Patriot Press

Greetings Poynter Families,

Can you believe there are only two weeks left of summer break for students? We are getting ready to welcome them back! Now is a good time to help students transition back into school-like routines. One of those routines I wanted to take a minute to talk about is the use of cell phones.

At Poynter, students are expected to keep personal electronics stored in their lockers from the beginning of the day to the end. If students need to contact families, they can do so in the office. There are several reasons for this. First and foremost, we care about your kids and want to keep them safe. Unfortunately, students sometimes use cell phones in ways that hurt one another. In addition to this, a growing amount of research is showing that smartphones are impeding learning. The National Institute of Health showed that children that look at a screen for more than two hours per day got lower scores on thinking and Language tests. Research from the University of Texas potentially showed that just having your cell phone with you lowered brain power.

Please know that I'm not questioning any decisions families are making. My son has a cell phone and he's going into the 7th grade. Our cell phone policy is all about supporting your students safety and learning. Of course, there are going to be exceptions to this rule for medical reasons. If you feel this is the case for your child, let us know.

Go Patriots!

Jeremy Corwin

Principal

8/28 - Poynter Community Night and Family Connections

9/4 - First Day For 7th Graders

9/5 - All Students Attend (First day for 8th Graders)

9/30 - No School (Staff Development Day)

There was a technical glitch and last week's newsletter did not go out to 7th grade families. If you didn't get a chance to read it, you can find it here.

In the first few weeks of school, students will be receiving new Chromebooks for the year. This provides a great resource for student learning.

Please have a conversation with your child about the importance of taking care of these devices. While we are able to repair some types of damage, other damage will require the replacement of the device at the family's expense. Here are the fees that can be incurred through damage:

If it can be repaired:

• 1st & 2nd Repair: $0 (as long as it doesn't have to be replaced)
• 3rd Repair (or after replacement): $75
• 4th+ Repair: $150

If it is lost or damage is unrepairable:

• 1st Replacement: $200
• Additional Replacements: $400
• Charger Replacement: $20

Please review this list to make sure students have needed supplies. Some classes may have specific needs, but having these supplies on the first day would be a good first step. Every student will need a binder, notebook paper, and pencils. The 4 core classes typically require a spiral, college-ruled notebook.

The Hillsboro Schools Foundation is running a fundraiser to help secure supplies for students in need. If you find yourself in a position that you can help, please consider donating here.

Thank you Hillsboro Schools Foundation for supporting our students!

On August 28, teachers will be reaching out to their advisory students' families to welcome them to Poynter.

That night, at 5:00pm, we invite you to visit us at Poynter to learn about our community, pick up schedules, and meet your students' teachers. Please accompany your student on this evening. We'll see you there!

We will be welcoming our 7th graders to the Poynter community on Wednesday. This is a day for 7th graders to get accustomed to our school before everyone is here. Because it is a Wednesday, our day starts at 9:16.

For families of students taking band, read the newsletter here.

Liberty's home football games are coming up and we want to make sure they are fun and safe for everyone to enjoy. To help ensure that, middle school students will need to be accompanied by an adult and need to be seated in the stands most of the time. Also, please keep the following at home:

• Backpacks
• Outside food & drink
• Bikes, skateboards, & scooters

For more information, please look here.