Grizzly Gazette- 09/26/22
A special Thank You to our PTO/ Parent Volunteers for coming out to support our third and final grade-level Social and for those who have come out in support of any of our three grade-level Social Icebreakers! They've been such a wonderful way for us to begin the school year and for us to return to having in-person activities for students and parents.
Student activities- including Football and Volleyball games, UIL Theater practices, and clubs/organizations are beginning and some are in full-swing. We are working to get our Sports calendars up on our website so that students and parents can be in attendance. Students wanting to stay for games should have their Student ID around their neck for identification purposes. This past weekend our Volleyball Team hosted a successful Volleyball Tournament- thank you Student Council for hosting the snack bar and other parent and staff volunteers for making this an excellent event. Congratulations to both teams and to our 7th grade Volleyball team who earned 3rd place!
- Sept 28- TMSFA Reading Assessment- (only for 7th grade students who Did Not Meet standard on the STAAR Reading Test)
- Oct 3 - Report Card Cycle 2 Start Date
- Oct 4 - Fall Holiday (Student/Staff Holiday)
- Oct 5 - Student Holiday (Staff Development Day)
- Oct 8- Dance with WHS Pride (Westside HS)
- Oct 12 - PSAT 8 (8th gr only)
- Oct 21- Homecoming Dance (7th/8th grades only- see flyer below)
- Oct 28 - Parents should have verified student's information in HISD Connect & have completed the Socioeconomic form (see both articles below)
- Oct 28- WBMS Glow Fest
Grizzlies Power Up
West Briar is officially a Power Up campus for this school year.
As students learn to adjust to their new laptop, here are some reminders:
- Charge your laptop each night & keep charger at home.
- Keep it cased- the hard case is not to be removed.
- No Food & Drink near device- do not eat around your laptop and be mindful of what's on your fingers when typing.
- Laptop Bags- these are allowable.
Does your student still need their laptop?
We are doing a laptop check Monday morning and will be reaching out to you to take care of it this week. Please note the Power Up Steps page and reach out to our Academic Instructional Technologist, Ansley Merriweather- should you need assistance.
Need help with digital learning resources for you or your student? Check out:
- Houston ISD Academic Instructional Resources Page (Canvas, Google Workspace, Office 365, etc.)
Step 1: Update/Verify Student's Information
HISD Connect is the web portal to all things student information in Houston ISD. The HISD Connect Parent Portal allows parents to complete forms, update student contact information, and view/track grades and attendance. There is also a a corresponding Power School App (for students and parents). Parents/students can use either the app or the website to view grades and attendance.
Use the links below and videos that follow to maintain your HISD Connect Parent Portal and view student's grades/attendance:
Houston ISD Connect How To Page
- This page includes all the below videos plus more information.
Houston ISD Connect (Power School) Log In Page
Step 2: Socioeconomic Information Form
Each school year, all parents must complete the Socioeconomic Information Form (SIF). This form can be completed online within the HISD Connect instructions above or can be filled out on the hard-copy form sent out from campus. Copies of the form can be found here:
Hard copy forms can also be requested from the West Briar Front Desk or House Secretary.
Why do we have to sign the Socioeconomic Form each school year? Read about it HERE.
Canvas Learning
In addition to becoming a Power Up campus, HISD is utilizing CANVAS as an instructional base for learning in and out of the classroom.
- Classroom textbooks and other Digital Learning Resources are accessible through Canvas.
- Students should be able to log into the Grizzly Den in addition to their assigned Course pages.
- The Grizzly Den is the Canvas Course dedicated to important campus student information. This course will be updated more as the school year progresses.
β Long * Live * Math βοΈ
You may have noticed your student talking about a new Math curriculum this year or you may have heard about it during Meet the Teacher night. West Briar is piloting the Carnegie Math program for the school district this year and next school year, all HISD Middle School campuses will use Carnegie Math.
We are thrilled to start Carnegie Math this year as we (Principal Mishlan, Admin, & Math Teachers) have undergone substantial training to blend student's Math learning experience. It's an instructional approach that is based on three simple, yet critical components:
- Engage (Activate student thinking by tapping into prior knowledge and real-world experiences).
- Develop (Build a deep understanding of Math through a variety of activities).
- Demonstrate (Reflect on and evaluate what was learned).
The structure of student's Math classes is different than previous years in order to align with the above three components and will also include a digital program called Mathia. The Carnegie Math Solution includes Collaborative Group Learning (student workbook pages kept in their Math Binder) & Focused Individual Learning (Mathia software- a 1-1 tutoring technology that is available 24/7 to help your student).
Please note that Carnegie Math is more than a Math Curriculum...it is a Math approach to learning that:
- believes Math is critical to life.
- believes math is about deep conceptual understanding that supports ongoing growth and continued development.
- believes all students can learn math the right way- to believe in them, expect them to participate, and to encourage them to own their learning.
- believes that all students deserve the opportunity to develop into creative problem solvers, critical thinkers, life-long learners, and more capable adults.
Besides the above instructional format change, this program challenges students by encouraging a term called "productive struggle." How to help your student develop a Growth Mindset in Math (Productive Struggle)
For more information about the Carnegie Math program, including the textbook, Mathia, and Live Hint, you can search the Carnegie Math Support Center or reach out to your student's Math Teacher.
Say Something: Anonymous Tip line
We will be presenting the Sandy Hook Promise School Safety Training to all West Briar students soon. In the meantime, this page will explain how students or parents can report safety threats to our campus or to individual students and check out this video for more information about what the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System is.
- The Say Something website listed above is also linked in the left toolbar of our WBMS homepage. (see image at right)
During this presentation, students will learn how to recognize the warning signs of threats to school safety, how we are all responsible for reporting anything we see, and how to make a report using this anonymous reporting link: Say Anything School Safety Anonymous Reporting LINK
- Reports made using this link go directly to WBMS Administrators
West Briar