Boxer Bulletin
Eastwood Academy HS Newsletter - November 2021
Greetings, Families!
This month's Boxer Bulletin addresses the following:
- October Students of the Month
- Attendance - Credits for Graduation
- Thanksgiving Food Drive
- Services for Families w/Hardship
- Off Campus Seniors
- Tips for Parents
- Coffee with the Principal
October Students of the Month
Every month our teacher grade level groups meet to decide on one student within their grade level that has exhibited the Eastwood Core Values:
- Practice perseverance
- Exhibit integrity
- Take care of yourself and others
Please note that none of the Core Values speak to our academic expectations with regard to grades earned in classes. We strongly believe that our students should also be recognized for their soft skills and positive character traits. Students who are named each month are eligible for the Student of the Year award in their grade level. Student of the Year is selected by the administrators on campus.
Congratulations to the October 2021 Students of the Month below!
Attendance - Credits for Graduation
Now that we're approaching the end of the first semester, I would like to take the time to explain how attendance impacts your child's graduation track.
Each day a student is absent, they miss FOUR different courses (8 different courses on Mondays). That puts the student behind academically in four different courses, which is four different assignments (or more) to make up and try to catch up with.
Let's say the student is absent four times and does not turn in a valid excuse note, the student will lose credit for those courses even if they have a perfect 100 in the courses! What does this mean? It means the student will not be on track to graduate.
Please be sure your child is here every single school day unless there is an urgent need otherwise. Below are some tips to minimize the loss of credit.
- Schedule all appointments after school or on school holidays.
- If the above is not possible, schedule appointments after 11:00 a.m.
- Bring your child back to school when the appointment is over (or schedule for end of the day) to avoid an absence in the other classes for the day.
- Reserve absences for urgent situations rather than convenient circumstances.
Thanksgiving Food Drive
We are still in need of several items since our goal is to put together a complete Thanksgiving meal for 20 families. We have an overflow of canned green beans and corn. Below you will find a list of items still needed. Students will receive 2 hours of community service for their donation.
Donations can be dropped off at the main office.
Services for Families w/Hardship
The McKinney-Vento Act provides rights and services to children and youth experiencing hardships, which includes those who are:
- Living in Section 8 housing
- Living without proper utilities (water and/or electricity)
- Doubled up: sharing the housing of others due to: loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason.
- Staying in motels, trailer parks, or campgrounds due to the lack of an adequate alternative
- Staying in shelters or transitional housing
- Sleeping in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, or similar settings.
If your family experiences a transition in living situation that causes (or has caused) your family to live with another family, even if with grandparents, please fill out the form below and send directly to Principal Lira: blira2@houstonisd.org or drop it off at the Main Office. Having this form on file for your family ensures you receive the services and support required.
Off Campus Seniors
Starting Monday, November 15 all students scheduled Off Campus must leave the building by 2:45 p.m. Students without transportation will be scheduled into a Study Lab course to replace Off Campus and will report to an Eastwood administrator for that period.
Please help us in articulating to seniors that Off Campus = not-on-campus. :)
Tips for Parents
We highly recommend you all following "Officer Gomez" on Facebook. He is a school resource officer at a high school and often posts relevant information regarding current issues with teens. Below is one of his latest posts.
“Vaping has two addictions you should be concerned with. The first addiction is the nicotine addiction and the second addiction is the social addiction.
Nicotine Addiction:
Vapes contain between 0-75mg of nicotine. As a comparison, cigarettes have between 1-7 mg of nicotine. Most confiscated vapes include at least some nicotine. This makes quitting vaping like quitting cigarettes and can be very difficult for students.
Some kids are so addicted to their vapes that they cannot go through an entire class period without a hit of their vape, which is easy to conceal and has little to no smoke. Some kids will get the headaches or the shakes if they go through a 90-minute class without taking a hit of their vape.
Social Addiction:
The social addiction of vaping is very strong. When kids start vaping, they hang out with other kids who are vaping. The kids quickly develop a social group where they have vaping in common. Asking a kid to quit vaping can be like asking them to quit their social group. This is much harder on some kids than others as vaping is a lifestyle much like surfing, skateboarding and other hobbies become to people.
How do I get my kid to quit vaping?
The most important thing to know is that it is a process and not an overnight fix. As with everything else, I recommend lots of family activities and communication. I also recommend smoking cessation class or rehab center to help as this is a tough task to accomplish on your own.
Much like adults quitting smoking, there will be small victories as well as slip-ups. This will be an ongoing battle that may haunt your children for the rest of their lives. Also we know it is well worth the battle as vaping quickly becomes a handicap to kids and adults.
Vaping is also rapidly evolving to include CBD, marijuana, heroin, and methamphetamine products in vape pens.
It is important to discuss the dangers and consequences of vaping before they are offered it at school. Set your kids up with multiple ways and reasons to say no to vaping early on so they know what to do when they are offered the chance.”
Coffee with the Principal
If not coming in person, click this link when ready to join the meeting: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NjY5MTY1ZWMtMmVjMi00YTU2LTk2OTctZjNiMTliZmM3NTQ2%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22f5eb9966-9336-4b33-8895-9982425b13ed%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22ecd41a31-4964-42a5-b0b9-66d757c50880%22%7d
Tuesday, Nov 30, 2021, 09:00 AM
1315 Dumble Street, Houston, TX, USA
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Stay Connected!
Principal's Email: blira2@houstonisd.org
Email: eastwoodacademyhighschool@gmail.com
Website: eastwoodacademy.org
Location: 1315 Dumble Street, Houston, TX, USA
Phone: 713-924-1697
Facebook: facebook.com/eastwoodacademyhighschool
Twitter: @eastwoodboxers