Join us for our PTO General Meeting tomorrow, October 26th, at 6 p.m. Use this Teams link to join.

This is the final week of the Charger Commitment Campaign! Let's finish strong! Thanks to the generosity of your family and others in support of the Pin Oak Middle School PTO, we have been able to purchase the following for our school in 2020:

• $30,000 worth of new iPads to support core subject teachers in both virtual and in-person learning
• $72,400 worth of new secure door locks that allow doors to be locked from inside the classroom, with antibacterial door handles to limit the spread of germs
• Chromebook carts
• Theatre equipment, books, instruments, cameras, uniforms for choir, dance, sports, etc.

Your financial support is sincerely appreciated. Remember, the money you give is used to make an impact RIGHT NOW. As we head into the second six-weeks of the school year, POMS already has additional needs and more are sure to surface.

Please give what you can - any amount helps. It’s all to benefit your student and their classmates in the 2020-2021 school year.

Click here to donate to the Charger Commitment Campaign now.

Please contact Melissa Bayne at fundraising@pinoakpto.org with questions or to get involved with the campaign.

The POMS 8th Grade Activity Committee and POMS PTO would like to thank some of our wonderful POMS families for generously underwriting the cost of yard signs, made especially for the POMS Class of 2021 (designed by our own Peggy Chang – thank you Peggy)! With the financial support from these families, we are able to provide yards signs for each 8th grade student. We will have the signs available for pickup at the same time as the class shirts (TBA).

Special thanks to our underwriters:
Andrade Family
Blackburn Family
Broach Byrd Family
Butler Family
Canahuati Family
Freedman Family
Frew Family
Gagliardi Family
Goldfarb Family
Lack Family
Phillips Family
Rappazzo Family
Stampas Family
Turner Family
Turney Family
Valentini Family

UPDATE:

IF you are coming to school on October 27^th to take the PSAT test, you HAVE ALREADY received an email from me (I sent the email to students' HISD email). Here are a few things to remember:

1.The test is 2.75 hours long – please make sure that you have transportation home. Since you are virtual, you can’t stay on campus unless you are coming back to school in person.

2.Bring No. 2 pencils with erasers (please NO mechanical pencils), an acceptable calculator (not graphing), and your student ID.

3. We are going to start right after the pledge, so please arrive no later than 8:10 a.m.

4. We are testing in the cafeteria so please make sure to bring your sweater/sweatshirt if you get cold.

5. Don’t forget your mask, water bottle, snack (if you want), pencils, calculator, and ID.

6. Please make sure you are dressed for school (not your house): blue/grey/white shirt and jeans/khakis/sweatpants/skirt.

7. Please make sure you have arranged a ride home.

Virtual students and parents, if you did NOT get an email from Ms. Warren, you will need to select another day to come take the test. Those dates and sign up links will be posted to the Charger Chatter next week.

The PSAT will be administered to all 8th graders attending school IN PERSON on Tuesday, October 27th.

The PSAT/NMSQT is the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The PSAT is a great primer for the SAT, and even the ACT, but it is more than just a trial run. PSAT scores are used to identify National Merit Scholars and award merit scholarships. More than 3.4 million high school students (mostly juniors and sophomores) take this nationwide, multiple-choice test every year.

The PSAT won’t count towards your college admissions applications, but it is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship. Some of the highest scoring students may win scholarship money, so while you should not stress out about the PSAT, you certainly should not ignore it either. Some private high schools as well as public high school programs may use the PSAT as part of their application process.

We will have a sign up for another 30 virtual students to come in during 2 & 4th period on the 27th. We will give priority to the students that are applying to Bellaire’s IB program.

If your student does not sign up for the October 27th administration, we will have a sign up for 8 additional days. These will all be for up to 30 students and based completely on a first come (sign up), first serve basis.
The PSAT will be administered at NO COST to you but is only offered IN PERSON.

Questions? Contact Kat Warren at awarren4@houstonisd.org.

POMS School Store is now virtual! If you would like to purchase polos, sweatshirts, or spirit shirts for your Charger, you can do so here.

You will have to log into your Membership Toolkit account (the same way you do to access the school directory) or create a new account if you don't already have one. You can pay for your items through PayPal or with a credit/debit card.

Once you have purchased your items, you will be contacted by the school store volunteers regarding picking up those items. We plan to have designated pick-up days for items ordered through the online store.

Due to COVID restrictions, the physical store at school will remain closed until further notice.

Please email schoolstore@pinoakpto.org with any questions. Thank you for supporting POMS!

Online applications are being accepted now for HISD School Choice. Phase I ends November 6th. See HISD's School Choice website for more information on virtual school choice fairs, instructions on how to apply, application deadlines, and more!

UPDATE for 8th Graders:

A comprehensive information slide deck is now available for you and your family as you make decisions about which Magnet or Program Choice high school to pursue.

Phase 1 of the magnet application process is fully underway. Pin Oak Middle School will be taking applications until November 6th at 11:59 p.m. Ranking does matter, so please list the school you'd like to attend the most as #1. Click here to access our virtual tour which is 100% self-paced. Here, you will learn about the many great programs Pin Oak has to offer and you will be given a chance to hear from our teachers and learn what to expect in our classrooms.

Pin Oak Middle School Fact Sheet

Questions? Contact Magnet Coordinator Philip Neal at PNEAL@houstonisd.org.

Eighth graders: 

Click here to find out more information about Bellaire High School's World Languages Magnet Program and courses offered for zoned students.

Questions? Contact Interim Magnet Coordinator Quan Ngo at lngo@houstonisd.org.

Eighth graders:

Are you zoned to Lamar?  Are you interested in applying for a transfer to Lamar? Do you want more information about all that Lamar has to offer?  Visit our website (Lamar Prospective Students) to learn more about our programs, pathways, instructional model, application timelines, what to do if you’re zoned or not zoned, and what our motto “Small School Feel…Big School Opportunities” really means!

Opportunities to Connect with Lamar:

Lamar Zoned Contact Form

Thursday Virtual Tours

Individual Information Sessions

Virtual Parent Coffees

Virtual Texan Roundup

Questions? Contact Magnet Coordinator Casey Titus at ctitus@houstonisd.org.

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.

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!

The POMS library has an amazing Fiction and Nonfiction collection that can be accessed virtually, and all HISD students have an account with Houston Public Library Learning Link as well. Check out the slide deck for access info and photos for all our Chargers to keep up their love of reading, and our POMS Library website has even more cool stuff as well!

Please email Ms. Corso with any questions.

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.