Dear Parents and Community,

We welcome 2012 as we start our new semester.  Our kids are working diligently and focused on learning. This month our work continues as part of our Professional Learning Communities and Professional Development for teachers. Teachers are being asked to reflect on their instructional practices by asking themselves,  “How do I know if my students are engaged” and “How do I know if they have understood the target for the day”. This involves our work with formative assessment and providing a clear target and effective feedback for all students. We believe this reflection will continue to provide a strong foundation for student learning in daily classroom instruction.                                                                                             

As we prepare for March and CSAP, I realize how very fortunate we are to have such wonderful students and such dedicated teachers at Vikan. I am confident our teachers will make a difference this year and our students will show improvements on CSAP as I see their progress on a daily basis. 

Thank you to all of your for your continued support this year. We can not do this job without your help.

We have quite a few activities coming up:.

• Parent Teacher conferences are on February 8^th and 9^th from 4:00 to 6:30. I t will be open forum as before. Remember these Conferences are not mandatory and if you are aware of your child’s progress through Infinite Campus and you communicate with your child’s teachers, counselor, and or administrators on a regular basis, you do not need to feel obligated to attend this second set of conferences. Especially at the 6^th grade level where the waiting time to see your child always seems the longest. 
• February 10^th  is a Professional Development Day. There will not be school for your child on that day. And February 20^th is Presidents Day, also a holiday with no school for your child.
• February 28^th is our annual Hispanic Advisory Council Middle School (HAC) Awards Night. This night is hosted by Prairie View Middle School but several of our students are recognized through an Essay contest and specific academic, citizenship and athletic awards. Although this is sponsored by the HAC, all or our students may be recognized regardless of Hispanic ethnicity. Please watch for your invitation if your child has been recognized.
• CSAP testing is coming up soon, we will be testing March 13-15 and then again on March 20-23, so please mark your calendars .We will provide more information as we get closer to the dates.
• Please check the web page calendar, as we have updated it with many of the activities and events for our second semester.

Once again thank you for your continued support

Ana Mendoza

Principal Vikan Middle School