Good morning, BVM Community!

I hope you are enjoying the cooler fall weather this weekend. As we enter November, our IB Profile focus will be “Balanced.” Emphasizing Balance is particularly important as we approach a season that can bring increased stress and anxiety, especially with all the planning for the busy holiday season. In our Balanced community, we strive to understand the significance of balancing various aspects of our lives—intellectual, physical, and emotional—to promote well-being for ourselves and our children. As we make our final push this semester, let’s commit to emphasizing Balance in our work with staff and students, and I encourage you to adopt the same approach at home.

**Intellectual Aspect:**

With only six weeks remaining in our semester, I would like us to focus on three key time frames: the next three weeks (November 4 - 22), the two weeks following Thanksgiving Break (December 2 - 13), and Finals week (December 16 - 20). These upcoming weeks are crucial for academic improvement before the Thanksgiving Break. We have added additional tutoring opportunities after school, including Science tutoring with Ms. Ehrig from Monday to Thursday in room 608. Please take a moment to review our updated tutoring schedule below. Attendance during these next three weeks is vital, so please ensure your student is present at school every day. Now that we have published our 2nd Progress Report, I encourage you to sit down with your child to review areas where they may need improvement and ensure they take advantage of the tutoring sessions available until Thanksgiving Break (November 25 - 29). Remember, you can assign your child to attend tutoring from home; just let us know, and we will ensure they are there. Our goal is to help all students avoid receiving Ds or Fs by the end of the semester!

**Physical Aspect:**

As Fall Sports wrap up, we transition into Winter Sports: Boys and Girls Soccer and Girls Field Hockey. Students interested in trying out for these sports must complete the clearance process through the "Home Campus" website. Instructions are attached for your convenience, and please remember that students must be cleared before participating in tryouts. Tryout schedules will be emailed soon. For additional questions regarding Winter Sports, feel free to email our athletic director, Coach Quijas, at Ivan.quijas@sweetwaterschools.org. For students not participating in Winter Sports, we also offer lunchtime intramural sports (with Softball next) and opportunities for free play in our basketball courts and field areas. PE classes are an excellent way to encourage physical activity during the school day, and a leisurely walk around your neighborhood after dinner can also help maintain a good balance in your child’s life.

**Emotional Aspect:**

This week, we invite you to participate in our Family Circles on Thursday, November 21st (initially schedled for Nov. 7), from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. A light dinner and refreshments will be provided. These Family Circles, organized in partnership with Wishwell, will focus on building trust with your child and fostering a closer relationship as they navigate middle school. These workshops are free for all our families, so please join us! Don’t forget to sign up here

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxH9o6MjcwKWycIqOGf5i-BntHnGL_q2MNzR2ZKuJbHYdgng/viewform.

If you can’t make it to the Thursday, November 21st Family Circle, remember to carve out time at home to meet your student’s emotional needs. Simple actions, like listening to your child during pick-up, engaging in meaningful conversations at dinner, or having a calming chat before bedtime, can make a significant difference in your student's emotional wellbeing.

As we enter November, let’s make our IB Profile emphasis on Balance a priority—something we can all benefit from and work on together! Let’s make it an amazing week, BVM Community!

Sincerely,

Alex Salazar

BVM families,
Those interested in trying out for boys soccer, girls’ soccer, or girls Field Hockey must first complete the clearance process through the "Home Campus" website. Instructions are attached. You must be cleared before you can tryout. Get cleared before it's too late. Let's go Crusaders! Please click on the link below.

Parents and guardians, to report a student absence, please make sure to fill out the following form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScLJrFXTi9s9G9nIzEOJSMEn2NeMLbDqMYUseHAKr5YRwJmYQ/viewform.

For any absences extending to 5 or more school days, please contact Ana.Monge@sweetwaterschools.org, our Attendance Coordinator, to complete an short-term independence study contract.

Please contact Ms. Rubi.deleon@sweetwaterschools.org, our attendance technician, to report any attendance errors.

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 or video if possible).

Nominated by Ms. Mickschl, Brett Bringley. Brett Bringley did a great job presenting her Superhero Project in her Accelerated English 7 Class. Not only did her presentation look stellar, but she also demonstrated great oral presentation skills by having her presentation memorized, giving the class eye contact trhoughout the class, using academic language, and speaking clearly and loudly. Brett's professionalism stood out in a class of high achievers. This should be celebrated for sure! Congrats Brett!!! #IBProfile#Communicators#IBCandidateSchool#BVM

Nominated by Ms. Ramirez, Kota Imamasa. Kota has exemplified all of the qualities of a hard working student. He has shown incredible dedication toward being successful in Accelerated English class. He has also shown resilience to overcoming a challenging curriculum by never giving up. His effort and devotion to his studies is impressive, and qualities that all students should aspire to achieve. Keep up the good work Kota!!! Let's go BVM!!!

A tradition from the past (1990s) brought back to BVM--The Pumpkin Decorating Contest! Mr. Mike Gailband, teacher at BVM in the 1990s, has come back to help me assist with our Builders Club of Bonita Vista Middle School. Mr. Gailband shared this idea with our Builders Club (we meet every Wednesday from 3:15 pm - 4:15 pm in room 201) as a fundraising idea. Our Builders Club, loved the idea and did an amazing job executing this event.

Students, Staff, and Community came together to not only show off their creative abilities and decorate the donated pumpkins (thank you Mr. Gailband), but we also managed to raise $840.05 for the Youth Assistance Coalition https://www.yacsd.org/. Our club will meet this Wednesday to determine how we will present the check to this organization who works with youth experiencing homelessness. Thank you to Mr. Gailband again for this wonderful idea, and thank you to our Builders Club for doing such an amazing job this past week! Let's go BVM!!! #Service-Orientation

The softball unit continued on Friday as students worked on team work, hand and eye coordination and other cooperation skills during PE. Please check out the videos above to see how our teachers structure this activity for our students.

On Thursday, October 31, 2024, all 7th Grade English classes attended a story telling event in our cafeteria. Emily Stamets: Storyteller and Teaching Artist from the CA Thespian Board and David Schmidt: author of The Proctor Valley Monster (and other Chula Vista Legends) were present to share stories with our 7th grade students.

This event, aligned with our 7th-Grade curriculum of studying narrative techniques. Please ask your students (7th grade parents) about their experience with our guest speakers this past Thursday, October 31st. We hope all our students enjoyed the story telling while also reinforcing the learning in their current unit of study --Studying Narrative Techniques. Thank you to Ms. Kavouklis and our former principal, Ms. Teresa Kramer for making this happen for our school!

Next time you are in our main office, take a quick moment to check out our timeline project put on by our advanced art students in Mr. Sias' class. Students put up their final project this past week! It will be on full display during November! Let's go BVM!!!

Thank you to Mr. Romero, Elizabeth Burgos, and Gianni Tomiatti who participated in the Southbay Pumpkin Smash event this past Saturday at Montgomery Middle School. Students launched pumpkins as they worked with their respective Trebuchets! Our students had a great time at the event and we thank them for representing our school. As a matter of fact, BVM placed 1st in the middle school division!!! Here were the final results:

Division 1 (High School):

1. Sweetwater High School

2. Southwest High School

Division 2 (Middle School):

1. Bonita Vista Middle School

2. Launch Virtual Academy

3. Castle Park Middle School Team 1

4. Castle Park Middle School Team 2

5. Montgomery Middle School

Division 3 (Elementary School):

1. Liberty Elementary Team 1

2. Allen Elementary Team 3

3. Liberty Elementary Team 2

4. Allen Elementary Team 2

5. Allen Elementary Team 1

Congratulations to all teams who participated!

Character building is embedded in an IB education. We want our students to learn and embody 10 Learner Profiles (See attachment below). Our Fourth Learner Profile: BALANCED: We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives— intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve well-being for ourselves and others.

Focusing on the intellectual, physical and emotional in order to achieve well being for themselves and others. We would like for our students to recognize their interdependence with other people and with the world in which they live

You can email me pictures and stories of how your student has exemplified being BALANCED if you'd like your student to be featured in our weekly newsletter: alexander.salazar-arbelaez@sweetwaterschools.org.

IB Learner Profile Balanced: We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives— intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependencewith other people and with the world in which we live.

Let's celebrate Ms. Veronica Sandoval for her outstanding leadership in our counseling department at Bonita Vista Middle School. As our head counselor, she has played a pivotal role in introducing Social Emotional Lessons on Anti-Bullying, Empathy, and Acts of Kindness to all our students. Ms. Sandoval's hard work and dedication have made her one of the strongest pillars of our leadership team, and we are grateful for her unwavering support for both our students and staff. Let's keep shining, BVM!

I wanted to take a moment to share an insightful article I came across during last Friday's football game between Bonita Vista High School and Hilltop High School. I had the pleasure of reconnecting with a former colleague who shared a piece that really resonated with me, especially as I reflected on my experiences here at Bonita Vista Middle School over the past three years.

The article, "A Parent's Guide to Surviving Middle School" by Russell Shaw, Head of School at Georgetown Day School, addresses both the challenges and exciting moments that come with this pivotal time in our children’s lives. While it's directed towards parents, I found it immensely supportive and thought it would be beneficial for our community as well.

Here are 10 practical tips highlighted in the article:

1. There's No Such Thing as Normal

2. Don't Get on the Roller Coaster

3. Anchor with Routines

4. Remember That They are Watching You

5. Challenge the "Everyone Else" Myth

6. More Limits Online, More Freedom IRL

7. Don't Interview for Pain

8. Befriend Your School

9. Don't Go It Alone

10. Enjoy Your Middle Schooler

I highly encourage you to take a moment to read this article (click on the button above). I believe it can provide valuable insights and reflections as we navigate this important time alongside our children.

Warm regards,

Alex Salazar

WishWell presents Family Circles at Bonita Vista Middle School—an innovative series of workshops designed to enhance trust, connection, and communication between parents and children. Please join us for our upcoming workshop Thursday, November 21st from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm. Families will be treated to Pizza for Dinner while they enjoyed having a space, time, and a facilitator work with them and their student on buidling trust and growing closer with your child(ren).

Make sure to sign up for our up and coming workshops! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxH9o6MjcwKWycIqOGf5i-BntHnGL_q2MNzR2ZKuJbHYdgng/viewform.

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