Bear Bulletin
April 18, 2021
Reminder: April 30th is a Student/Staff Holiday!
Topics Included in this Newsletter
- Note from Mrs. Spencer
- Message from Dr. Blaine
- Next Round of STAAR Testing
- NJHS Applications for Rising 8th Graders
- Student Planner Restroom Log and Cell Phones Information
- Spring Finals Schedule
- French at MHS for Rising 9th Graders
- SBMS Character Without Question Award Nominees and Winner for 2021
- End of Year Events for SBMS
- SBISD New & Returning Student Registration Opens Monday, April 5th
- Required Vaccinne Information for Rising 7th Graders
- MHS Course Selection Sheets
- SBMS Yearbook Update!
- Safety Information and Expectations for SBMS Students and Families
Message from Mrs. Spencer
Hello, SBMS Bears,
We have twenty-eight days left in the 2020-2021 school year! We can do this, Bears! I am so very grateful for everyone's commitment to the school year. It has taken the SBMS team to make this year happen! A few things to note:
- Student Drop Off near Championship Gym: Please pull into a parking spot rather than block the drive way when dropping off students to the Championship doors, if your students are in athletics.
- Texting Students: Please do not text your students during instructional time. Students will report that their parent is texting them or calling them during instructional time, which hinders our ability to ask students to put their cell phones away. Students may answer texts during transitions between periods, during lunch and before or after school.
- SBMS Library Book Overdue Notices: Students should check their emails each Wednesday afternoon to determine if they have received an overdue library book notice from Mrs. Silva. Both our federal funds from SBMS and the LRP committee of the SBMS PTA LRP funds have gone towards the purchase of new books. Let's keep them circulating!
See you Monday, Bears!
Stefanie Spencer, Principal
Message from Dr. Blaine
Dear Spring Branch ISD Families,
We’re on the home stretch! As all of us look forward to a terrific last month of school, we are already looking ahead with excitement and optimism to next school year at Spring Branch ISD. Great plans are underway!
Here is some important information about the 2021-22 school year:
- We are expecting no mask mandate to be in place for our schools next fall. Read our News Release here.
- Elementary students will have 100 percent in-person learning. Distance learning will not be offered for elementary students.
- SBISD is awaiting guidance from the 87th Legislature and the Texas Education Agency regarding possible virtual learning options for next year. We are exploring the possibility of adding a standalone virtual school of choice option for grades 6-12.
- There will be no simultaneous instruction for in-person and distance learners. Should we offer a virtual school option, teachers would be hired and dedicated to online instructional delivery.
- We have reinstated elementary early release days for parent-teacher conferences each semester. We also have added four elementary early release days for teachers to participate in important literacy-focused professional development.
- The middle and high school calendars return to a normal SBISD calendar with early release days for final exams in December and May.
VIEW 2021-2022 ACADEMIC CALENDAR HERE
Great plans also are underway for SBISD Summer School Programs.
We know this summer will be more important than ever to help bridge the learning gaps many of our students experienced over the last year.
We appreciate and applaud our Board of Trustees for acknowledging the critical nature of this summer’s programming by approving pay increases for teachers, nurses, and several other summer school positions. Across the country, educators are concerned about any learning loss by students that has happened during the pandemic. Our summer school programs can help reverse that learning loss.
View District Summer School Information here .
New student and returning student online enrollment is now open
Online registration for new student enrollment for the 2021-22 school year is open. We are expecting to have a great, healthy school year and we are urging families new to the district or families with incoming pre-K students to start registering their children.
Online registration is also open for returning students for the 2021-22 school to update and verify information.
Spring Branch ISD offers full-day programs for four-year old’s and half-day classes for three-year old’s. Some families may qualify to attend for free if they meet certain Texas Education Agency criteria such as limited English proficiency or are economically disadvantaged, homeless, part of a military family or in foster care.
To learn more and to update and verify your student’s information for next year, visit our enrollment website here.
Celebrating our Class of 2021 graduates
We are so proud of our Seniors! We look forward to proudly celebrating all they have accomplished in their years with us, and we share their excitement about the next steps in their T-2-4 journeys. We especially celebrate these students who have modeled perseverance, resilience and determination with Hurricane Harvey hitting their first week of high school, and their junior and senior years impacted by a global pandemic. Congratulations, Class of 2021!
View graduation schedules here.
Board of Trustees election reminder
The SBISD Board of Trustees election is scheduled for May 1. Early voting begins Monday, April 19 and continues through April 27. Two seats are up for election. Candidates Chris Earnest and Virginia Elizondo are vying for the Position 4 seat, and incumbent Minda Caesar is running unopposed for Position 3. Each board member serves a three-year term. Earnest lists his occupation as consultant. Elizondo lists her occupation as chief executive officer, senior director and adjunct lecturer.
View Early Voting Sites and Times and Voting Day Information here.
Next Round of STAAR Testing
Please note the next round of STAAR testing occurs the first and second week of May. The master bell schedule will be amended for testing dates and will be distributed closer to that timeframe. STAAR testing will occur on the following dates:
- May 4th: Algebra EOC for Paper Testers (Parents will be notified)
- May 6th: 8th Grade Science STAAR
- May 7th: 8th Grade Social Studies STAAR
- May 11th: 6th-8th Grade Math STAAR
- May 12th: 6th-8th Grade Reading STAAR
Most students at SBMS will take their STAAR exams online, so all students need to bring a fully charged chromebook. The paper test version for Algebra EOC has a different state deadline, hence the testing for that small group of students.
Please note that students should not wear their Apple or similar smart watches during the test, so it may be wise to keep those home for testing days. Phones should be turned off and stowed away. Testing will conclude sometime after 1 p.m. on each of these dates, so please plan accordingly in regards to appointments.
NJHS Membership Application for Rising 8th Graders
Rising 8th Grade Students!
Do you show instances of scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship here at SBMS or in your community? National Junior Honor Society may be just for you! Membership in NJHS is one of the highest honors bestowed on a Middle School student. In order to be accepted into NJHS, you must meet the following criteria:
- 93 grade average in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd 9 Weeks of all classes
- Demonstrated leadership, service, character, and citizenship as demonstrated by activities and teacher recommendations
Interested in applying? Students can apply at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/SBMSNJHS21. Applications must be submitted by April 20th!
Any questions, see Ms. Rasing is Room 402 or email her at chelsea.rasing@springbranchisd.com
Student Planner Restroom Log and Cell Phones
Spring Finals Schedule
Click here for the Spring Finals Schedule for the week of May 24th. There may be adjustments made to this schedule in the next week or two, so please keep checking back to be sure you are looking at the finalized version. Thank you for your patience.
Rising Ninth Graders: MHS French I, II and III is Available for Next Year!
Dear Rising MHS 9th Graders!
Memorial High School is proud to announce that they will be able to offer French I, II and III next year. If you are interested in changing your course selections, please reach out to the 9th Grade Counselor for next year, Ms. Stephanie Jackson. Merci!
SBMS Character Without Question Award Ceremony Link
Each year, every school in SBISD honors one student for their extraordinary character by awarding them the Character Without Question award. The Character Without Question committee for SBMS faced the difficult task of nominating one representative to receive the Character Without Question award for Spring Branch Middle School. Click here for the awards ceremony we held with students to honor the nominees and overall winner for SBMS.
Students were nominated not based on isolated acts of kindness or heroism, but rather for demonstrating an enduring commitment to the following character traits: honesty, integrity, responsibility, dependability, respect, perseverance, effort, courage, caring, kindness, citizenship and civic virtue.
Allison Figueroa Piche continually shows acts of caring, kindness, responsibility and perseverance. Allison not only works hard on her assignments, but goes above and beyond to help her peers.
Anabella De Leon Gamez was nominated for demonstrating responsibility, dependability, honesty and respect. She is known as a hardworking and determined young lady. Anabella is very respectful of adults and peers.
Brooks Edwards consistently goes above and beyond expectations. He is responsible, dependable, respectful and perseveres. Brooks stands out because of his responsibility and maturity.
Natalie Jones displays respect, perseverance, effort, caring and kindness. She is a hard worker inside and outside of the classroom. Natalie is a compassionate person and extremely diligent.
Congratulations to Allison, Anabella, Brooks and Natalie for your dedication to excellent character.
The Spring Branch Middle School Character Without Question recipient for the 2020-2021 school year is Kathleen Ngo. She was nominated for perseverance, effort, citizenship, civic virtue, responsibility and dependability. Kathleen works hard every day inside and outside of school. She goes above and beyond to be friendly to her peers and adults. She only addresses others with a smile and positive attitude. Congratulations Kathleen!
End of Year Events for SBMS
We have much to celebrate this school year and are so appreciative of all stakeholders, faculty, staff, parents, students and our community, for all of their contributions to making this year a great one. Below is information about events we will host to celebrate students and bring a conclusion to the 2020-2021 school year in a manner aligned to the LearnSBISD safety parameters. Also, be on the look out for more details from our SBMS PTA for events they are hosting..
Grade Level Awards Ceremony for 6th-8th Graders: Traditionally, SBMS hosts an Awards Night to honor distinguished students in each grade level. This year, we will host these awards assemblies separately for each grade level in-person with students during the day, record the awards presentation and send out the link to the recording. We will post the date prior to May 1st so parents can plan accordingly in terms of student attendance and dress. Virtual students who are being presented an award may be present and will be notified in advance of the ceremony. No parents or visitors may attend the ceremony, but it will be recorded and a link distributed to all families so they can celebrate with their children at a later time. We will also be sharing this video during grade level BPTs so students can celebrate their peers, as well.
8th Grade Farewell Ceremony: Traditionally, we host this during school in our Championship Gym and all families are invited to attend. This year, the ceremony will be a virtual one where we will record the presentation for students and families to view at their leisure, as we did last year. In light of the size of the grade level, this presentation will just be virtual and students will watch it during BPT, in addition to viewing it at home with families.
8th Grade Field Day (NEW): In addition to Friday fun and other PTA events planned for 8th Graders in May, SBMS will host an afternoon Field Day for 8th Graders on May 21st. More to come on the details, but we hope it will be a fun way to celebrate their middle school journey and provide them one last hurrah before they make their way to high school. Parameters for good behavior leading up to Field Day and more information about the fun we have in store for them will be coming out soon.
Required Vaccine Information for Rising 7th Graders
Parents of 6th grade students,
Last week letters were sent home regarding the additional vaccines required for 7th grade entry (Texas Minimum State Requirements). The additional vaccines required for 7th grade are Tdap, and Meningococcal (MCV4). If your child has not already had these vaccines it is advisable that you take care of this before the end of the school year. If your child is exempt for medical or religious reasons you must provide an updated notarized affidavit that includes these vaccines.
After May 15th your child will not receive next year’s schedule until an updated immunization record is provided. Please send the updated record to Mercedes.mulvey@springbranchisd.com or fax to 713-251-9472.
Less Than 50 Copies of the SBMS Yearbook Are Available!
LESS THAN 50 YEARBOOKS LEFT FOR SALE!!! Order one at tinyurl.com/sbmsyearbook before we sell out!
We expect to receive the yearbooks by the beginning of May.
Thank you!!
Sara Boyle
Journalism Teacher, Yearbook and Newspaper Adviser
Spring Branch Middle School
New & Returning Student Registration Opens April 5th!
New & returning student registration opens on Monday, April 5th and closes May 2nd. Please read the below directions for registering returning students and share information with friends who may be interested in registering new students below.
Returning Student Registration:
- Click here for information and a link to Family Access in Skyward.
- Families are asked annually to confirm/update information for each child attending.
- Returning families can update online most information collected in a school’s 1st Day Packet through Family Access. If you do not have a Family Access account, please contact your school to set up an account.
- Parents are not required to print forms. Forms can be signed and submitted electronically.
- If you would like to print out the forms for your records, please ensure that Adobe Reader is installed on your device. This process can be completed on a PC, Tablet or smartphone browser.
- Please be sure to complete forms by clicking the submit button at the end of each form.
- If your campus does not receive these forms electronically, you will receive paper
New Student Registration:
- Click here to access the online enrollment form.
Families new to SBISD or families who have moved within SBISD to a different school are encouraged to register students before the first day of school.
- All necessary registration forms may be completed online in advance of registering the student at his/her attendance area school. (Alternately, the option to complete registration forms at the child’s attendance-area campus is also available during in-person registration dates/times. A parent or legal guardian must be present to enroll a student less than 18 years old.)
- To complete forms online, you will need an Internet-ready browser, email address and phone number.
- If you would like to print out the forms for your records, please ensure that Adobe Reader is installed on your device.
- After registering online, appointments will be scheduled at the student’s attendance-area school to submit required documents (listed below)
- What do I need to bring with me to register my student?
- Immunization record certified by a doctor or public health official
- Transcript or report card from the last school attended
- Birth certificate or other document suitable as proof of a child's identity
- Proof of residency is required upon enrollment. (Examples: lease agreement or mortgage payment book, district tax bill, utility bill with correct name and address)
- July 29
Thursday- 8:00 a.m. - Noon
- 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.
- August 2 - 5
Monday - Thursday- 8:00 a.m. - Noon
- 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.
- August 9 - 11
Monday - Wednesday- 8:00 a.m. - Noon
- 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.
- August 12
Thursday- 1:00 - 3:30 p.m. (afternoon only)
- August 17 (second day of school)
Tuesday
School office hours or by appointment
Note:
- Dates and times are subject to change.
- There is no registration the first day of school.
- Family may contact the campus for additional dates and times beyond what the district has scheduled for all campuses.
MHS Course Selection Sheets
Memorial High School Parents/Students,
Course verification sheets are ready! If you log into Skyward, you can find your course verification sheet in the student portfolio section. Please review the verification form carefully.
Please follow the directions below:
- If you need to MAKE CHANGES to the chosen courses, please make the changes on the form and return the edited sheet to Mrs. Richie. You can either print and hand in a hard copy, or you can edit and email the form to Marissa.richie@springbranchisd.com.
- If NO CHANGES are needed, please write NO CHANGES across the form. You can either print and hand in a hard copy, or you can email the form.
Regardless of changes, this form must be turned in by April 29.
If you have any questions regarding course placement, please contact your current teacher for suggestions.
Lastly, if you signed up for a AAC/AP class, click here for the attached document.
Regards,
MHS counselors
LearnSBISD Safety Reminders for SBMS Bears
As always, here are a few reminders in the hopes of keeping everyone healthy, safe, in school and a focus on student learning is maintained at SBMS:
- Report of Exposure: Please report any direct, prolonged exposure your child has had with family members or friends who have been recently diagnosed. This will help Ms. Mulvey determine next steps and lessen the spread of COVID-19. You may do so by calling 713-251-4400 or emailing Ms. Mulvey at mercedes.mulvey@springbranchisd.com.
- SBISD Health Screener: Within every edition of this newsletter every Sunday is a reminder to complete the SBISD Health Screener. Please help us keep everyone healthy, well and in school by completing that screener and refraining from sending any child to school who is demonstrating those symptoms or has exposure to someone who the family believes needs to be COVID tested. If you are unsure whether or not your child should report to school, please reach out to me, Mr. Barry, and Ms. Mulvey and we can try to help you.
- Bringing Items to SBMS: SBMS will only allow the drop off of the following: chromebooks, assignments, books for Language Arts or medicine for the school nurse. Unfortunately, we are seeing too many families dropping off items to the front office that are unrelated to these things. The LearnSBISD plan indicates no drop off of items should be occurring and that visitors to the campus are restricted. As we watch numbers of parents dropping off items to our office and numbers of COVID cases tick upwards, we are tightening up our practices to make clearer what is of necessity and what is not. To ensure that your child has a back up plan for lunch, please visit SBISD Child Nutrition and put money on their account so they can purchase a lunch: https://www.springbranchisd.com/about/departments/finance/child-nutrition-services/payments-and-refunds.
- Health and Safety Reminder: One of the many unfortunate issues related to COVID-19 is that the signs and symptoms for COVID-19 can mirror other illnesses. Our LearnSBISD plan requires parents to complete a Health Screener for their students each morning and indicates that students must not report to school with symptoms delineated within that screener to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19. When a child visits with Ms. Mulvey, our SBMS Nurse, and presents symptoms that could be related to COVID-19 she must follow a protocol that involves presenting the symptoms and context for the child (duration of symptoms, if a parent has tested positive or exposure to someone else has occurred) to the SBISD Intake Nurse and then work with the family to send the child home for a period of time. We fully recognize how stressful the "here and now" is for all families, but ask that your interactions with our nurse are kind and patient. We are happy to ask questions on your behalf and answer any questions you may have, but please know the health and safety of all students, their families and our staff are at the forefront of all that we do at SBMS. This is a very difficult year to serve as a school nurse and we are so grateful that Ms. Mulvey chose this as her life's work.
- SBISD Mask Policy: SBISD requires all school-aged students and staff to wear masks covering their noses and mouths all of the school day, except for when eating or drinking. Gaiters are allowed, but please be sure that students are able to wear them consistently and cover both their noses and mouths. Some students are having to hold their necks forward to keep their gaiters up and over their noses and mouths, so parents may wish to ask their children to wear masks if they prove easier and more comfortable for your child in that regard. Students not consistent in wearing their mask over their noses and mouths may face disciplinary consequences up to and including changing their learning model.
SBISD Health Screener for In-Person Learners
Prior to the start of the school year, all families completed the SBISD Health & Safety Protocol Parent Acknowledgement Form. Included in these protocols is ensuring that every child coming to campus has a completed SBISD Health Screener every morning.
As a reminder, the health screener can be accessed via the district website (there is a blue box on the homepage titled ‘HEALTH SCREENER’ or by clicking here.) High school students may complete their own screener, but not those of their siblings.
Parents, it is critical that you report to your child's school if your child has tested positive for COVID-19, has had prolonged (15 or more minutes) direct exposure to someone who is COVID-19 positive, or is displaying symptoms of COVID-19. Please do not send your child to school. Please do complete the health screener and report to your school attendance office or nurse immediately. Please be sure to provide your contact information including a daytime telephone number where you can be reached.
View this video to see how to turn the screener into an icon (like an app) on your phone or tablet home screen for easier access: