The Crusader Times

Be Present - Be Positive - Be Persistent in your Learning

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Volume 2, Issue 13 November 6, 2023

Principal's Message

BVM Community,


Good morning! As mentioned in Friday's evening message, I wanted to update you on the progress of our students at Bonita Vista Middle School. During Friday’s Professional Learning Community Meetings, our dedicated teachers took the time to review and reflect on student performance. They were provided with grade distribution data, allowing them to compare the progress of their students between Progress Report 1 and Progress Report 2. Additionally, teachers received a report showing how many of their students improved, remained the same, or fell behind in their grades during this time. Using our Data Analysis Protocol, teachers analyzed the data individually and as a department. They also developed action steps and goals to enhance learning in the remaining five weeks of the semester and goals on how to reduce the number of Ds and Fs.


Please rest assured that we are continuously reflecting on our instructional practices and making necessary adjustments to ensure the maximum learning experience for our students. In this regard, I kindly request that you also take the time to sit down with your student and reflect on their progress since the beginning of the school year. Together, you can create goals to ensure a strong finish. To guide your discussion, here are some questions you can ask:


  1. How do you feel about your grades?
  2. Which grade are you most proud of and why?
  3. Did anything surprise you in this progress report?
  4. What is your plan for improving your academic performance?
  5. What have you learned so far about your preferred learning and studying methods?
  6. What goals would you like to set for your grades?
  7. Is there anything we can do to better support you?



Also, as we pivot into November, my messaging at school to our students will be centered around gratitude. I will be asking our students and staff to reflect on the things and people that they are thankful for and appreciate. Thank you for reading my Friday message and this week's message.


Please note that we have a short week this week, with Friday (11/10) off in observance of Veteran’s Day.


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 place 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 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

Week at a Glance: November 6 - November 10

Check out our week at a glance by clicking on the link or the button below:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1t6INfvLHuBGWfsn-lqAxmwD-T7k6V0IL0VDfwHRcufM/edit#slide=id.p

BSU Presents: Black Talk

Wednesday, Nov. 8th, 5:30-7pm

555 Claire Avenue

Chula Vista, CA

Just a friendly reminder that that our first BSU Black Talk event is coming up this Wednesday, November 8th at Hilltop High School from 5:30-7:00 pm.


This event is open to all SUHSD middle and high school students, parents, and staff. It is a wonderful opportunity for our students to have a safe space to share their experiences of being a Black student in today's world. We hope to empower our students to use their voices and know that they are seen, heard, valued, and have support within our district to help them succeed. If you have any questions, please reply to this email or contact us at BSUinfo@sweetwaterschools.org. We hope to see you on November 8th!

In partnership,

SUHSD BSU Elders and BSU Advisors

RSVPs are enabled for this event.

Dia De Los Muertos DLI Presentations: Thursday, November 2, 2023

We had a great turnout last Thursday as our students presented their projects to families and the community. Students were tasked to research how different countries celebrate Dia de los Muertos and design/present a representation of an "ofrenda." Please check out some of the pictures below! Our Band also performed at the beginning of the event (video provided below as well).
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Acknowledgment Corner

The Acknowledgment Corner will be continued to be used to highlight and celebrate our students at any opportunity that we can! If you would like your student acknowledged for something we may not be aware of, please feel free to contact me (include a picture if possible).

Crusaders of the Week:

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Crusader of the Week: Maelo Forero

Nominated by Mr. Reyes Cornejo, Pedro Forero! Maelo has made an incredible effort over the past few weeks in Spanish class in order to improve his classroom behavior. He has shown commitment to self-improvement. The result has been a significant increase in his citizenship grade. Lately, Maelo has contributed positively to our classroom community and culture. Thank you and congratulations, Maelo!
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Crusader of the Week --Mykel Gray

And Nominated by Dr. Salazar, Mykel Gray. Last week, Mykel Gray turned in a phone to me during lunchtime. I am nominating him for doing the right thing and exemplifying the Crusader Way. Because of Mykel, one of our students was able to quickly recover their phone without having to deal with the additional stress and anxiety of losing a phone and not being able to recover it in time! Thank you Mykel for exemplifying the Crusader Way!

16th Annual Veteran's Elementary School Veteran's Day Parade_2023

Both our Band and Cheer teams participated in last week's 16th Annual Veteran's Day Parade (put on by Veteran's Elementary School). We had VIPs attend the ceremony including our Chula Vista Mayor --John McCann. Thank you to Veteran's Elementary for giving our students a great platform to showcase their talents while also recognizing and celebrating our United States Armed Forces Veterans! Thank you to all who have served!
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Crusaderbots take 3rd Place at Hilltop High School: Saturday, November 3, 2023

Congratulations to our Crusaderbot Teams and to Mr. Dougherty their longstanding Robotics Advisor! This past Saturday, all of our Crusaderbot teams improved in their standing and our top team placed 3rd only behind two teams from Eastlake Middle School. Our team this year has made great strides and we are all very proud of them! Thank you Ms. Ranon for providing me with the video and picture below!
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BVM 8th Grade Boys Baseball Team

Congratulations to our BVM Baseball team who finished their season this past Saturday at Eastlake High School as they took on Rancho Del Rey Middle School. Our team played a close game as they managed to tie the game at 1-1 in the last inning. Unfortunately, RDR managed to manufacture a run in their last at-bats and ended up edging us out 2-1. Congratulations to Rancho Del Rey Middle School and congratulations to our team -BONITA VISTA MIDDLE SCHOOL! Great pitching on that day! Check out some of the pictures below!
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BVM Girls Basketball Team 2023

Our girls' basketball team concluded their season this past Saturday at Montgomery High School. Our BVM Girls team had a successful season and played well as a team. They relied on their defense and team play this year to manufacture their points. Great job ladies, we are proud of you!
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BVM Boys Basketball Team

Congratulations to our BVM Boys Basketball Team on having a solid season! The boys played well as a team and relied on a pressing defense to manufacture their points this year. Great job team, we are very proud of you!
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BVM Halloween 2023

It was a very spirited Halloween at BVM this past year and many students and staff participated and dressed up! Students and staff enjoyed a great day together that included a costume contest in both lunches. Thank you again to all who participated and thank you to everyone for following our guidelines!
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Friday Lunchtime Activity: November 3, 2023

This past Friday's lunchtime activity included a balloon stomp! Students were highly competitive in this activity. Students also had the opportunity to enjoy music during their Friday lunch. Please check out some of the pictures below!
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FYI Corner

Below you will find valuable resources for our students and community, including our tutoring schedule!

SUHSD Presents: Black Talk

Just a friendly reminder that that our first BSU Black Talk event is coming up this Wednesday, November 8th at Hilltop High School from 5:30-7:00 pm.


This event is open to all SUHSD middle and high school students, parents, and staff. It is a wonderful opportunity for our students to have a safe space to share their experiences of being a Black student in today's world. We hope to empower our students to use their voices and know that they are seen, heard, valued, and have support within our district to help them succeed. If you have any questions, please reply to this email or contact us at BSUinfo@sweetwaterschools.org. We hope to see you on November 8th!

In partnership,

SUHSD BSU Elders and BSU Advisors

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Cheer in support of SUHSD's Adaptive PE Soccer Tournament

On Thursday, November 2, our Cheer Team collaborated with BVHS Cheer to support the district's SUHSD Adaptive PE Soccer Tournament. Our Cheer team is very active in our community and will be performing next at Chula Vista's Starlight Parade. Stay tuned for more!
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Entomophagy Unit

Did you know that our 8th graders eat insects during 8th grade English? --Well, that's only if they want to during the Entomophagy Unit where students learn about other cultures that do, in fact, eat insects as a rich source of protein. Let's go 8th graders!
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Mr. Young's beginning of class huddles!

In the spirit of Football Season, Mr. Young's class (see below) has a great way to begin his classes. He always asks everyone to huddle around to get the "play" of the day. In other words, Mr. Youngs gathers all students around to review both the learning goals of the day and what activities students will perform that day to reach their learning targets. Students then work collaboratively on their learning tasks while Mr. Young assists. Last Friday, students had to classify, read, and annotate while they learned about the different sizes of objects in space and their great distances.
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