Friday, January 17, 2020 NEWSLETTER VSHS eNews Update - January 17/18, 2020 Dear Families,
We are back to business today at Victor Senior High School, and trust me when I say there is a very different feel and tone in our school today. In full transparency, I made a statement at last night's Board of Education meeting and re-iterated it to the students this morning about safety and security in our school. Last night I explained that there are approximately (rough numbers here) 3800 students in grades 2-12. We have had two evacuations, which means that 7600 days of instruction were either completely lost (for our HS and JH students) or significantly altered (for our 2-6 students). When you consider the number of parents/guardians, teacher aides, transportation, facilities, secretarial and food service personnel, District Office and building administrators, etc. who were also impacted that number continues to balloon. Some of our students are on crutches or in wheelchairs, some of our students have learning disabilities or battle anxiety, and many were in the middle of midterm exams when this happened. (Teachers will be e-mailing students with information on making up in-class midterm exams that were disrupted or did not happen yesterday.) As you can see, this was significant and it is not going to go unanswered. I met this morning with our building administration team and our School Resource Officer. I emphasized my position that we will continue to investigate what happened yesterday (and last month) and if it takes days, weeks, or months to get some answers then we will do whatever it takes. I made an announcement to our students and staff this morning about yesterday's evacuation and the impact it had on our entire school system. Your child may come home tonight and tell you that I sounded somewhat "angry" in my tone, but I also wanted everyone to hear how I felt. We implemented immediate measures to "tighten up" our hallways and ensure students were in class where they belong. Some of our students may be upset that we closed breakfast early, closed the library today, are requiring them to have a pass to even use the restroom, or that we now have an abundance of staff members in the hallways asking students where they are going and then escorting them to their destinations, but if this means we have a safer school then this is what we will do. By nature I am a friendly person who believes in the good in everyone. I like working in a high school setting because our students are older and should be trusted with more freedom. I don't like being "Mr. Hard-Nose" but I honestly believe our students and staff want to come here, enjoy their experiences, and do what we are here to do....and that is learn. As always, I appreciate the feedback many of you have given me and we thank you for supporting our students!
Some news this week....
Weather Reminders
Now that the cold weather has settled in, this is a reminder for students and parents to tune in to the local TV news and radio stations for updates when it comes to school closing or delays. Most local news stations have the option for you to receive e-mails or texts when there is a closing or delay. Please visit one of their websites to sign up for their alert notifications.
Important Dates...
There will be no school on Monday, January 20th in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Midterm exams: Tuesday, January 21st-Friday, January 24th. Second semester begins on Monday, January 27th.
January Midterm Exam Information
Midterm exams will run from Tuesday, January 21st through Friday, January 24th. Midterm exams are an important component of the overall final grade (12%) and students should prepare and study for their midterms. (Some classes will be gave in-class midterm exams the week of January 13th-January 17th.) The second semester will begin on Monday, January 27th. A copy of the miderm exam schedule can be found at the end of this eNews.
Here is some important midterm exam information:
Victor Dollars for Scholars Application
Seniors! Now is the time to complete your Dollars for Scholars Application! The application is due January 24, 2020. The Victor Scholarship Program offers over 80 scholarships for Victor seniors who plan to pursue higher education. Review the list of scholarships below to see the scholarships for which you could qualify. Go to the Victor Scholarship Program webpage (below), open the PowerPoint and begin the application. Don't wait until the last minute because the application will take several hours to complete.
Yearbook News
Don't forget to order your 2019-2020 School Yearbook at https://www.jostens.com. There is also a link at the end of this eNews.
Athletic Calendar
The complete schedule for athletic practices and contests can be found at https://www.sectionvny.org/public/genie/783/school/2167/ or by clicking on the link at the end of this eNews. Good luck to all Blue Devils in action this coming week!
The Victor Central School District Athletics Department is accepting nominations for the Athletic Hall of Fame. There are three (3) categories to nominate potential Hall of Fame inductees: 1) Former Athletes/Teams (graduation year must be a minimum of 10 years) The nomination form can be found at the end of this eNews.
Senior Bash
The Senior Bash "Reverse Raffle" is TONIGHT Friday, January 17, 2020! See the attached flyer at the end of this eNews. A pot of $5,000 will be distributed! This is our largest fundraiser of the year. Come out and enjoy the fun! You do not need to be a ticket holder to enjoy the evening and support our graduating class of 2020. Doors open at 7:00pm at the Fingerlakes Hotel in Farmington. Tickets are still for sale at $50 each and Bash is still looking for donations of gift baskets/items for the silent auction. Please help. You can reach Bash through our email account at: victorseniorbash2020@gmail.com or our Facebook page at: Victor Senior Bash 2020. You do not have to be a part of the Victor Senior Class to purchase a ticket or participate, so come enjoy a night out with friends!
Have a great (long) weekend!
Brian Siesto Principal
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