The celebration of Black History Month began as "Negro History Week," which was originally created in 1926 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a noted African American Historian, scholar, educator, and publisher. It became a long-month celebration in 1976.

To say our students have talent---would be an understatement!

Good morning BVM community!

Good morning everyone! We are excited to announce that all email accounts from all staff at Bonita Vista Middle School have been restored. You can reach any staff member beginning on Monday, February, 27th although some staff did have some limited email capability last week.

Additionally, I will be out of the office from Monday, February 27th - Thursday, March 2nd (although I will be checking and responding to emails). For this week, Ms. Estephany.conlon@sweetwaterschools.org will be the principal's designee and in charge. Please make sure to contact her with any queries that you may have.

Last week, in light of the situation that we had on campus involving Tetrahydrocannabinol edible products on campus, I wanted to make sure that I included the links that were shared with all families.

Developing Brain

Teen Guide to Substance abuse

Marijuana Prevention Initiative San Diego

Operation Prevention San Diego

Start A Conversation: 10 Questions Teens Ask About Drugs and Health

I want to encourage all households to have open and honest discussions about the challenging elements of our society that all of our students will encounter in some direct/indirect shape, way, or form--like substance abuse.

Lastly, please remember to review the 4 Essential Rules at Bonita Vista Middle School that allow us to not only promote our safety on campus, but it allows us to ensure that our students are fully present and ready to learn:

1. No Cell Phones on Campus: We ask that all students placed their cell phones in their backpacks once they are at school and on our campus. We not only enforce this rule during class time but especially during nutrition breaks and lunchtime. We want our students to interact with each other as much as possible as opposed to being on their screens/phones.

2. No IPAD Misuse: Every student is issued an IPAD for educational purposes only. We ask students to use their devices strictly as implements of learning.

3. No Earbuds: Similar to our cell phone rule, we ask that once students are at school and on our campus, they place their earbuds in their backpacks. We have noticed that students are less distracted in class and engage more with each other when they are not using earbuds.

4. No Hoodie (worn on head): Students can wear hooded sweatshirts but in order to be able to identify our students at all times, we ask students not to wear their hoods over their heads. This rule is in place for student safety. Should a non-student sneak onto our campus, we would want to identify them immediately. Also, we need to ensure during class and outside of class that students do not have their earbuds. We prioritize making sure that students are paying attention in class and our fully engaged with each other at all times.

If you ever need to report a disciplinary or safety concern, please make sure to report any and all concerns to our administrative team. Our assistant principal, Mr. Robert Bonilla roberto.bonilla@sweetwaterschools.org oversees students with last names between A-L and Ms. Estephany Conlon Estephany.conlon@sweetwaterschools.org oversees all students between M-Z. Please visit this link to contact any other staff you wish to communicate with: https://bvm.sweetwaterschools.org/staff-directory-2/.

Thank you

Dr. Salazar

Every morning, on average, we have about 50 students who show up to school tardy (show up to class after 8:05 am). There are many reasons that students show up to school late and we do want to remain sensitive and nuanced in our approach to addressing this issue.

We understand that there will be times when students (or parents) have a valid reason for showing up late to school and we acknowledge and recognize those instances. However, we want to address students who are being dropped off on time but still showing up late to period 1, or are being dropped off late regularly.

Aside from valid reasons for being late, we want to make sure that we are teaching our students the importance of punctuality. Our mission statement (our promise to the community) promises to value the whole student. In valuing the whole student, we aim to set up our students for not only academic and personal success but also professional success. The prioritization and practice of punctuality are one of the main pillars of success. Therefore, we will be pushing up our efforts in ensuring that our students are on time for not only period 1, but all of their classes to ensure our students' present and future success.

Moving forward, we will be closely monitoring students who are habitually tardy to their 1st-period class and by quarter 4 (after Spring Break) if students accumulate more than 5 tardies during the week (including period 1), they will be assigned to 1-hour detention on Fridays. Therefore, please make sure that you review this policy with your son or daughter so that we all recognize the importance of being to class on time.

Thank you,

Dr. Salazar

The importance of having a specific, researched based curriculum, such as the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Science curriculum, is that not only does it ensure that we are aligned with our state standards, but it also increases the rigor in the learning process in the classroom (with the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)). Teachers, in working with the new curriculum, must then work hard to study the new curriculum, fully understand their students' academic needs, and properly modify and adjust scaffolds as needed. This type of work is invaluable and we make sure that our teachers have plenty of support with these monumental endeavors. Our English department is also going through a curriculum adoption as well.

Please register at Bonitavistacrusaders.com and any questions see Coach Ivan.quijas@sweetwaterschools.org

• UCSD It Begins with a dream/Comienza con un sueño Conference, for staff, parents & students, cost Free, Saturday March 4, 2023, 8:15-3:00 pm in person at UCSD.
  This event will include workshops in English and Spanish and is open to all 6-11th grade students, parents/guardians, and advocates on admissions requirements, financial aid, and ability to speak with UCSD students and staff.
• SDCOE Latinx Education Summit, for staff, parents & students, March 18, 2023, 8:30 am-1:30 pm, cost $15 per participant, at SDCOE.
  The summit will review how parents, educators, advocates and students can work to reduce the achievement gap and enhance the educational opportunity for Latinx youth. The Summit seeks to raise community leadership and social consciousness in working to provide equity in education.
• UCSD SUHSD Adelante Mujer Student Conference, cost free, save the date, Saturday April 15, 2023.
  The Adelante Mujer Conference has been aimed at providing female students with enriching learning experience. Participants attend workshops led by female professionals who teach about life skills, academic planning, and career opportunities in fields, such as law, medicine, and other paths. Adelante Mujer continues to welcome mothers, guardians or accompanying adults to participate.