Students will take major exams the last week of the fall semester. It is very important that students be present for these important tests. To help your child do his or her best, plan vacations or health care appointments around test dates. Final exams count ten percent of the semester grade for junior high school courses and fifteen percent for high school classes.

Any missed exam must be made up with the specific instructor the week of January 3-6.

Final exam dates are listed below.

First Semester Exam Schedule:

12/14: 1st, 3rd, 5th Period Finals

12/15: 2nd, 4th and 6th Period Finals

12/16: 7th Period Final / Early Release Day at 1:00 pm

For planning purposes, second semester exams are from May 23, 2022 to May 25, 2023.

Our campus will have an early release on FRIDAY, December 16 at 1:00 p.m. Buses will depart at approximately 1:05 p.m. In this day. Please plan for the potential for heavier traffic on the pickup lines.

December 1: Snowman Day

December 2: Rudolph/Reindeer Day (wear your antlers, reindeer t-shirt, or animal print) December 6: Santa Hat Day

December 8: Twins day because Christmas trees have a TWIN-kle!

December 12: Crazy Christmas Sweater Day

December 14: Candy Cane Day - Wear Red and White

December 15: Cowboy Christmas / Cowgirl Day

Our next dance is on December 9th from 4:30 pm to 8pm in the Moorhead Gym.

Dress Code: Casual/normal dress for the school day.

Tickets will not be available online, cash only during lunches.

Monday through Thursday $8 Friday $10

We had two students make an All-Region Band this year!

Petrona Mendoza earned 9th chair flute in the Symphonic Band. She placed 16th overall out of over 150 other flute players. This is Petrona's SECOND TIME to earn a spot in the All-Region Band! She was in the All-Region Concert Band last year as a 7th graders.

Hyrum Mather earned 3rd chair bassoon in the Concert Band. He placed 9th overall out of 40 other bassoon players. Hyrum also placed high enough to earn a spot in the All-Region Philharmonic Orchestra!

Mr. Day and Miss Tullius

Band Christmas Concert at Caney Creek HS - Monday, December 12 at 6:30pm


Wind Ensemble performs at Grangerland Intermediate - Friday, December 9.

Classes resume on Wednesday, January 4, 2023!

This is just a friendly reminder that our deadline to register for the Washington DC trip is coming up on December 15th. It is possible to register after that, but I cannot guarantee a spot after that deadline. I have 15 students signed up so far and I still have 20 spots open. Remember the registration fee is only$99 and it holds a spot for your child. If you still have questions about the trip that have not been answered, then please let me know. I am including the link for easy registration and the Trip number is A142 and the Date of departure is 5/28/23.

If you still have questions about the trip that have not been answered, then please let me know.

Register Here

D Angel Smith

dasmith@conroeisd.net

Our next PTO meeting for this school year is January 26 at 1:30 pm in the Moorhead Junior High conference room.

The results are in from our performance at the festival on the 12th! MJHS Theatre put on quite a show and wowed two out of three of the festival judges. Five of our group of ten earned festival awards.

All Star Cast:

• Donna Holden
• Sophie Smithey

Honorable Mention:

• Brook Ables
• Maddox Ihnen

Technician Award

• Ceci Rezzoffi

Please congratulate these students and come see our award-winning cast tomorrow!

Parents can submit an application on the following website to receive benefits if they have kids that are receiving free or reduced lunch.

https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/health/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-covid-19-information-people-receiving-services/pandemic-ebt-p-ebt-due-covid-19

The CISD Police Department along with Communities in Schools are hosting a toy drive at Moorhead starting today until December 7th. Gifts for all ages can be donated, from infant to 17 years old. If you can help brighten a child's day, please send your student with a gift or you can drop off a gift yourself at the campus.

Communication Application students continue to work on their Mock Interview Unit, with a focus on the individual resume, professional dress, and the in class Mock Interview. Please practice with your student, in an effort to give the best answers to those tough interview questions.

Debate students began their Lincoln-Douglas, value debates, where they will either affirm or negate the following:

Resolved: That Moorhead Junior High School ought to abolish the dress code.

Resolved: That violent juvenile offenders ought to be tried as adults in the criminal justice system.

Ask them to shar their arguments with you. They are impressive!

DATE EVENT SPIRIT ATTIRE

2/4 HEART HEALTH AWARNESS RED OUT DAY

2/17 WORLD KINDNESS DAY KINDNESS OR TEAL SHIRT

3/2 READ ACROSS AMERICA DR. SUESS DAY

4/4 AUTISM AWARNESS DAY Wear BLUE

Car riders after school must be picked up along the driveway/sidewalk of the school. We don't want anyone to get hit by a car. Think of all the young drivers out of high school who may be driving distracted! We ask that you do not pick up your child on the street or ask your child to cross the street.

Tutorials are held Monday through Thursday for all core subjects Student Success Center!

Electives tutorials are by appointment only.

Expectations:

· Well before 4:00 pm, students should know how they are going to get home (car or late bus); in other words, they don't decide at 4:00 that they need to stay for SSC.

· 4:05 - Students line up at the door of the 7th grade library, spilling out into the cafeteria; whether they hear a dismissal announcement or not, they are dismissed from class at 4:05 (not earlier) for the SSC. They should not arrive later than 4:10.

· Students turn in their official SSC pass signed by the teacher to the SSC facilitator on duty.

· The students begin to work in silence at the table of the corresponding subject area until the tutors arrive.

· Electronic devices are not allowed unless a tutor or SSC facilitator has given permission to use them.

· Students must ask the SSC facilitator for permission to use the restroom.

· Car riders are dismissed at 5:05 pm and late bus riders are dismissed at 5:10 pm.

Protect your child from the dangers of the Internet on their phones by following these simple steps:

IOS/Apple I-Phone Users go to:

SETTINGS

then scroll down to USE SCREEN TIME PASSCODE (it's in blue) Set a passcode only you know.

Then go back up to:

SCREEN TIME

CONTENT AND PRIVACY RESTRICTIONS (Set restrictions here)

CONTENT RESTRICTIONS (Set more restrictions here)

You are done!

or please invest in a monitoring app like one of the following:

www.covenanteyes.com

https://www.soaringsafe.com/

www.bark.us

Pew Research, 2018 states:

• 95% of teens have access to a smartphone
• 45% have non-stop access
• 10%+ cannot control online behavior
• If you can't control yourself is it an addiction?
• “Digital Heroin”
• the term created based on brain research showing the dopamine levels in the brain when using social media
• Gaming has also shown similar effects

Is Social Media Positive or Negative? - what do kids say?

• 31% say it is mostly POSITIVE
• 45% say it has no effect
• 24% say it is mostly NEGATIVE

Hashtag Trends to be aware of:

• #sue: suicide
• #deb: depression
• #ana: anorexia
• #thinsp: thinspiration (photos/messages that “inspire” an effort to become thin)
• #svv: self-harming behavior

Helpful Text Sites:

• www.netlingo.com
• www.netsanity.com
• www.urbandictionary.com

How is it Affecting the Teen Brain? - (is it reversible?)

Physical Issues (not reversible):

• Vision: vision loss, at-risk for macular degeneration
• Increase: Teen migraines
• Finger/wrist pain
• “Text neck” (premature degeneration of neck and spine)
• “Phantom Vibration Syndrome”

Mental Health Issues (reversible):

• Decrease in self-confidence
• Peer Pressure increase
• Anxiety increase
• Depression increase

Increase in Suicidal Ideation (SDSU study 2019):

• Teens spending 5+ hours daily online (social media):
• 71% more likely to have at least one risk factor for suicide
• Risk decreases exponentially for teens spending 1 hour daily or less

Increase in Social Isolation (American Journal of Preventative Medicine 2017)

• Teens on social media more than 58 times per week:
• 3x’s more likely to feel socially isolated
• Less feelings of isolation if less than 9 times on social media per week
• Teens equate # of SM friends to reality

Brain Issues (may or may not be reversible):

• Decrease in ability to multi-task and memory decline

• Inability to regulate emotions

• Reading "likes" and "shares" vs. gestures or facial expressions

• Psychological addiction and impairment in hippocampus and amygdala

Social Media is constantly activating our Fight, Flight, or Freeze (survival) response:

THIS can eventually lead to:

• High blood pressure

• Hypertension/cardiovascular disease

• Diabetes

• Cancer

• More frequent illnesses

• Eating issues

• Mental health issues
  

SO WHY are teens doing this??!

• Because a social media notification=“digital heroin”. Facebook creators admitted that they created the "LIKE" notifications because they are addictive. People begin to crave "LIKES" and post more content. Then the brain sends dopamine along a reward pathway which ​feels good. Before we know it the behavior becomes a habit.

So...What is the Effect of Social Media on Student Population?

• Source of distraction

• Herd mentality

• Degree of anger by teen victims of bullying associated w/increased exposure to media

• Lack of EMPATHY/Sociopathology

• Working memory and selective attention issues

• Sensory information and response issues

• Emotional reactivity

• Lack of cognitive control over emotions

• Increased anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation

The reality is this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to research on Social Media and the Brain. When we are wondering why anxiety and depression are on the rise we can't ignore the research. Are kids able to use social media during their school day? If so, they are activating their fight, flight or freeze response which is known as the emotional brain. When kids are in their emotional brain they can't access their thinking part of their brain which affects learning.

Students today are always looking for an advantage to push them to the top.

I wonder how things would change if they knew the two easiest ways to get an advantage are:

• Getting 9 hours of sleep a night.
• Collect all household electronics before bedtime.
  
• Limiting Social Media

Conroe ISD will continue to roll out the Anonymous Alerts - anti bullying app. Anonymous Alerts is a proprietary student anti-bullying app that helps combat bullying and other negative activities in schools by empowering students to volunteer to help themselves and other students. Social and peer pressures are some of the toughest obstacles for students to overcome, now they can report bullying and safety issues quickly using the Anonymous Alerts mobile app. Students or parents in the school community can anonymously submit alerts about suspicious activity, safety threats, intimidation, alcohol or drug use, bullying, family issues, bullying, campus safety concerns, and self-harm issues to school administrators or counselors. The app is free on the Apple Store, Google Play Store, and Chrome Store. Students will still have the option to call Kid Chat to report anything at 1-800-kid-chat.

The Conroe Independent School District (District), as an equal opportunity educational provider and employer, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in the educational programs or activities it operates or in matters labor. . The District is required by Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as the Board's policy not to discriminate in that manner. For information regarding Title IX rights or Section 504/ADA rights, contact the Title IX Coordinator or Section 504/ADA Coordinator at 3205 W. Davis, Conroe, TX 77304; (936) 709-7752.