MVPA Weekly Update

Dear Parents and Greyhounds,

We have adjusted our STAAR testing dates due to the recent fire and school closure. The new STAAR testing dates are:

Reading (6th, 7th, 8th) – April 26

Social Studies (8th) – April 27

Math & Algebra (6th, 7th, 8th) – May 2

Science (8th and 7th/Accelerated Science) – May 3

AP Spanish – May 10

Please continue to encourage your students to do their best, bring a fully charged Chromebook to school every day, and take care of missed assignments. Summer School is on the horizon.

Respectfully,

Mr. Sarabia

We are thrilled to announce we were informed this week that we have two outstanding MPVA educators that are finalists for Educator of the Year.

Christina Gonzalez, our MPVA Teacher of the Year, is a finalist for the HISD Educator of the Year Award. Ms. Gonzalez is a member of our dynamic art department and our school and is consistently helping her students achieve their own accolades for their artwork.

Donna Bolden has also been named as a finalist for the inaugural HISD Counselor/Social Worker of the Year. Ms. Bolden is one of our counselors and is absolutely invaluable to our school community and our staff.

Please join us in celebrating these two amazing educators who help make MPVA the very special place that it is! #WeAreMeyerland

Please do not drop students off in the teacher's parking lot in the mornings. All students must enter through the front doors so that we can do a quick dress code and student ID check. Also, please do not park in the teacher's parking lot. We have teachers that struggle to find parking in the mornings which delays them getting into the building and into their morning duty stations so that they can help us supervise students in the morning before school starts. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation with this.

Breakthrough Houston is seeking motivated 6th and 7th-grade students who have the desire to go to college, do well in school, and join their premier program which supports them for 10+ years or until they graduate from college. As MPVA is a school-wide Title 1 school, all our 6th and 7th-grade students are eligible to apply.

What: The STEM Department is hosting a Summer STEM Camp this June for students in grades 2nd-7th. The camp will offer fun and engaging hands-on learning activities focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) using LEGO Spike Prime robotics. Students will have the opportunity to explore deep space exploration through a unique approach to LEGO's curriculum merged with design thinking and literacy.

The camp will last for nine days over three weeks, including a unique field experience day. The camp will be offered at no cost to current HISD students at eight middle school locations, and district instructional staff will lead the camp. To be eligible, students must be in good academic standing and complete the application process on a first-come, first-served basis. By the end of camp, students will have collaborated to program robots, completed design challenges, and gained a better understanding of how STEM concepts apply to the real world. Please spread the word about this exciting opportunity for students to learn and have fun this summer.

When: June 12-27 (3-week camp session); June 19 will be a holiday for staff and students.

Where: Clifton Middle School, Edison Middle School, Hamilton Middle School, Henry Middle School, Mandarin Immersion Magnet School, Ortiz Middle School, Reagan K-8 Educational Center, and Revere Middle School.

How:

1. To apply for STEM Camp please visit: Academics/Summer School

2. Parent/Guardian complete the online application form before the

deadline of May 19

For any questions or concerns, please contact instech@houstonisd.org

If you are in need of any non-academic supports, please fill out a SAF (Student Assistance Form) at: www.HoustonISDsaf.com or contact Mrs. Perez-Williams at Brittany.Perez2@houstonisd.org or at (713) 726-3616 ext. 055286

MPVA Dance students won 3 of 6 awarded categories, out of 19 submissions, at the HISD Dance Connect Film Festival. Students directed, created, and edited their own 2-3 minute short films incorporating dance:

Isabella Axcell - Outstanding Choreography

Angelo Erikson – Outstanding Storytelling

Sophia Winard – Outstanding Editing

Congratulations to our MPVA Dancers!

Let's welcome the incoming 6th graders and their

families in style! Signing Day allows parents to tackle the enrollment paperwork, gets students excited about MPVA and all the various sports, clubs, and organizations available to them, provide uniforms for purchase, gain new PTO members, and showcase our talented students in all magnet areas. We can use you in refreshments, paperwork, uniform sales, and the PTO table - https://tinyurl.com/VolunteersSigningDay

Our Beautification Team has a super-fun list of things

we can do to help spruce up our school! Make plans and sign up here to come out Sunday April 30th from 1-4pm!

I know some of you volunteer best when it's for the

teachers, and this week lets you do your thing. The Teacher Appreciation Team is planning a fantastic week for MPVA staff the second week of May - sign up to donate money and help here.

Have you turned in your 8th Graders' forms yet? Have you paid for the Dance and/or Field Trip (remember, tickets to the dance will be limited)? Did you miss the parent meeting via TEAMS regarding 8th grade end of year activities (you can watch the video here)? NOW IS THE TIME, y'all! All details can be found here. Please note that the deadline for payments is April 21st - we're not accepting cash for the dance at the door or field trip money the day of the event.

We're looking for parents to help with the Dance on 5/5 (set up and decorate, chaperone the dance (6th and 7th-grade parents only for this one, as no 8th grader wants to dance with their parents in the room!), and clean up), chaperone the field trip to Dave & Busters on 5/17, and help implement a few Spirit Fridays and the Grab & Go Breakfast on 5/31. This sign up genius is for you!

Are you interested in being a part of next year’s PTO Leadership? A google interest form is available with job descriptions and details for how to raise your hand for a leadership role within PTO next year.

Some of the bigger roles we are seeking to fill are board roles of - President Elect, VP of Magnet, Secretary, VP of Fundraising, and Teacher Appreciation Chair. There are also a number of different committees and smaller roles if you are looking for a way to be more engaged on campus.

The in-person Greyhound Store in March was a success and we're excited to bring it back on April 14th! Students will be able to spend their earned Greyhound Bucks and get their treats right away, but we need lots of help to fill the orders quickly. Sign up here to help!

We have had an amazing response to the request to help fill the gap in funding new wireless mics for the auditorium! Thank you so much! We’ll be collecting money through the end of the year, and are moving forward with this upgrade so we can have everything in place for next year. If you’d like to contribute, follow the link or QR code.

Direct Link: https://mpva.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/5059

Subscribe to emails here: mpva.membershiptoolkit.com

Facebook: Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School PTO

Instagram: @mpvapto

Twitter: PTO of MPVA Middle School

Upcoming Events

• Monday, April 17 (Purple Day)
• Boys/Soccer vs. Tanglewood @ 6pm – 8pm
• Tuesday, April 18 (Grey Day)
• Choir Spring Concert @ 6:30pm – 8pm
• Wednesday, April 19 (Purple Day)
• Thursday, April 20 – (Grey Day)
• Advanced Guitar Spring Concert @ 6pm – 7:30pm
• Friday, April 21 –
• SPRING HOLIDAY – SCHOOL CLOSED
• Saturday, April 22
• Magnet Signing Day

Just Around the Corner

• Monday, April 24 (Purple Day)
• Incoming 6th Grade Parent Informational Meeting @ 5:30pm – 6:30pm
• Tuesday, April 25 (Grey Day)
• Wednesday, April 26 (Purple Day)
• STAAR Reading Assessment (6th – 8th)
• MPVA Parent Meeting – A Conversation about Vaping @ 6pm – 7pm
• Thursday, April 27 – (Grey Day)
• STAAR Social Studies Assessment (8th)
• MPVA PTO Spirit Night at Chicken Salad Chick
• Friday, April 28 – (Purple Day)
• HISD All-City Orchestra Clinic and Concert @ 4pm – 8pm
• Saturday, April 29
• Boys/Girls Soccer vs. Rice @ 1pm – 3pm