VAN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT'S UPDATE Van Middle School's Christmas Tree AFTER HIGH SCHOOL COMES COLLEGE... HE T L AL TEST! LA OOP SC DECEMBER 7, 2018
Congratulations to our Employees of the Month for December: J.E. Rhodes Elementary School Janet Kavanaugh. Principal Jonnie Smith said, Janet is such a hard worker and a perfectionist. She helps with ANY and EVERYTHING and always puts our kiddos first. Van Intermediate School Celeste Person. Principal Marty Moore said, Celeste is rocking her first year of teaching. She is very kind and has created a positive, family-oriented environment in her classroom. She is a great member on her team and reaches out to make sure everyone else is doing okay. She always has a smile, a laugh, and helps us to have fun. We are so blessed to have her move into a teaching position this year! Van Middle School Nean Preston. Principal Shelby Davidson said, Mrs. Preston teaches 5 th grade ELAR and challenges her students to strive for excellence and growth. Mrs. Preston is very dedicated to getting the most out of her students. Van Junior High School Tracy Rumbo and Jessica Hendrick. Principal Richard Pride said, These two ladies are very helpful to our students in content mastery. They go out of their way every day to accommodate students and make sure they have a pleasant experience at VJH. We are happy to have them on our team. Thanks for your hard work and dedication! Van High School Scott Reynolds. Principal Jeff Hutchins said, Coach Reynolds is student focused whether it is on the football field or talking with kids in the hallways at Van High School. He is compassionate, hardworking, and is a great team player, helping out in any situation needed. This week our country has mourned the loss and celebrated the life of former President George H.W. Bush. At his funeral in Washington, D.C., the company of one of our very own Van Vandals, 1 st Lt. Michael Terry, was the element that executed at the National Cathedral. Michael was personally responsible for the delivery of floral arrangements and gifts to the Bush family. What an incredible honor! We are extremely proud of Michael and his service to our country. Students at J.E. Rhodes held their Kindness Coin Drive recently with the proceeds going to Van Community Ministries. In one week they raised $667.24. Way to go, J.E. Rhodes students!! Shani Crow, Secretary at Van Middle School, came up with the idea to decorate their campus Christmas tree with some of their extra college pennants. Great idea, Shani!! It looks awesome!!
Last Friday, our Vandal football team took on the Henderson Lions in the 3 rd round of the playoffs. The Vandals played their hearts out and in the end came up short by a score of 21-20. Another successful season comes to a close as the Vandals finished with an overall record of 10-3 as the District 10-4A, Division I runner-up team along with winning the Class 4A, Division I Bi-District and Area rounds of the state playoffs. We played an extremely tough preseason schedule and proved to everyone that we belonged in the District of Doom. Congratulations to Coach Moffatt, the coaching staff, and the Vandals on a great season!! The UIL Social Studies team competed at Carthage on Saturday and placed first. Team members are: Tristan Baumgardner, Stian Du Preeze, Melissa Lopez, Olivia Ayers, and Caleb Philips. Individual honors go to Tristan 1 st Place, Melissa 2 nd Place, Stian 3 rd Place, Caleb 4 th Place, and Olivia 5 th Place. Great Job Social Studies Team! Good luck to the VHS Cheerleaders and their Coach Elizabeth Harvey as they travel to Dallas to compete in the NCA State Competition on Sunday!! On Saturday, the Jr. High Girls Lady Vandal A basketball team traveled to Brownsboro for their second game of the Brownsboro tournament. The Lady Vandals were down by 9 at the half but came back for the 32-19 victory. The Lady Vandals were led in scoring by Ashlyn Lloyd with 9 points, followed by Avery Green with 7 points, Tiereny Myers - 7 points, Bella Thompson - 7 points, and McKinley Davis with 2 points. Defensively, the Vandals were led by Jo Jo Allen with 4 steals, Macie Hansel with 3 steals and Ella Barrett with 7 rebounds. Students across the district have been practicing and preparing for their upcoming Christmas concerts. Thanks to our awesome directors for all their hard work putting these concerts together for our enjoyment!! Friday, December 7: Van High School Choir, under the direction of Jordan Swearingen, will put on their Christmas concert, A Classic Christmas, at 6:30 at the Van ISD Auditorium. Admission is free to the public. Monday, December 10: Van Middle School Choir, under the direction of Kelly Lockwood, will be held at the Van ISD Auditorium. The 4 th grade choir will perform at 6:00 p.m. followed by the 5 th and 6 th grade choirs at 6:30. Thursday, December 13: Van Junior High School and Van High School Band, under the direction of Aaron Handorf, Nick Moore, and Tim Bagert, will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Van High School gymnasium. Wednesday, December 19: J.E. Rhodes Elementary Pre-K students, under the direction of Ryan Williams, will present Christmas Countdown at 9:00 a.m. in the auditorium. Wednesday, December 19: J.E. Rhodes Elementary Kindergarten students, under the direction of Ryan Williams, will present Twas the Night Before Christmas at 1:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Thursday, December 20: 1 st Grade students, under the direction of Ryan Williams, will present The Littlest Reindeer at 9:00 a.m. in the auditorium. Thursday, December 20: 2 nd Grade students, under the direction of Ryan Williams, will present How to Train Your Reindeer (To Fly) at 1:30 p.m. in the auditorium.
DATE TIME Event December 6-8 TBD TBD TBD Basketball Boys (V) @ Great East Texas Shootout (Brownsboro) Basketball Girls (V) @ Great East Texas Shootout (Brownsboro) Basketball Boys (9,JV) @ Vandal Shootout December 7 6:30 p.m. VHS Choir Concert @ Auditorium December 10 December 11 4:30 p.m. 5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. Basketball Boys (7,8) @ Wills Point Basketball Girls (7,8) vs. Wills Point VMS Choir Concert (4 th Grade) @ Auditorium VMS Choir Concert (5 th and 6 th Grade) @ Auditorium Basketball Girls (JV,V) vs. Palestine Basketball Boys (JV,V) vs. Frankston December 13 6:30 p.m. VHS Band Concert @ VHS Gymnasium December 13-15 TBD Basketball Boys (9,JV) @ Quitman Tournament December 14 5:00 p.m. Basketball Girls (JV,V) @ Sunnyvale 6:00 p.m. Basketball Boys (V) vs. Liberty Eylau December 17 4:30 p.m. Basketball Boys (7,8) @ Brownsboro 5:00 p.m. Basketball Girls (7,8) vs. Brownsboro December 18 5:00 p.m. Basketball Boys (9,JV,V) vs. Pleasant Grove @ TBD December 19 9:00 a.m. Pre-K Presents Counting Down to Christmas @ Auditorium 1:30 p.m. Kindergarten Presents Twas the Night Before Christmas @ Auditorium December 20 9:00 a.m. 1 st Grade Presents The Littlest Reindeer @ Auditorium 1:30 p.m. 2 nd Grade Presents How to Train Your Reindeer (To Fly) @ Auditorium December 21 4:00 p.m. Basketball Girls (9,JV,V) vs. Crandall 4:00 p.m. Basketball Boys (9,JV,V) @ Carthage December 24 January 4 CHRISTMAS BREAK January 7 STAFF DEVELOPMENT/STUDENT HOLIDAY December 9 December 10 December 11 December 12 December 13 December 15 Julie Kindle INT Marty Moore INT Shani Crow VMS Susan Handorf VHS Jonnie Smith JER Jori Martin VMS Roxanna Allen CUSTODIAN Kelley Kellam VHS Vicky Cazarez - VMS
JER's Kindness Coin Drive
Intermediate's Family Night Open House & Book Fair
1st Graders Write About Their Future Careers!!