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Irvine Unified School District
May 2015
Venado Middle School Newsletter
Newsletter at a Glance
 A Message from the Principal
 Conclusion of Tsukuba, Japan E-Pal Program
 OC Science Fair
 Dodgeball Tournament
 Bike Registration
 8th Grade Panorama Photo
 State Testing
 Dress Code Reminders
 ELAC Meeting
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Trimester 3 Progress Report
Spirit Days
Jazz at the Palms at OC Great Park
Mental Health Month
Knott’s Berry Farm Field Trip for 8th Graders
School Service Trip to Disneyland
Residency Verification
Middle School Program
Events for May
5/1
5/1
5/5
5/5
5/7
5/7
5/7
5/8
5/9
5/14
5/17
5/20
5/21
5/22
5/25
5/27
5/29
5/29
Bicycle Registration, 8-9:30 a.m.
NJHS Movie Night, 6:30-8:15 p.m.
8th Grade Panorama Photo
ELAC Meeting, 3:15-4:15 p.m.
Minimum Day
Open House Barbeque and Student Performances, 5:30-6:30 p.m. (wear black & gold)
Open House, 6:30-8:00 p.m. (wear black & gold)
Black and Gold Spirit Day
Jazz at the Palms at OC Great Park, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
School Site Council Meeting, 3:15-4:30 p.m.
Irvine Junior Games
Knight’s Out – Veggie Grill, Time to be determined
P.T.S.A. Meeting – 6:30-8:00 p.m.
K-8 School Holiday – No School
Memorial Day – No School
Modified Late Start for 7th Graders (School begins for 7th graders at 10:55am)
Dress as Disney Character or Disney Attire Spirit Day
Disneyland Service Trip – 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
A Message from the Principal
We are excited about Venado’s annual Open House, which is next Thursday, May 7, from 5:30-8:00pm.
The evening begins at 5:30pm with a traditional barbeque dinner. Dinners may be purchased ahead of
time by completing the BBQ Meal Order Form sent home on April 20 and having your child turn it in,
along with payment, to his/her Period 1 teacher or to the office. Orders and payment may also be
submitted electronically (see order form). If you have not already placed your order, it’s not too late!
We have extended the due date until Friday, May 1. Pick up your pre-ordered dinner tickets in the BBQ
area at Open House. Dinners will be available for purchase on the evening of Open House, but will only
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be guaranteed if purchased in advance. During the dinner, enjoy performances by Venado students on
the outdoor stage. The building and classrooms will open at 6:30pm. To show school spirit, all students,
staff, parents and guests are highly encouraged to wear our school colors, black and gold!
Schedule of Student Performances on the Outdoor Stage:
 5:40 p.m. Drama class performance
 5:55 p.m. Chorus
 6:10 p.m. Jazz Band
Future Venado Knights from our feeder schools and from around the district descended on Venado on
Tuesday, April 21 for a special 6th grade assembly. Students and their teachers were encouraged to
show school pride for their new school by wearing our school colors. Prizes were handed out to the
most spirited. Assembly topics included learning about student life and activities, our HONOR Code and
the spring registration process. Students also got to hear about the various elective choices from
teachers. As part of the visit, students learned the Venado Cheer and finished out the assembly by
dancing to the “Cupid Shuffle” led by one of our School Counselors, Erin Garcia. We would like to wish a
warm welcome to all of our new students and their families!
The district office is soliciting feedback on Proposed Amendments to the IUSD’s Local Control
Accountability Plan (LCAP). To view this document, please click on the link below:
Proposed Amendments to IUSD's LCAP
Students, staff members and parents wishing to submit individual feedback about the Proposed
Amendments to IUSD’s LCAP may do so using the survey at the following page:
LCAP Community Survey
For more information about the Local Control Funding Formula and IUSD’s LCAP, please visit:
IUSD's LCFF/LCAP Page
The school newsletter is produced collaboratively each month by a number of staff members who write
various brief articles. 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
Conclusion of E-Pal Program with Students from Tsukuba, Japan
The thirty-five Venado 8th grade GATE students, who represented the City of Irvine and IUSD, celebrated
the end of the Irvine-Tsukuba, Japan Sister City E-Pal Program on April 23. These students had been
connecting with middle schools from Irvine’s sister city in Tsukuba, Japan, since October via email. The
closing ceremony consisted of video-taping individual student messages and speeches by Irvine’s Mayor
Steven Choi, IUSD Director of Secondary Education, Keith Tuominen, Mrs. Van Dam, and Ms. Campbell.
Students were treated to Japanese treats and given Tsukuba baseball hats and pins, as well as
certificates of appreciation awarded from the City of Irvine by Mayor Choi. The entire event was
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recorded to send to the Tsukuba students who also received Irvine baseball hats, Venado pencils and
pennants, and group photo postcards from their American E-Pals.
~ Julie Campbell, English Language Arts Teacher and Site GATE Coordinator
Tsukuba, Japan E-Pal Participants (left to right)
Row 1 – Jasmyne Kon, Mira Ogawa, Eunice Oh Row 2 – Ivy Cao, Katie Kao, Joanne Park, Elina Kim, Christine Park, Mayor
Choi, Helena Czochanski, Amanda Siu, Alison Duong, Dana Morshed Row 3 – Jessie Zhao, Phoebe Lin, Ellanena
Rodriguez, Erica Koyama, Logan Mintz-Hernandez, Cindy Liu, Ananya Pochiraju, Kimberly Bryan Row 4 – Kristopher
Jacobson, Joshua Zhao, Jai Radhakrishnan, David Jeong, Kenneth Phung, Tanis Wicker, M s. Campbell, Dr. Tuominen,
Mrs. VanDam
Orange County Science Fair
We are proud to report that student Patrick Liu, who participated in the Orange
County Science Fair on Sunday, April 26, won several medals. Patrick received
the Raytheon Asian Pacific Association Award, an honorary award for projects
relating to electronics. He also won first place in his project category, Electricity
and Electronics. In addition, Patrick was chosen for the Junior Sweepstakes
Award, a Board of Directors Award, which is awarded to a junior and senior high
school student with the best project and exhibit. Since Patrick is a Sweepstakes
winner, he is eligible to apply and compete at the California State Science Fair,
which takes place May 18-19, 2015. Patrick is also eligible to participate in the
Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering Rising
Star) competition, which occurs in June. Only the top 10% of middle schoolers
are nominated for this national competition. Congratulations to Patrick! We
wish you all the best as you move on to the other competitions. I would also
like to acknowledge and thank Ms. Johnson, for serving as Venado’s Science Fair
Staff Sponsor.
OC Science Fair Award Winner
Patrick Liu
~ Luis Torres, Principal
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Dodgeball Tournament
Students and staff members have been participating in a school-wide dodgeball tournament at lunch,
which began the week of April 20. The tournament is a reward for winning the Clean Campus Challenge
for Trimester 2. Fifteen teams competed, including 3 teams of staff members. On April 29, the final
game was played between a student team consisting of all 7 th grade students, Triple Doubles (Brenden
Ballesteros, Blain Miller, Brady Boznanski, Bryn Boznanski, Cole Saban and Dalton Saban) and a staff
member team, the Purple Cobras (Mr. Kopczynksi, Mr. Hammers, Mr. Beckman, Mrs. Glaze, Mr. Bui and
Ms. Craig). In a close match, the Purple Cobras team prevailed and won the tournament, two games to
one. Congratulations to the Purple Cobras for winning the tournament and to the Double Triples for
making it to the finals and for a great match. I would also like thank all of the other teams for
participating and staff members who gave up their lunch periods to referee. Whether students were on
or off the court, it was a great deal of fun for all!
~ Luis Torres, Principal
Double Triples on the offense during the final three games.
Purple Cobras and Double Triple after the last match.
Bike Registration
The Irvine Police Department is hosting a Bicycle Registration at Venado on Friday, May 1 from 8:00-9:30
a.m. Students interested in licensing their bikes at this event, should bring their bikes to school and
complete the registration form (available in the front office or at the bike racks on Friday morning). If
students are unable to attend, but are still interested in registering their bikes, they may do so online by
visiting www.cityofirvine.org/bikeinfo
~ Shannon Van Dam, Assistant Principal
8th Grade Panorama Photo
South Coast Photo will be here Tuesday, May 5 to take the 8th Grade Panorama Photo. This photo is a
wonderful memory for 8th grade students. Order envelopes, which were provided to all students in
Homeroom on April 20, are to be returned to the photographer at the time of the photo on May 5.
Extra envelopes are located in the front office. The dress code applies, so please make sure students are
attired appropriately.
~ Peggy Mariani, Administrative Assistant
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State Testing
Venado Middle School is currently administering the state Smarter Balanced assessments (SBAC) to the
7th and 8th grade students. As a reminder, it is very important that the students are present at school ontime, all day, each day during our testing process. Please see the VMS SBAC Testing Schedule for a
detailed calendar indicating which English and Math classes are testing daily. Additionally, the 8th grade
students will take the California Standards Test (CST) in Science on Wednesday, May 27. On this day,
eighth grade students will report to Homeroom at 8:30 a.m. to take the test. This day will be a modified
late start schedule for 7th grade students, who may arrive to school no earlier than 10:40 a.m. School
begins on this day for 7th grader at 10:55 a.m.
~ Shannon Van Dam, Assistant Principal
Dress Code Reminders
Dress for success and follow Venado’s Dress Code! Even though the weather is warming up, please
make sure that students consider to our Dress Code (page VII of the Student Handbook) when getting
ready for school each day. Students who are wearing inappropriate attire may receive disciplinary
consequences that could affect eligibility for participation in end-of-the-year activities. Thank you for
your support.
~ Shannon Van Dam, Assistant Principal
ELAC Meeting
The final meeting of Venado’s 2014-2015 ELAC will take place on Tuesday, May 5, 2015. The meeting
will be held at 3:15 p.m. in room 113. A special guest speaker, Lauren Cohen, EL Coordinator at Irvine
High School, will be speaking to parents regarding high school and the EL student. (She will provide
information regarding placement, movement, credits (and how to get enough), summer school, and
suggested courses, among other things. There will also be a short question and answer time.
~ Sherilyn Cammarato, EL Coordinator and Humanities Teacher
Trimester 3 Progress Report
Third trimester grades will be posted on the evening of May 8, 2015. To view your child’s grades, please
sign into your Parent Portal account at www.myiusd.org
~ T. Laughlin, Clerk
Spirit Days
Students and staff members have shown remarkable school spirit this year. Thank you for encouraging
your children to participate in our fun spirit day competitions. This month will be the last month of
period 5 Spirit Day competitions. The winning class each month receives a pizza party.
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
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January: Mrs. Sarmiento’s class
February: Mr. Bui’s class
March: Mrs. Sarmiento’s class
April: Mrs. L. Kim’s class
Upcoming Spirit Days:
May 1st - Space Day
May 8th - Black and Gold
May 15th - Color Battle (Each 5th period will have their own team color)
May 29th - Disney Day (Dress as a Disney character or in Disney attire)
~ Cory Hinman, ASB/Leadership Advisor and Teacher
Jazz Band Performs at the Palms at OC Great Park
Imagine jazz ensembles from local middle schools and high schools jammin’ in one of the most scenic
outdoor music venues in all of Orange County, Jazz at the Palm Court Arts Complex at the OC Great Park
promises to be a special experience for musicians and music fans alike. The event is a unique
collaboration between the Irvine Unified School District and the City of Irvine. On Saturday May 9, ten
student jazz ensembles from Irvine Unified School District, including Venado under the direction of Mr.
Jim Butler, will perform (specific times to be announced, but the event starts 11:00 a.m. and ends at
3:00 p.m.). The performances will also feature special guest artists performing alongside the student
musicians. Bring your folding chairs, picnic blankets, and don’t miss this one-of-a-kind live music
experience.
~ Mr. Hammers, Long-term Music Teacher
Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It is important to be aware of our own mental health and to be
aware of the signs and symptoms that assistance may be needed for ourselves and for our family
members and friends. Mental health, like physical health, exists on a continuum. Everyone has mental
health. The more informed we are of supports available and when to seek them, the more we work to
end the stigma associated with mental health. If you would like to get involved in awareness activities
around mental health and wellness, visit the California website at www.eachmindmatters.org.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, please contact OC Links at (855)
625-4657 for assistance.
~ Melissa Di Scala Coordinator, Mental Health, Irvine Unified School District
8th Grade Field Trip to Knott’s Berry Farm
This is just a friendly reminder that students planning on attending the 8 th grade trip to Knott’s Berry
Farm on June 17, must turn in the Permission Slip and payment on May 15 to their first period teacher
or to the front office. For more information, please see the End-of-the-Year Activities Letter.
~ Luis Torres, Principal
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School Service Trip to Disneyland
As a reminder, the School Service Trip to Disneyland on May 29 is for eligible students who have
participated in special clubs, certain classes, or who have performed 20 hours of community service on
campus (see page XIV of the Student Planner for a list of clubs or classes). In order to attend, the
students must have already submitted their Service Hours Log (due 4/24/15). The Permission Slip and
money are due May 1. Students will depart from Venado at 10:00am and return to campus at 8:00pm.
Please remember, participating in one of the end-of-the-year field trips is a privilege earned by Venado
students. At all times on a field trip, students are expected to abide by all school rules (including the
dress code), park rules and municipal codes. Behavior problems during any field trip may result in the
loss of participation in end-of-year activities. If a student does not attend a field trip, whether by choice
or due to ineligibility, he/she is expected to attend school on that day. Students who are absent on this
day will be required to provide a doctor’s note to excuse the absence. All students must ride the bus to
and from Venado as a group. Parents may not give permission for students to stay at the park to be
picked up later. If a student must leave the park at an earlier time, written notification must be provided
to the school a week in advance of the fieldtrip. The school will arrange a meeting time and location for
the student to be signed out.
~ Shannon Van Dam, Assistant Principal
Residency Verification
Our district requires residency verification affidavits for all IUSD students annually. To view the IUSD
letter click here. The Department of Student Services has notified all parents that have not completed
the required Annual Residency Verification process, pursuant to state law and Irvine Unified School
District’s Board Policy and Administrative Regulations. Per instructions from the IUSD Office of Student
Services, students with outstanding residency verification will be dis-enrolled from IUSD at the end of
the current school year. Our goal is to avoid doing this to any student. If you have not completed this
process, please do so promptly.
~ T. Laughlin
City of Irvine Middle School Program (MSP)
Heading into the last month and half of school, the City of Irvine Middle School Program (MSP) staff
have just a few fun and exciting recreation classes remaining for your middle school students! Co-ed
Lacrosse starts Tuesday, May 5. Practices are afterschool, Tuesdays and Thursdays, through May 28.
Summer Teen Camp, an excursion based camp for 7th-9th graders, is filling up quickly! With only a 9week summer ahead, make sure you register soon. Registration can be done online or in person at
Heritage Community Park.
Venado Middle School and the Venado Youth Action Team are teaming up to participate in the Relay for
Life-Irvine, on Saturday, June 6-7. If you would like to join our team, or are interested in donating as our
sponsor, please contact Stacy Martin at smartin@cityofirvine.org, or Dawn Baranski at
DawnBaranski@iusd.org ASAP for more information.
To see the May Activities Calendar, visit the Students page of the Venado website. Program flyers are
located at the entrance to the Venado Library or you may visit our website at www.IrvineMSP.org
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~ Stacy Martin, Venado MSP Coordinator
949.724.7190 smartin@cityofirvine.org
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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