Bear Bulletin
April 25, 2021
Reminder: April 30th is a Student/Staff Holiday!
Topics Included in this Newsletter
- Note from Mrs. Spencer
- Message from Dr. Blaine, SBISD Superintendent
- Student Council Food Drive
- Chromebook Checks (6th and 7th) and Returns (8th)
- Next Round of STAAR Testing
- Student Planner Restroom Log and Cell Phones Information
- Spring Finals Schedule
- French at MHS
- End of Year Events for SBMS
- SBISD New & Returning Student Registration Opens Monday, April 5th
- Required Vaccinne Information for Rising 7th Graders
- MHS Course Selection Sheets
- SBMS Yearbook Update!
- Safety Information and Expectations for SBMS Students and Families
Message from Mrs. Spencer
Hello, SBMS Bears,
The countdown to summer now stands at 23 days left of 2020-2021! We can do this, Bears! I spoke to a few parents over the last week and we were just in awe of what we have done..together! Let's keep going, Bears! A few things:
- SBMS Yearbook: It has arrived andis GORGEOUS! Ms. Boyle and her Yearbook Crew have done an OUTSTANDING job. We are working through our distribution plan next week, so if you haven't bought yours, do it this weekend. With only 50 left and distribution occurring soon, they will sell quickly! See article below for the link to purchase. The creation of a yearbook in a pandemic is no easy feat, please extend your thanks to Ms. Boyle if you are so inclined.
- MHS Course Selection Forms: Students have until Thursday to send in course verification sheets for MHS to Mrs. Richie. No changes will be allowed after the deadline.
Student Drop Off near Championship Gym: Please pull into a parking spot rather than block the drive way when dropping off students to the Championship doors, if your students are in athletics.
- SBMS Library Book Overdue Notices: Students should check their emails each Wednesday afternoon to determine if they have received an overdue library book notice from Mrs. Silva. We are grateful to our PTA for assisting in increasing the size of our collection. Let's keep them circulating!
See you Monday, Bears!
Stefanie Spencer, Principal
Message from Dr. Blaine, SBISD Superintendent
Dear Spring Branch ISD Families,
As we round the corner on progress report time and look ahead to the last weeks of the 2020-2021 school year, here are a few important reminders: Continue to check for success District closed Friday, April 30 Friday, April 30 is a student and staff holiday. All Spring Branch ISD facilities will be closed. We will welcome students and staff back on Monday, May 3. The full academic calendar can be found here. Reminder to vote Election Day is May 1. Early voting will be held April 19-24 and April 26-27. Two seats on the Spring Branch ISD Board of Trustees are up for election this year. Candidates Chris Earnest and Virginia Elizondo and are vying for the Position 4 seat, and incumbent Minda Caesar is running unopposed for Position 3. Each board member serves a three-year term. Earnest lists his occupation as consultant. Elizondo lists her occupation as chief executive officer, senior director and adjunct lecturer. Click here for a list of the early voting locations and times.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Blaine, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Bears for Bears Closet Food Drive: May 3rd-7th
Chromebook Device Information for All Parents
We are so fortunate to have a 1:1 device policy in Spring Branch ISD where students are provided devices to use at school and at home. 6th and 7th graders will be keeping their chromebooks over the summer for summer school use, reading books on SORA and/or participating in our One Book, One School activity (more to come), but we would like to check their chromebooks prior to summer to be sure they are in working order. 8th Graders and those students in 6th and 8th who won't be returning will need to turn in their devices prior to the end of the school year. Please note:
- Chromebook Checks will occur for all in person students in 6th and 7th Grades beginning next week. All in person students in 6th and 7th should bring their chromebooks next week as they will be asked to show their devices to our tech specialist, Philip Edmond, and our librarian, Aaryn Silva. We will be checking for broken screens or any other issues each device may have so that tickets can be submitted. Some devices will be retired at the end of the school year and we want to be sure each child has the most current one for next school year.
- Chromebook Returns will occur the last week of school for all 8th Graders and students not returning to SBMS will occur Wednesday and Thursday of the last week of school. More to come on this, but students should plan to return chromebooks during this week. Finals will be administered on paper for affected testing periods. Virtual students are invited to return their chromebooks on May 28th.
Students should start gathering their cases and their chargers if they have not kept those items together. Students who have lost or damaged items may incur charges if insurance was not purchased or insurance does not cover that particular issue.
Required Vaccine Information for Rising 7th Graders
Parents of 6th grade students,
Last week letters were sent home regarding the additional vaccines required for 7th grade entry (Texas Minimum State Requirements). The additional vaccines required for 7th grade are Tdap, and Meningococcal (MCV4). If your child has not already had these vaccines it is advisable that you take care of this before the end of the school year. If your child is exempt for medical or religious reasons you must provide an updated notarized affidavit that includes these vaccines.
After May 15th your child will not receive next year’s schedule until an updated immunization record is provided. Please send the updated record to Mercedes.mulvey@springbranchisd.com or fax to 713-251-9472.
Next Round of STAAR Testing
Please note the next round of STAAR testing occurs the first and second week of May. The master bell schedule will be amended for testing dates and will be distributed closer to that timeframe. STAAR testing will occur on the following dates:
- May 4th: Algebra EOC for Paper Testers (Parents have been notified)
- May 6th: 8th Grade Science STAAR
- May 7th: 8th Grade Social Studies STAAR
- May 11th: 6th-8th Grade Math STAAR
- May 12th: 6th-8th Grade Reading STAAR
Most students at SBMS will take their STAAR exams online, so all students need to bring a fully charged chromebook. The paper test version for Algebra EOC has a different state deadline, hence the testing for that small group of students.
Please note that students should not wear their Apple or similar smart watches during the test, so it may be wise to keep those home for testing days. Phones should be turned off and stowed away. Testing will conclude sometime after 1 p.m. on each of these dates, so please plan accordingly in regards to appointments.
Student Planner Restroom Log and Cell Phones
Spring Finals Schedule
Click here for the Spring Finals Schedule for the week of May 24th. There may be adjustments made to this schedule in the next week or two, so please keep checking back to be sure you are looking at the finalized version. Thank you for your patience.
Virtual students will take their exams as they have taken fall semester finals and tests, online with their teachers. They do not need to report to campus.
Rising Ninth Graders: MHS French I, II and III is Available for Next Year!
Dear Rising MHS 9th Graders!
Memorial High School is proud to announce that they will be able to offer French I, II and III next year. If you are interested in changing your course selections, please reach out to the 9th Grade Counselor for next year, Ms. Stephanie Jackson. Merci!
End of Year Events for SBMS
We have much to celebrate this school year and are so appreciative of all stakeholders, faculty, staff, parents, students and our community, for all of their contributions to making this year a great one. Below is information about events we will host to celebrate students and bring a conclusion to the 2020-2021 school year in a manner aligned to the LearnSBISD safety parameters. Also, be on the look out for more details from our SBMS PTA for events they are hosting..
Grade Level Awards Ceremony for 6th-8th Graders: Traditionally, SBMS hosts an Awards Night to honor distinguished students in each grade level. This year, we will host these awards assemblies separately for each grade level in-person with students during the day, record the awards presentation and send out the link to the recording. We will post the date prior to May 1st so parents can plan accordingly in terms of student attendance and dress. Virtual students who are being presented an award may be present and will be notified in advance of the ceremony. No parents or visitors may attend the ceremony, but it will be recorded and a link distributed to all families so they can celebrate with their children at a later time. We will also be sharing this video during grade level BPTs so students can celebrate their peers, as well.
8th Grade Farewell Ceremony: Traditionally, we host this during school in our Championship Gym and all families are invited to attend. This year, the ceremony will be a virtual one where we will record the presentation for students and families to view at their leisure, as we did last year. In light of the size of the grade level, this presentation will just be virtual and students will watch it during BPT, in addition to viewing it at home with families.
8th Grade Field Day (NEW): In addition to Friday fun and other PTA events planned for 8th Graders in May, SBMS will host an afternoon Field Day for 8th Graders on May 21st. More to come on the details, but we hope it will be a fun way to celebrate their middle school journey and provide them one last hurrah before they make their way to high school. Parameters for good behavior leading up to Field Day and more information about the fun we have in store for them will be coming out soon.
Less Than 50 Copies of the SBMS Yearbook Are Available!
LESS THAN 50 YEARBOOKS LEFT FOR SALE!!! Order one at tinyurl.com/sbmsyearbook before we sell out!
Yearbooks are IN! Buy yours now or risk missing out!
Thank you!!
Sara Boyle
Journalism Teacher, Yearbook and Newspaper Adviser
Spring Branch Middle School
New & Returning Student Registration Opens April 5th!
New & returning student registration opens on Monday, April 5th and closes May 2nd. Please read the below directions for registering returning students and share information with friends who may be interested in registering new students below.
Returning Student Registration:
- Click here for information and a link to Family Access in Skyward.
- Families are asked annually to confirm/update information for each child attending.
- Returning families can update online most information collected in a school’s 1st Day Packet through Family Access. If you do not have a Family Access account, please contact your school to set up an account.
- Parents are not required to print forms. Forms can be signed and submitted electronically.
- If you would like to print out the forms for your records, please ensure that Adobe Reader is installed on your device. This process can be completed on a PC, Tablet or smartphone browser.
- Please be sure to complete forms by clicking the submit button at the end of each form.
- If your campus does not receive these forms electronically, you will receive paper
New Student Registration:
- Click here to access the online enrollment form.
Families new to SBISD or families who have moved within SBISD to a different school are encouraged to register students before the first day of school.
- All necessary registration forms may be completed online in advance of registering the student at his/her attendance area school. (Alternately, the option to complete registration forms at the child’s attendance-area campus is also available during in-person registration dates/times. A parent or legal guardian must be present to enroll a student less than 18 years old.)
- To complete forms online, you will need an Internet-ready browser, email address and phone number.
- If you would like to print out the forms for your records, please ensure that Adobe Reader is installed on your device.
- After registering online, appointments will be scheduled at the student’s attendance-area school to submit required documents (listed below)
- What do I need to bring with me to register my student?
- Immunization record certified by a doctor or public health official
- Transcript or report card from the last school attended
- Birth certificate or other document suitable as proof of a child's identity
- Proof of residency is required upon enrollment. (Examples: lease agreement or mortgage payment book, district tax bill, utility bill with correct name and address)
- July 29
Thursday- 8:00 a.m. - Noon
- 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.
- August 2 - 5
Monday - Thursday- 8:00 a.m. - Noon
- 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.
- August 9 - 11
Monday - Wednesday- 8:00 a.m. - Noon
- 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.
- August 12
Thursday- 1:00 - 3:30 p.m. (afternoon only)
- August 17 (second day of school)
Tuesday
School office hours or by appointment
Note:
- Dates and times are subject to change.
- There is no registration the first day of school.
- Family may contact the campus for additional dates and times beyond what the district has scheduled for all campuses.
MHS Course Selection Sheets
Memorial High School Parents/Students,
Course verification sheets are ready! If you log into Skyward, you can find your course verification sheet in the student portfolio section. Please review the verification form carefully.
Please follow the directions below:
- If you need to MAKE CHANGES to the chosen courses, please make the changes on the form and return the edited sheet to Mrs. Richie. You can either print and hand in a hard copy, or you can edit and email the form to Marissa.richie@springbranchisd.com.
- If NO CHANGES are needed, please write NO CHANGES across the form. You can either print and hand in a hard copy, or you can email the form.
Regardless of changes, this form must be turned in by April 29.
If you have any questions regarding course placement, please contact your current teacher for suggestions.
Lastly, if you signed up for a AAC/AP class, click here for the attached document.
Regards,
MHS counselors
LearnSBISD Safety Reminders for SBMS Bears
As always, here are a few reminders in the hopes of keeping everyone healthy, safe, in school and a focus on student learning is maintained at SBMS:
- Report of Exposure: Please report any direct, prolonged exposure your child has had with family members or friends who have been recently diagnosed. This will help Ms. Mulvey determine next steps and lessen the spread of COVID-19. You may do so by calling 713-251-4400 or emailing Ms. Mulvey at mercedes.mulvey@springbranchisd.com.
- SBISD Health Screener: Within every edition of this newsletter every Sunday is a reminder to complete the SBISD Health Screener. Please help us keep everyone healthy, well and in school by completing that screener and refraining from sending any child to school who is demonstrating those symptoms or has exposure to someone who the family believes needs to be COVID tested. If you are unsure whether or not your child should report to school, please reach out to me, Mr. Barry, and Ms. Mulvey and we can try to help you.
- Bringing Items to SBMS: SBMS will only allow the drop off of the following: chromebooks, assignments, books for Language Arts or medicine for the school nurse. Unfortunately, we are seeing too many families dropping off items to the front office that are unrelated to these things. The LearnSBISD plan indicates no drop off of items should be occurring and that visitors to the campus are restricted. As we watch numbers of parents dropping off items to our office and numbers of COVID cases tick upwards, we are tightening up our practices to make clearer what is of necessity and what is not. To ensure that your child has a back up plan for lunch, please visit SBISD Child Nutrition and put money on their account so they can purchase a lunch: https://www.springbranchisd.com/about/departments/finance/child-nutrition-services/payments-and-refunds.
- Health and Safety Reminder: One of the many unfortunate issues related to COVID-19 is that the signs and symptoms for COVID-19 can mirror other illnesses. Our LearnSBISD plan requires parents to complete a Health Screener for their students each morning and indicates that students must not report to school with symptoms delineated within that screener to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19. When a child visits with Ms. Mulvey, our SBMS Nurse, and presents symptoms that could be related to COVID-19 she must follow a protocol that involves presenting the symptoms and context for the child (duration of symptoms, if a parent has tested positive or exposure to someone else has occurred) to the SBISD Intake Nurse and then work with the family to send the child home for a period of time. We fully recognize how stressful the "here and now" is for all families, but ask that your interactions with our nurse are kind and patient. We are happy to ask questions on your behalf and answer any questions you may have, but please know the health and safety of all students, their families and our staff are at the forefront of all that we do at SBMS. This is a very difficult year to serve as a school nurse and we are so grateful that Ms. Mulvey chose this as her life's work.
- SBISD Mask Policy: SBISD requires all school-aged students and staff to wear masks covering their noses and mouths all of the school day, except for when eating or drinking. Gaiters are allowed, but please be sure that students are able to wear them consistently and cover both their noses and mouths. Some students are having to hold their necks forward to keep their gaiters up and over their noses and mouths, so parents may wish to ask their children to wear masks if they prove easier and more comfortable for your child in that regard. Students not consistent in wearing their mask over their noses and mouths may face disciplinary consequences up to and including changing their learning model.
SBISD Health Screener for In-Person Learners
Prior to the start of the school year, all families completed the SBISD Health & Safety Protocol Parent Acknowledgement Form. Included in these protocols is ensuring that every child coming to campus has a completed SBISD Health Screener every morning.
As a reminder, the health screener can be accessed via the district website (there is a blue box on the homepage titled ‘HEALTH SCREENER’ or by clicking here.) High school students may complete their own screener, but not those of their siblings.
Parents, it is critical that you report to your child's school if your child has tested positive for COVID-19, has had prolonged (15 or more minutes) direct exposure to someone who is COVID-19 positive, or is displaying symptoms of COVID-19. Please do not send your child to school. Please do complete the health screener and report to your school attendance office or nurse immediately. Please be sure to provide your contact information including a daytime telephone number where you can be reached.
View this video to see how to turn the screener into an icon (like an app) on your phone or tablet home screen for easier access: