Grizzly Gazette- Sept 3, 2021
West Briar MS School Updates: Week 3
Principal's Message
Whew...it's been two full weeks of welcoming students into our building, getting student's schedules sorted out, and students smiling as they exited school today because they confidently know where each of their rooms are located. Our school community is building a beautiful bond as we forge another
not-so-normal school year, but embrace the grit and
perseverance necessary to traverse the unexpected.
This week's newsletter is dedicated to keeping you informed of quite a few different calendar items and ensure you're getting the important information.
#GrizzlyValues
Required Beginning-of-Year Forms
Hard copy forms went home with students last Friday, August 27th. Additional hard copies are available in either student's house offices or the West Briar front office. Forms can be returned to any teacher or staff member on campus and will be given to house offices for collection.
Below you will find digital access to both forms and an explanation for each:
Form #1: Socioeconomic Information Form (blue form)
The first important form can be submitted either on HISD Connect or by hard copy (
blue form), is the:
- Socioeconomic Form- This form is filled out by all families, is confidential, and is very important in order for schools to receive compensatory education funding.
Families fall into one of two categories:
- Families that qualify for assistance, fill out form each year to continue receiving assistance.
- Families that do not qualify for assistance STILL fill out the form. These families can indicate that they do not want to provide this information, but that they submit the form anyways. (Picture at right is bottom of the form.)
Form #2: Code of Conduct Form
The second required form to be completed is the:
*You can indicate that you want a printed copy of the 2021-2022 HISD Code of Conduct, by marking it on the Acknowledgement Page. If you do not want a printed copy, this form still must be turned into the school.
Form #3: WBMS Student Laptop Agreement
Students should have received* the WBMS Student Laptop Agreement form (sent home on Friday, 9/3). This is an
optional form to be signed and turned in, if a students wants to check-out a school issued laptop. If a student prefers, however, they may begin bringing their own laptop to school. (Please note, that
West Briar is not responsible for any non-school issued laptop or device brought to campus.)
Laptops will be checked out to students on their grade-level House Commons area on the below days:
- Tuesday, Sept 7- 8th Grade
- Wednesday, Sept 8- 7th Grade
- Thursday, Sept 9- 6th Grade
- Friday, Sept 10- All grades
During their assigned date, students must turn in their Laptop Agreement form to receive a school-issued laptop. Though they may not be used in each class period each day, teachers will use laptops for a variety of different activities throughout the '21-'22 school year.
*If a student did not receive this form, they can ask for one from their House Secretary or you may view it electronically on our website: West Briar: School Information: Student Handbook.
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Student Laptop Loan Agreement Key Points:
- Laptops are used for educational purposes only.
- Laptop hardware and software may not be modified in any way.
- Any intentional damage or gross negligence could result in financial responsibility for the laptop.
- The laptop is the property of Houston ISD and must be returned at the end of the school year or if a student changes schools/withdraws.
- Digital Citizenship orientation will be presented to students (Hub Course) and resources can be found here: HISD Digital Citizenship.
- Houston ISD Technology Acceptable Use Policy will also be signed by all students.
- Any misuse or violations of the Loan Agreement could result in disciplinary action or loss of laptop loan privileges.
All 21-22 Student Handbook Documents are saved on the WBMS Website here.
HISD Connect- Portal to your student's grades and information!
HISD Connect is the parent and student portal to student's information, addresses, and grades.
Make sure to keep your student contacts including email address(es) updated so that you are receiving the most up-to-date campus and district information! This is how we communicate with you.
Important Date Change
West Briar has
rescheduled their
virtual Open House Event.
See flyer below:
TEA BOY Testing: Coming Soon
As we begin the new school year, some West Briar students will take the TEA Beginning-of-Year (BOY) assessment. This will help us effectively gauge students' understanding of the Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKs) for students who did not take a STAAR test in the Spring of 2021 (last school year). Students will only take the test(s) that they did not take in the previous school year.
(Ex: Student took Math but did not take Reading in Spring. Student will only take the Reading TEA BOY test.)
TEA BOY testing
- Sept 13- Math
- Sept 14- Reading
- Sept 15 - Science (6th only) & Writing (8th only)
TEA BOY Assessments Webpage
See this WBMS: HB 4545/Accelerated Learning Flyer- that's been saved to our website.
- More information will be sent out soon, but some HB 4545 links/documents have been added to our website (below):
Ready-Set-Go Documents
West Briar MS follows all Houston ISD Ready-Set-Go guidelines for returning students to in-person instruction for the 2021-2022 school year. Our School Information page has been updated with a variety of Parent Guides and Quick Reference information.
Check it out here: School Information- Ready-Set-Go
Arrival & Dismissal Reminders
West Briar Community-
Please help us ensure both student and staff safety as you drop-off or pick-up your WB student(s). Please note that the arrival/dismissal area is also our Teacher/Staff Parking Lot. In addition to getting students to and from school safely, we must also keep this parking lot free of traffic and clear congestion to allow staff members to arrive and dismiss safely.
Arrival
- Parents dropping off students each morning must not take up parking spaces. This drop off location is adjacent to our staff parking lot. Staff arrive to campus between 7:00-8:15 each morning and must be able to utilize these parking spaces.
Dismissal Route Options
For our students being picked up by car, there are multiple options for entering our Car Rider Pick-Up line. Below are three of those options, but please DO NOT park along Park Bayou*. This causes significant traffic congestion and is an unsafe way for students to get into the car.
We are currently waiting for the City of Houston to post No Parking signs along Park Bayou.
Dismissal Car-Rider Procedures
Though we are continuously looking for ways to improve the car rider congestion along Park Bayou and other roads surrounding West Briar, we have incrementally improved the time it takes for students to be picked up each day.
Please keep in mind:
- Merge safely- remember that there are many WBMS students (and parents) who either walk or ride their bike to and from school.
- Both Car Rider lanes enter onto Park Bayou. Please Do Not park along Park Bayou (at any point between Brimhurst and Westerloch). This causes significant congestion.
- See graphic below for path of after-school pick-up lanes:
Crime Stoppers Presentations on Wed, Sept 8th
Crime Stoppers Houston will be presenting to all grade levels on Wednesday, Sept. 8th after lunch. They will present to students on the topic- Student Safety. Focusing on our
#Grizzly Value of
Respect- we will discuss how students can respect one another and themselves.
We will post Crime Stoppers Resources and Information to our website after the grade level assemblies.
Stay safe Grizzlies!
West Briar Middle School
Home of the Grizzlies!
