The Pizitz Post
for Students, Parents & Families - October 3, 2022
All the School Spirit!
Middle school is so much fun, and we love school spirit here at Pizitz. When we talk about the notion of "family" at Pizitz- we are talking about acceptance, compassion, kindness and loyalty. I love the way our students show their loyalty to the school. Sometimes loyalty looks loud at a pep-rally, and other times it is just a kind, quiet word of encouragement to a friend participating in an event. We encourage our students to see the good in our staff, too. They were great to celebrate our paraeducators at the pep rally last week as they earned the school spirit stick. Our paraeducators work to build meaningful relationships with our students and cheer them on every single day. We are grateful for their partnership with us in the work of educating students.
On Tuesday, we have another great opportunity to celebrate. We are sending several student athletes to compete in Special Olympics. Our school will have a morning parade to send them off. Let's all wear red in support of our student-athletes heading out to participate. Let's go, Pirates!
Tuesday's Altnerate Schedule:
8:00-8:30 Homeroom / Parade
8:34-9:22 1st period
9:26-10:14 2nd period
10:18-11:06 3rd period
11:10-11:58 4th period
12:02-12:50 5th period
12:54-1:42 6th period
1:44-2:32 7th period
2:36-3:00 8th period
Highlighting Our Artists
Several of our students have artwork being showcased at Library in the Forest! Check out their artwork on display this month.
Pizitz 7th Graders
Spirit Animal: Katherine Bosche, Ayla Bruno, Ava Camp, Amy Ding, Isa Garcia, Chloe Johnson, Victoria Surd
4-Part Nature Watercolors: Ava Camp, Amy Ding, Isa Garcia, Brooks McInnis, Asher Murphree, Isabella Priola, Victoria Surd
Pizitz 8th Graders
Angel Oak Trees: Anderson Blount, Namirah Haider, Mandy Sun, Veronica Zhang
1/2 & 1/2 Value Study: Jazell Culliver, Marek Mangina, Krislyn Thomas, Angie Urbano
DaVinci Style Animal Study: Katy Miller, Laila Martinez, Anahi Jefferson, Isabella Priola, Aubrey Squires, Savanneh Feng, Lori Woodruff, Jessica Nsereko, Holden Goodwin, Caroline Eickholt, Sarah Lyndon, Ceile Jordan
Living History Day
Parent Invitation to 8th Grade History Classes
Attention 8th Grade Parents: The history department will be hosting Mummification Reports on Friday, October 14 for 8th grade social studies. We would love to have you attend. The presentations will take place during your student's history period in their regular classroom.
If your child takes advanced 8th grade history, you are invited to join us in the classroom on Friday, October 21 during your student's history period for Pharaoh Project presentations.
Please check in as a visitor with the front desk prior to coming to the classroom. We look forward to seeing you then.
October Updates
Remember that our students have October 7, 10, and 11 off of school. Our teachers will be in learning sessions on Friday. We will provide opportunities for a parent-teacher conference on Tuesday, October 11.
Of course, our teachers will be flexible to schedule these virtually or at a later time if a parent-teacher conference is requested for your child and you are unable to meet on that date. Thank you for partnering with us in your child's education.
Attention 8th Grade Students!
The Help the Hills 1Rebel Party is coming up! It will be Friday, October 21 from 9pm-10pm in the main gym at VHHS immediately after the football game against Tuscaloosa County. Admission is free. There will be games, music, and concessions. We hope to see the 8th graders from Pizitz and Liberty Park come together for this fun event. Go Rebels!
Mathcounts!
Mathcounts tryouts are Wednesday, October 19 from 3:15-4:00pm in Mrs. Morrison's room (C116). Mathcounts is a national competition for middle school students that promotes problem solving. Did you know the 2022 National Champion was from Alabama? See mathcounts.org or Mrs. Morrison for more information!
Student Flu Clinic
Our student flu shot clinic is October 6th. Please reach out to Nurse Nancy for any questions or concerns at hennekern@vhcs.us.
Cross Country
Congrats to our cross country runners for earning top four at Jesse Owens race this weekend. They raced against over thirty junior high teams across the south. Way to go, Pirates!
Our Cross Country team is competing at the Bumpus Two-Mile Tune up race at Spain Park High School Veterans Park course on Tuesday, October 4 at 4:00 pm.
Wrestling
It's time to sign-up for wrestling. Wrestling practice begins on October 17. If you plan on wrestling, then sign up with Coach Tucker. Join the Wrestling Google Classroom to get more information - tcltkac. Parents can email Coach Tucker for more information and to be added to the email list at tuckernc@vhcs.us.
Bass Fishing
Liberty Park and Pizitz are joining together for a middle school bass fishing team. Here are the basic requirements for any Pizitz or Liberty Park student in 6th-8th grade: must have your own captain, must have your own bass boat or access to a boat (16 ft. in length, working live well, kill switch min 40 hp-max 250 hp).
For more information, email Bridgette Rayfield at rayfieldbl@vhcs.us. Interested students, join the Google Classroom: kzaojzq.
Vestavia Mountain Biking Team
There will be an informational meeting on Thursday, October 13 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church (in the Fellowship Hall). All grades, sixth through twelfth can join the team, and there are separate divisions for girls and boys. Contact vestaviamtb@gmail.com for any questions.
This is a community opportunity and is not affiliated with athletics at Pizitz.
First Priority
First Priority is a student-led club at Pizitz. This is a Christian organization that meets before school. Come join us as we gather every Thursday morning at 7:25 AM in the choir room! Our next meeting will be this Thursday, September 22. Everyone is welcome! Contact Mr. Sutter or Mrs. Windle if you have questions.
First Priority Leadership Team: Please check Google Classroom for details about this week's leadership meeting.
Winter Athletic Parent Meeting
Parents, mark your calendars! If you have a child who will be participating in a winter sport this year, plan on joining our athletic directors and coaches for a parent meeting at 6:30PM on October 20.
Partners in Education (PIE)
Our PIE program, in conjunction with PTO, has been a wonderful opportunity to engage individuals and businesses in our community in what is happening here at Pizitz. We are grateful for the many community partners who help to support the work of our school. If you or your business is interested in supporting Pizitz, feel to reach out to our PTO chairperson, Caroline Neely. She can be reached via email at cneely76@hotmail.com.
Applications are due by October 15, and more information can be found on the PTO website here. Thank you, in advance, for your support!
Community Night is October 6th!
Join the community for a night out at Vestavia Hills City Hall on Thursday, October 6. Check out the flyer here.