Crusader Times
February 2017
Words From Our Principal
Dear Parents and Students,
It is hard to believe than in a few weeks, it will be spring break. We have many activities planned for this semester which I'm sure our students will enjoy. I strongly encourage all students to make sure they are turning in their assignments and projects, studying for tests, and attending intervention sessions if needed. This year will be over before we know it, and it is important to be proactive with your academic work and not wait until the last minute. I wish all of you and your families an enjoyable upcoming spring break.
Eduardo Reyes, Ed.D.
Greater San Diego County Science Fair
We want to thank all of the students who moved onto and represented our school at our District Science Fair. You did a fantastic job representing BVM! Out of the 13 students who moved onto the District Science Fair, we had 8 students move onto the Greater San Diego County Science Fair.
We want to congratulate all of the students below for moving from the District Science Fair to the Greater San Diego County Science Fair! Best of luck Crusaders!
Sophia Epley - 1st Place Behavioral Science and Sweepstakes Winner
Elissa Cajes - 1st Place Environmental Science
Nicole Mac Gaffey - 1st Place Environemental Science
Maria Ysabel Delgado - 1st Place Animal Science
Diego Nunes - 1st Place Mathematical Science
Ethan Dome - 2nd place Physics and Astronomy
Orion Stephenson - 2nd Place Environmental Science
Jasmine Tabalon - 2nd Place Animal Science
Fall Sports Celebration
Straight A, Perfect Attendance, and Rising Stars Celebrations
Knowledge Bowl Match
Museum of Making Music
Sweethearts Dance
Special Services Employee of the Month
Bonita Vista Middle is home to Crusaders of many backgrounds. We have several self-contained special needs classes on our campus who, until recently, did not have access to the VAPA curriculum. Thanks to Amy Cruz, BVM now offers a co-teach class that focuses on general music instruction, movement and rhythm, and even some craft projects for our moderate special education students. Thanks Amy for all that you do for your students!
Student Art Work
Staff of the Month
Health Corner
National Heart Awareness Month Screening
February is National Heart Awareness month. There are many events which will be sponsored by the American Heart Association and other agencies, but I would like to bring to your attention one group which focuses specifically upon our youths ages 12-25. The group is the Eric Paredes Save a Life Foundation, and it specializes in youth screenings for cardiac abnormalities. Please take a look at the following information provided by the Eric Paredes Save a Life Foundation regarding this potentially life-saving screening:
Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a leading cause of death in youth under 25 and the #1 killer of student athletes, but heart screenings are not part of regular youth exams. The Eric Paredes Save A Life Foundation has provided nearly 22,000 free heart screenings for youth age 12 to 25, finding about 1 in 100 at risk from an undetected abnormality or risk factor. FREE Screen Your Teen events are held throughout the year, for more information and registration, visit EPSaveALife.org/register.
Screenings are offered by the Eric Paredes Save A Life Foundation, which has screened nearly 22,000 teens for heart abnormalities that put about 1 in 100 students at risk for Sudden Cardiac Arrest - a leading cause of death under 25, and the #1 killer of student athletes. Heart screenings are not a part of annual checkups or pre-participation sports physicals, even though most heart conditions have no warning signs or unrecognized symptoms -- which is why Eric's Foundation screens for free.
Simply register at epsavealife.org/register/ and download a screening packet that you complete and bring to the event. Paperwork is available onsite if online registration is not possible. Screenings take less than an hour. Parents need not be present for youth who have a signed and completed screening packet.
Students wear t-shirt, sweat pants or sports shorts to the screening. Girls wear a sports bra. Please bring a self-addressed stamped envelope in which a copy of your child's ECG will be mailed back to you to add to their medical records.
If you have any questions, Please contact Sara Thompson at 619.550.2129.
Stay healthy,
Christi Stoddard, BSN, RN, PHN
Tel: 619-397-2206
Fax: 619-482-9356
Counselors Corner
Hello Crusaders! We, the counselors, are excited to see the progress of many students. As you already know, we call out students that are struggling so that we can help develop a plan to improve grades. Congratulations to the our Rising Stars and Perfect Attendance students! We awarded those students with medals and certificates for their great accomplishments in attendance and improvement in their classes. We also want to remind those of you that have qualified for California Junior Scholastic Federation (CJSF), please turn in the application form that was issued to you by your English teacher. If you are wondering why you did NOT qualify, please come to the counseling office. If you misplaced or never received a form, please come to the counseling office and we will give you a new one to fill out yourself. The first progress report of the semester has just come out, so counselors will be sending D and F letters home to parents. Parents be sure to check Jupiter grades to monitor your student’s progress. If you do not know how to sign in to Jupiter grades, feel free to call your counselor. We will help you with your login and password. Students, we have 12 weeks remaining until the end of the school year, and we have already started the 1st session of credit recovery. The next session will be after school and will start on March 6th. Counselors will be calling out students that need the credit recovery in order to meet the criteria to walk in the promotion ceremony. Finally, Spring Break will be our next break so be sure to have all assignments completed. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to visit our offices during nutrition break, lunch time, before or after school.
DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP ESSENTIALS
Writing research papers is a lot of hard work. Student who plagiarize (steal others ideas) have several of excuses for doing so, such as “I forgot to cite my sources” or “I needed to get a good grade”.
Did you know that not only do you need to cite books, but online resources such as photos, songs, charts, and videos as well?
The only time you don’t need to credit others is when the information is common knowledge, or something that everyone knows, such as: The White House is in Washington D. C.
The best way to avoid plagiarizing is to take good notes and write down your sources in a systematic way, including Author, Title, Date, Source, and page number.
When using a direct quotation remember to use quotes and cite the author, like this:
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” - Oscar Wilde
When paraphrasing, take the time to read, comprehend, synthesize and interpret material using your own words to express what you believe the author means. In this case you still need to acknowledge the original author or source using citation (This lets others know where the data came from). For example, when explaining the graph below, I might say: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price of gas per gallon in 2004 varied between $1.62 and $2.04, with June and October showing the highest prices over a 12 month period.
In addition to citation, one of the best ways to avoid plagiarism is to include a reference page or bibliography at the end of your paper. This can be done using an online tool such as EasyBib.
One thing I do when writing my papers is create the reference page right at the beginning, using a google document. Each time I read an article or use another media item, I add it to my list. It is so much easier than waiting until the paper is finished and going back to remember to do the reference page (especially if I have a lot of sources). Whatever works for you, stay organized and remember that your hard work and integrity is important now and throughout your school and work life.
Technology Corner
As we get ready for state testing it is important to make sure your iPad is fully updated, so you don’t run into any technology problems. To make sure your iPad is ready, do the following:
1. Update to iOS 10.2.
-Go to Settings
-Tap Software Update
-If there is an update install it
-You may need to do this again before the test so check back regularly
2. Download the AIRSecureTest app from the App Store.
-Go to the App Store
-Tap Purchased
- Find the AIRSecureTest app
-Tap Free to install
3. Make sure all the right profiles are installed.
-Go the app called LANrev Apps
-Tap Profiles
- If there is anything there tap install or update
Once you have completed these three things your iPad should be ready for testing. If you have any problems ask your advisory teacher for a pass to the Genius Bar in room 606 for help or come any day to the library from 7am - 8am for assistance.
Important Dates
02/21 - Middle School Success 101 Meeting - Mental Health
02/22 - ELAC Meeting and Coffee with the Principal
02/23 - School Site Council Meeting and DLI Parent Night
02/25 - Saturday Scholars and Credit Recovery Science 7/8 and Math
03/01 Spring Pictures 7th Grade
03/02 - Spring Pictures 8th Grade, Tri-M Performance, and College Making it Happen
03/04 - Math Field Day and Saturday Scholars and Credit Recovery Science 7/8 and Math
03/08 - Knowledge Bowl Competition at Granger Junior High
03/13 - 8th Grade Panoramic Picture and School Culture Committee Meeting
03/16 - School Site Council Meeting
Bonita Vista Middle 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