Principal's Post
Dear Charger Parents and Families,
As we begin this holiday season, I look back and think about how quickly this school year has gone so far. Throughout these first few months in my new role, I thank each and every one of your for your patience and support. I truly love the wonderful families and community that we have at POMS.
We know that the holiday season is a hectic one, where people can be coming and going - always in a rush. However, as a community, we have to be sure that we are paying attention to what matters most - the safety of our children. That is why I wanted to take some time to remind our families of a few protocols we have in place to help us do so. We know that they may take a few extra moments, but in the end, they are worth the time they take.
- Students and parents are not allowed to cross in the middle of the street instead of crossing at the crosswalk.
- If your child walks or rides a bike to school, please remind them to be careful and wear a helmet. Students must always obey the traffic signals and cross with the light in the crosswalk.
- For the safety of everyone, and in accordance with Texas law, please refrain from using your cell phone while driving in school zones. Your undivided attention should be on the safety of ALL our children.
- Students should not be dropped off before 7:45 a.m. or picked up after 4:30 p.m. as there is no supervision outside of these times. Students will be allowed into the building to wait for the first bell beginning at 7:45 a.m. when school staff begin morning supervision.
- Coming from 610, form one line on Glenmont. Please turn right into the circle drive and stay in the carpool line. Do not drop off or pick up your child(ren) off Glenmont. This may be a time-saver for you, but it is not safe.
- As you enter the circle drive, please pull up as far as you can. When the car ahead of you leaves, please pull up. If your child is not ready, you will be asked to exit the lane and park in the front parking lot. Do not stop your car on the crosswalk.
- Place your car in park and allow your child(ren) to exit the vehicle on the curb side. It is dangerous to exit from the driver's side of the vehicle.
- Wait patiently for cars ahead of you to unload. Do not attempt to pass vehicles in the drop-off lane. Please use extra caution at all times.
- When exiting the school driveway, you must turn right from 8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. and from 3:50 p.m. - 4: 45 p.m.
- Please NEVER leave your car unattended. If you need to enter the school building, please park your car in one of the parking spaces in the front lot.
I thank you again for your understanding and cooperation.
Attendance December contains a winter break from school, and the school year will be nearly halfway over when your child returns to school in January. This is a great time to review the first part of the year and make plans for the next. Looking at your child's school attendance should be part of this important process.
Did your child(ren) attend school every day unless they were sick or there was a family emergency?
If so, let them know you're proud of their strong attendance record! Help your child keep up the good work for the rest of the school year. Strong attendance is a predictor for academic success. Please contact our attendance clerk, Ms. Michelle Fusilier Johnson, if you have any questions about your child’s attendance.
Safety Drills This Tuesday, we will have a Shelter in Place drill. Before starting the drill, I will make a campus wide announcement to reassure students that it's only a drill and explain why we are practicing the procedure. This Thursday, we will have our fifth fire drill. Our goal is student preparedness in case of a real emergency.
District Level Assessments As you may already know, HISD uses District Level Assessments to help teachers understand what students know and what they are ready to learn next. These assessments are given throughout the year to students in STAAR tested areas to monitor student progress. This year a writing component will be part of each DLA. The District Level Assessment testing window opens Monday, December 6, and closes Friday, December 17. |
The District Level Assessments will assess a set of priority standards taught during a specific period of instruction as defined by the district scope and sequence document for a content/course and grade level. These assessments are designed to provide teachers with specific and timely information on each student’s learning. With the resulting data, teachers can promptly evaluate the effectiveness of their instruction, make any needed adjustments in the class, and address the learning needs of each student. As part of this process, teachers will be able to give students near immediate feedback on their performance.
To provide the best test experience and results, please consider the following tips: - Ensure your child is well rested and has a good breakfast
- Ensure your child arrives at school on time and prepared to take the assessments seriously
For more information about the assessment contact your child’s teacher.
Wear Your Ugly Sweater Get ready to get cozy and show our holiday spirit! We want everyone to wear their fluffiest, ugliest, funniest sweater on Friday, December 17. Dress code bottoms and footwear are required.
Mask Wearing As we continue to navigate this pandemic, it remains imperative that our school community continues to emphasize the importance of and practice proper mask wearing. Please talk with your student about the importance of this safety measure. Masks should be properly placed over the nose and mouth. Your assistance is much appreciated.
The front office is open and ready to assist you Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can also email us or call (713) 295-6500 during the same hours. We are happy to help! |
Admin Contact Information
Campus Administrators
Campus Support Team
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Connecting with you is important to us. As a result, we have many ways to share the latest and greatest of Pin Oak Middle School, including:
Be well and stay healthy,
Lindsey Vela |
| Bring Baked Holiday Treats for POMS Teachers & Staff
The POMS PTO Staff Appreciation Committee is looking for help providing your favorite holiday/festive cookies or treats for our staff and teachers for the holidays. Whether you bake them yourself or pick them up from your favorite bakery, please sign up to contribute to this sweet treat collection.
All baked goods need to be delivered to POMS by Wednesday, December 15, at 10:30 a.m.
Any questions can be directed to the POMS PTO Staff Appreciation Committee at staffappreciation@pinoakpto.org. |
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| Save the Dates for 2022 POMS Events
Save the dates for these exciting events at Pin Oak!
Details about each event (and volunteer opportunities) will be posted in upcoming Charger Chatters!
- POMS Color Run
- Friday, January 28, 2022
- Student event held during the school day on POMS fields.
- POMS Movie Night
- Friday, February 18, 2022
- Family event held in the evening on POMS fields.
- POMS Auction: Lights, Camera, Auction!
- Sunday, February 20, 2022 - Sunday, February 27, 2022
- Week-long virtual auction where you can bid on valuable items and unique experiences.
- POMS ChargerFest
- Saturday, March 5, 2022
- Family & community event held at POMS.
Be sure to subscribe to the POMS PTO calendar to have these events and more automatically synced to the calendar on your mobile device! |
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| Fall School Picture Retake Day & Fall Sports Picture Day are Tomorrow, December 13
Photo Texas Photography Houston is coming back to campus tomorrow, December 13, for Fall School Picture Retakes and Fall Sports Pictures.
For retakes, we will photograph students who missed the original picture day, are new to the school, or need to retake their photo.
Our staff is fully vaccinated, masked up and ready to capture your student’s most important moments! To help everyone stay healthy and safe, Photo Texas Photography Houston encourages and provides a contactless experience. All orders are Prepay. We do not email proofs. During the Prepay period, you can choose Ship to School for FREE or Ship to Home. Shipping charges will apply.
- Fall School Picture Prepay Link
- For students who were absent on the original picture day or are new to the school.
- Link will remain active until Thursday, December 16.
- Fall Sports Picture Prepay Link
- For students on the POMS Volleyball, Cross Country, and/or Football teams.
- Link will remain active until Monday, December 20.
- Contact your coach if you have any questions about what to wear or bring.
Any order received after the Prepay period is considered a late order and is shipped to the address provided. Shipping charges will apply. Please contact Customer Service for assistance placing late orders. We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to take a snapshot of your student’s life. Thank you for the opportunity!
PTP Houston PTP Houston is following CDC Guidelines for COVID-19 in K-12 Schools. Our staff is required to be fully vaccinated and must wear a mask that completely covers their nose and mouth when visiting a school, conducting a photo shoot or otherwise interacting with students and customers. We also encourage and provide a contactless experience. |
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| HERO Program Updates
Update: We understand that some parents were unable to add students to their HERO accounts at program rollout, but HERO has assured us that the technical issues have since been fixed. Thank you for your patience!
Pin Oak Middle School has a new positive behavior program named HERO. Students receive points for demonstrating Charger Core Values: Being Respectful, Being Responsible, and Being Resilient. Students and parents can see the points that are granted in real time once an account is created.
Parents please create an account on HERO so you can track your student's positive behavior and encourage them to be Charger Heroes on campus.
Then download the mobile app Hero by SchoolMint on the App Store or Google Playso you can track your student's HERO points at any time!
Please view this PDF that outlines step by step instructions on how to create a parent account and add your HISD student(s) to that account. |
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| POMS Soccer Tryout Information
The POMS Boys' Soccer Team Interest Meeting will be Monday, December 13, at 5 p.m. on Microsoft Teams for 7th & 8th grade boys interested in trying out for soccer.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Coach Terrel or Coach Caraballo.
The POMS Girls' Soccer Team Interest Meeting will be Monday, December 13, at 5:30 p.m. on Microsoft Teams for 7th & 8th grade girls interested in trying out for soccer.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Coach Biondolilo.
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| POMS Track & Field Tryout Information
Track & Field tryouts will be Monday, December 13, and Tuesday, December 14, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
If you have any questions, please contact Coach Alexis Willis. |
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| POMS Girls' Lacrosse Club Registration Now Open
Registration for POMS Girls' Lacrosse Club is now open. To register, please visit pinoakgirlslax.com. Registration will close on Friday, December 17, no exceptions. Due to supply chain issues, we will be ordering uniform jerseys soon. If you are registering a brand new player who is not on our current roster and has not attended practices this fall, please email us at pinoakgirlslaxhouston@gmail.com right away so that we can ensure that she gets a uniform jersey. |
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| Purchase Your POMS Yearbook Today
Yearbooks are now available for sale at Balfour.com for $50. The price will increase to $55 on January 1, 2022.
We sell out every year so please reserve yours today!
If you have any questions, please contact POMS Yearbook Advisor Autumn Beckman. |
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| POMS Cheerleader for a Day Clinic is Saturday, April 2
POMS Cheerleader for a Day Clinic will be held on Saturday, April 2, from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. in the Pin Oak Middle School Gym for children Kindergarten through 7th Grade. Check in will begin at 8:45 a.m. and there will be a star-studded performance at 11:45 a.m.
Register by Friday, March 11, to take advantage of the early bird special ($25 donation). After March 11, it will increase to a $30 donation. Checks may be made payable to Pin Oak Middle School or you may pay via SchoolPay.
Donation includes t-shirt, light snacks, and water.
Check the Pin Oak Middle School website for more details closer to the date!
Please email Coach Gina Taylor for more information. |
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| POMS Lanyards/IDs Things to remember: - First ID and lanyard are FREE
- SCHOOL-ISSUED lanyard and ID must be visible (top half of body)
- 6th Grade: Charger White lanyard
- 7th Grade: Charger Gray lanyard
- 8th Grade: Charger Blue lanyard
- Replacement ID ($5) & lanyard ($2)
- Replacement ID & lanyard may be purchased at the main office student support table before school or during lunches
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| Corporate Sponsorship Opportunities
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. |
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| Register for VIPS (Volunteers in Public School)
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) |
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| Join the POMS PTO for 2021-2022
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. |
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| POMS Amazon Wish List
Please consider helping us purchase 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. |
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| Pants Needed in Adult Men's Sizes
Pin Oak Middle School is looking for uniform pants/shorts in waist size 32 or above. Please bring all donations to front office to Ms. Gould's attention.
Questions? Please email Wraparound Specialist Brigid Gould at Brigid.Gould@houstonisd.org. |
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| Backpack Buddy is Back!
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:
Food distribution is set to start in October. Please email POMS Wraparound Specialist Brigid Gould with any questions or to get more information. |
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| | Monday, December 13 | | | | | | | Tuesday, December 14 | | | Thursday, December 16 | | | | Friday, December 17 | | | | | | Monday, December 20 | | | Tuesday, December 21 | | | Wednesday, December 22 | | | Thursday, December 23 | | | Friday, December 24 | | | Saturday, December 25 | | | Sunday, December 26 | | | Monday, December 27 | | | Tuesday, December 28 | | | Wednesday, December 29 | | | Thursday, December 30 | | | Friday, December 31 | | | Monday, January 3 | | | Thursday, January 6 | | | | Friday, January 7 | | | Monday, January 10 | | | Wednesday, January 12 | | | Thursday, January 13 | | | Friday, January 14 | |
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 When you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate a percentage to Pin Oak Middle School PTO. |
|  Use the new Box Tops App on the App Store or Google Play to scan your receipt. The app will find participating products purchased at any store and instantly add cash to Pin Oak Middle School PTO's earnings online. |
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Donate to Pin Oak Middle School PTO when you do your everyday shopping! All donations support excellence in education through activities and programs at Pin Oak Middle School. |
We Appreciate Our Corporate Sponsors & Community Partners |
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