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Dear Pin Oak Community,

Traditionally funded twice a year, Pin Oak Middle School PTO's Teacher Grants Program provides assistance for teachers and staff to purchase resources that might have otherwise been unavailable. The funds available for grants are made possible thanks to the generous donations of our corporate sponsors and Pin Oak families like yours. The total amount of funds available each year varies depending on fundraising and budget constraints.

Last week, the Pin Oak Middle School PTO Grants Committee met and approved the following items for Pin Oak, including:

• New laminating machine for all staff to use
• Agricultural supplies for a "Curb Appeal" contest to be headed by POMS Urban Agriculture Instructor Angela Roth
• New books for Reading Intervention
• New library books and a guest speaker who will speak to all students during their lunch period
• 5 year subscription to Flangoo, a service for language learners (French, Spanish and German)
• Replacement class set of headphones for LOTE (Languages Other Than English)
• Registration and lodging for teacher to attend and speak at the Texas Council for Social Studies Conference
• Materials for Wings and Wheels elective
• An accompanist for all choir performances
• 5 DSLR cameras and 100 SD cards to complete Photography class set
• Digital Theater: an online platform that may be used by all ELA teachers
• Storage and shelving for Theatre Arts
• New equipment for guitar and stage band
• Generation Genius subscription renewal
• Zoology lab materials
• Field trip to Garner State Park and Natural Bridge Caverns with 30-35 economically disadvantaged students (pending HISD approval)
• Homecoming Spirit Week supplies for the entire school

Additionally, our PTO has approved the purchase of the following from our technology and infrastructure budgets:

• New tables for the DLL (Distance Learning Lab)
• 15 trash cans for outdoor use
• Replacement privacy film for windows in A house
• Additional bike racks
• 15 Document cameras
• 150 Chromebook chargers (replacements for those that got damaged or lost during virtual learning last year)

The total amount of your Pin Oak Middle School PTO dollars at work is $67,883.48.

Thank you to Aichen Chih, Kristi Coffey, Martha Gau, Kathleen Graf, and Naomi Wittlin for their unwavering commitment to this process and making Pin Oak a better place for our students and staff.

A special thank you to our Grants Chair, Christina Lyster, for purchasing these items and getting them into the hands of teachers and staff so quickly - we appreciate you! 

And thank you to all of our generous families. We could not do it without your support! #ChargeOn

Tricia Onufer

It is with a heavy heart that we let you know that Ms. Dawn Cortes, beloved 6C Science teacher at Pin Oak, passed away on July 19, 2021. Principal Vela shared the announcement via School Messenger.

She will be deeply missed by all who were fortunate enough to know her.

In order to best serve the family, our PTO has decided to help provide them financial support.

Pin Oak PTO is collecting voluntary donations from the Pin Oak community until September 30, 2021.

Please donate to the Dawn Cortes Memorial Fund. All money raised will go directly to the family of Ms. Cortes.

Thank you so much!

If you have questions, please contact POMS PTO President Tricia Onufer.

On Tuesday, October 5, Pin Oak 8th grade students will participate in virtual Magnet High School information sessions from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. This year, students will have a choice of breakout rooms to join which are organized by the following Magnet Themes:

• Career
• Early College
• STEM/STEAM
• Technology
• Fine Arts
• Single Gender/College Prep
• Vanguard
• Languages

If you have any questions about the Virtual High School visits, please email POMS Magnet Coordinator, Mrs. Kelly Moore, at kelly.moore@houstonisd.org.

Do you know someone interested in applying to Pin Oak Middle School for the 2022-2023 school year? Pin Oak Middle School will host virtual information sessions every Thursday from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. for prospective families. We encourage you to share this information with your community and help us spread the word about the great things happening at Pin Oak!

Join on Microsoft Teams here!

If you have any questions about the POMS Magnet Thursdays, please email POMS Magnet Coordinator, Mrs. Kelly Moore, at kelly.moore@houstonisd.org.

POMS Girls' and Boys' Basketball interest meetings will be held this week during students' Team time. Parents may attend virtually on Microsoft Teams. See below for more details.

POMS Girls' Basketball

Interest Meeting: Wednesday, September 29 at 3:30 p.m.

Click here for the Microsoft Teams link. (You will need to log in using your student's HISD email and password.)

Tryouts: Wednesday, October 20 - Friday, October 22 (6:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.) Open to 7th & 8th grade girls.

If you have any questions, please contact Coach Alexis Willis.

POMS Boys' Basketball

Interest Meeting: Thursday, September 30 at 3:30 p.m.

Click here for the Microsoft Teams link. (You will need to log in using your student's HISD email and password.)

Tryouts: Wednesday, October 27 - Friday, October 29 (4:05 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.) Open to 7th & 8th grade boys.

If you have any questions, please contact Coach Astaire Carter.

Mrs. Vela and the POMS admin team need your help during lunch duty to encourage students to throw away their trash and exhibit appropriate behavior.

Please also talk to your children at home about why it's important to respect their school campus and clean up after themselves.

Click here to sign up! You must be VIPS approved.

Questions? Please contact POMS Assistant Principal Johnny Morse.

Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 - October 15. The purpose of Hispanic Heritage Month is to honor the history and diversity of the Hispanic American community and to educate ourselves on the rich culture and traditions of Hispanic people who have made, and continue to make, important contributions to society.

Resources about this month can be found at the websites listed below:

• National Hispanic Heritage Month
• PBS Series: Latino Americans
• Smithsonian: Hispanic Heritage Month

POMS is in desperate need of new shower curtains for our locker room shower stalls, combination locks, and Kleenex. 

Please consider helping us with one or more of these items on our Amazon Wish List. All items will be shipped directly to the school.

Thank you so much for your generosity!

Please email POMS PTO President Tricia Onufer with any questions.

Click here to view the replay. If you are asked for a log in, please enter your student's HISD email address and password.

The Houston Food Bank’s Backpack Buddy Program works to fill the gap between school meals by providing nutritious, child-friendly food for school children to take home over the weekend.

Through the Backpack Buddy program, the Houston Food Bank works in partnership with our school to ensure that the food sacks are distributed to children every Friday during the school year.

In order to receive a food sack every Friday, you MUST submit a permission slip:

• English
• Español

Food distribution is set to start in October. Please email POMS Wraparound Specialist Brigid Gould with any questions or to get more information.

Are you considering Lamar High School? Want to keep up with our campus life, events, and deadlines? You can visit our Prospective Student Website and sign up to receive updates from our Admissions Coordinator, Ms. Casey Titus. She can answer questions whether you are zoned or not and will be your contact as you make decisions about next year!

Do you know a business who is looking for corporate sponsorship opportunities? 

Pin Oak offers a variety of sponsorship levels and benefits, including school-wide newsletter and website recognition, banner display in a prominent location on campus, marquee signage and much more! By partnering with businesses in our community, we raise funds for teacher, student, classroom and technology support, curriculum enrichment, staff appreciation, and facility enhancements. 

Contact POMS PTO Co-VP of Fundraising & Corporate Sponsors Chair Dawn Johnson for more details.

All volunteers in HISD must register to be VIPS approved. Please register at least two weeks before your scheduled volunteer shift, as it can take three to five business days to complete the background check. Even if you were previously VIPS approved, you will need to register again as your approval expires at the end of each school year.

VIPS Registration

VIPS Registration (Español)

Join the Pin Oak Middle School PTO and help the students, teachers, fine arts, athletics, and academic programs at our school.

Membership is just $10.

Membership must be renewed each year, as annual membership expires at the end of each school year on June 30.

If you have any questions, please email POMS PTO Membership ChairJamie Broach Byrd.

To join via mobile phone:

1.  Send a text to 81010

2.  Text this message: @pinoakp

To join via web:

https://www.remind.com/join/pinoakp?utm_medium=ios

Then download the app on theApp StoreorGoogle Play.

Log in to update your directory info or sign up for a new account if you're a new user. If you have used Membership Toolkit at another school, you may log in using your same account information.

The POMS PTO uses the Membership Toolkit platform across the board, so you'll need an account to receive the Charger Chatter, shop at the online School Store, join the PTO, and more! It can all be found at pinoakpto.org.

Also, be sure to download the free Membership Toolkit app on the App Store or Google Play, so you'll have the school directory and school calendar with you at all times on your mobile device! You can even sync the PTO calendar to your phone's calendar and opt to receive push notifications for important announcements!

If you have any issues signing up or logging in, please contact the POMSPTO VP of Communications Melissa Law.

HISD Wraparound Services is here to help. Please see the following documents and complete a Student Assistance Form (SAF) found here.

Wraparound Services Contact Sheet

Wraparound Services Info Sheet English/Spanish

For more information, visit HISD Wraparound Services or email POMS Wraparound Specialist Brigid Gould.