September 18, 2022

Dear Charger Parents and Families,

POMS Open House is Tuesday Night at 5:30 PM.

Parents will report straight to your Charger’s 1st period. Parents are encouraged to take a picture of their student’s schedule on HISD Connect Parent Portal. You may also download the free Power School app on your mobile phone from the App Store or Google Play and take a screenshot of the schedule.

Parents will follow their student’s schedules and have a brief opportunity to meet each of their teachers and hear about course expectations. The purpose of Open House is to put a face to the name, receive contact information, and provide an overview of the class content and expectations for the school year. If you have individual concerns about your student, please email their teacher/ house administrator directly, as these rotations are fast, and we must stay on schedule. 

Parents will also be given an option to forgo attending the teacher overview by attending one of the parent sessions listed below.

We have now past the four-week mark, which means we are down to our final two weeks in Cycle 1. Progress Reports were distributed in Team Time last Friday to each student. As always, you have 24/7 access to your student’s grades, attendance, and discipline in HISD Connect Parent Portal, so now is the time for your student to take ownership in their learning.  One thing that is important to know in middle school is that students must start working on time management, so they do not procrastinate and run out of time. 

Remember...Choices Matter! We are holding firm on requiring students to wear their lanyards/ID’s all day, get to class on time, pick up after yourself in the cafeteria, keep your hands to yourself, use appropriate language, and JUST BE NICE! This should be easy, but I sure appreciate your support in holding them accountable. Consequences have begun, so their choices ALWAYS matter. 

Communication is essential and we strive to connect with our students, parents and families, and community each day. We also encourage you to visit our website and follow our ‘school run’ social media pages including Twitter and Instagram for accurate information on announcements, information, and celebrations.  Please email your student’s teachers if you have a specific question or concern regarding their academic success.

Let's Go Chargers!

Upcoming Campus Events

Campus Updates & Reminders

Student Lanyard & ID

Each student was issued a grade-specific lanyard and ID last week. All students are expected to wear their lanyards around their necks with their student ID clearly visible. Any student that has their picture covered or defaced will be expected to purchase a new one. This is purely a safety procedure for both your child and our staff, not to mention it speeds up the lunch process. 

Things to remember:

• First lanyard and ID are FREE
• SCHOOL ISSUED Lanyard and ID must be visible (top half of body)
  • 6th Grade: Charger White 
  • 7th Grade: Charger Gray
  • 8th Grade: Charger Blue
• Replacement ID $5 and Lanyard $2 
  • Replacement ID & Lanyard may be purchased from the Student Success Table located by the main entrance. 

Tardies

I have personally walked the campus from one end to the other and still made it to class on time, so your student should have no problem getting to class on time if they use their time wisely and do not stop to visit with friends between the classes that require the most “walk” time.

It is extremely important that students arrive before 8:30 a.m. Any student not in class at 8:30 a.m. will be marked absent/ tardy depending on their time of arrival. We open our doors at 7:45 a.m. so there is more than enough time for students to be in class when the tardy bell rings. 

Attendance

Students who have been absent or tardy must present a written excuse from their parents or guardians when they return to school. Parents may also email excuse notes to the attendance clerk at: michelle.fusilierjohnson@houstonisd.org.

Excuses for absences and tardies are:

• personal illness
• sickness or death in the family 
• quarantine 
• weather or road construction making travel dangerous
• participation in school activities with permission of the principal
• juvenile court proceeding documented by a court officer
• religious holidays

In the case of ANY absence, excuse notes must be turned in to the attendance office within three days of returning to school.  All notes must contain the following:

• student’s full legal name and school ID number
• date(s) of absence  
• date the note was written
• parent name, signature, and contact phone number

Additional information can be found on our website. 

Dress Code

All students attending Pin Oak Middle School will be required to follow the Pin Oak Dress Code. All articles of the uniform are to be maintained and worn in a way that represents the individual students and the school in a positive way. Students are required to wear the uniform to school and throughout the entire day until leaving for the day. The provisions of the dress and grooming code shall be enforced equally with regard to all students to whom the provisions apply.

Please read our dress code policy carefully. Students that are not in dress code will be referred to their House Administrators and parents/ guardians will be notified. 

• The length of shorts and skirts should be no shorter than 4 inches above the knee. 
• Students must wear a collared shirt; colors: royal blue, white, or gray.
• Clothing must be size appropriate, including sweatshirts and jackets. 
• All clothing must be school appropriate. Tank tops, camis, and clothing designed to be worn as an undergarment are not permitted to be worn as a shirt. 

Food/ Drinks Outside of the Cafeteria

There will be no chewing of gum, food, or candy in the school at any time with the exception of food in the cafeteria. Coffee, energy drinks, and the like are not allowed in classrooms or in the hallways. Teachers may ask students to throw such items in the trash if they show up in their rooms.

Chromebook Expectations

All students have a Chromebook, an incredibly powerful tool, with them in the classroom and at home.  It is important that we have clear expectations as to the responsibilities that come with this privilege. 

• Please make sure your student brings their fully charged Chromebook each day. Students are encouraged to leave their chargers at home since paying for a lost charger is one of the most common expenses students incur (lost chargers are not covered by the insurance).
• Students must secure their Chromebook in their clear backpacks when transitioning from class to class. 
• Students must use wired headphones.  Bluetooth headphones are not allowed. 
  • Why are Bluetooth headphones problematic? A few reasons are listed below.
    • Students can easily hide Bluetooth headphones and listen to music, videos, podcast, etc. during instructional time.
    • Students can use their Bluetooth headphones to control their phone, start and stop music, send text messages, be on calls with students in other classrooms, etc. 

School Safety & Transportation Reminders

School Safety - We are looking for a Golf Cart! Please consider donating a usable golf cart to help us supervise around campus to keep our staff and students safe. We look forward to hearing from you via email Principal Vela. Your support is appreciated.

School Zone Safety

Traffic patterns, as expected, were heavy during the first weeks of school. Each day seemed to get a little better, but the reality is, with 1000+ students being dropped off/ picked up from POMS this is going to take some time to get through the traffic. Think of it like this…leaving POMS is like leaving a concert/event parking lot, the same patience and understanding is needed by everyone. With your help, we can get you on your way and clear Circle Drive by 4:15 p.m. Let’s keep helping each other!

The City of Bellaire has asked us to remind parents to follow school zone regulations.

• Be on the lookout for school zone signals and ALWAYS obey the speed limits.
• Avoid your cell phone. 
• Never text while driving in a school zone.
• Watch out for school crossing guards and obey their signals.
• Never pass other vehicles while driving in a school zone.
• Never change lanes while driving in a school zone.
• Never make U-Turns while driving in a school zone.
• Yield to buses at all times. You MUST stop if you see yellow or red lights, and the stop arm is deployed.
• Unless licensed to do so, never use handicap or emergency vehicle lanes or spaces to drop off or pick up children at school.

Car Riders/ Bike Riders/ Walkers

POMS Traffic guidelines are provided below to ensure student safety. Please adhere to the following:

1. Coming from 610, form 1 line on Glenmont. Please turn right into 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. 
2. As you enter 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. 
3. 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 side of the vehicle. 
4. Wait patiently for cars ahead of you to unload.  Do not attempt to pass vehicles in the drop-off lane.
5. When exiting the school driveway, you must turn right on to Glenmont.  
6. NEVER leave your car unattended. If you need to enter the school building; please park your car in the parking spaces in the front lot. 
7. If your child is going to walk or ride his/her bike to school, please remind them to be very careful. They must always obey the traffic signals, and always cross with the light and in the crosswalk. They should never have earbuds/ headphones, AirPods, or any Bluetooth device distracting them when walking or riding their bike. They must stay alert and aware of what is happening around them. 
8. Students and parents are not allowed to cross in the middle of the street instead of crossing at the crosswalk.

Reminders:

• Do Not U-turn on Glenmont.
• Do NOT pick up or drop off in the teacher/staff parking lot at the back of the school.
• Avenue B is NOT a sanctioned pick-up or drop-off location and do NOT block driveways. Bellaire police will give tickets to those who are parked illegally.
• The HCC Parking Lot is NOT available for parking.  Your car will be towed.

Lastly, we are all responsible for the safety of our students. Treat every student you see as if they were your own. Please try not to be in a hurry during drop-off and pick-up. 

HISD Bus Transportation

The Houston ISD Transportation Department determines eligibility for transportation services. The Transportation Department, upon determining eligibility, will assign a route and stop. For more information about eligibility, please visit the HISD Transportation Services Homepage. 

The information will also be available online at https://www.houstonisd.org/transportation. Please click on the ‘Find My Route’ button and enter your address to get your child’s route and stop information. For more information on transportation, please follow the links provided below.

Links and Contact Information for Parents:

• Let’s Talk Link
• Find My Route
• Customer Care Contact Number: 713-556-9400

If you have additional questions, you may contact Ms. Childs Molly.Childs@houstonisd.org. Please be patient and flexible, Ms. Childs is working to answer transportation questions for all Pin Oak families; therefore, I encourage you to follow the links provided to have your immediate questions answered.

HISD Back to School Guidelines

HISD developed the 2022-2023 Back to School Guidelines as a resource guide for all things HISD. These guidelines outline important information for students, staff, and parents regarding health and safety protocols, academic initiatives, instructional supports and so much more. I encourage you to review these Back-to-School Guidelines to understand all the tools available in HISD.

Campus Administrators

Campus Support Team

Pin Oak Middle School ~ Premier Foreign Language Magnet is an A rated campus and received ALL distinction designations! 

• ELA/Reading
• Math
• Science
• Social Studies
• Comparative Academic Growth
• Postsecondary Readiness
• Comparative Closing the Gaps

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:

• School Website: Here you can find information on Spirit Events, PowerUp, Canvas, Clusters, Magnet Program, Clubs, Digital Resources, Virtual Library, and more.
• Follow our #WeArePinOakhashtag and me on Twitter@POMS_Principal: We will post pictures and information on our daily activities at POMS to our #WeArePinOak hashtag. We encourage you to share your Charger pride here as well!

See You Soon!

Lindsey Vela

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.

Pin Oak Middle School PTO

4601 Glenmont • Bellaire, TX 77401

pinoakpto.org