Principal's Post
Dear Charger Parents and Families,
I hope everyone had a successful start to the new year! It might have taken until January to finally get some WINTER “type” weather, but it has made a dramatic entrance!
The 3rd six weeks comes to an end this Friday, January 14. Please reach out to your student’s teachers if you have any questions or concerns regarding their progress over the last 18 weeks.
Starting with our return to the new year, we had two new staff members join our team: Maria Perez – Special Education Teaching Assistant (SLL Program) Endy Alvarez – Special Education Teaching Assistant (TREK Program)
COVID Protocol Reminder Coming off a long winter’s break, we know there will be positive cases as we come together for the second half of the school year. You can help us keep school running smoothly for all by not sending students to school who are ill. If there is any question, please err on the side of caution. When we have to send staff home because they are ill, it has a dramatic impact on all students and staff. Thank you for being our partners as we continue to navigate the complicated world of COVID.
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.
Safety Drills This week, 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 procedures. Our goal is student preparedness in case of a real emergency.
Water Bottles Water is available through water-filling stations. Please send a refillable water bottle to school each day with your child. Please label the water bottle with your child’s name. The water bottle should be filled at home each morning before coming to school.
The front office is open Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to assist you. You can also directly 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 |
| Register Now for POMS Color Run - Only a Limited Number of Color Thrower Spots Left!
Pin Oak's annual Color Run is returning and your student will not want to be left out!
Register now for this exciting event which will be held during the school day on Friday, January 28.
Purchase a spot for your student to be a Color Thrower, Walker/Runner, or Spectator. Color Bags for the Post Run Color Party must be purchased separately.
Online sales will close at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, January 23.
Registration for Color Throwers and Runner/Walkers includes a T-shirt, but T-shirt size is not guaranteed and is first come, first served, so be sure to register early to get the size you want!
If you are VIPS approved and would like to volunteer at the Color Run, please click here to sign up. We especially need help on the morning of the Color Run for setup. If you have any questions, please email POMS PTO Color Run Chair Lauren Adams at colorrun@pinoakpto.org. |
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| POMS School Store on Campus Temporarily Closed
The POMS School Store on campus will be closed for the month of January as we update our computer system.
The POMS Online School Store is open in the meantime for apparel and uniform purchases. Orders placed online will be distributed via porch pickup from a residence in Bellaire. Instructions will be emailed to you when your order is ready for pickup.
Thank you for your understanding and patience!
If you have any questions, please email schoolstore@pinoakpto.org. |
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| Spring 2022 Semester Electives
We will be opening up second-semester elective change requests for a short period. All elective requests are due by Wednesday, January 14, 2022, at 12:00 p.m.
Second-semester elective change requests are just that, requests. There is no guarantee that a request can or will be made. The house principals will work hard to honor your requests. If it is not possible, the worst-case scenario is that you have the exact same schedule as the first semester. There are only 4 house principals and 1200+ students.
The following electives are yearlong electives:
Photography, Art, Choir, Band, Dance, Hip-Hop, Theater, Guitar, Orchestra, Zoology, Study Lab, Reading or Math Intervention, Dyslexia Intervention, Languages, Cheer, Debate, Yearbook, and Name that Book.
The following electives are semester-long electives:
Verizon STEM (7/8), Fantasy Geopolitics (6), Computer Concepts (6), Yoga, Creative Writing, Chess, Sports Podcasting, Animation, Wings and Wheels, Sports History, Urban Agriculture, Farm to Table Cooking (7/8), and Clay Sculpting.
We will be offering 1 for 1 schedule changes – if you’d like to switch your 1st-period elective, your options will only be for other 1st period electives.
Please complete this Google form for your semester-long schedule request changes by Wednesday, January 14, at 12 p.m.
Semester 2 schedules will be delivered to students at the end of the day on January 14.
If you have any questions, please contact your house principal. |
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| NJHS Applications Close Friday, January 14
National Junior Honor Society applications for current 7th and 8th graders will be available beginning Wednesday, January 5 through Friday, January 14.
Applications are open to students who:
- Maintain a grade point average of 93 or above in core classes.
- Maintain an E average in conduct.
Students will be submitting their overall year grade so far for this school year for grade verification.
More information, along with the application, can be found here.
*Please note: the application is ONLY accessible through a verified HISD email account. Students must use their school email to complete the application.*
Please reach out to Samantha Tran with any questions. |
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| Join the POMS UIL Academic Team
Are you interested in competing in UIL Academics this school year?
Pin Oak Middle School already has 22 students in 18 different contests who have qualified for HISD's District UIL competition and we are looking for more students to join them!
If you are interested in showing off your skills in chess, mathematics, science, writing, social studies, spelling, or speaking, please complete this Google form to get information about our upcoming UIL competitions.
If you have any questions, please email Ms. Kelly Moore at kelly.moore@houstonisd.org. |
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| Send Us Photos of Your POMS Student for the Yearbook
Please send photos of your Pin Oak student to us for our yearbook!
We especially want to see your Charger in action doing hobbies outside of school, hanging with their pets, traveling, or at important events, milestones, and accomplishments.
Please only include Pin Oak students in the photos and no other people.
Email photos to abeckman@houstonisd.org along with the student's name, grade level, and a brief caption explaining what is happening in the photo.
Yearbooks are still available for sale at Balfour.com for $55. |
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| POMS Spirit Night at Skeeter's is Tuesday, January 18
Need a break after getting back into the swing of the new year? On Tuesday, January 18, take the night off from cooking and join us for a POMS Spirit Night at Skeeters on Weslayan from 3 p.m. - 9 p.m., dine in or carry out. Skeeter's Mesquite Grill 5529 Weslayan St. Houston, TX 77005 (713) 660-7090
Present this flyer or mention you are with Pin Oak and Skeeter's will donate 20% of all food purchases back to the school!
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| POMS Auditions for Musical: Honk! JR.
Auditions for the all-school musical Honk! JR. will be held on the following dates (choose one): - Monday, January 24, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, January 25, 4 p.m - 6 p.m.
The show performs April 28 - April 30.
All POMS students are invited to audition. To sign up for auditions and for additional information, check out the audition packet or email Ms. Katherine Goldman. |
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| 2022 Maccabi Game Tryouts are January 16 and January 30
The Maccabi Games are an Olympic style competition for Jewish teens (13-16 yrs.) to compete in their respective sports. Events offered at the games: Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, Volleyball, Tennis, Flag Football, Swimming, Dance, Track/Field, and Ice Hockey. Tryouts will be January 16 and January 30.
The 2022 Maccabi Games will be held July 31 - August 5.
For more information please see this flyer or contact the Houston Delegation Head, George Ross at GRoss@erjcchouston.org or (832) 889-3518. |
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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 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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| 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, January 10 | | | Wednesday, January 12 | | | Thursday, January 13 | | | Friday, January 14 | | | | | Monday, January 17 | | | Tuesday, January 18 | | | | | Wednesday, January 19 | | | Thursday, January 20 | | | | Friday, January 21 | | | | Monday, January 24 | | | Tuesday, January 25 | | | Thursday, January 27 | | | | Friday, January 28 | |
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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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