EMS Raider Student and Family News

September 5 - September 9

"E" is for Eastwood AND for Effort!

Hello there Raider commUNITY!

We hope you had a restful (and/or productive) 3 day weekend. Before we left on Friday, we spoke a bit during the morning announcements about Labor Day and, more specifically, hard work and effort. We told our Raiders that they shouldn't shy away from hard work...whether it be school work, work at home, or the "work" of navigating the social scene of a middle schooler and putting in the effort to do the right thing and make great decisions. We've often told our Raiders that they have a full time job - being a model student! Like any job -check that- like one would need to do to be successful at any job, our Raiders need to prepare and plan, give their best effort and execute, and follow up work with any reflection or thought about how they could have done the job better. And, like any job, they will be handsomely compensated. For our Raiders, compensation will be in the form of a quality education and skills needed to succeed and achieve all they (and you parents) hope for and dream about.

Like we always emphasize, work needs to include positive experiences and moments of joy and fun. We saw that this past week as our Raiders participated not only in Eastwood Homecoming dress-up days, but also in the Homecoming Parade. It was so great to see our choir, dance team, and cheerleaders representing the Raider commUNITY with pride. And hey...we even had our RAIDERS "escaping" from the perils of a huge boulder a la Raiders of the Lost Ark! Again, the RISE UP EXPERIENCE is about much, much more than academics. Rich, meaningful experiences that support the growth and development of your children are critical to us and, well, that's what makes Eastwood Middle School such a special place!

Please make note of our Raider Grandparent's Day celebrations this week and continue to come out and support your Raiders as they participate in all sorts of activities. We also look forward to welcoming our new Principal on Tuesday.

Thank you for your support!

Mr. Gutierrez, Mrs. Imai and Mrs. Vega

Assistant Principals

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GRANDPARENTS DAY CELEBRATION - COMING UP!

This Thursday and Friday, Eastwood Middle School will celebrate the incredible GRANDPARENTS of our Raider students with 2 different celebrations (tickets required).

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7th, from 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm, our 7th and 8th Grade Raiders will be able to welcome their grandparents with nachos and a celebration.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8th, from 9:00 am - 10:30 am, our 6th Grade Raiders will be able to welcome their grandparents with menudo and a celebration.

Tickets are available to purchase each day this week in the rotunda during your Raider's lunch and a limited number are available for you to purchase at our EMS Visitor Center window. Please contact our CIS Coordinators, Mr. Lomeli and Ms. Ortega, for more information.

BREAKFAST STATIONS BEGIN THIS WEEK

Parents, in an effort to promote greater participation in our breakfast offerings, our cafeteria staff will begin a new "station" system of offering breakfast. When your Raider walks in, there will be 3 stations located in the foyer of the school and the rotunda where our cafeteria staff will be offering a breakfast for your Raider. Students are encouraged to take a breakfast and proceed to the cafeteria where they can eat their breakfast. We ask that students eat breakfast only in the cafeteria so that our custodians don't have to pick up trash throughout the building.

IF YOU ARE NOT RECEIVING THIS NEWSLETTER VIA TEXT MESSAGE AND WOULD LIKE TO START, PLEASE TEXT "START" TO 60680

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SOCIOECONOMIC INFORMATION FORMS - ACTION REQUIRED!

If you have not completed a Socioeconomic Information form for your Raider, you can click the image here ==>

and complete the form online. Your Raider will get free dress for next Friday if you complete this.

If you have submitted the form already, thank you!

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DRESS CODE, TARDY VIOLATIONS AND ID BADGES

Safety and classroom instruction are our top priority for our Raider students. That being said, there are a couple of concerns that we will be addressing.

DRESS CODE VIOLATIONS

In order to make sure that your Raider is in class every day, maximizing their instructional opportunities, please review the dress code at the bottom of this newsletter and please make certain that your child comes to school dressed appropriately. We have had several students on a daily basis come to school with out the required shirt and/or pants.
Students who are out of dress code will have first period only to call home to have appropriate clothing brought to them. If they cannot get the appropriate clothing to them by the end of first period, we will place the student in ISS with a dress code violation discipline referral for the remainder of the day.
Our office staff, administration and security officers have many duties to attend to in order to assist in running an orderly school day. They are not available to accommodate students who arrive out of dress code.

TARDY VIOLATIONS

Again, in order to maximize your child's time in class receiving instruction, we have implemented a lunch detention program to address students tardy to class.
Students who are tardy to classes before their lunch period will have lunch detention THAT SAME DAY. Students who are tardy to class after their lunch period will have lunch detention THE FOLLOWING DAY. Students will be able to eat during lunch detention.
Students that fail to report to lunch detention will be given a discipline referral.

ID BADGES

IN THE INTEREST OF CAMPUS SAFETY AND TO COMPLY WITH DISTRICT REQUIREMENTS, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, WE NEED YOUR CHILD TO ARRIVE TO SCHOOL WITH THEIR ID ON A LANYARD AROUND THEIR NECK. They need to wear their ID around their neck all day. If they lose their ID, they will need to purchase a new one in our library. The cost of the replacement ID is $10.

Please understand that we want your child here, on time, dressed appropriately with their ID on so that we can provide a safe environment for them to learn, grow and prosper. We thank you for your support with this.

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Campus Traffic Patterns and Drop Off Zones - UPDATED

WE HAVE ADDED ADDITIONAL AFTER SCHOOL CROSSING GUARDS AT ALBUM (NEAR OLD BUS DROP OFF) AND ON BYWOOD NEAR ARCHIE STREET! We are always looking to make our campus and surrounding streets safer for your Raiders.

Due to the large campus population and heavy traffic in the area, it is essential that all Raider community members (students, parents, and staff) adhere to safety standards when traveling around the campus area. We ask that you support our efforts to ensure ALL of our Raiders remain safe and secure while traveling by foot or vehicle.

First and foremost, we ask that you adhere to the directions given by staff members who are serving as cross guards or helping traffic flow. Do not stop in the middle of crosswalks or refuse or ignore their stop signs or directions. Understand that we are all trying to keep our Raiders safe and need your cooperation to do so!

More helpful reminders for keeping our Raiders and community safe:

Refrain from speeding on the streets surrounding the campus, especially during student arrival and dismissal times - the hours of 7:30 -8:30 am and 3:50 - 4:50 pm.
Be on the lookout for students who may be crossing the streets, whether at the crosswalks or not.
Emphasize the importance of crossing the streets safely at crosswalks rather than the middle of the streets where cars are less likely to slow down.
Refrain from making u-turns on Album, Chaswood, Bywood, and Escarpa streets, especially when students are arriving or departing the campus.
When dropping off or picking up your Raider, please pull all the way up to the front of the drop off area rather than staying back. This helps traffic flow more easily around the surrounding streets.
Consider parking away from the campus and having your Raider walk to or from your car rather than using the drop-off areas to avoid getting stuck in traffic.

CAMPUS SAFETY PROCEDURES - UPDATED

As some of you may have noticed, the district is currently improving our front visitor's vestibule area. As the work progresses, we will need to make some adjustments to ensure we keep our campus safe. Please read the procedures outlined below so you are prepared in the event you need to enter our school building during the school day.

All visitors must have a valid picture ID.
Be prepared to show your ID outside of the campus after notifying the receptionist you have arrived, and to have it scanned in our Hall Pass system for a quick background check.
The doors on the right-hand side are to ENTER the campus only. Doors on the left-hand side are to EXIT the building.
Should you need to sign your child out for an appointment or the day, you will do so inside of the visitor's vestibule. You may wait inside the vestibule or just outside the front doors for your child.
The receptionist will check to make sure the person picking up your child is authorized to do so as listed in our student information system.
Your child will be called down to the visitor's center. As they pass through the area our receptionist will note they are ok to leave, at which time they will exit the building out of the exit only (left-hand side) doors. As you see them come through, you can meet them just outside the campus doors.
Should you need to come inside the campus at or shortly after dismissal, you will be stopped at the door by an adult who will ask you the reason for your visit. They will communicate with the front office to make sure you are approved entry and you will be permitted to make your way to the front office for further assistance.
In order to comply with state mandates to safely and effectively control a single entry point for our campus, we are unable to accept food deliveries for your student during lunch. Our visitor center receptionist must remain focused on the task of monitoring entry, check in and processing of identification, monitoring student sign-outs and so on. Again, this is to ensure the safety and security of our single campus entry point. Thank you for your understanding.

Thank you for your flexibility and understanding of our new visitor's area procedures. It is up to all of us to help keep our campus (students & adults) safe, and we appreciate your support and partnership in doing so.

If you have any questions or concerns, please make campus administration aware and we can assist you.

WHAT ARE WE LEARNING IN CORE CLASSES?

READING

6th Grade: Unit 2: Narrative Elements in Reading Focus: Narrative Writing (Aug. 16-Sept. 27)
7th Grade: Unit 2: Narrative Elements in Reading Focus: Narrative Writing (Aug. 16-Sept. 27)
8th Grade: Unit 2: Narrative Elements in Reading Focus: Narrative Writing (Aug. 16-Sept. 27)

MATH

6th Grade: Unit 2: Rational Numbers (August 21-September 8)
7th Grade: Unit 2 Proportional Reasoning, Ratios, and Rates (August 17-September 8)
8th Grade/7th ADV: Unit 3: Functions (August 31-September 20)

SCIENCE

6th Grade: Unit 1: Investigating Chemicals (August 3-23) then Unit 2: Properties of Matter (August 25-September 15)
7th Grade: Unit 2: Body Systems and Homeostasis (August 25-September 22)
8th Grade: Unit 2: Forces that Change Earth (August 25-September 15)

SOCIAL STUDIES

6th Grade: Unit 2 United States and Canada (August 24 - September 22)
7th Grade: Unit 3: Exploration and Colonization of Texas 1519-1821 (Aug 28 - Sept 12)
8th Grade: American Independence (September 5 - 26)

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THIS WEEK'S CAMPUS EVENTS

Tuesday, 9/5

Wednesday, 9/6 - Cross Country @ Tornillo HS, 4:00pm

Thursday, 9/7 - Grandparent's Day Celebration for 7th and 8th Grade, 2:00 - 3:30 pm

Friday, 9/8 - Grandparent's Day Celebration for 6th Grade, 9:00 - 10:30 am

Saturday, 9/9 - 7/8 Raider Football vs Del Valle MS @ EMS, 9:00 am

- 7/8 Raider Volleyball vs Hanks MS AT EASTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL, 9:00 am

YISD ATHELETIC SCHEDULES - CLICK HERE

EMS 2023-2024 BELL SCHEDULE

EMS 2023-2024 DRESS CODE

EASTWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL WEBSITE LINK

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EMS OFFICE STAFF & NURSE CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out to anyone by calling our main number 915-434-4300, or any of the direct numbers below, from 7:45 am - 4:15 pm to assist you.

Office Clerk & Nurse Contact Information:

6th Grade Students

Heather Borrego

(915) 434-4368

hborrego@yisd.net

7th Grade Students

Ana Cadena-Medina

(915) 434-4310

amedina79@yisd.net

8th Grade Students

Aida Marquez

(915) 434-4367