February 8, 2026

Dear Charger Parents and Families,

We would like to thank Auction Chairs, Laura Curry, Jenny Hanks, and Shannon Westin, PTO VP of Fundraising Mallory Rissmiller, and all parents and volunteerswho supported this year’s Auction events. From the Student Game Night to the Adult Social and the many efforts behind the scenes, these events required a great deal of planning, coordination, and time. The generosity and commitment of our community made these experiences possible, and the funds raised provide meaningful support for our school and our students. 

The Class of 2026 took their panoramic picture last week, and we are gearing up for several exciting activities to recognize and celebrate our 8th graders. Here is a little behind the scene action from the panoramic. 

Houstonfest German Competition Results

We are proud to share the results from Houstonfest, the annual regional German competition held this past weekend. Our POMS 8th grade German students competed against high school students from across the region and earned top honors, qualifying for the Texas State German Contest in San Marcos on February 28.

State-qualifying results include:

1st Place – Culture Test, Prose Reading
3rd Place – Contemporary Music, Skit
4th Place – Vocabulary Test

POMS was the only middle school represented at the event, making these accomplishments especially impressive. We are incredibly proud of our students’ hard work and dedication and extend our sincere thanks to Mr. Johnson, our POMS German teacher, for his commitment to supporting and inspiring our students.

We look forward to cheering our students on at the state competition and encourage more students to consider participating in German next year.

MA Regionals Dance Competition Results

We are excited to share the outstanding results from MA Regionals, where our POMS Dance Team delivered an exceptional performance in the Small Team Division.

Our students earned:

1st Place – Jazz
1st Place – Contemporary
1st Place – Lyrical
1st Place – Pom
3rd Place – Small Ensemble

In addition, the team was honored with the Super Sweepstakes Award and earned 1st Place Team in the Small Middle School Division.

We are incredibly proud of our dancers and extend our sincere appreciation to Ms. Cordero, POMS Dance Director, for her leadership and dedication in guiding our students to this success.

February: PTO General Meeting

Join us Wednesday at 9:00 AM in the POMS Library, virtually on Zoom or on Instagram Live @pinoakpto. 

Please note that campus will be closed for students on Friday, February 13 for a HISD Professional Development Day and Monday, February 16 in observance of Presidents Day. Classes will resume on Tuesday, February 17. 

Do not forget, our annual Matrix Night is coming up, so be sure to mark your calendars. Families are encouraged to learn about the requirements needed to earn high school credit. 

We are also excited to announce a new club. Pokémon Club is officially starting. 

Connecting with you is important to us and we are here for you. 

• Visit the POMS website for a full staff directory and much more
• POMS Student Handbook
• Attendance Policy (email excuses to agny.ibarra@houstonisd.org)
• Bell Schedule
• Dress Code Policy
• POMS School Safety & Transportation page
• Tutoring schedule
• Use the Remind app (text @cf3a8ca to 81010) for timely reminders
  
• Connect on X @pinoakms and Instagram @pinoakchargers
• Connect to the POMS PTO on Facebook and Instagram @pinoakpto
• Other POMS helpful links and information

Thank you for your continued partnership. We look forward to welcoming students back to campus soon.  
Lindsey Vela, Principal

The PTO Auction team would like to share our appreciation with all Charger families who supported this year’s Snowflakes & Sunglasses Auction. Whether you donated, volunteered, attended an event, or placed a bid, your involvement helped make these efforts successful and directly benefited our school community.

And while the auction week has wrapped up, the fun is not over just yet. Still feeling that auction energy? 

There are a few fun opportunities left to grab — including sponsoring a lunch for a POMS staff member, a POMS beanie for a staff member, the always-popular Ice Cream Social, and a handful of student socials and tournaments with limited spots remaining. If something caught your eye during auction week, now is the time to snag it.

👉 Last chance to snag what’s left: Here

Item Pick-Up Information
Auction winners will receive an email with item pick-up instructions.

Porch pick-up is available this week, or items may be picked up on Tuesday, February 10, from 7:30–9:00 AM or 3:30–5:00 PM in front of the school on the circle drive.

Congratulations to our raffle winners — thank you to everyone who participated and supported the POMS Snowflakes & Sunglasses Auction! 

And the Winners Are…

• POMS Spirit Basket — Lindsey Longerot
• Cane’s Goodies Basket — Melissa Patrizi
• Electronics Basket — Monica Torres
• Ladies’ Swag Basket — Melissa Salmeron
• Gentlemen’s Swag Basket — Jennifer Jaeger
• Meta Quest 3 Virtual Reality Headset — Jessica Nash
• Ray-Ban Meta Glasses (Version 2) — Rachel Wamp
• MAXSHOT Electric Scooter — Kathleen Gould
• Hoverboard — Laura Hatfield
• Red Wine Bundle — Dustin Rynders
• White Wine Bundle — Erika Wagner
• Saint Arnold’s Beer Bundle — Jenny Iwinski

POMS families are invited to join the Texans Spirit Cheer Clinic, organized by Lamar High School Varsity Cheerleaders and coaches, on Friday, February 20, from 5:30–8:30 PM at Lamar High School.

This clinic is open to boys and girls in grades 3–8 and will focus on cheerleading techniques, dancing, teamwork, and confidence-building.

Registration includes:

• Instruction from Lamar cheerleaders and coaches
• A clinic t-shirt
• Photos with the cheerleaders and the Lamar mascot
• Pizza dinner and snacks
• A final performance showcase for parents/guardians

💲 Cost: $50 per child

📍 Location: Lamar High School
3325 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX 77098

📲 Register here or QR code on the flyer
For more information, contact: karenlmilligan@gmail.com

When our Speaker Series began last fall, our students came to the library during lunch to hear about the educational and career journeys of POMS parents.

It was a wonderful experience that connected generations and strengthened our community of learners at every age.

We are continuing our Speaker Series throughout the spring and invite any interested parent to share their story with our students!

Pin Oak Middle School PTO

4601 Glenmont • Bellaire, TX 77401

pinoakpto.org