Crusader Times

Hello Crusaders,

I am very proud to say that our first eight weeks of school have been full of excitement at Bonita Vista Middle. We had a very successful back-to-school night, where we had an opportunity to meet parents and share the wonderful programs and activities that BVM provides for students. A couple of weeks ago we had the Dual-Language information night where parents really enjoyed watching their students in class learning and participating in a second language. Last Friday we had an all-school assembly to celebrate the great success of our students who played for the Sweetwater Valley Little League team. In addition, we have had professional development sessions for staff on diversity and equity. Furthermore, this week teachers participated in our first Learning Walk. During the Learning Walk, teachers from different departments had an opportunity to observe other teachers focusing on successful strategies that promote student engagement. The data will be used by our site curriculum specialists and school leadership team to guide our future professional development workshops.

In a week, we will be on a two-week fall break. I hope that all students and staff enjoy a relaxing, safe, and well-deserve fall break. I want to thank students, parents, and staff for their dedication and support of Bonita Vista Middle School.

Enjoy your break!!!

Eduardo Reyes, Ed.D.

It was with great pleasure that Bonita Vista Middle welcomed back our SVLL players, Antonio Andrade, Isaac Artalejo, Cameron Barbabosa, and Nate Nankil! Under the lead of our ASB advisor, Andrea Currier, our SVLL players were welcomed back by a student tunnel out in front of the school, goodie bags, tons of school posters, and a Recognition Assembly in their honor. In attendance at the Recognition Assembly were Chief of Staff of Mayor Mary Casillas Salas, SUHSD Assistant Superintendent Dr. Dianna Carberry, SUHSD Board Member Kevin Pike, SUHSD Director of Grants and Communications Manny Rubio, Padres Pad Squad, and the parents of our SVLL players. We are all very proud of all of your accomplishments SVLL players!

The 12U Gold All Star team are the South San Diego District Champs and the Southern California State Champions and placed 3rd in the Western National Championships in Oregon out of 39 teams! They went 40-8 over the summer. We want to congratulate Julia Hill, Nicole Hill, and Melanie Johnson for helping bring home the championships. Great job girls!

The mission of Bonita Vista Middle School Running and Walking Club is to foster health conscious students that can have fun, experience organize competitions, exposure to Cross Country and Track running and develop healthy habits through physical activity. We will meet in the athletic fields after school from 3:15 to 4:15pm, interested students can get their clearance packet in room 705 or they can talk to any club member.

This month the BVM Running and Walking Club wants to thank the offices of Dr. Diane Gerken from Gerken Family Chiropractic for donating 100 pedometers for students and parents. A special thanks to Dr. Eduardo Reyes for supporting and making this idea a reality.

If you will like to demonstrate your support toward our students in a tangible manner, parents can volunteer to cheer our participants, walk with them, and drive them to running events. If you would like to donate items for our students to use, we are in need of just about anything from water bottles, powder Gatorade, a cooler, to paper cups, etc. If you are a parent and interested in participating or donating, please contact Mr. Rodriguez at luis.rodriguez@sweetwaterschools.org. Thanks!

“A lot of people run races to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhaustion pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more” -Steve Prefontaine

Super flowers in watercolor now on display in front office and library.

Who: High School Girls (13-18) and Parents

Date: Saturday, September 19, 2015

Time: 9:00-12:00

Place: Eastlake High School – Ruth Chapman Theatre

Flyer: Attached for more information

Contact: Gabriella Garcia at gaby.garcia@titanbot.org / Student Public Relations Director

“We have an amazing event planned including motivational women speakers who are also leaders in STEM professions at NAVAIR, SPAWAR, Booz Allan-Hamilton, General Auto Mics, and Society of Women Engineers. We will have hands-on science experiments, a Q&A panel, and free food.”

Register Today:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/girls-conference-girls-inspiring-real-leadership-stem-registration-18297612652

See flyer below for more information!

A new report from Attendance Works and Healthy Schools Campaign shows how disparities in school attendance rates starting as early as preschool and kindergarten are contributing to achievement gaps and high school dropout rates across the country.

Bonita Vista Middle School is calling on all students to enter our first video contest with the theme "Why Attendance Matters". Students are invited to submit a 1-3 minute video that shows why attending school is cool and the importance of attending everyday and being on time. The top three videos will win prizes such as a four pack of movie tickets and Jamba Juice gift cards. Winning videos will be posted on the school's website and Facebook page. Please contact Mr. Brian Kougl at Brian.Kougl@sweetwaterschools.org for more information.

Bonita Vista Middle will also be hosting an Attendance Competition in Advisory from September 8th to October 16th. The advisory with the fewest tardies and absences will win a pizza party paid for by our ASB.

Parents and guardians work together with schools to ensure that all students arrive on time and are in their seats prepared to learn everyday. Please continue to work in supporting your students success by having them come to school on time. Here are a few reminders in regards to attendance:

- Saturday Schools clear absences.

- Remember to excuse an absence within 10 days or else it becomes unexcused.

For more tips and information, please click on the link below.

Bringing Attendance Home Toolkit

Click on each image below to learn about some community resources available.

My name is Darlene Chier and it’s my privilege to be this year’s president of the Bonita Vista Middle School PTSA. Along with our great faculty and staff, one of the things that makes BVMS a special place is the growing involvement of the entire school community. When parents and teachers come together, it’s the kids who benefit. This year, the PTSA will do all we can to enhance the campus environment and make everyone proud to be Bonita Vista Crusaders. Along with ongoing support of the overall educational experience, some of the bigger enrichment programs we will lead this year include Book Fairs, the PTA Reflections Art Contest and Teacher Appreciation Week. We appreciate everyone who has signed up to be part of the PTSA and welcome anyone still interested in joining. Opportunities for involvement abound and volunteers are the key to everything we do. If you are interested in learning more about the PTSA or becoming part of our programs, please email me at dchier@cox.net. Let’s have a great year together!

Lucy Ugarte is our Interventions Coordinator and runs our Intervention Office on top of being an English teacher on campus. She chose to take on this task oriented position knowing how time consuming it would be because she truly believes that all students can be successful provided with the adequate level of support. Thanks to Mrs. Ugarte, our intervention programs began this year with a huge success and students are realizing that there is a variety of timely, targeted, and directed academic programs available at their disposal to acquire extra support.

The week of September 7th through the 13th is National Suicide Prevention Week. Here are some interesting data points regarding youth suicide:

• Third leading cause of death for people ages 10-24.
  
• 16% of high school students have seriously considered suicide.
  
• Adolescent males are more likely to take their own life.
  
• Hispanic high school students are more likely to attempt suicide in comparison to non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015). Youth Suicide. Injury Prevention & Control: Division of Violence prevention. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pub/youth_suicide.html

The following link is a very good resource for educators and parents regarding suicide prevention and awareness:

http://www.nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/suicideprevention.aspx

Bonita Vista Middle staff received a professional development from Dr. Vincent "Vinnie" Pompei, who is the Director of the Youth Well-Being Project and Time to Thrive Conference, on how to communicate, promote. and ensure a safe and affirming educational environment for ALL students including our LGBT students.

Let’s Discuss Concussion….

Hello, Bonita Vista Middle School parents and families. Just to let you know, it has been truly a pleasure for me to meet the wonderful students of this school. I don’t think I can recall meeting a nicer group of young people. Since many of our students will be participating in fall sports activities such as soccer and football, I thought it would be a good idea to go over the general signs and symptoms of a concussion. However, just as a side note, concussions can occur not only from sports injuries, but from car and bicycle accidents, fights or even very minor falls.

To begin with, the brain is made of soft tissue. It is cushioned by spinal fluid and encased in the protective shell of the skull. When a concussion occurs, the impact can result in a type of “jolt” to the brain. This “jolt” can sometimes cause the brain to move around within the skull, causing bruising to the brain tissue, damage to blood vessels and also injury to the nerve pathways within the brain. This type of injury causes the brain to function improperly and as a result certain symptoms may occur.

Milder concussion symptoms may present as dizziness, headache, or sometimes difficulty with concentration. Some concussion symptoms can last for days or weeks after the injury occurs. More severe symptoms include: changes in alertness and consciousness, confusion that does not go away, convulsions, repeated vomiting, and coordination or balance problems; these symptoms require immediate medical attention. Any person who has a head injury should be closely monitored for signs of a concussion, even if the person says he or she feels okay. Sports participants who have suspected concussions should immediately stop playing or practicing and be cleared by a physician before resuming sports activities.

To aid in the prevention or lessening of the severity of head injury, everyone should wear properly fitting, appropriate headgear and safety equipment when playing contact sports, biking, rollerblading, skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, or when participating in any activity where there is a potential for head injury. Safety equipment cannot prevent all concussions, but it does serve as a good preventative measure against severe head trauma.

This information is provided solely to create awareness regarding concussions and to review some of the many signs and symptoms. It is not intended to replace a physician’s care. If a concussion or head injury is suspected, please seek medical attention immediately.

Stay healthy,

Christi Stoddard, R.N., BSN

Counselor Breakdown

A – Fir Mr. Taeatafa

Fis – Min Mr. Armas

Mir – Ran Ms. Houseman

Rap – Z Mrs. Sigarroa-Sanchez

If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment with your child’s Counselor, please phone the Counseling Center at (619) 397-2220.

SDSU Compact for Success Mentor, Hawa Mohamed, will be available during lunch in the Cafeteria on Mondays and Wednesdays to talk with students about SDSU Compact for Success program, A-G courses, college admission requirements, financial aid and scholarships. Hawa will call out students during Advisory and from their elective classes periods 5 & 6 to complete a worksheet. Semester 1 work schedule will be Mondays & Wednesdays 12:10 – 3:10 pm.

16th Annual 7th Grade SDSU Campus Visit “I Pledge to Go to College” Field Trip will be Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 7:30 am to 1:30 pm. Flyer and Registration form is on the school website or you can pick one up at the Counseling Center. Parents can ride the school bus with their child or drive their own car. Activities taking place will be keynote speakers, informational workshops, SDSU tours, free T-shirt, entertainment, and free lunch sponsored by Rubio’s.

In order to avoid any problems with lost work it is important that you back up Notability to your Google Drive account.

To back up notability:

1. In the main menu of Notability, tap the settings icon (the gear).

2. When the Auto Backup screen pops up, tap Google Drive.

3. Enter your school provided email and password

4. Tap accept.

5. Tap Close

6. It should say Backing up next to the settings icon.

7. Let it back up and then you don't have to worry about losing your work is something happens to your iPad.

If you every have any problems with your iPad, come to the BVM Genius Bar in room 606 during advisory.

09/21 - 10/05 Fall Break

10/06 Students Return

10/07 Picture Make-up Day

10/09 7th Grade Music Machine and Sound Unlimited Assembly

10/10 Saturday School

10/12 SCREAM Dress Rehearsal (Choir)

10/13 PTSA Board Meeting

10/15 Dual Language Student Led Conference

10/16 8th Grade Music Machine and Sound Unlimited Assembly

10/17 Saturday School and SCREAM Performance (Choir)

10/19 - 10/23 Scholastic Book Fair

10/21 ELAC Meeting

10/22 SSC Meeting

10/24 7th Grade Compact Visit to SDSU and Saturday School

10/26 - 10/30 Red Ribbon Week

10/26 Dual Language Field Trip to San Diego Museum of Art

10/27 Middle School Success 101 Meeting

10/29 Halloween Dance

10/31 Saturday School

Email: Eduardo.Reyes@sweetwaterschools.org
Website: http://bvm.sweetwaterschools.org/
Location: 650 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista, CA 91910, United States
Phone: (619) 397-2200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bonitavistamiddleschool