Bear Bulletin
October 31, 2021
Translate the Newsletter to Your Preferred Language! ¡Traduzca el boletín a su idioma preferido!نیوز لیٹر کو اپنی پسندیدہ زبان میں ترجمہ کریں ! 将新闻稿翻译成您的首选语言
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Haga clic en el botón de función de traducción a la derecha y seleccione su idioma de preferencia usando el cuadro desplegable. ¡Voila! ¡El boletín será traducido para usted!
دائیں طرف کی ترجمانی کی خصوصیت کے بٹن پر کلک کریں اور ڈراپ ڈاؤن باکس کا استعمال کرکے اپنی پسند کی زبان منتخب کریں۔ نیوز لیٹر آپ کے لئے ترجمہ کیا جائے گا!
Topics Included in this Newsletter
- Note from Mrs. Spencer
- Mark Your Calendars, Bears!
- Message from SBISD Police
- Information for 8th Grade Parents: 4 Year Plans and Course Selection
- SBMS Red Ribbon Week Fun
- Secondary Parent U Opportunity
- SBISD COVID Vaccine Saturdays
- SBISD-Houston Health Department COVID Testing
- Skyward Family Access Information
- Information from Nurse Mulvey for 6th Grade Parents
- SBMS Yearbook Information
- SBMS PTA Information for 2021-2022
Message from Mrs. Spencer
Happy Sunday, Bears!
I hope you and your families are having a wonderful weekend and kids will enjoy a safe and spooky Halloween tonight. I have no comment on any sporting event this evening out of an abundance of caution. In other related news, I do believe in and love a good comeback.
Many thanks to our SBMS PTA for the gifts they continue to provide our school community:
- Raising Cane's Fundraiser: Held six times a year, I know students and staff love them and they represent a great deal of volunteer hours and effort. We are additionally very thankful for the time they are taking this next week to conduct pre-sales in the cafeteria for those families who missed ordering or prefer to be cash-based in their purchases. Students will be able to purchase one during lunch on the 3rd for $10.
- SBMS Spooky Faculty Treats: Thank you so much to all who contributed to the spooky faculty celebration on Friday. Everyone enjoyed each of the treats so very much and it was so nice to see parents in person and on campus! It made for a great day!
A few reminders:
- SBISD Police Department Safety Message: Click here for their safety message recently distributed to families.
- Lunch Deliveries: Please refrain from dropping off lunches during the day to students outside of the Championship Hallway. Not only does this place students in a position where they could be locked out of the building, but visitors approaching doors other than the front door poses security issues for our campus. We need every stakeholder at SBMS to be sticking to our regular practices so that we can maintain a calm school environment and focus on the work of teaching, learning, and supporting our students. When drop offs like these occur, staff are notified, concerned and then must redirect their attention to this rather than our regular work duties. Please drop off lunches for students through the front office. As a reminder, no delivery services will be accepted for students.
- Tardies, Cell Phones and Hallway Passes: Please remind your students that they need to report to class in a timely manner, have a hallway bathroom pass with them and cell phones should remain in the classroom for the entirety of the class periods. The only students excused from this expectation are those using their devices to track diabetic management or cardiac arrhythmias. Phones that are not put away, but on their person, will be picked up for a parent to come collect. Please note that hallway passes are on card stock and can be folded up and placed in pockets to keep students from having to place them on the floor in restrooms.
- No More Clothing Donations to the SBMS Bear Closet, Please: We are so grateful to our SBMS Bear Families for their generosity. At this time, we are at capacity for gently used clothing items. Once our awesome Bears4Bears Committee and NJHS Volunteers sort through all of the items, we will send out a signupgenius to indicate our needs for clothing and food staples. Again, at this time, we are at capacity for clothing donations.
Stefanie Spencer, Principal
Mark Your Calendars, Bears!
Mark your calendars for a few events, Bears:
- SBMS 8th Grade Course Selection for Social Studies: November 2nd During SS.
- SBMS PTA Fundraiser: Raising Cane's on November 10th (Pre-Sold)
- SBMS Classroom Spelling Bees: November 10th
- SBMS Veterans' Day Celebration (November 11th): Rather than host large numbers of veterans, family members and guests, SBMS will be honoring Veterans' Day through a presentation of students performing patriotic musical compositions. These pre-recorded performances will be viewed during Bear Pride Time on November 11th.
Additional calendar tools:
- SBMS Google Calendars: SBMS uses a few calendars to help parents stay informed on events at school. The SBMS Public Calendar covers all academic and band/fine arts activities. The SBMS Athletics Activities Calendar covers the different athletic games we offer throughout the year. Please note neither calendar is up to date as of yet. Once game schedules are set by the district and other dates finalized by SBMS in relationship to Fine Arts, we will post these to the calendar.
- SBISD Calendar: English/Spanish
Dismissal Safety Reminders
The following message contains requests from the SBISD Police Department in relationship to our dismissal. While it is tempting in the fast-paced lives we lead to find shortcuts, our officer helping with traffic control has identified new and/or lingering issues that need to be addressed. Please help us ensure the safety of all by adhering to the following practices:
- No child should cross Piney Point Road unless they are using the crosswalk monitored and supported by Mr. Barry or another SBMS administrator. Do NOT encourage your child to cross anywhere other than that crosswalk.
- It is not recommended that parents pick up students at the vacant business at the corner of Piney Point and the I-10 frontage road or elsewhere along the feeder of I-10. For those that do, the officer would like to remind you that the two solid yellow lines mean no passing. Anyone exiting from the vacant business need to turn right to travel southbound. Doing so will allow traffic to flow more smoothly and prevent an accident.
- Please remind high school drivers to avoid multi-tasking with technology and monitor their speed in a school zone in both the afternoon and on their way to school. Unfortunately, we have observed both high school students and adults driving in a distracted fashion.
The safety of our students is our highest priority. As a working parent, I know how difficult logistics are, but I also know how dearly we treasure our children. Driving a little bit farther out of your way or being a few minutes late are small prices to pay to keep everyone safe. I appreciate your help with this.
SBMS Red Ribbon Week Fun
Scare Away Drugs!
Just Say GRR to Drugs!
Spooky Mummy Has No Time For Drugs!
Thank you to all students who helped us celebrate Red Ribbon Week as a school. Doors were decorated, crazy socks and the like were observed throughout campus. If you have any fun pictures of the week, please send them to Sara.Boyle@springbranchisd.com for possible inclusion in our yearbook.
SBMS Staff Pumpkin Contest
SBISD Mental Health Resources and Supports
Join us for a fun evening of rhyming, blending, and manipulating sounds to build phonological awareness with our young readers. We will share plenty of family-friendly ideas and tips to support and engage your young and striving readers at home. This will be conducted via Zoom on November 16th and presented by SBISD’s Humanities, Dyslexia and Multilingual Departments. Register online through these links: English/Spanish.
A Word from the SBMS Library
Overdue Library Books
Please remind your students to turn in overdue library books. They receive an email notice each week with a list of overdue books. There is a cart located outside the library entrance for book returns.
Spelling Bee
The classroom spelling bee will be held on Wednesday, November 10th during Bear Pride Time for all students who are interested in participating. Copies of the spelling bee word list are available via email from the librarian, Mrs. Silva (aaryn.silva@springbranchisd.com) and are also available on ItLearning on the SBMS Library News page; hard copies may be picked up from the library. The top spellers will advance to the school spelling bee on Tuesday, December 7.
Aaryn Silva
Librarian
Spring Branch Middle School
SBMS 2021-22 Yearbook!
Yearbooks are now on sale for $60! Buy one here or go to tinyurl.com/sbmsyearbook
Tributes/ads for students are also on sale! When buying your yearbook, make sure you scroll to the bottom of the site and you can order a half page, ¼ page, or shoutout ad for your child. Make sure you order and finish designing this ad by JANUARY 31!
The yearbook staff would love your help gathering photos related to the following topics/events for inclusion (we need photos of the highlighted topics the most)
-Bear Camp
-Fine arts concerts/shows (band, orchestra, choir, theatre)
-Dance Club
-Football
-Your child dressed up for Red Ribbon Week
-Honors assemblies
-Volleyball
-Halloween
-Unusual pets
You can upload photos for the yearbook staff using the Balfour Imageshare app on your phone. Note: the project number is 209143 and there is NO upload code. You may also send any photos for the yearbook staff to Sara Boyle, sara.boyle@springbranchisd.com. Contact Sara Boyle, sara.boyle@springbranchisd.com with any other questions about the yearbook!
Upcoming dates:
January 1, 2022: Yearbook price increases to $65
January 31, 2022: Last day to buy and complete an AD/TRIBUTE for your student
March 4, 2022: Last day to PERSONALIZE yearbook (name stamp, activity icon)
March 15, 2022: Last day to send in yearbook photos for inclusion in the book
Sara Boyle
Journalism Teacher, Yearbook and Newspaper Adviser
Spring Branch Middle School
SBISD-Houston Health Department COVID Testing
We are pleased to announce a new partnership with Harris County Public Health to provide a mobile Covid-19 testing pilot program.
Here are details:
Location: Darrell Tully Stadium (north side of stadium)
Hours: Wednesdays only, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Duration: Pilot will run for the next 4-6 weeks
Type of Test: PCR Test – results typically in 36-48 hours
The mobile testing site is open to SBISD students, staff and families.
Individuals wishing to test at this site should register in advance at this link. Individuals may register in person, depending on availability.
Parents/guardians of minors must complete the attached Informed Consent Form. Copies of the form will also be available at the testing site.
Questions may be directed Harris County Public Health’s Testing Center at 832.927.7575.
Skyward Family Access: A Helpful Tool for Secondary Students and Families!
6th Grade Parents: A Word From Nurse Mulvey
6th grade Parents:
If your child gets any new vaccines this school year please turn in a copy to the nurse. This will help prevent any delay in enrollment for 7th grade.
All volunteers must register online through the SBISD website every year and pass a criminal background check. Volunteers approved during the previous school year may volunteer through September 30 of the current school year. At that time, the system will reset and all volunteers must re-register before being allowed on campus. We strongly encourage all volunteers to register between July 1 and September 30.
Please allow 8-10 days for the criminal background check process to occur. Volunteers who provide a valid email address on their application will receive an automatic notification if approved to begin your service. Once you receive this e-mail, please either contact the program or campus where you want to provide support. A list of those contacts can be found here.
All volunteers must bring a valid, government issued photo ID when they visit or volunteer on campus to have it scanned into the Raptor6 system. Each time you are on campus thereafter, SBISD requires volunteers and visitors to check-in at the front office and wear a Raptor6 issued name badge.
Thank you for recognizing that the safety of our schools, our students and our volunteers is of the utmost importance!
By applying to be an SBISD volunteer, you agree to abide by the SBISD Volunteer Ethics and Guidelines.
A Word from the SBMS PTA
The PTA raises money to support the students & staff at SBMS and we couldn’t do any of it without all of our fantastic volunteers and donors. The beginning of school has been busy with socials, school lunches & book fair just to name a few! There are so many things planned for the rest of the school year, please go to our website www.sbmspta.com and check out all the ways to donate or participate. Check back often as we are updating regularly. You can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook at Spring Branch Middle School PTA.
If you have any questions or want to get involved, below are the PTA Executive Board contact details:
- President: Stephanie Pancioli (s.pancioli@att.net)
- VP Long Range Planning: Jen Moss (jkgmoss@comcast.net)
- VP Fundraising: Amy Reeves (amyereeves@yahoo.com)
- VP Fundraising: Hilary Scarborough (hilaryscarborough@gmail.com)
- VP Communications: Lorena Guilanshah (guilanl@hotmail.com)
- Treasurer: Lyn Greenwood (lynbeckstead@gmail.com)
- Secretary: Molly Ferguson (mollyrferguson@yahoo.com)
- Community Relations: Joy McCormack (Mccormackjoy@hotmail.com)
- Parliamentarian: Kelly Murphy (Kelmurph521@gmail.com)
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