Baylor Brainwaves Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan Middle School Volume 3, Issue 1 9/11/2015 Principal’s Message Dear BCMA Families, We are on our way to produce successful students, who are gaining notoriety in our city as some of the best! The success or our students has become a cultural norm, and an expectation for our staff, students, parents, and community. Operating with high expectations is systemic to BCMA, and is slowly becoming one of those things “we always do, whatever it takes, together we can.” If I may be daring enough and venture to say as the proud founding principal of BCMA that our students are affecting the entire culture of this amazing city! This fall season will be a truly exciting one as we prepare to send our first inaugural class of 8th graders to high school. The amazing momentum from the past two years continues as they get ready to enter a new phase of their lives. At BCMA there is never a dull moment, and no shortage of talent. Our students and teachers are working diligently to ensure we maintain the traits that Upcoming Events
make our community proud of our school. I am proud to share that we received an A+ rating in our first year by Children At Risk. We are one of the four middle schools in Houston ISD to receive distinction in every area on the state accountability rating in our second year. Our open houses are scheduled for September 15 for parents of 6th and 8th grade students and on September 16 for parents of students in 7th grade. The times are 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Also the first progress reports will be sent home on September 18. As you review the same with your child, I encourage you to have a conversation with them around the following questions: • What makes this subject easy for you? • What types of lessons does your teacher present and how do these help you learn? • What activities do you believe help you learn? • • • September 7 Labor Day 15 6th and 8th Grade Open House (6-­‐‑8:30pm) 16 7th Grade Open House (6-­‐‑8:30pm) 21 Afterschool tutorials begin (4:15-­‐‑5:15pm) 22 PTO Meeting (8:30-­‐‑
9:30am) 22 Early Dismissal (1pm) 23 Fall Holiday 26 Saturday Tutorials begin (8:30am-­‐‑12:30pm) October 7 8th Grade Parent Information (6-­‐‑8pm) 8 Magnet Tours begin, every Thurs @ 1pm 9 Report Cards 23 Coffee w/ the Principal (8:45-­‐‑9:30am) 28 Early Dismissal(1pm) Please continue to check the BCMA website, BCMA Parents Shutterfly site, and ask your student about announcements for additional dates and potential changes. Also look over the grades that might not be where you would like them to be. Again talk to your child and ask questions such as: • What makes this subject hard? • What types of lessons does your teacher present and what questions do you ask to help you better understand? • How often do you ask your teacher or others for help? • How often will you be going for tutorials in the afternoon and on Saturdays to get extra help? Being proactive now about your child’s grades will ensure improved results in the school year. By knowing which subjects are difficult, encouraging your child to ask questions in class, ensuring that your child completes homework every night or that s/he attends tutorials, your child’s academic progress will be a positive one. Please encourage your child to use the student planner and the weekly instructional agenda for planning and organizing their week. As always, partnering with the teacher is another sure-­‐‑fire way to support your child’s academic progress. If you would like a conference, please email the teachers or write a note to the teacher and provide a way for him/her to call you back. Your child’s success is important to all of us. We know that with your help we can make a difference in the life of your child! It is officially fall at BCMA!! As the leaves are changing and the temperature shifts, we are busy! Students are learning Latin and Health Science along with other subjects with the most amazing BCMA teachers. They are asking excellent questions, designing projects and models, problem solving and doing critical analysis. Students are also finding their voices in student council and debate and they are on their way to developing apps to solve real life problems. Our problem-­‐‑based learning medical magnet middle school is thriving, please ask your students! Our continued theme is achievement through contribution. We highly value the contributions from our learning community; a community that includes students, teachers, parents, community members. Contributions lead to personal growth and create a sense of personal achievement. If contribution is the goal, we can see the world as a social world. This empowers us all to create value for others and for the world. As we honor academic excellence and set high expectation for our students, I also want our students to see contributing to the work of others, their school and their community as part of their educational experience. One of the structures for recognizing and promoting contribution and creativity is our partnership with Blackshear Elementary where some of our current 8th grade students will mentor and invite 5th graders to visit BCMA. Reminders Thank you to all of our families and parents for your patience with our drop-­‐‑off and pick-­‐‑up. We continue to seek ways to improve our system and appreciate everyone'ʹs understanding with our limited parking and access. Please remember you cannot leave your vehicle unattended in any of our drive through lanes as it leads to back up causing traffic issues. Please report any concerns to Officer Martinez or our administration immediately. Also, in order to ensure student safety, you cannot drop students off on the street on Elgin and all students who are accompanied by an adult must cross at the designated cross walks, failure to do could result in a ticket. As a reminder, students begin to enter the building at 7:45 am and the first bell for going to lockers sounds at 8:20 am. Tuesday, September 22 is our early release day with students being let out at 1:00 pm. Attendance is crucial to success in school. We have a strategic attendance team and will be intentionally working with our community to ensure students arrive at school on time, ready to learn. I look forward to seeing you at the open house on September 15 and 16. PTO President Message: instructional agendas, important Beyond the Bell BCMA PTO would like to welcome all Parent, Students, and Staff to the 2015-­‐‑2016 School Year! We hope that the students are excited about the opportunities and adventures that this school year holds. BCMA PTO wants you to be in the “KNOW.” Stay abreast with everything going on at BCMA@Ryan by visiting www.houstonisd.org
/academyatryan, reading the Baylor Brainwaves newsletter, visiting the BCMA Parent’s Shutterfly site, or visiting the BCMA PTO website www.bcmapto.org news and information, the school We are absolutely sure that your child'ʹs experience at BCMA is going to be a good one. We have around 750 students at BCMA with nearly that many families! Please don’t think that your help is no longer needed now that your child is at middle school; your help is still needed and appreciated. I am here to cordially and enthusiastically invite you to join our team of volunteers. There will be opportunities to chaperone field trips, help with landscaping, pictures, etc. If you have not yet Afterschool tutorials will begin on September 21st. Tutorial times will be 4:15 to 5:15 pm. Students must be picked up by 5:30 pm. We will send a tutorial schedule shortly. Saturday tutorials begin on September 26 and will take place from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. Details will be sent home shortly. We have just over 20 clubs at BCMA. Please contact club sponsors to sign up for clubs and activities. We will also be updating the website with sponsors’ contact info. Ways we communicate and where to find information For school wide information please check our website, my twitter page, parent’s Shutterfly page and the monthly Baylor Brainwaves (see box on this page). You can also find information on the scrolling marquee outside of the school, and we will send home phone messages and informational flyers as necessary. For classroom information, please contact individual teachers. Educationally Yours, Jyoti Malhan STAY CONNECTED and KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON: The BCMA HISD webpage www.houstonisd.org/academyatr
yan includes links to weekly calendar, and Principal Malhan’s twitter feed. You can also sign up here for BCMA listserve and Remind 101 to get quick information/reminders/updates via text or email. The BCMA PTO webpage (www.bcmapto.org) provides information about PTO activities, positions and provides a secure link for donations. Please use the email address bcmapto@gmail.com for any PTO-­‐‑related questions or suggestions. The BCMA Parents Shutterfly site: BCMA parents have a secure Shutterfly website where we share information, ask questions, post joined, email caradavis11@gmail.com Or radecker@earthlink.net. From BCMA website or BCMA parents Shutterfly site, you can also connect/read feed from Principal Malhan’s Twitter account. And don’t forget to sign up for and use HISD’s Parent-­‐‑Student Connect (aka GradeSpeed) for secure information about your student’s assignments and grades. If you have not yet signed up, see registration instructions in this newsletter. fundraising, teacher hospitality, Magnet Week events, and much more. How about simple collating or photocopying? There are all sorts of opportunities to volunteer at BCMA. Your students will be proud you are helping, even if they never say it aloud. To join PTO, go to www.bcmapto.org and click on Forms/Membership. Executive Board: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, Volunteer Coordinator Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPS) is how HISD manages its volunteers. You must be VIPs approved in order to volunteer at BCMA. If you were approved last year, you need to reactivate by showing your ID. If you are not registered, please go to http://www.houstonisd.org/P
age/90800. Then, bring in your driver’s license to the attendance office. It may take up 2-­‐‑3 weeks for clearance, so you must register early! Your information will be sent through an HPD background check. This is for the safety of all. Volunteers must register each year with VIPS. Other Positions: Translator Upcoming PTO election: 2015-­‐‑2016 PTO election will be held on September 15 and 16 for all positions via ballot voting. Please stop by the PTO table during open house to turn in your ballot. All Nomination forms are online @bcmapto.org or visit the BCMA Parent’s Shutterfly site. Positions include: Committee Chairs: Communication Chair, Communications Co-­‐‑Chair, Fundraising Chair, Student Events Chair, Staff Support Chair, Spirit Hospitality Chair, Family Events Chair, Watch Dogs Chair (BCMA DADS ONLY) Upcoming Event: PTO General Assembly meeting is set for Tuesday September 22 8:30-­‐‑9:30am in BCMA Cafeteria. Please come out to meet our new PTO members and learn how PTO serves BCMA. Please visit PTO Website at bcmpto.org Takesha Bill Comments, Corrections, Input? If you would have ideas or input for the next n ewsletter, please contact Cara Davis (caradavis11@gmail.com) or Rachel Powers (radecker@earthlink.net) From Dr. Sweeney: It’s great to be back in full swing. The Harvest Lab (our edible garden program) is organizing for the year. Currently S.T.E.M. Specialist Beatriz Perez-­‐‑Sweeney, Ph.D. is leading the Harvest Lab, which will eventually be led by a teacher. Mrs. Scott is leading the Garden Club (which is part of the Harvest Lab) and the PTO will lead the Harvest Lab committee (who leads learning events and more around the Harvest Lab, see updates below for an example). Updates on the Harvest Lab are as follows: 1. Parent Ms. Tellez will pick up free seeds and soil from the Harris County Cylinder Gardening program on 9/26 at Bear Creek Extension, 3033 Bear Creek Dr., Houston, TX 77084. Please contact me if you can help her with the pick up and drop off of the seeds and fertilizer so I can connect you all. 2. We have lots of Basil in our garden! Parent Mrs. Knolle will be leading the organization of the sale of the Basil and a BCMA Kid Share of Basil nutrition and agricultural history led by BCMA Scholastic Stewards at Nuwaters Coop on a Friday (date is TBA) from 5:00 -­‐‑ 6:00pm. This will involve Blackshear students as well. Parent volunteers are needed! Mrs. Knolle is submitting a grant for us to support the garden as well. Please email Beatriz Perez-­‐‑Sweeney if you would like to join or be on the Harvest Lab committee again this year (perezswe@bcm.edu). All students are submitting a science research project through their Health Science Signature course (Neuroscience, Scientific Decision Making, or Biotechnology and Bioengineering. This project will be part of our BCMA Ryan Science Fair. An information session on Science Fair tips and rules will be held at the University of Houston on September 19 from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm (https://www.sefhouston.org) If not already registered, you may register at the following site: https://www.sefhouston.org/a
nnual-­‐‑seminar. physician complete the Physicians Request For Dietary Accommodations form that was in the first weeks of school packets your child brought home. If you need a new form please have your student request one in the clinic or main office. weekly instructional agendas, GradeSpeed Other Information Make sure you sign up for school rules and policies can Student Planners: Please encourage your child to utilize it to stay organized. Students should use it to take note of information such as homework, tests, quizzes, and other important information. A calendar with blue and burgundy days and From Nurse Hainsworth: be found in the front pages of 7th Grade Parents, Please make sure that your child has both the Tdap and Meningitis vaccines! Next week I will be sending letters home to those students who are found to be delinquent on our reports. These students will have approximately 10 days to get caught up and after that will be excluded from attendance. We would like our school to be 100% immunized! All parents, Just a friendly reminder that if you want your child'ʹs food allergy to alert the cafeteria staff please have your the planners. Gym Uniforms: Students should be wearing their PE uniforms for PE. If your student does not have a uniform, they should contact Coach Strong during PE or lunch. BCMA Website photos and much more. Other parent information and resources can be found at links listed on page 3 of this newsletter (“stay connected and know what’s going on”). HISD’s Parent-­‐‑Student Connect (aka GradeSpeed) for secure information about your student’s assignments and grades and to receive alerts. You may also receive notes from, and send notes to your child’s teachers. If you do not already have an account, follow these steps to gain access: 1. Make sure you have your child’s student ID number handy 2. Go to www.houstonisd.org 3. Click on Students and Parents 4. You will see Parent Student Connect In the parent student connect box, at the bottom, you will see “Help Register First Time User” Make sure you check out BCMA’s school website 5. Click on Register and Follow the registration steps 1 through 6. (http://www.houstonisd.org/a
cademyatryan) for upcoming Tutorials and Clubs events, important links and Remember to take advantage resources (schedules, policies, of tutorials. Weekday sessions forms), teacher and staff bios, start September 21; Saturday sessions start Saturday, September 26. You can soon find schedules on the BCMA website and on BCMA Parents Shutterfly Share Site. Also make sure to check out the afterschool club schedule that will be posted in same locations. Check website for updates and remind your students to listen to daily announcements for reminders and potential changes to tutorial or club schedules. A very big thanks to our teachers for volunteering their time to lead these activities! Chess Club: Welcome back Bulldogs! The chess club committee has been formed and we are ready to begin the after school chess club. Advanced students with 1000+ rating will meet on Monday afternoons with Coach Dan Fernandez and Ms. Nellie Naidoo. Coach Fernandez is an International Grandmaster and currently teaches at the TH Rogers School. Beginners and intermediate students will meet on Thursday afternoons with Ms. Dagher. Practice starts on Monday, September 14th. Students need to be picked up at 5:15 pm. Registration forms are in the front office and Ms. Dagher'ʹs room. Please contact Nellie Naidoo at nellie.naidoo@gmail.com with any questions. Box Tops for Education Don’t forget to clip boxtops to earn money for our school. There are forms for collection in the office and online. There is a collection box in the cafeteria. Contact Lakeisha (questionnare24@gmail.com) for more information. Please note this corrected email as it was incorrect in previous newsletter. Latin Phrases of the Month:
experientia docet “experience teaches“ Ad Astra per Ardua “To the stars, through difficulties“