January 8, 2023

Dear Charger Parents and Families,

I hope everyone has had a chance to relax and enjoy some quality time with family and friends over the holiday break. The start of school, after a significant break, always provides a good opportunity to reestablish a focus on learning. January will bring a fresh start for each of us and is always a time we set goals and prioritize for the year.  We are no different at school. We are now into the long stretch before state assessments begin and it is during this time, we see the most growth from students. So, we will be helping students look at their mid-year progress and working hard to meet the challenges that come with change. One thing is for sure, we know how to do hard things at POMS and we know we can and will achieve our goals.

Welcome to POMS: Starting with our return to the new year, we have one staff member transitioning from the Special Education department into the School Information role and three new staff members joining our team. During this unique time in education, we continue to be grateful that we are able to fill campus vacancies to ensure we provide an exceptional educational experience for our students and families.

• Kia Ward – School Information Clerk
• Kaneika Bell-Brown – User Device Technician 
• Itohan Wise-Osaige – Urban Ag Teacher
• Brenden Twomey – Special Education Teaching Assistant

Currently, we are in the process of interviewing applicants for hip-hop. I am hopeful that we will have a new hip-hop teacher within the next few weeks. In the meantime, we have a former Pin Oak student who has an extensive dance background that will serve as our substitute teacher. 

Campus Updates & Reminders

Bell Schedule: Over the last few months, teachers voiced a need to increase the instructional time to better meet the academic needs of our students. Based on student performance data, teachers’ anecdotal data, and classroom observations our instructional leadership team and SDMC reviewed student performance data (six weeks grades, REN360 BOY data, and TEA Interim Assessment data) and determined that increasing each instructional block by 5 minutes would have a significant impact. Therefore, we shortened Charger Time by 10 minutes and Team Time by 5 minutes. This immediate change will provide 80 minutes of instructional time during our block days (M/T/Th/F) ultimately recapturing 3 instructional days for the second semester. Beginning Monday, January 9th, we will implement our new bell schedule.  

Report Cards: We will distribute Cycle 3 reports cards on Friday, January 13th. Thank you for continuing to reach out to classroom teachers for questions and assistance about assignments, tests, grades, and overall student performance. Please continue to email your students teachers, as they can assist you the quickest with classroom questions.

Health and Wellness: During the month of December, we had many ill. Flu season is in full swing along with several other viruses.  When students are sent to school sick, they continue to infect others.  If your child is sick, please keep them at home.

• Please do not send any medicine to school with your student.  Over-the-counter medicine must be brought in by a parent/ guardian and a form has to be completed and filed in the clinic.  Same goes for prescription medication, but a doctor signature is required in addition.
• A student must be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. This is without taking any fever reducers such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Motrin (Ibuprofen).
• If your student had an upset stomach, this includes vomiting AND diarrhea, in the night or morning before school, do not send them to school the following day.  All symptoms must be clear for 24 hours before returning to school. 

In addition, please be sure to send a note or Dr. excuse to Ms. Johnson, our attendance clerk if your child is sick when they come back to school. 

Student Success Table: This year a student can stop by the Student Success Table located by the main entrance if they need to purchase a replacement ID or lanyard.  In addition, we have mini bell schedules on sale for $2 and Chromebook assistance from 7:45-8:15 each day. 

Student Lanyard & ID: Each student was issued a grade-specific lanyard and ID. 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 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. 

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 Ms. Johnson. 

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

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. 

High School Tours (only 8th graders): 8th graders are allowed 2 excused high school tours.

Are you planning on having your 8th grader attend a campus tour? 

• Plan with enough time so you do not feel rushed or make demands that are unreasonable of our campus staff.  Please keep in mind that the staffing is limited so there may be a period of wait time. 
• Submit supporting documentation from the high school within 3 instructional days. Make sure the documentation includes the campus letter head with you student’s name, ID#, date and time of the tour.

Student Records Request: Forms are available in the front office or on the POMS website. Please allow up to 14 days for processing your student records request. If you are requesting records for a private school, please contact the private school to obtain an official transcript release form. Submit the signed transcript release form to the POMS Attendance & Records office in person or email Ms. Johnson.

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: A friendly reminder, we do not have an open lunch policy so please do not order food for your child from outside vendors to be delivered to the school during the school day (i.e. Uber Eats, Grub Hub, Door Dash, or any kind of delivery service).  This is a safety concern that disrupts the educational process within our community and random people delivering food is not part of our safety plan.  In addition, please do not bring or share lunches with other students due to safety, medical concerns, allergies, etc.  

Parent Drop-Off Table: If your child forgets their lunch, we have a parent drop-off table in the front foyer for you to drop off lunches.  

There will be no chewing of gum, food, or candy in the school at any time with the exception of food in the cafeteria. Coffees, 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 backpack 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 student 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 are to be expected, and 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 PM. 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 cellphone. 
• 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 deploy.
• 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 B 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 maybe 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. 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. 
6. 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. 
7. 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.
• Do NOT speed through the HCC Parking Lot. 

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 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. 

Communication is essential and we strive to connect to 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 your student’s academic progress.

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:

• 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!

Happy New Year Everyone! We are looking forward to what the new year brings!

Be well and stay healthy,

Lindsey Vela

Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram!

Twitter: @pinoakms

Instagram @pinoakchargers

Useful POMS Links and Info

• Campus Administrators
• Canvas
• Clubs
• Clusters/Grade Level Teams
• Dress Code for 2022-2023
• HISD Back to School Guidelines
• Magnet Program
• PowerUp
• School Safety & Transportation Reminders
• School Website
• Student Records Request
• Tutorial Schedule
• Virtual Library & Newsletter

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