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Irvine Unified School District
March 2015
Venado Middle School Newsletter
Newsletter at a Glance
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A Message From the Principal
Fitness Testing
School Dance
SEAMS
Irvine Junior Games
P.T.S.A.
Second Trimester Report Card
Music Program Events
Penny Wars
Residency Verification
Dress Code Reminders
 Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium
Tests
 Middle School Program
 Spirit Days
 District Science Fair
 Irvine Youth Sports Tournament of Champions:
Flag Football
 Science Olympiad
 Math Counts
 Junior High All State Orchestra
 OC Spelling Bee
Events for March
3/6
3/13
3/13
3/20
3/23
3/25
3/27
3/31
IUSD Staff Development Day – No School for Students
School Dance, 3:30 - 5:30pm
Tie-Dye Spirit Day
Black and Gold Spirit Day
Festival Concert at Irvine HS (Bands at 5:45pm, Orchestras at 6:45pm & Jazz Ensemble at 8:00pm)
Renaissance Faire – 6:30 - 8:30pm
Expect Respect Wear Purple Spirit Day
Residency Verification Form Due
A Message from the Principal
I would like to once again congratulate Mrs. Susy Sarmiento, English Language Arts Teacher, who was
recently selected as IUSD’s Middle School Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Sarmiento will be recognized at
IUSD’s Annual Teacher of the Year Dinner later this year. As a district Teacher of the Year, Mrs.
Sarmiento will advance to the Orange County Teacher of the Year competition. Mrs. Sarmiento is very
deserving of this distinction. We wish her all the best as she moves forward in the process. For more
information, please click on the link below:
Susy Sarmiento, District Middle School Teacher of the Year
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Susy Sarmiento, IUSD’s Middle School Teacher of the Year, being congratulated by Superintendent, Terry Walker, along with
family, friends, students and staff members.
As part of Venado’s Emergency Plan, several officers from the Irvine Police Department (IPD) were on
campus on February 11 to train our staff members on lockdown procedures. Staff members at all IUSD
schools are now being trained by IPD annually. The following day, we conducted a lockdown drill in
order to have all students and staff practice. This is the second drill of this nature this school year. We
hope that we never have to initiate a lockdown, but in the event that we do, we believe our students
and staff members are well-prepared.
It’s hard to believe that the end of the second trimester is around the corner. As one will read in this
newsletter, Venado students and staff have been very busy competing in local and regional academic
and athletic competitions. Participation in these events would not be possible without the various staff
members who volunteered their time and energy supporting and preparing students for these events. I
would like to thank Mrs. Ann Parola for serving as Science Olympiad Advisor, Mrs. Carol Kim, who served
as the MATCHCOUNTS Advisor, Ms. Johnson, for serving as staff sponsor to IUSD’s Science Fair and Ms.
Julie Campbell and the ELA team for organizing this year’s Spelling Bee. In addition, I would like to
acknowledge Mrs. Trish Wimbrow and the Drama class for a spectacular job on the school play, Happily
Forever After. The play was funny, the costumes and sets were great and it’s clear that this was a big
class effort. Great job! I would also like to thank Mike Filia, parent, for coaching Venado’s Flag Football
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Team to victory in the Irvine Youth Sports Tournament of Champions. Thanks, once again, to all of these
individuals for their effort and support of our students!
The school newsletter is produced collaboratively by a number of staff members who write various brief
articles each month. The name of the individual who wrote each article is indicated. I would like to
thank this month’s contributors. I would also like to especially thank my Administrative Assistant, Ms.
Peggy Mariani, who rounds up, creates the layout and edits the articles each month.
~ Luis Torres, Principal
Fitness Testing
Beginning March 1, all students will be participating in the State Physical Fitness Test. The test will take
approximately 2-3 weeks to complete. Students will be tested in a variety of areas such as
cardiovascular fitness, upper body strength, flexibility and BMI. We encourage all students to eat well,
stay hydrated and get plenty of rest.
~ Mrs. Glaze and Mr. Loyd, Physical Education Teachers
School Dance
The Venado ASB/Leadership Class will be hosting the second school dance/social for the year on Friday,
March 13, from 3:30-5:30pm. The theme of the dance is “Tie-Dye.” The ASB/Leadership Class will also
be holding a Spirit Day that day encouraging students to wear their Tie-Dye attire. Tickets will be on sale
at lunch, Tuesday March 10, through Friday, March 13 for $5.00. Tickets sold at the door will be $6.00.
The dance is for current Venado students only. There will be plenty of food, drinks, games, dancing and
a photo booth.
~ Cory Hinman, ASB/Leadership Advisor and Teacher
Student Empowerment at Middle School
The next session of SEAMS (Student Empowerment at Middle School) took place on March 4. During
this session, 7th graders learned about the importance and power behind strong communication skills.
These are skills students will be able to use for the remainder of their middle school years and beyond.
~ Officer Rick Gramer, Middle School Resource Officer
Irvine Junior Games
Attention Venado students and parents! It’s that time of year again! Registration for the 28th Annual
Irvine Junior Games (IJG) has begun. IJG is a one-day track meet for 4th through 8th graders that will be
held on Sunday, May 17. Students from Irvine schools will again show their support for the Irvine
Children’s Fund (ICF) Track and Field fundraising event. Money raised by the IJG is used to provide
childcare scholarships and help meet the varying needs on 24 IUSD elementary school child care sites.
In order to compete in this event, students must register by March 13. This is a fantastic opportunity to
raise money for a great cause and a chance to compete against students from different middle schools
in Irvine. All registration will be completed online at www.IrvineJuniorGames.com. There is a $30 entry
fee that includes an IJG 2015 athlete T-shirt, track clinic and free day at Camp James. For more
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information, please contact Mr. Bui at 936-6869 or at kevinbui@iusd.org. Save the date, May 17, and
we’ll see you and your children there.
~ Kevin Bui, Irvine Junior Games Advisor and Social Science Teacher
PTSA
Venado PTSA would like to invite you to a workshop titled “The Asset Approach” on March 19 at
6:30pm. Why do some young people grow up with ease, while others struggle? Why do some kids get
involved in dangerous activities, while others spend their time contributing to their communities?
Research by the Search Institute has identified 40 Developmental Assets that have a tremendous
influence on young people’s lives. Our speaker, Susan Holt, MSW, PPS from IUSD Guidance Resources
will be the presenter. Please join us at Venado for this enlightening evening. In order to make sure that
we have enough seating, please let us know if you will be joining us. RSVP to venadoptsa@gmail.com
~ Kathy Emerick, P.T.S.A. President
Second Trimester Report Cards
Second Trimester Report Cards will be posted on the evening of March 20, 2015. To view your child’s
grades, please sign into your Parent Portal account at www.myiusd.org
~ T. Laughlin, Clerk
Music Program Events
Come and listen to the Venado Instrumental Music classes as they present their spring performances.
All groups have been working extremely hard to prepare their music! Below is a list of our upcoming
shows:
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Saturday, March 21 - Venado Jazz Ensemble at the Irvine High School Theater (Time TBA)
Monday, March 23 - Venado Festival Concert at the Irvine High School Theater (Bands at 5:45pm,
Orchestras at 6:45pm & Jazz Ensemble at 8:00pm)
Wednesday, April 1 - Choral Musical Review at Venado, 6:30pm
Email Mike Hammers, long-term substitute music teacher, with any further questions at:
michaelhammers@iusd.org.
~ Michael Hammers, Long-term Substitute Music Teacher
Penny Wars
Time to bring out those Pennies! The 2nd Annual Penny Wars Fundraiser will be March 23 -27. Venado
will be participating in a global outreach project, with Free the Children, to raise money to help build
schools in Nicaragua. To encourage student and staff participation, this fundraiser is also a competition
between 4th period classes competing for a Class Party! Each 4th period class will have small collection
containers that look like houses. Students are encouraged to bring in as many pennies as they can,
because pennies = points! However, what’s a war without sabotage? To sabotage other period 4
classrooms, students throughout the day can add other coins and bills to bring NEGATIVE points for that
classroom. For example: Students that are in Mrs. Hinman’s third period art class want to sabotage her
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fourth period class. They would then put coins/bills, other than a penny (nickel, dime, quarter, $1, $5,
$10, $100), into her container to make her fourth period class lose points.
This is how students earn points for THEIR fourth period class:
1 penny = +1 point
This is how to sabotage other classes:
1 nickel = -5 points
1 dime = -10 points
1 quarter = -25 points
1 dollars = -100 points
5 dollars = -500 points
10 dollars = -1,000 points
100 dollars = -10,000 points
~ Cory Hinman, ASB/Leadership Advisor and Teacher
Residency Verification
Residency verifications for all IUSD students enrolling for the 2015-16 school year are due by March 31,
2015. To view the IUSD residency letter, click here. The forms can be returned to the Venado front
office, or emailed to taritalaughlin@iusd.org
~ T. Laughlin, Clerk
Dress Code Reminders
As we head out of California’s mild winter and into a warmer-weathered spring, just a reminder for
students to refer to our Venado Dress Code on page VII of our Student Planner before getting dressed in
the morning for school. It’s important that students dress for success in school and avoid wearing
clothing or accessories that are inappropriate or distracting to the educational setting. Thank you for
your support.
~ Shannon Van Dam, Assistant Principal
Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Tests
Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) is the system of academic tests that replaced the
Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program tests in English/Language Arts and Math. SBAC
tests, based on Common Core State Standards will be administered at Venado between April 13 - June 8.
The students will be taking grade-level assessments in English/Language Arts and Math.
SBAC tests will be taken via computers through your child’s English and math classes. The SBAC Practice
and Training Tests provide examples of these new tests. SBAC practice tests are available to the public
at http://caaspp.org/practice-and-training/index.html. Practice tests and answer keys are available for
grades 3 through 8 and grade 11 in both English/Language Arts and Math. The tests are accessed by
clicking on the Student Interface Practice and Training Tests tab. The answer keys are found by clicking
on the Test Administrator Resources tab.
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Your child will be receiving instruction and practice on the types of questions that will be part of the
SBAC test, as well as on the format of the tests. There are four major types of questions that your child
may see: multiple choice, multiple response, short answer and performance task assessments. I
encourage you to explore the practice tests with your child and discuss them.
Eighth grade students will also take the Science California Standards Test (CST) in May (final date to be
determined). This assessment will be administered with a test booklet and a multiple choice answer
document as in years past; it is not a computer adaptive test like the SBAC. If you have questions, do
not hesitate to ask your child’s teacher(s).
~ Shannon Van Dam, Assistant Principal and Dawn Baranski, Math Teacher/SBAC Site Coordinator
City of Irvine Middle School Program
As we head into the last few months of school, the City of Irvine Middle School Program (MSP) Staff
have planned some fun and exciting recreation classes and programs for your middle school students!
Here is what is on the calendar in the next few months (but keep checking the MSP website for updates
as we continue to plan new programs to keep your child busy & entertained after-school):
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Co-ed Volleyball begins Tuesday, March 3
Natural History Museum & California Science Center Excursion, Friday, March 6
Anaheim Ducks Hockey Game, Friday, March 20
Zip line, Archery, & BB Guns, Friday, April 3 (early dismissal)
iFly Indoor Skydiving, Tuesday, April 7
Spring Break Teen Camp, April 6-10
Gnarly Outdoor Adventures, Fridays, May 1-29
Sierra Mountains Camping Trip, Friday, May 22 – Sunday, May 24
To see the March Activities Calendar, or for more information regarding upcoming programs with the
City of Irvine Middle School Program, visit the Student Section of the Venado Homepage, pick up a
program flyer at the entrance to the Venado Library or visit our website at www.IrvineMSP.org
~ Stacy Martin, Venado MSP Coordinator
949-724-7190 smartin@cityofirvine.org
Spirit Days
What intense school spirit we have here at Venado! The number of students and staff members
participating this year is the best it has been in years. The monthly period 5 competition to win a pizza
party is still going strong!
Here are the period 5 class winners so far this year:
September: Mrs. Fallace’s class
October: Mr. Bui’s class
November: Mrs. Sarmiento’s class
December: Mrs. Sarmiento’s class
January: Mrs. Sarmiento’s class
February: Mr. Bui’s class
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This month’s Spirit Days:
March 13 - Tie-Dye (to encourage dance attendance as well)
March 20 - Black and Gold
March 27 – Expect Respect Wear Purple Day
~ Cory Hinman, ASB/Leadership Advisor and Teacher
District Science Fair
The District Science Fair was held on February 24, 2015 at Irvine High School. All Venado students were
eligible and encouraged to enter this independent extra-credit project since “Ask a Scientist Night” was
held at Rancho Middle School in October. We are pleased to announce our HONORABLE MENTION
ribbon winner, Summer Alverson for her project "Do All Liquids Evaporate at the Same Rate?," and our
two BLUE RIBBON award winners, Patrick Liu for his "D.I.Y. Automatic Dog Feeder" and Lorenzo Bazzani
for "Paper vs. Pennies." Ms. Johnson, our staff sponsor for the Science Fair, would like to encourage all
students to start thinking NOW about a scientific problem they would like to research before entering
the 2015-2016 competition next fall.
~ Miriam Johnson, Science Teacher and Staff Science Fair Sponsor
Blue Ribbon Winner: Lorenzo Bazzani.
Blue Ribbon Winner: Patrick Liu.
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Honorable Mention Ribbon Winner: Summer Alverson.
Junior High All-State Orchestra
Please congratulate our very own Sophia Jin who was selected to participate in the 2015 Junior High AllState Orchestra. Every year, students from all around the state audition to be a part of this prestigious
group. Sophia was one of the select few from Irvine and the surrounding Southern California areas to be
chosen. February 19th-22nd, the orchestra under the direction of Daniel E. Long, the founding director
of the Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts' Youth Symphony Orchestra in Michigan inhabited the
Saroyan Theatre in Fresno CA, playing works such as On a Hymn Song of Phillip Bliss by Holsinger, Suite
for Strings by Rutter, and Contradanse No.1 by Beethoven. In attendance to their performance were
members of CODA (the California Orchestra Directors Association), CMEA (California Music Educator
Association), Music educators form across the state, friends, and family. We are all very proud to have
had a student from Venado in this year's group.
~ Michael Hammers, Long Term Substitute Music Teacher
Sophia Jin was selected to participate
in the 2015 Junior High All-State Orchestra.
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Flag Football Champs
Congratulations to Venado’s Flag Football team who won the city-wide Irvine Youth Sports Tournament
of Champions event in late January. Our team of eight 8th grade boys, Hunter Anderson, Kyle Anderson,
Ryan Ellis, Marc Filia, Tyson Matthews, Nikos Reza, Bryce Tanikawa and Devan Walker, beat Jeffrey Trail
Middle School in the first game and then went on to beat the Vista Verde School team in the finals for
the Championship. A special trophy will be on display in the main office until next year. A special thanks
to parent Mr. Mike Filia for organizing the event and coaching the boys to victory.
~ Shannon Van Dam, Assistant Principal
Venado’s Flag Football Team pictured after the game. (Left to right): Tyson Matthews, Kyle Anderson, Coach Mike Filia,
Hunter Anderson, Devan Walker, Nikos Reza, Bryce Tanikawa, Ryan Ellis and Marc Filia.
Science Olympiad
Four months of hard work by Venado Middle School‘s Science Olympiad team culminated at the Orange
County Regional Science Olympiad Competition hosted by the Orange County Department of Education
in conjunction with the University of California, Irvine on February 14, 2015. Each participating middle
school could enter 15 students to compete in 23 events. Eight of our 15 students received medals in
seven events. They are as follows:
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2nd Place - Write It Do It (Amy Shen and Alexander Xu)
4th place - Crime Busters (Wilson Lin and Jai Radhakrishnan) and Elastic Launch Glider (Brandon Beck
and Alexander Xu)
5th place - Anatomy and Physiology (Wilson Lin and Jai Radhakrishnan) and Can’t Judge a Powder
(Wilson Lin and Elina Kim)
6th - Meteorology (Patrick Liu and Shiva Kandala) and Simple Machines (Patrick Liu and Shiva
Kandala)
Congratulations to the entire Science Olympiad team! This is Venado’s second year as an after school
club that met on Fridays since mid-October. The students did an excellent job. We could not be more
proud of you!
~ Ann Parola, Science Teacher
Venado’s Science Olympiad Team and Advisors: (Left to right) Back Row: Mrs. Ann Parola, Wilson Lin, Shiva Kandala,
Alexander Xu, Brandon Beck, Patrick Liu, Sid Raj, Ainesh Arumugam, Tanvi Wagh, Harshita Dabir, Mr. Roland Boucher and Mr.
Darcy Staggs. Middle Row: Jai Radhakrishnan, Sarah Maver, Elina Kim, Sidarth Dedhia, Andrew Tang, Emma Hanson and Mia
Kale. Front Row: Mira Ogawa, Amy Shen, Alexandra Chang, Shruthi Aiyar, Hana Shaik, and Phoebe Wang. Not pictured:
Gabriel Jin, Christina Liu, Adarsh Pantula, Sweta Saravanan, Dylan Shade, Kimia Shams and Harry Zhou.
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Math Counts
The MATHCOUNTS Competition series is a nationwide program designed to boost the math competency
of middle school students. The annual MATHCOUNTS Regional Competition was held on February 21,
2015 at UC Irvine. Ten students, who have been preparing since November, represented Venado Middle
School and competed to win 8th place out of 30 schools in the Orange County region. Great job to our
“mathletes!”
~ Carol Kim, Math Teacher
Venado’s MATHCOUNTS Team at UCI. (Left to right) Front row: Mrs. Carol Kim, Advisor, Ainesh Arumugam and Pratyush Das.
Second row: Ivy Cao, Jessie Zhao, Phoebe Lin, Nicholas Guo, Shiva Kandala, Jai Radhakrishnan, Patrick Liu and Alex Xu.
Orange County Spelling Bee
Venado’s three Spelling Bee winners took part in the Orange County Spelling Bee on Saturday, February
28. All three students, Ivy Cao, Dominic Cinco and Dylan Kaino, made it through the written
spelling/vocabulary round and advanced to the final oral spelling round. They hung in there until most
other contestants were eliminated. Among the 47 students representing various Orange County public
and private schools, Dylan Kaino took 5th place. Congratulations Dylan! We are proud of all of you!
~ Julie Campbell, ELA Department Chair and Teacher
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Dylan Kaino placed 5th in the
OC Spelling Bee.
Home of the Venado Knights
Honest  On-time  Noble  On-task  Respectful and Responsible
4 Deerfield Avenue, Irvine, CA 92604  949.936.6800  FAX 949.936.6809  www.iusd.org/ve
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