VAJH Panther Press Newsletter

The first week of school was filled with lots of smiling students. Our Panther staff were incredibly excited to see our kids back on our campus. We know this is going to be the best year! Click the video below to view the VAJH Welcome Back Video!

• Friday, August 23 - Back to School Dance - 7th/8th Grades 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (This dance is for VAJH students only.)
• Tuesday, August 27 - VAJH 7th/8th Grade Band Meeting 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
• Thursday, August 29 - JH Volleyball Game vs. Community Edge (Away) 7A/8B at 5:00 PM 8A/7B at 6:00 PM

• Monday, September 2 - Labor Day Holiday - No School
• Tuesday, September 3 - First Pep Rally @ 3:00 in the main gym - Parents and community members are welcome to attend! Parents and guests can enter through the west gym doors.
• Tuesday September 3 - 8th JH Football Game vs. Caddo Mills (Home) 5:30/6:30
• Tuesday, September 3 - 7th JH Football Game vs. Caddo Mills (Away) 5:30/6:30
• Thursday, September 5 - JH Volleyball Game vs. Caddo Miss (Home) 7A/8B at 5:00 PM 8A/7B at 6:00 PM
• Saturday, September 7 - JH Cross Country Meet at S&S High School
• Monday, September 9 - 13 - Homecoming Spirit Week- See flyer below
• Monday, September 9 - 7th/8th Grade BAND Epic Water Balloon Bash 4:00 - 5:00 PM
• Tuesday, September 10 - Fundraiser Kickoff (students will bring home fundraiser information)
• Tuesday, September 10 - 8th Grade JH Football Game vs. Gainesville (Away) 5:30/6:30
• Tuesday, September 10 - 7th Grade JH Football Game vs. Gainesville (Home) 5:30/6:30
• Wednesday, September 11 - Community Pep Rally for Homecoming at Panther Stadium
• Thursday, September 12 - JH Volleyball Game vs. Farmersville (Away) 7A/8B at 5:00 PM 8A/7B at 6:00 PM
• Friday, September 13 - VAJH T-shirt order form due to Twila
• Friday, September 13 - Homecoming Football Game at Panther Stadium (More information below)
• Monday, September 16 - JH Volleyball Game vs. Community Trails (Home) 7A/8B at 5:00 PM 8A/7B at 6:00 PM
  
• Tuesday, September 17 - 8th Grade JH Football Game vs. Community Edge (Home) 5:30/6:30
• Tuesday, September 17 - 7th Grade JH Football Game vs. Community Edge (Away) 5:30/6:30
• Saturday, September 21 - JH Cross Country Meet at Denison High School
• Monday, September 23 - JH Volleyball Game vs. Sunnyvale (Away) 7A/8B at 5:00 PM 8A/7B at 6:00 PM
• Tuesday, September 24 - 7th/8th Grade JH Football Game vs. Paris (Home) 4:30 BBAA
• Thursday, September 26 - JH Cross Country Meet at Blue Ridge High School
• Tuesday, September 24 - Fundraisers Due
• Monday, September 30 - JH Volleyball Game vs. Quinlan (Home) 7A/8B at 5:00 PM 8A/7B at 6:00 PM

Other Important Dates:

• Pep Rally Dates - Sept. 3 @ 3:00 PM, Sept. 24 @ 3:00 PM, Oct. 8 @ 3:00 PM, Oct. 22 @ 3:00 PM
• Student Dance/Activity Dates - Aug. 23, Dec. 6, Feb. 7, May 2
• Student Dance/Activities Times - 7th & 8th Grade dances/activity nights are 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Only VAJH students are allowed at dances.
• Thursday, May 15 - 8th Grade Promotional Ceremony 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM ( VAJH Gym)
• Thursday, May 15 - 7th Grade Awards Ceremony - 1:30 - 2:30 PM (VAJH Gym)
• Thursday, May 15 - 8th Grade Farewell Dance from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM. (This dance is for 8th grade VAJH students only.)

Let's show off our Junior High Spirit!

Students received a VAJH T-shirt order form during 4th period. Additional forms are located in the office.

Forms are due by Sept. 13th (CASH only).

Our beginning of year student dance is Friday, August 23rd. The dance is from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM.

Students must follow the school dress code for the dance. The only exception is that girls may wear a dress that has a three-finger width strap. If a dress has spaghetti straps or is strapless, a sweater or cover-up must be worn at all times. Only VAJH students are allowed to attend student dances.

Our top priority at Van Alstyne Junior High is to provide all of our students with a safe learning environment. In order to do so, we need your help. Please take time to talk about the following things with your child.

• Everyone will be treated with kindness and respect. Name-calling and teasing are unkind. Racial slurs will not be tolerated.
• Students need to understand that saying anything about violence towards the school or others will be taken seriously.
• Students should always keep their hands and feet to themselves. Physical violence will not be tolerated.
• Please talk to your child about the responsibility that comes with social media. Students need to be careful about the things they say on social media, the posts they comment on, and the people they interact with.
• Please know that if a student’s behavior in or out of school disrupts the learning environment, that student could receive a consequence.

We appreciate your partnership at home to help educate your child about appropriate behaviors at school. We encourage students to be kind, respectful, and friendly to all students and staff at all times. You are always welcome to contact the school if you have any concerns.

Students are allowed to bring cell phones to school. They are allowed to listen to music and play games on their cell phones before school, during lunch, and after school. Students must keep cell phones out of sight and turned off (not on silent) during the school day. Please reinforce this rule with your child so they are well aware.

Also, please do not allow your child to call or text you from school using their cell phone for any reason, including to come pick them up when they do not feel well. Proper procedure is to report to Nurse Wilson and allow her to use her training to make that determination. Misuse will result in confiscation of the cell phone and the parent will be required to come pick up the phone. If the student continues to misuse their cell phone, the student will be required to check their cell phone

As a parent, you have the right to bring food to your child. However, to be in compliance with federal law, you are not allowed to bring in food for a child other than your own (for example, bringing a pizza for your child and his/her friends). This also includes bringing cupcakes and snacks on your child's birthday. To be in compliance with law, we cannot offer them during the lunch period. Therefore, the only time we could legally do that is during class time; which is not something we are going to be able to do as the students are busy in their classes and we do not want to disrupt the learning environment.

You are certainly welcome to bring your child a lunch. Since there are classes going on during each lunch period, we are not able to call students over the intercom to come and pick up their lunch from the front office. If you drop off a lunch for your child, there is a bookshelf in the front entryway for you to leave your child's lunch. There are sticky notes and markers to label their lunch. You will need to text your child to let him/her know they have a lunch in the front office. Your child will see the text when they are allowed to turn on their phone at lunch. We will not accept food deliveries.

Panther Nation,

We have a new way of taking care of your students' food service needs. Everything will now be in one spot! . You can now download the School Cafe Family Hub app. This app will let you see menus, put money on account, complete free and reduced lunch applications, as well as many other custom functions that you can choose to set up. You can also log in on a computer as well at https://family.schoolcafe.com/ We will no longer be using My School Bucks. All My School Bucks balances have been transferred to the new system(School Cafe).

PAYING FOR SCHOOL MEALS

If you need to communicate any attendance questions or issues, please email the following email address vajhoffice@vanalstyneisd.org.

VAJH PARENT/STUDENT INFORMATION:

• If a schedule change is needed, there will be QR codes posted around the school at Meet the Teacher Night to access a schedule change request form. After Meet the Teacher, schedule change request forms will be located in the front office. Any schedule change request made once the school year starts must be requested by the parent within the first 5 days of school and approved by the principal. After that time, schedule changes will be made sparingly unless there is an extenuating circumstance. **Please know the schedule change request form is used only to drop one elective course and add another, not to change class periods.
  

• FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL – Monday, August 19
• SCHOOL HOURS: 8:00 AM – 3:40 PM (first bell rings at 8:00 to dismiss students to class)
• Breakfast is served from 7:25 AM – 7:55 AM
• Students can be dropped off by parents starting at 7:25 AM.
  
• Prior to school starting, 7th graders and 8th grade students will be in the cafeteria. Students who need to eat breakfast go to the cafeteria to eat. If your child does not have their schedule on the first day of school, there will be a staff member at the entrance doors to pass out schedules.

• If your child is participating in 7th or 8th grade athletics, please know that workouts begin the FIRST day of school! Please make sure your child has proper workout clothes to change into and tennis shoes.

• The VAISD Student Code of Conduct, VAJH Student Handbook, student dress code, and school supply lists are on the school website, www.vanalstyneisd.org. Hard copies for each of those documents will also be available upon request in the middle school office. Please be familiar with the student dress code to help us proactively head off any issues before they arise.
• A few things to be aware of regarding the dress code are:
• Jewelry for face/body/tongue piercing may not be worn at school except pierced earrings for females. No spacers.
  
• Hair must be a natural color. No Mohawks, faux-hawks, or designs in hair.
• Holes in jeans are allowed in jeans, but skin cannot show through the hole above the fingertip. Oftentimes, students will wear leggings under their jeans or have patches behind the hole.
• Skirt/short needs to be fingertip length
• And guidelines for wearing tight-fitting clothing, such as yoga pants and leggings (must have something over them that meets the school dress code, fingertip length).

• Parents, please stay connected to Parent Portal so you can accurately track your child’s progress. An added perk of the program is that you can set alerts to let you know if and when your child scores below whatever standard you set. The link to sign in is under the “Parents” tab on our school website. If you need login information, you can contact our receptionist, Twila Whitaker, at twhitaker@vanalstyneisd.org or by calling 903-482-8803.
• Parents can deposit money into their child’s lunch account online through www.myschoolbucks.com. **In accordance with state law, parents are not allowed to provide food for any child other than their own. This includes dropped-off lunches, sharing of pizza, cupcakes for their friends, etc.

• If parents are interested in serving on the Campus Improvement Team or being a school volunteer, please contact the office or your child’s teachers at 903-482-8803.
  

• If you were receiving our weekly email newsletters last year and your email has not changed, you do not need to re-register to continue to receive them. If your email has changed or your child is new to our school, please go to our campus webpage and sign up to receive our weekly newsletters to help keep you informed. Go to www.vanalstyneisd.org, click Van Alstyne Junior High, click Newsletter Signup under the Parents tab.

• Following our Van Alstyne Junior High 7-8 Facebook page is also a great way to keep informed, as well as signing up for the grade level Remind accounts.

Feel free to stop by our office or call us at 903-482-8803 any time you have questions or concerns. Thank you for your support.

The district dress code is enforced. Please ensure that your child is in dress code each day to limit class disruptions.

Dress Code

• Shorts, skirts, and dresses must be at least fingertip length.

• All outer garments must have sleeves (cap sleeves are permitted). “Spaghetti straps” or “tank tops” are not allowed. Shoulders must be covered.

• Footwear must be a style that ensures safety and does not present a distraction. Teachers may restrict (designate) the kind of footwear needed for that class in order to meet the safety standards for the instructional activity. House shoes are not permitted.

• Garments that are cut inappropriately are not permitted.

• Holes in jeans are allowed in jeans, but skin cannot show through the hole above the fingertip. Oftentimes, students will wear leggings under their jeans or have patches behind the hole.

• Pajamas are not allowed.

• Blankets and pillows are not allowed.

All garments should meet the standard of modesty: (Modest: observing properties of dress and behavior, moderate: avoiding extremes of behavior or expression, observing reasonable limits; Webster’s 7th Collegiate Dictionary).

Anything form-fitting, such as spandex shorts, bicycle shorts, tights, leggings, and leotards, may only be worn under shorts or skirts that meet the school dress code.

• Midriffs, cleavage, and undergarments should be covered at all times.

• Tops must overlap the waistband of the pants; midriffs should not be seen even when arms are raised above the head.

• All students must have hair that is neatly groomed, out of the face and a natural color.

• No Mohawks or designs in hair.

• Goatees, beards, mustaches, and other facial hair must be short, neatly groomed, and natural in color.

• Students may not wear hats, headgear, or sunglasses in the building during the school day.

• Wallets with dangling chains and dangling or oversized jewelry are prohibited at school.

• Male students may not wear earrings, ear studs, or anything else in the ear.

• Jewelry for face/body/tongue piercing may not be worn at school except pierced earrings for females. No spacers.

• Students may not wear garments or bring items to school that display pictures, emblems, or writings that are lewd, offensive, vulgar, or obscene; and/or advertise or depict tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, drugs, or any other objects or ideas that in the principal’s judgment may be expected to cause disruption of school activities or interference with classroom and other normal school activities.

• Students can be dropped off by parents starting at 7:25 AM. **Students WILL NOT be supervised prior to 7:25 AM. For their safety, please do not drop them off before that time.
• Carpool, walkers, and bike riders will enter through the doors at the west end of our building near cafeteria/gym).
• Buses drop off at the front of our building. (The front of our building will be closed for carpool drop-off between 7:25 AM - 7:45 AM to allow for bus drop-off. After 7:45 AM, parents can drop students off at the front entry.)
• When students arrive in the morning, 7th graders will go to the main gym and sit on the visitor side & 8th graders will go to the cafeteria.
• Students who need to eat breakfast will go to the cafeteria to eat.
• If your child does not have their schedule on the first day of school, there will be a staff member at the entrance doors to pass out schedules.

The front entrance will be closed to all traffic except for buses. Parents picking up their children in the afternoon will all use the south entrance to our school. Once in the parking lot, we have a limited amount of space for curbside pick-up. It helps alleviate traffic back-up on Highway 5 if the cars that won’t fit in the curb-side pick-up line park in the parking lot (*see pick up parking areas on the map). Once the curbside pickup line is backed up to Highway 5, the next cars in line can follow the red arrow below to find a parking spot. We will have carpool monitors to assist students safely across the parking lot and out to their car as quickly as possible.

The first couple of days of student pick-up will be a little hectic because many people will want to pick their child up on those days. Please be patient and follow the directions of our staff members who will be directing traffic. By the end of the week, it should be running fairly smoothly.

Tip: To shorten your wait time and allow some of the traffic to dissipate those first couple of days, it helps if some parents come about 3:50 to pick up their child. By the second week, you will be able to come at the normal 3:40 time. **Also, starting the second week of school, students will be unsupervised outside after 3:50, so please be sure to pick your child up prior to that time.

Parents and guardians, when you have emergency concerns about one of our students outside of school hours, please call the Van Alstyne Police Department. Oftentimes, our staff do not check email outside of school hours and the goal is to provide immediate assistance to the student or family. Some examples of emergency concerns would be: students claiming self-harm, students sharing suicidal thoughts or suicidal attempts, or any other situation where a student would be in danger and needs immediate help/assistance. Rather than emailing staff or submitting a StopIt App report, please call 911 or call The Van Alstyne Police Department at 903-482-5251.

When visiting our campus, we have safety procedures in place. After pushing the button at the front door, you will need to provide the following through the speaker.

1. Full Name

2. Valid Picture Identification

3. Student’s full name and reason for visiting the school

Once in the building, you must provide your picture identification to the receptionist at the front desk. It will be scanned, a badge will be made, and identification will be held in the office. When you leave, you will need to walk back through the office to pick up your identification. We appreciate your cooperation while we try to keep our students and staff safe.

It is important for us to provide avenues for parents to stay informed. Here are the communication tools we use at VAMS to ensure you know what is happening throughout the school year.

Junior High Website: Click HERE to access the VAJH webpage.

Social Media: Want to see what goes on at VAJH during the week? Want to see pictures of students doing awesome things? Want to see what learning looks like on our campus? Be sure to like us on Facebook, Van Alstyne Junior High 7-8.

Digital Newsletter: We email parents a digital campus newsletter every Friday. If you are not currently signed up to receive our weekly newsletter, click HERE.

Grade-level Remind Accounts: Please sign up for the appropriate Remind accounts below to help keep you informed. We also recommend having your child sign up as well. Teachers use Remind to communicate important dates and information.

Free and Reduced Applications are now open for the 2024-2025 school year. Complete only one application for all the students in the household if you feel that you are eligible.

Please know that all incoming 7th graders and new 8th grade students must have a physical on file and Rank One paperwork completed prior to participation. If you have questions please contact:

Coach Moore, Junior High Athletic Coordinator - pmoore@vanalstyneisd.org

Our first varsity home game is Friday, August 30 at 7:30 PM where our Panthers will play Life Waxahachie. We love seeing our junior high students attend games to support our high school students. Please see the information below about football game expectations.

• junior high students who are not sitting with their parents/guardians need to sit in the junior high section (top of the bleachers behind the band).
• No footballs or other balls can be brought to the game.
• No one is allowed on the football field after the game.
• Students will be asked to leave if they continue to make poor choices after a warning/redirection.

The graphic above shares new rules for our athletic venues. Please help us by going over the prohibited items with your students before attending the games.

Seating:

Panther Blue Seats - The blue seats are reserved for Season Ticket holders for Varsity games. We appreciate your cooperation in allowing Season Ticket holders to occupy their reserved seats.

Prohibited Items:

In conjunction with the UIL and for the safety of our guests and employees, the following are prohibited:

• Backpacks
• Outside food or drink (bottles, cans and beverage containers of any kind*)
• Abusive, foul or disruptive language or clothing
• Alcohol
• Animals (except service dogs to aid guests with disabilities)
• E-cigarettes/Vaporizers/Tobacco
• Balls (including but not limited to footballs, soccer, and lacrosse)
• Firearms or weapons of any kind
• Any other item or action deemed dangerous or inappropriate

*exceptions will be made for those with medical requirements or special needs.

Post Game:

The field of play is limited to participating athletes, coaches, trainers and officials. At no time will fans be allowed to enter the field area. (before, during or after.)

We love our parent volunteers! Our parent volunteers help organize student events, host teacher appreciation luncheons, and support our school. If you are interested in volunteering, please email Jamie Blackerby at Blackerby2030@gmail.com or check the VAJH Panther Parents Facebook Page.

Promoting community service is a goal of VAJH! In order to promote and foster serving our community and others, students can earn a community service award at the end of the year awards assemblies to recognize students who give their time, talents, and hearts.

Find opportunities throughout the school year for your child to work on their community service hours. Make sure your child is documenting their community service time on their hour log.

VAMS Community Service Hour Logs are due on Thursday, May 1st.

Click on the link below "VAJH Community Service FAQ Flyer" for more information.

Our clinics must have a Medication Parent Consent Form on file for students requiring medication administered during school hours. This form must be signed by parent/legal guardian. Medication must be kept in the ORIGINAL bottle. (see links below)

Children who have the following symptoms should stay home and not come to school until these symptoms have been gone for at least 24 hours without the help of medication.

• Fever (100 degrees or higher)
• Sore Throat (with fever or swollen neck)
• Persistent Vomiting or Diarrhea
• Rash (with fever and itching)
• Conjunctivitis/Pink Eye (your child can attend school 24 hours after starting medical treatment)

A child with a typical cold, but no fever or green drainage, may come to school.

If a student becomes ill during the school day, he or she must receive permission from the teacher before reporting to the school nurse. If the nurse determines that the child should go home, the nurse will contact the parent.

Homecoming

Our Varsity Homecoming game will be Friday, September 13 at 7:30 PM. Students are welcome to attend the football game and enjoy time with their friends. Please know mums and garters will not be allowed here at the junior high as they are a distraction to the learning environment. Students are welcome to wear mums and garters to the homecoming football game. We appreciate your understanding and hope you plan on enjoying watching our Panthers play Paris at the Homecoming game.

All volunteers, including parents, have to fill out a Volunteer Approval Form to have a background check before volunteering (ex: attend field trips, volunteer on campus, help with testing, etc.). This form must be filled out EVERY school year. The entire process, from submitting the form to receiving approval, can take as long as two weeks. This process must be completed before being approved to volunteer. If you have students at multiple schools, only one application is required.

Click the button below to access the Volunteer Approval Form. We appreciate our volunteers!

Website: https://jhs.vanalstyneisd.org/
Location: 1722 N. Waco Van Alstyne, TX
Phone: 903-482-8803

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560526280581