BVM Community,

Good morning community! I wanted to take a moment to connect with all parents, guardians, and students regarding the expectations for the remaining week of school. It’s hard to believe, but we are now heading into our final week before our Winter Break!

Our first semester will officially conclude this Friday, December 15, 2023, with a minimum day schedule. In the attachments below as well as our Week-at-a-Glance you can preview this week's schedule. Remember that this week we will be on a minimum day schedule all week and release time will be at 12:50 each day.

Our students will have a wonderful and safe Winter Break from Saturday, December 16 through Tuesday, January 9, 2024 and we will resume classes on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, and we look forward to welcoming all students back to school with renewed energy and enthusiasm. That week at Coffee with the Principal (Thursday, January 11, 2023) we will also have Chula Vista Police Department do a presentation on vaping--please make sure to plan to be here for that important informative presentation. The event will take place from 5:15 pm - 6:15 pm in our school cafeteria. The following week we will also have our "What I Wish My Parents Knew" mental health presentation from 6 pm - 7:30 pm in our school cafeteria. I have posted the events below as well. Both events will be in person.

For this week, I cannot stress enough the importance of being here. In our core classes (English, Math, Science, and Social Science) our students will be taking their End of Course Exams which our objective district exams that will measure how much students have learned this semester in the aforementioned courses. Please make sure that students are present and on time! Okay, take some time to review the academic and behavior expectations shared with all families last week --to conclude our semester. Thank you again and ahead of time for your partnership!

Academic Expectations:

Our Sweetwater Union High School District’s Office of Curriculum and Instruction has sent out the promotion ceremony/certificate requirements for our 7th and 8th graders (see attachments below). As we guide our students towards the challenges of high school and beyond, it is crucial that they grasp the significance of passing all their classes. A strong academic foundation built during middle school will put your student in a favorable position to thrive and succeed in high school. In short, middle school performance is a good indicator of high school performance.

With that in mind, I kindly request that you take some time this week to sit down with your student and go over the academic expectations for the remaining week of school. This will ensure that they are fully aware of what is expected of them and so that they can make necessary preparations:

• Perform a thorough review of Jupiter Grades and/or Google Classroom for any missing assignments.
• With your student, identify any upcoming assessments including our End of Course exams and request study guide materials from teachers.
• Teachers will have different cut-off dates to turn in late work, so make sure that your student is communicating with their teachers so that they know their deadline to submit late or missing assignments or assessments.
• Make sure your student takes advantage of tutoring opportunities offered before or after school. Teachers may be offering additional tutoring opportunities after school this week.
• Parents, if you can, stay away from scheduling appointments during these last two weeks of school and avoid early pick-ups to ensure that your student is maximizing the instructional time at school.
• Monitor sleep times to ensure that our students are fully rested and fully prepared to come to school.
• Ensure 100% attendance over the next 5 days.

Behavior Expectations:

We want to take a moment to acknowledge the significant improvement in student behavior that we have witnessed during the second quarter of this semester. It is truly heartening to see our students strive to be kind, compassionate, and empathetic individuals. However, we must continue to encourage and guide them towards maintaining these positive behaviors.

While our data indicates that student behaviors have improved, we recognize that there is still progress to be made before we reach our ideal state. At BVM, we firmly believe that our parents and guardians are our partners in educating our students and instilling the shared values of our community. With that mind, I would like to address some concerning behaviors that we have recently addressed. I kindly request that you continue speaking with your student and support our efforts in correcting any inappropriate behavior.

As we approach the end of the semester, it is crucial that our students remain on their best behavior. We want to avoid any unnecessary disruptions to their academic efforts, such as suspensions or being placed on short-term independent studies contracts. Therefore, I urge you to emphasize the importance of our behavior expectations for the remaining 5 days of school. We will not tolerate any inappropriate behaviors this late into the semester.

Inappropriate Use of Language

First, we have received reports of the use of inappropriate, and offensive language being directed at other students. One such term or word is the “N-word” among other racist and related slurs. A second term that students have used is “SPED” or “Autistic” when addressing other students. There is no place for hate, discrimination, or racism at Bonita Vista Middle School. We will not tolerate the use of any of these terms. The use of these words being directed at another student(s) is a suspendable offense.

Although reports that we have received have been limited to a specific group of students, we know that students talk to one another. We want to make sure that we are clearly communicating the message that we will not condone or tolerate this type of offensive language directed at others. Furthermore, we ask that you stress the importance of not just using appropriate language but the importance of showing kindness, compassion, and empathy to one another. If you have further questions about this matter, please feel free to contact me.

Public Displays of Affection/Restricted Areas on Campus

Recently, we have seen an uptick in public displays of affection. Although we know and understand that some students are exploring middle school relationships, we do not allow students to hold hands, kiss, or show other types of inappropriate public displays of affection. Please remind your students to not engage in inappropriate displays of affection like holding hands or kissing. Students are allowed to hug if hugs are welcomed by the other student.

Lastly, please remind students at home that they are not to be behind the PE Girls’ Locker Room facing the Tennis Courts during nutrition break or lunchtime. This area is off limits to any student since we do not have consistent supervision in that area during nutrition break or lunchtime. Students are aware of this area, and we ask that you remind your student about not venturing into this area.

As we continue our efforts to reset and reestablish a culture worthy of our students and community, it is important that we continue our dialogue and that you are always made aware of the happenings at our school. On behalf of our staff, I want to thank all of you for how supportive you have been of our efforts this semester. It truly takes a community. Let’s have an excellent last two weeks of school and let’s ensure that our students finish their semester with an academic focus and on their best behavior.

Sincerely,

Dr. Salazar

Community, please make sure to read the very important attachments (below) that include our last week of school schedule, Winter Break schedule, our 8th grade Promotion Letter and our 7th Grade Promotion Letter.

Thank you,

Dr. Salazar

Check out our week at a glance by clicking on the link or the button below:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nLr-1bo6hAwjJOYMq7cDboCWmtGTKqcXhcEr_jMeHIg/edit#slide=id.p

The Acknowledgment Corner will be continued to be used to highlight and celebrate our students at any opportunity that we can! If you would like your student acknowledged for something we may not be aware of, please feel free to contact me (include a picture if possible).

Nominated by Mr. Reyes-Cornejo, Nikolas Duncan has demonstrated a commitment to self-improvement. He made a promise to me to "lock-in" during Spanish class, avoid distractions, and stay focused. Niko kept his promise, and he has made significant improvements in his classroom behavior and academic performance. Let's go BVM!!! Dr. Winters, thank you for the visit this past Friday!

Nominated by Mr. Galindo, London Spotser consistently embodies responsibility, honesty, and has a strong work ethic, reflecting the core values of our mission statement. Not only is London a model student, but she also demonstrates remarkable courage by actively engaging in our science discussions. Her thoughtful contributions coupled with logical explanations, showcase her dedication to learning and understanding. As her teacher, I am delighted to witness her commitment and enthusiasm for education. And for these reasons, it is my honor to nominate her for Student of the Week. Thank you for considering London Spotser for this well deserved recognition! Thank you Dr. Winters for helping us recognize London! Let's go BVM!

Thank you to our awesome BVM Choir and Mr. Atwood for an amazing performance at this year's Sweetwater Union High School District Holiday Sing! Please check out the snippet below! Let's go BVM and thank you Mr. Atwood for being so dedicated! We will see you this December 13 and 14 at "A Bonita Christmas You" at Southwestern College Performing Arts Center for the next performance!

Thank you to our amazing ASB Students and Ms. Schroeder for the awesome Winter Sports Assembly this year. Students had the opportunity to not only watch some wonderful performances from our Cheer and VAPA groups, but we also had the chance to introduce our Girls Soccer Team, our Boys Soccer Team and our Field Hockey Team. We wish all of our Winter Sports Athletes the best of luck! We will be rooting for you! Let's go BVM!

Last week, we had an opportunity to have advisory periods compete for the best Ginger Bread Houses built per respective advisory class. Mr. Dougherty's T-Rex Ginger Bread House ended up taking 1st place! His advisory period will be treated to Hot Cocoa and Donuts! Let's go BVM!!!

Our Robotics Team competed for the final time at San Ysidro this past weekend! Our teams bots did really well this past weekend. Overall, our teams have performed strong this season. Thank you to Mr. Dougherty and to our Robotics Team for an awesome season!

Below you will find valuable resources for our students and community, including our tutoring schedule!

Congratulations to Ms. Leonhardt who is our Teacher of the Year for our 2023 - 2024 Academic School Year. She was recognized, nominated, and voted in by her students and her colleagues! Ms. Leonhardt is not only an awesome English Teacher who produces students that always score high on their End of Course exams, she is a wonderful Yearbook Teacher, an invaluable Restorative Practice Teacher, and always willing to do whatever it takes to meet the mission of our school! Thank you so much Ms. Leonhardt for being the amazing human being that you are! We are grateful to have you as part of the BVM Team (She is the middle person below)!

Ms. Patricia Donahue will be joining the BVM Team on Monday, December 4, 2023. Ms. Donahue comes to us with years of experience primarily working for the Chula Vista Elementary School District. In fact, she knows some of our students! This week, she will be shadowing Mr. Edgar Kasem as she looks to take over Mr. Kasem's assignment fully by next week. Welcome Ms. Donahue we are super excited that you are joining our team!

Reach out and communicate with us!

Email: alexander.salazar-arbelaez@sweetwaterschools.org
Website: http://bvm.sweetwaterschools.org/
Location: 650 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista, CA, USA
Phone: 619-397-2200
Twitter: @BVM_Principal