Crusader Times

Hello Parents,

It seems hard to believe we only have five more weeks of school. This semester has been full of excitement. Last week we had our first annual Carnival Craze. It was a fantastic event with great turnout. We were very happy to see parents, staff, students, and community members having fun and enjoying the performances. We also want to make sure all our student succeed academically and are ready for next year. Students should be making sure they turn in all work, preparing for finals, and complete all projects. Remember, we only have a few weeks left. Let’s enjoy the last few weeks!

Eduardo Reyes, Ed.D.

Beginning on April 15th, students may not use their cell phones at any time during the school day. If a student needs to make an emergency call to their parents, they may come to the main office to use the office phone. If a student is observed using their cell phone during the school day, staff has been instructed to take the phone and bring the phone to the main office. Cell phones will be only be returned to parents not to students during the office hours of 7:30am-3:30pm. If you have any questions regarding this policy feel free to contact the school at (619) 397-2200.

Please do not utilize the church and Bonita View Plaza Parking lots to drop off or pick up students before or after school. Both parking lots are private property and the Chula Vista Police Department have been patrolling and ticketing those cars who utilize those parking lots for student pick up and drop off. Thank you for supporting our school and helping us promote student safety!

On February 5th and 6th, students attended a School Culture Assembly by ithinkbig.org where they were encouraged to think “bigger”, and to think “deeper” with their lives. They shared the importance of bringing each other up instead of putting one another down. The presenters explained that no one will never be perfect, but they can be remarkable if they choose to be. The assembly utilized dance, stomp, drama, music, student interaction, personal stories, and life-changing illustrations to engage students in an experience that will impact their lives forever.

Thank you to all the students who ran for an ASB officer and commissioner position for the 2016-17. There were many strong candidates who took the time and effort in completing an application, interview, and going through the campaign process. Your efforts were noticed and greatly appreciated. It is my honor to present to you the ASB for 2016-17:

ASB President: Faith Talamantez

ASB Vice President: Madison Bianes

ASB Secretary: Bella Maltoral

ASB Treasurer: Madeline Minutelli

ASB Commissioners: Sabrina Cruz, Rachel Cepe, Hannah Cancel, Sienna Chavez, Nathan Mitchell, Ali Cabal, Hunter Gregorio, Bryanna Schaffer, Amari Adrianzen, Edelina Bagaporo, Alan Casiano, Sophia Hernandez, Gabriel Gerkin, Dara Torres, Darrius Montefalcon, Ally Guerra, Frida Rodriguez, Samuel Elliot, and Alyza Eckhardt

Congratulations Crusaders! We look forward to an great 2016-17 school year! :)

Our first annual Carnival Craze took place on Friday, April 22nd and it was a huge success! We had a variety of student groups show off their talent to their community like color guard, guitar, and mariachi. We had great music and truly enjoyed seeing staff and students alike hit the dance floor for some line dancing. Thank you to all who came out and supported our school!

Our moderate to severe program made a delicious healthy fruit salad on Saint Patrick’s Day. Students each brought in one fruit and put them all together to enjoy a yummy fruit salad recipe!

Every Monday the students look through cookbooks and decide on a recipe to make on cooking day. They enjoy eating a lunch they make together in their kitchen every Thursday at BVM!

This month The Pacific View Academy class went to Pump it up for our community outing. It was a lot of fun and a great time to get our jumping and climbing in and some great exercise. We also colored eggs before spring break and the sneaky Leprechauns came to our room for St Patrick’s day and left a mess.

Mrs. Leonhardt's English Language Arts classes and GLEE Club sent Postcards to motivate Ellie Walton to continue fighting Cancer. Ellie was diagnosed at 4 months with a brain tumor, she’s undergone 17 surgeries, seven rounds of chemo, and radiation. She is now 3, and still fighting! Ellie is currently receiving treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital. She’s too sick to travel and her one wish is to receive postcards from all over the world. BVM students sent Ellie Postcards from California Theme Parks and inspirational thoughts for Ellie to “BEAT CANCER.” Her story touched our heart.

BVM students attended a Library Celebration event on Wed. 4/27 during lunch and advisory in the library. All students were invited but needed to sign up in advance to attend. Students enjoyed a pizza lunch and received a free book. Ms. Lowe, the librarian from Bonita Sunnyside library, told the group about all the programs and opportunities available to our students at the public library. Reading and literacy are very much alive at Bonita Vista Middle. Read, Crusaders, Read!

BVM student, Olivia Huey’s self-portrait won Principal’s Choice award and Sky Masangkay’s self-portrait won both a Teacher’s Choice award and an Emeritus award for outstanding student artwork at the District Art Show. Both students were given the prompt of drawing a place that they would want to visit for their artwork. Sky selected the Northern Lights and Olivia chose the Golden Gate Bridge which are places that the girls would each love to visit one day in the future. They both took about 3-6 hours to complete their respective artwork and both have loved producing art for as long as they can remember. Great job girls!

All of our seventh grade students received the opportunity to dissect mackerel to learn about their internal systems and discover what may have caused their mysterious death. They were informed that the fish off the California coast are all dying and that it was up to them, a fish scientist, to help save them! Our Jr. Ichthyologists learned about the importance of protecting whole ecosystems, studying causes of population die offs, and why science is really important for meeting human needs. All of the students were extremely engaged and enjoyed the experience to the fullest!

We have a Read to Succeed Achieve 3000 Contest winner! From all the classes in our school who completed Achieve 3000 lessons over the contest period, the students that completed the most was Ms. Heredia’s second period 8th grade English class for a second time in a row! It's proven that the more Achieve 3000 lessons students complete, the greater their reading gains. In recognition of this accomplishment, they've awarded their class a gift card to use for a classroom celebration. Congratulations to Ms. Heredia’s second period! Keep up the good work!

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

A driver that texts or uses a hand-held cell phone can cause a crash that leads to serious injuries or even death.

All month long, the Sheriff's Department will conduct increased patrols for distracted drivers. We will also join other law enforcement agencies across California on April 7th and April 20th for special "distracted driving" enforcement patrols.

"Texting and driving is dangerous and against the law," said Sheriff Bill Gore. "Our deputies are always on the lookout for distracted drivers. Remember: U Drive, U Text, U Pay."

Sheriff's Deputies issued nearly 3,000 citations to drivers who were caught using their cell phones in 2015. If you are caught violating California's cell phone laws, you will be cited and face a minimum fine of $161 with subsequent violations being higher.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports more than 3,100 people were killed in crashes caused by distracted driving in 2014 in the U.S. That accounted for 10 percent of all crash fatalities.

Watch a public safety video on the dangers of distracted driving by following the Sheriff's Department on VIMEO: http://goo.gl/DcguzF.

New teenage drivers can learn all about responsible driving by taking a "Start Smart" class. The two-hour class teaches teens all about driver safety, including not texting and driving.

To learn more about the "Start Smart" program, go to: http://www.sdsheriff.net/startsmart.

Funding for the distracted driving patrols is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

For full details, view this message on the web.

This month we would like to recognize our amazing and dedicated science teacher and Blended Learning Specialist, Brian Dougherty, who continuously goes above and beyond what is expected of him. As our Blended Learning Specialist, he constantly helps teachers with their technology needs and plays a major role in ensuring that our technology is working properly. He is also the advisor for our Genius Bar and Robotics Club. Thank you for all that you do!

Calling on all parent volunteers! We are in need of parent volunteers to assist with our student crossing before and after school. If you are available and willing to help, please contact Ms. Amador at (619) 397-2212.

Appropriate Reasons to Come to the Health Office

Quite often students will come to the health office for issues that could be postponed until nutrition break, lunch period, or after school. When a student comes to the health office during instructional time, the learning process is interrupted, and students miss out on the opportunity to learn. Students should only come to see the nurse during classroom time for health issues such as fever, vomiting, severe nausea, physical injury, nosebleed, a preexisting medical condition which requires assessment by the nurse, such as asthma, diabetes, previous trauma (concussion reassessment, assessment for pain medication, wound care), or any instance where the student has a medical condition that requires attention from the nurse.

Many students continue to come to the health office with headaches and stomach aches because they are skipping breakfast or lunch and not drinking enough fluids; these types of visits can be avoided by eating regular meals and keeping hydrated throughout the day. Proper planning will allow students to eat breakfast before coming to school, and have time to prepare a lunch or make arrangements to buy a lunch, so that the noontime meal is not missed. The main goal for all our students is to keep them healthy and present in the classroom, so that learning can take place.

Christi Stoddard, RN, BSN

It’s almost the end of the school year, strive to give it 100% effort to complete your assignments, study for tests and Finals to meet the Promotion Ceremony Requirements. Follow through with attending AEC, Saturday Scholars, and Voluntary Tutoring to raise your grades before June 3 semester 2 Report Card.

Brainpop is a new resource that all students and teachers at BVM now have access to. Brainpop is a collection of short, fun animated clips about a wide variety of topics in all subject areas. These clips breakdown complicated topics into their essential components giving you a great introduction to the topic or provide a review of the things you have learning in class. The clips are educational and engaging as well as entertaining. While the animated educational clips are the core of Brainpop, there is a lot more to do at the site. There are quizzes you can take to challenge yourself or review and activities to let you explore the topic . There are even games that help you learn while gaming which you can access using a computer. I highly recommend the game ‘Executive Command’ where you get to see what it’s like to be the President of the United States! To access all of this great content at home or at school use the following in formation to log in. Try it today!

Username: bvm

Password: crusader

05/05 - Spring Dance

05/13 - DLI 8th Grade Ceremony

05/16 - DLI Fieldtrip to the San Diego Museum of Art

05/18 - ELAC Meeting

05/20 - 05/24 - 8th Grade EOC Finals

05/20 - Band Spring Concert at Chula Vista High School

05/26 - Yearbook Distribution

05/27 - 8th Grade Party

05/31 - 06/02 - 7th Grade EOC Finals

05/31 - 8th Grade Awards Presentation

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