Conroe Independent School District
The Tumbleweed Press
Principal
Tara Vandermark
Assistant Principals
Kindel Doucet—5th
Thomas Polonyi—6th
Counselors
Racquel Johnson—5th
From Mrs. Vandermark...
March 10, 2015
We are getting close to Spring Break, and with
that comes the wishes of summer, and lots of
daydreaming in class!! Teachers are working hard
to keep students moving forward so that we continue to see success with our students. Please
help us continue to move forward by talking with
your child about what is going on at school.
Make sure that they are getting homework done,
check teacher websites, or email/call the teach-
Julia Rieke—6th
ers with any questions or concerns. Communication is the key to a successful school year!
Vogel Intermediate
27125 Geffert Wright
Spring, Texas 77386
After Spring Break, we start into testing season.
Although it is school as normal at Vogel, students
may begin to feel the pressures of state testing.
Please help us to communicate to students that
Phone
the STAAR test is just another day at school.
832-663-4300
Attendance
832-663-4308
Fax
832-663-4399
Clinic
832-663-4309
Transportation
832-592-8850
Check out our campus
website vogel.conroeisd.net
We challenge our students to give it their best
every day, so a STAAR test should not be any
March
different. If a child does their best on any as-
11—Science Benchmark –5th
sessment at school, we are proud of their effort.
16-20 ...SPRING BREAK—NO
Our goal is to show improvement from one year
to the next. That is our challenge to our students. We want to see them grow, and this is just
one opportunity, out of many, to see them shine.
IS ISSUED EVERY OTHER WEEK. WE
WILL CONTINUE TO SEND THE NEWSLETTER VIA EMAIL, IF YOU WISH TO
HAVE A HARD COPY, PLEASE LET THE
FRONT OFFICE KNOW AND YOUR
STUDENT WILL RECEIVE ONE ON ISSUE
DATES.
CLASSES
23—Classes Resume
25-Spring Pictures & Group Pictures
26– Fundraiser Delivery
2:30-6:00pm
On our testing days, we do have alternative
schedules. Because of this, we ask that parents
28– Intermediate Honor Choir @
not choose these days to come and have lunch
with their child, even if your child is not participating in a test on one of the listed days. All test
REMINDER: THE TUMBLEWEED PRESS
Upcoming Events at Vogel
days are listed on our calendar to the right and
on our parent calendar. We appreciate your cooperation with us!
McCullough 4pm
31-STAAR Reading—5th
Report Cards Go Home
April
3—School Holiday
9-Skate night
Have a great week!
11– 6th Gr. Solo/Ensemble @
Wilkerson
The Conroe Independent School District (District) as an equal opportunity educational provider and employer does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in educational programs or activities that it operates in or in employment matters. The District is required by Title VI
and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as Board policy not to discriminate in such a manner. For information about Title
IX rights or Section 504/ADA rights, contact the Title IX Coordinator or the Section 504/ADA coordinator at 3205 W. Davis, Conroe, Texas 77304; (936) 709-7752.
Car Rider Reminder—There
is no staff on
Reminder
duty prior to 7:45am. Please do not drop off your
child without supervision for their safety. Our
morning car rider traffic is blocking Hannah Rd.
and the transportation center. Please help us with
improved traffic flow by using our car rider line on
the south side of Geffert Wright. If all car riders
use this line, it should make the flow of traffic better, and will hopefully speed up the drop off process. Thank you for your assistance with this!!
Transporta(on Changes ~ Please send a note with your child if you know that they will
have a transportaon change before your child leaves for school. This is the best way to get a
change to your child’s teacher. We ask that you do this instead of calling or sending an email,
as we may miss an email before dismissal me, and calling is for emergencies only. When
sending a note with your child, please include your child’s ﬁrst and last name and home room
teacher wri!en clearly. Please also include your ﬁrst and last name, signature, and a phone
number wri!en clearly so that we may call you if we have any quesons. Thank you for your
assistance in making this process run smoothly!
Parent Conferences ~ Please contact your child’s teacher if you need a conference
about your child’s progress. Teachers are available to answer any quesons or address any concerns that you may have about class work, homework, grades, behavior, etc. Teachers are available by email, or you can call the front oﬃce to
leave a message for them to call you back. Our hope is that open communicaon
lines will make for a be!er educaonal experience for everyone.
T-Shirts Are Sll On Sale ~ We sll have current year t-shirts available for sale. Students can
purchase a long sleeve gray Vogel Texans t-shirt for $18. We sll have youth and adult sizes available. There
are very limited quanes of short sleeve black t-shirts for $15, but we do have a few le0. If you are interested in any of these shirts, please call the front oﬃce for assistance. We also have many of our vintage shirts
and sweatshirts available for purchase. All vintage items are $10. All T-shirt designs are posted on the Vogel
homepage at h!p://vogel.conroeisd.net
Vogel had four teams parcipate in the Desnaon Imaginaon Tournament. The teams did
an amazing job! Ms. Rodriguez’s ﬁ0h grade team came in third place in their Team Challenge
and ﬁrst place in their Instant Challenge. Mrs. Ketchum’s ﬁ0h grade team came in second
place in their Team Challenge! Ms. Ramos/Ms. Simmons’ sixth grade team also came in second place in their Team Challenge. Wow! What a great job! Although we didn’t qualify for
the state tournament, the second place teams sll have a chance. “Magic Phone Calls” will be
coming out next week which will allow a few second place teams to go. Keep your ﬁngers
crossed! We are proud of our Vogel Texan DI Teams!
Information for 6th graders who are
transitioning to Irons Jr. High for the
20152015-2016 school year
2015--16 Course Selection
2015
February 12 and February 19, students and parents were informed of the course selection
sheets and guided through the process.
process If you have not turned in your course selection sheet to your counselor, Ms. Rieke, do so as soon as possible.
2015--16 Irons Jr. High Cheerleading Tryouts
2015
Clinic - March 9-11 from 4:30-6:00pm in the gym at Irons
Tryouts - March 12 - 4:30pm in the gym at Irons
Quesons? Please contact Coach Neal at Irons Junior High - 936-709-8500
2015--16 Irons Jr. High Drill Team Tryouts
2015
March 26 - 6:00 pm - MANDATORY Tryout Parent Meeng in the gym at Irons
Clinic - April 6-9 from 5:30-7:30pm in the gym at Irons
Tryouts - April 10 - 5:30pm in the gym at Irons
Quesons? Please contact Drill Team Director, Jennifer Drabbant, at 936-709-8500
Immunizations
The following immunizaons are required for all incoming 7th grade students. If your student already has
had these vaccinaons, bring the clinic copy to the school nurse at Vogel in order to update your student records.
• Tdap—Tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis vaccinaon
One dose is required instead of the 10 year booster. If your child has had a tetanus-containing vaccine in the
past ﬁve years, the Tdap will not be required unl ﬁve years has passed.
• Varicella (chicken pox)
Two doses are required. If your child has had the chicken pox disease, this vaccinaon is not required. However, you must nofy the nurse at Vogel.
• Meningococcal (MCV4)
One dose is required to protect from meningococcal meningis.
COUNSELOR’S CORNER ~
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE MATTERS!
Why it Matters? - Children who don’t show up for school regularly miss out on fundamental reading and math skills and the chance to build a habit of good attendance that will carry them into
college and careers.
Rituals and Routines—For some families the hardest part about attendance can be just getting out
of the house. Rituals and routines at home help motivate kids coming to school and being their
best while they are here. Here are some helpful tips to creating rituals and routines at home.
Dinner Time—Try to make this a ritual each night no matter what. We know that each
night won’t look exactly the same with meetings, practices, recitals and games. But, no
matter what it looks like—let kids expect that there will be dinner with their family each
night. It creates routine and rituals that makes them feel included and a part of some
thing important.
Bedtime—Making sure kids get enough sleep at night makes for a more pleasing day ahead.
Intermediate kids should be getting at least 9-10 hours of sleep each night. To ensure
they are getting enough sleep create a bedtime routine similar to this:
1. Have a consistent bedtime frame every night.
2. Make bedtime a positive and relaxing experience without electronics, gadgets and toys.
TV/Videos before bedtime can lead to difficulty falling and staying asleep. Look for
more non-stimulating activities such as read a story, family talk or wind down time.
3. Make sure the room is at a comfortable temperature through the night to avoid mid
night awakenings.
4. Put your child to bed—give affirmations that sets the tone that they are meaningful
and important. Lastly, say good night and leave them those positive thoughts for the
night.
MOTIVATE/ENCOURAGE ~ kids need to be inspired and this starts at home. This means they
need to see your expectations for them in your daily routine as well. Lead by example and show
them what it means to prepare for the next day. If needed, create a reward system that works
for your home. It may mean that each day they come to school prepared and willing to try their
very best you give them a reward. If daily doesn’t work for you, try rewarding after a few days
or after a week . Kids need to see their benefits often. Waiting until the end of a 9 week period may be too long to really get them plugged in.
To learn more, visit www.attendanceworks.org & www.sleepforkids.org
STAAR Testing Dates
March 31—STAAR Reading—5th grade
April 20—STAAR Math—5th Grade
April 21—STAAR Math—6th Grade
April 22—STAAR Reading—6th Grade
April 23—STAAR Science—5th Grade
Vogel Artists ROCK!!!!
In celebration of Youth Art Month (YAM), our
district and our Public Library have created
a partnership to showcase our best young
artists. Congratulations to Vogel Students:
C. Bayarena, A. Bigelow, T. Billey, J. Caratao,
K. Curtis, J. Duong, E. Essl, Z. Galleno, A.
Khan, M. Moss, C. Paddock, K. Sanchez and S.
Smith.
Come see their art work on display at the South Montgomery County
Library (by The Woodlands Waterway) now until March 30 during regular business hours. We are proud of our Vogel Artists!
Our lost and found has grown and we are in the process of spring cleaning.
If your student has a lost any article of clothing, they
might find it in our lost and found. The students
have been asked to check daily for lost articles.
These things will be bagged up and given to charity
Friday, March 13.
Spring Creek BBQ Spirit Night…...
WAY TO
GO
VOGEL
TEXANS
Our ﬁrst Spring Creek Barbeque Spirit Night was a huge success! We had a number of teachers who signed up to work for the 3 hour period and they had a great me tossing rolls and
seeing the Vogel students and parents who came to join in the fun. The winners of the top
three classes who a!ended night were Mrs. De La Garza’s Homeroom class, Ms. Pritchard’s
Homeroom Class (shown above) and Ms. Harros’ Homeroom class. Congratulaons to those
students and teachers. We look forward to another spirit night in the future. Watch your
Tumbleweed for dates.
VOGEL TEXANS DID IT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE COUNSELORS REPORTED THAT OUR GOAL WAS MADE
FOR THE LUKEMIA/LYMPHOMA SOCIETY FUNDRAISER. OUR
STUDENTS BROUGHT IN THEIR CHANGE FOR THIS WORTHY
CAUSE TO THE TUNE OF $2147!!! WAY TO GO TEXANS!
Dear Parents,
This week, the Vogel PTO is going to start selling spirit sticks for $1.00
each, and will continue to sell them bibi-weekly until the end of the school
year. Order forms will go home in Tuesday folders, and money can be
sent back at any time in the form of cash or a check made out to Vogel PTO. Any returned checks will have a fee attached to them. If order
forms and money are received by Thursday, the student will have the
spirit sticks by Friday. If orders are received after Thursday, then it will
be sent home the following week.
Some of you may ask what a spirit stick is. It is actually a small embroidered patch that students can put almost anywhere. We also have lanyards available for purchase at $2.00 each, but students can also just
use a key ring or jump ring in order to attach them to their backpack or
other places.
Thanks for your support of the PTO!!