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Venado Middle School
A NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON AND CALIFORNIA DISTINGUISHED SCHOOL
April 20, 2015
Dear Students and Parents:
The 2014-2015 school year has been an exciting and productive! It’s hard to believe that the end of the year is
around the corner. The purpose of this letter is to provide information regarding our annual Open House and
the end-of-the-year activities. Some end-of-the-year activities pertain to both grades, while others pertain to
either 7th only or 8th grade only.
Open House, Thursday, May 7, 2015
The date of Venado’s Open House is 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 attached order form
and having your child turn it in, along with payment, to his/her Period 1 teacher or to the office. Order forms
are due by April 28. 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 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.
Events for both 7th and 8th Grade Students
Eligibility
In order to participate in the School Service Trip to Disneyland, 7th Grade Day, the Promotion Party or the field
trip to Knott’s Berry Farm, students must be eligible (see page VII-VIII of the Student Planner for eligibility
criteria). Eligibility for these events is based on third trimester progress report grades and marks. All students
who are ineligible will receive letters indicating so. Students who are ineligible due to GPA, grades or citizenship
marks will have the opportunity to demonstrate that they have improved their grades and marks in order to reestablish eligibility for participation in end-of-the-year activities. Parents of students who fall out of eligibility
due to behavior during the last 6 weeks of school will be contacted by an administrator. Students who register
and pay for a field trip and cannot attend due to eligibility status or other circumstances, may request a refund
for the price of the park ticket, but will forfeit the cost of transportation. Questions about your child’s eligibility
may be directed to our Assistant Principal, Mrs. Van Dam, at 949-936-6806.
Field Trip Expectations
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.
Some students have annual passes to Disneyland or Knott’s Berry Farm. Students are welcome to use their
annual passes, but are responsible for checking blackout dates that might affect their entrance into the park on
the day of the field trip. 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 by May 15. The school will arrange a meeting time
with the student and parent to be signed out.
School Service Trip to Disneyland, May 29, 2015
The School Service field trip to Disneyland on May 29, 2015 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 al list of clubs or classes). Students will depart from Venado at 10:00am and return to
campus at 8:00pm. All students who will be participating in this field trip must turn in the School Service Hours
Log (page XIV of the Student Planner) by April 24 to their period 1 teachers or to the main office.
The permission slip and $90 payment for this field trip ($79 for park admission and $11 for transportation) are
due May 1 in Period 1 classes or to the main office. We will accept cash or a check made payable to Venado
Middle School. Permission slips can be downloaded from the school website on the front page under “News and
Announcements” (near the bottom of the page). Students using annual passes will need to submit payment for
transportation in the amount of $11, along with a completed permission slip.
Yearbook Distribution, Monday, June 15, 2015
Yearbooks will be distributed on Monday, June 15 to all students who have pre-purchased one. There are a
limited number of yearbooks left for sale, so if you are interested, please act quickly. Because yearbooks are
treasured, students should safeguard their yearbooks by writing their names on the inside cover immediately.
Any student who writes/draws inappropriate things, vandalizes and/or who damages a peer’s yearbook will be
held responsible for repairing or replacing the yearbook and may put in jeopardy one or more of his/her end-ofthe-year activities.
Summary of Important Dates:
April 24
School Service Hours Log for students who are participating in the field trip to Disneyland due
May 1
Permission slip and payment for the field trip to Disneyland due
June 15
Yearbooks distributed
Events for 7th Grade Students Only
Seventh Grade Day, Wednesday, June 17, 2015
On Wednesday, June 17 seventh grade students who meet eligibility requirements will get to participate in
Seventh Grade Day. Seventh Grade Day consists of many planned activities and games. This is a minimum day
for 7th grade. School ends that day at 12:45pm.
Events for 8th Grade Students Only
Knott’s Berry Farm Field Trip, Wednesday, June 17, 2015
The Knott’s Berry Farm field trip, for eligible 8th grade students only, is on Wednesday, June 17. Students will
depart from Venado at 10:00am and return to campus at 6:00pm. The permission slip and $30 payment for park
admission (ASB/Leadership will pay for transportation) are due May 15 in Period 1 classes or to the main office.
We will accept cash or a check made payable to Venado Middle School. Permission slips can be downloaded
from the school website on the front page under “News and Announcements.” Students using annual passes
will need to submit a completed permission slip by this date. Once again, students with passes are responsible
for making sure that their passes are valid on this date.
Promotion Party/Dance, Friday, June 12, 2015 from 6:30-9:00pm
The Promotion Party will be held at Venado on Friday, June 12 from 6:30 to 9:00pm. Only current eighth grade
students from Venado Middle School who meet the eligibility criteria are permitted to attend the party. The
party is sponsored by the PTSA and is free of charge. Students will need to arrive at the dance no later than
6:45pm. If for some reason your child must arrive later to the dance, please notify the main office in writing
prior to June 9, so that we can make accommodations for late entrance. If students need to leave early, they
may only be released to parents prior to 9:00pm.
Dress for the Promotion Party should be nice school clothes or dress-up clothing that would be appropriate to
wear out to a nice dinner (a dress, skirt, or nice pants for the girls and long pants with a collared shirt for the
boys). Clothing must meet the Venado dress code requirements. All school rules apply at the dance. Parents,
please pick up students promptly at the end of the dance.
Promotion Ceremony, Thursday, June 18, 2015 from 8:30-9:30am
On Thursday, June 18, 2015, eighth grade Venado students will be honored at our annual Promotion Ceremony.
The ceremony will be from 8:30-9:30am on the Venado campus. Students must arrive that day by 8:15am.
Student dress for this activity will be the same as for the Promotion Party (the dress code applies).
Family members are invited and welcome to attend the ceremony. Parents and guests are encouraged to bring
lawn chairs or a blanket on which to sit. Handicapped seating will be provided for family members who make a
request to Ms. Mariani, 949-936-6802, by Friday, June 12. A parking variance by the City of Irvine will be in
effect for the morning of the promotion ceremony to allow parking on the south side of Deerfield Avenue (the
school side) from Deer Spring/Fawn Glen West to Deer Creek/Doe Trail East. If you live nearby, please consider
walking. Students will be released to parents immediately after the end of the ceremony.
We look forward to an exciting and fun end of the year. If you have questions or would like more information
about Open House or any of the end-of-the-year activities, please contact the school at 949-936-6800.
Summary of Important Dates:
May 15
Permission slip and payment for Knott’s Berry Farm field trip due
June 12
Promotion Party
June 17
Knott’s Berry Farm field trip
June 18
Promotion Ceremony (students must arrive by 8:15am)
Sincerely,
Luis Torres, M.A., N.C.S.P #35272
Principal
Shannon Van Dam, M.A.
Assistant Principal
Luis Torres, Principal  Shannon Van Dam, Assistant Principal
4 Deerfield Avenue, Irvine, CA 92604  949.936.6800  FAX 949.936.6809  www.iusd.org/ve
Irvine Unified School District