
Don’t forget Give and Take in August! Every student who is planning on attending Vicksburg Middle School in the Fall
should plan to attend only 1 of the sessions listed below. At Give and Take, you will be able to complete all of the beginning
of the year items including emergency forms, medication forms, school insurance forms, 6th grade camp forms, transportation forms, food services forms, etc. In addition, your child will get their school picture taken and receive their schedule and
agenda book for the school year. This is a great opportunity for your child to practice his or her locker combination and
move from classroom to classroom in the 4 minutes provided during the school year for such transitions. We look forward to
seeing you there!
Sessions:
Tuesday, August 22
10:00am - 1:45 pm
Tuesday, August 22
3:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Thursday, August 24
10:00 am - 1:45 pm
BULLDOG CLAY TARGET TEAM
This was the inaugural year of the Bulldog Clay Target team and they are off to a great start! They are the second largest
team in the state of Michigan with 48 student athletes in grades 6-12. The state tournament is June 17 in Mason, MI. Our
team has gotten off to a great start as many of the members have been shooting well over the conference average. Amazingly,
as a team they will shoot over 30,000 clay targets this season!
NETFLIX SERIES “13 REASONS WHY”
Parent letter from the professional organization Michigan School Public Relations Association:
Dear Parents/Guardians,
It has come to our attention this week that the new Netflix series, "13 Reasons Why" has been much talked about, particularly
among school-aged youth and is raising concerns from suicide prevention experts. The young-adult bestseller book came out
in 2007 and the series was released on Netflix on March 31, 2017. It seems that many students are binge watching this series, without the knowledge of their parents as they share Netflix accounts and stream the series on their devices.
The fictional story is a cautionary tale of a young girl’s suicide, and covers other sensitive subject matters as the series progresses such as sexual abuse, rape, substance abuse, mental health, and bullying. The suicide is graphically depicted. The
adults in the series appear disconnected or unwilling to help the adolescents in the series. Unfortunately, this could
lead teens to believe that there would not be anyone that they could talk to in their school or home regarding depression and suicide.
Due to the popularity and the subject matter of the series, the information below is being provided to assist parents in conversations with their children about these very serious and sensitive topics. It is suggested that:
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Parents/caregivers view the series first, before you allow your children to watch it.
If you consider the series suitable for your children, watch the series with them.
Watch the series companion piece "13 Reasons Why: Beyond the Reasons" on Netflix for a discussion by cast, producers, and mental health professionals about the series.
Create a safe, judgment-free zone when talking about the series and the subject matter.
Reach out for help if you feel you and/or your child needs it. Call 1-231-722-HELP (4357), 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or
text “START” to 741741.
In response to the series, many national and local organizations have created resources to assist parents, teachers, and others
in talking to youth about suicide as it relates to the situational drama that unfolds in the TV series and in general.
The following resources are suggested:
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Jed Foundation - 13 Reasons Why: Tips for Viewing and Discussing New Netflix Series
National Association of School Psychologists – 13 Reasons Why Netflix Series: Considerations for Educators [and Parents]
Vicksburg Middle School
Varied Schedule
Vicksburg Middle School
Varied Schedule