Hello Bonita Vista Middle School Community,

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful weekend! I wanted to remind everyone that we have a short 4-day week ahead. All students will be off from school this Friday, May 24th, and again on Monday, May 27th in Observance of our Federal Holiday, Memorial Day https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day: .

Students will return to school after a four-day weekend on Tuesday, May 28th.

With these remaining days of the school year, it's crucial for all students to make a strong academic push. Last week, our 8th graders and their parents were notified if their student was earning a D in any class(es) and therefore in danger of not being able to participate in promotion. This week, our counselors will send out notifications to any 7th graders in danger of failing any class(es). It's important to remember that any 7th grader who fails a class this semester will be automatically enrolled in Summer School.

We have 11 days left to make our last academic push of the school year. Let's finish strong, Crusaders!

Additionally, we are excited to have our Dual Immersion Program Student Led Conferences for 7th graders on Tuesday, May 21st, beginning at 4 pm in our school cafeteria, and for 8th graders on Wednesday, May 22nd at 4 pm in our school cafeteria. Please note that Student Led Conferences are only for students currently enrolled in our Dual Immersion Program at Bonita Vista Middle School. In the future, we will look to expand these opportunities to the rest of our students.

Let's have an awesome week, everyone! Please check out the wonderful pictures and videos below that exhibit and showcase our wonderful students in various academic contexts!

Thank you!

Dr. Salazar

Are you ready for an incredible opportunity to showcase your experience and elevate your voice as a student at Bonita Vista Middle School? Well, we have some exciting news for you! We're on the lookout for two outstanding student speakers to share their experiences at BVM. This is your chance to speak up and inspire your fellow students.

A huge shoutout to the 8th Grade Principal's Council and Mr. Bonilla for leading the charge to empower student voices! Now, here's the scoop: The selected students will have the honor of reading their speech at this year's promotion ceremony. So, if you're interested, here's what you need to do:

Prepare a 2-3 minute speech about how BVM has prepared you for high school, and make it count!

But, before you dive into it, here are some important criteria: 8th Grade students cannot have earned Ds or Fs in scholarship or citizenship in their last progress report, dated April 19, 2024.

If you meet the criteria and are interested in this amazing opportunity, please contact Mr. Bonilla at roberto.bonilla@sweetwaterschools.org

We'll select one student to speak at the first promotion ceremony (Last Names A - L) and another to speak at the second promotion ceremony (Last Names M - Z).

We're thrilled to give students more details about this exciting opportunity at the informational meeting. And guess what? This idea came from the 8th Grade Principal's Student Council, and Mr. Bonilla, our awesome assistant principal, took the initiative to make sure that this happens!

So, let's make this happen together and showcase the amazing experiences that BVM has to offer. We're excited for you to take the stage and share your stories!

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. Bade, Toney Mathis. If you know Toney you know a very dependable, smart young man. You can always count on Toney to support you. Toney will never disrespect or voice negative opinions in class. He is quiet and sharp! Toney has a lot of friends, and here is why: Toney is good and quiet and cool at the same time. There are 45 8th graders I would like to nominate for this award, but I chose Toney because today he is sitting there quietly, getting his assignment done. He has a silent half-smile on his face, and he needs to be appreciated. I appreciate you Toney Mathis! Let's go BVM!!!

Nominated by Ms. Kavouklis, Selah Cueva. Although Selah is newer to BVM, she has made herself an integral part of our class with her sense of personal ethics, her academic integrity, and the positive spirit she displays during her group work. We are glad to have her here at BVM!!! Let's go BVM!!!

Last Thursday, May 16th from 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm, we had the distinct pleasure of awarding our 8th grade academic standout students. Students were awarded "Top academic performing student" in the following departments: English, Social Science, Spanish, Math, Science, Robotics, Crusader Buddy Club, Physical Education, Advanced Choir, Band, VAPA, and Program Cover Art Award. In addition, all students on the Principal's Honor Roll (G.P.A. of 3.75 and above), and all students who achieved a 4.0 GPA in academics and citizenship were also given an award. Lastly, the two "Outstanding" students in 8th grade were given awards as well. It was a great night overall and we really enjoyed recognizing as many students as possible!

Over the weekend, students gathered at Montgomery High School for the Solar Sprint Competition! In the pictures above, you can see Keinaan Duarte Mendoza and Iker Esquivel entered the competition to represent Bonita Vista Middle School! We were excited for them to represent our school and we want to thank Mr. Galindo for helping us out as their Solar Sprint Advisor! Always a team player --thank you Mr. Galindo!

It was a bitter sweet moment last Friday, May 17th when our 23-24 Band performed together for the last time in front of their parents. They played many songs including the song they have been practicing all year long "Heartbreaker." We were also treated to the beautiful Luis Miguel song "Sabor a Mi." The Band concluded the evening with the BVM Fight Song as we start saying farewell to our 8th graders. We want to thank Mr. Bangle for the amazing band director that he has been for our school these past two years. Thank you so much Mr. Bangle!

Mr. Guerrero has his students out of the classroom last week in the elective course CTE Computer Gateway. Students are working on their robotics portion of the curriculum, while this week they will work on automation! Thank you Mr. Guerrero for doing such a fine job with our students! Thank you!

All students at Bonita Vista Middle School were treated to an awesome play "The Bald Truth" written and performed by our Drama class. You can see the participants mentioned by name above. The play took place in a school setting, the topic was bullying, and the theme or main point was about the importance of empathy and kindness--something we have stressed to our students all year long. Students found the play fun, funny, and engaging. We are super proud of our students and extremely grateful for Ms. Kavouklis who took on the responsibilities of being our Drama teacher this year. Thank you so much Ms. Kavouklis for creating such a wonderful platform for our students to express themselves!

Although no official pictures were captured, we had a great time last Friday, May 17th with our 8th graders in a friendly competition of 3 vs. 3. The 8th graders were a very tough match up, but the teachers led in large part by Coach Quijas and Mr. Salinas squeaked out a 2 point victory 13-11. Always fun having events that involved our students and staff and attract an audience of students. Let's go BVM!!!

Last Tuesday, we had the opportunity to award our most improved BVM Students with a small ceremony during lunchtime. Students improved a whole point in their GPA from 1 progress report to another. All in all, we had 12 students who received the award. We are proud of our Most Improved Students at BVM and know that they will continue to improve as we look to have a strong academic finish! Let's go BVM!!!

Back by popular demand, our ASB reinstated Friday Lunch Time activities. Our students were delighted and happy to have a little bit of fun at lunchtime, while also earning some candy for participating. As our latest Student Empathy Interviews suggested, students appreciate safe opportunities to connect with other students. We had a chance to see that on full display last Friday! Let's go BVM and thank you so much ASB for the important work that you do in helping to build a positive culture on our campus!

Below you will find valuable resources for our students and community, including our tutoring schedule!

Congratulations to Bonita Vista Middle School for meeting our 95% participation rate in CAASPP! Thank you Ms. Higareda, who was our assistant principal who coordinated these efforts! Our students were given a raffle ticket for attending school on the days that we administered our CAASPP Tests (whether students tested or not). Students then had an opportunity to enter an opportunity drawing and several students won some really cool prizes (donated by staff). Thank you to our awesome students, our wonderful CAASPP Test coordinator, and to our staff of course! Let's go BVM!!!

Hi,

How are you? I'm Dr. Virginia Hyannis Lee, DACM. I'd like to invite students at your school to check out UCLA's Integrative Medicine summer online class and UC Berkeley's Introduction to Integrative Health I & II classes. I'm also offering free webinars to those interested in pursuing a career in healthcare and/or wanting to boost their college applications while learning study skills.

I have a request. I'll be guest lecturing at UCLA's class and teaching at UC Berkeley's classes this summer. They're both completely online courses and are open to middle school and high school students. I was wondering if you could pass the info about my online courses to your students please? Perhaps some of your students may be interested. I'm passionate about teaching health and would love to inspire young minds. I'd greatly appreciate your help in disseminating these flyers.

These classes may be of particular interest to students who may be considering entering the healthcare profession in the future. It is specifically designed to provide students with the opportunity to learn and interact with subject matter that they might not otherwise experience in a regular school year classroom. The classes I teach at Berkeley have no graded homework assignments or exams. It is an excellent opportunity for students to investigate and learn something new, just for the sake of learning. All students will receive a certificate upon completion of this course, which they may share about on their college applications.

The UCLA course is really fun and includes many things about lifestyle medicine which will help alleviate the healthcare crisis. Lifestyle medicine will help people to live healthy lives by creating healthy lifestyle habits that contribute to wellness & longevity. The UCLA course is a great opportunity to learn about integrative medicine that is currently being practiced at major hospitals including Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and UCSF.

I've attached my free webinar flyer, the UCLA flyer, and UC Berkeley summer course link here.

Link to Introduction to Integrative Health Course I & II:
https://atdp.berkeley.edu/programs/ex/catalog/

If students have questions about UCLA's summer program, they could email YLing@mednet.ucla.edu.

If students have questions about the UC Berkeley program, they could email the Academic Talent Development Program at UC Berkeley via this email address: atdpoffice@berkeley.edu.

If students have any questions for me about any of the courses, they could reach me at hyannis@berkeley.edu.

Sincerely,
Virginia Hyannis Lee

National College Resources Foundation, producers of the Black College Expo, San Diego County Office of Education, and the Association of African American Educators invite San Diego Black High School Graduates to participate in our FREE Rites of Passage Celebration on Monday, June 3rd, 6 pm -8 pm at Bayview Baptist Church, in the MLK Center, Auditorium.

A Rite of Passage is defined as an African ritual or experience that marks a major milestone or change in a person’s life, and we want to celebrate the 2024 San Diego Black Graduates, both 8th grade and 12th grade. Each graduate 8th grade graduate will receive a Rites of Passage bracelet and each graduating senior will receive a Kente Cloth Sash that you can wear for graduation and other events and ceremonies in your life.

Rites of Passage ceremonies have one trait in common: They provide a social frame to ease an individual into a new stage without creating uneasiness or disruption. In a nutshell, they provide a way to make official an important change. And you are changing, transitioning, and transforming from one stage of your life to the next. Rites of passage foster a sense of renewal since they mark the beginning of a new phase in your life. They remind us that we are constantly evolving, and that life is a transformative journey. On the other hand, they also provide a sense of belonging, since a rite of passage is always performed by and for a community and that's why we want to celebrate you Monday, June 3rd, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm in African Tradition “A Rites of Passage”.

Please register today! It's Free! Refreshments will be served. Family members are invited. For any questions contact brittny@ncrfoundation.org.

Congratulations class of 2024. We are so proud of you.

Click HERE to register!

May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

At last month’s Board meeting, the trustees voted unanimously in support of Resolution 4892, designating May 2024 as AAPI Heritage Month.

What do Doja Cat, Stan Lee, Paula Abdul, Sue Bird, Soleil Moon Frye, Judy Blume, Drake, and Jonas Salk all have in common?

They all have Jewish roots!!!

May is Jewish-American Heritage Month.

Here are a few resources to help you unpack the complexities and intersectionality of the Jewish peoplehood, explore diversity within the American Jewish community and the beliefs and behaviors that unite Jewish people, and examine the ways in which Jewish people and Jewish values have shaped and been shaped by the America that millions of people call home.

General/resources Info:

https://www.jewishheritagemonth.gov/

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/50-most-influential-american-jews

https://thinktv.org/10-jewish-americans-who-changed-history/

We are Asian American Jews (since we also share this month with Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month):

https://www.weareasianjews.org/

A History of Jews in Hawaii

https://www.shaloha.com/a-history-of-jews-in-hawaii.html

Hispanic and Jewish

https://jewtina.org/voces-project

The Jews of Color Initiative’s mission is to advance racial equity in the U.S. Jewish community by centering the leadership of Jews of Color and ensuring that our communities and institutions reflect the multiracial reality of the Jewish people.

https://jewsofcolorinitiative.org/who-we-are/

Significant Upcoming Jewish Holidays:

Yom Hashoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day

Date: Sun, May 5, 2024 – Mon, May 6, 2024

Southwestern College Y.E.S. Academy is now open for registration for summer 2024! Attached is our class schedule, full of fun and enriching activities, with a majority of the classes taught by our current college faculty. Also attached is a flyer for all Summer Camp Activities at Southwestern College.

Parents and guardians, remember an enriched summer experience can make a huge difference in your student's sense of self, confidence, and overall growth! Check out the offerings below!

Summer school will run from June 10 - June 28 this year. Students eligible for summer school will be contacted by their counselors to sign up for summer school. Essentially, students who have failed either an English, Math, Science, or Social Science class will have to make up the lost credit during the summer. Mr. Bonilla will be the Bonita Vista Middle Summer School Principal for 2024. Please make sure to contact him or our counseling department for any questions (Roberto.bonilla@sweetwaterschools.org or Veronica.sandoval@sweetwaterschools.org).

As we begin to plan for our summer school programs, we will be putting out more information. For now, please save the date below if you anticipate that your student will be enrolling in summer school.

• 8:00 am - 10:30 am --First Block
• 10:30 am - 11:00 am --Nutrition Break/Passing Period
• 11:00 am - 1:30 pm --Second Block

BVM Current 8th Grade Students:

To sign up for the IM I acceleration course for summer school please contact Nicoleta.Bogart@sweetwaterschools.org at Bonita Vista High School. This course is intended for current 8th grade students enrolled in IM8, have earned an A in the class, and feel that they can take IM I over the summer in order to take IM II in 9th grade and place them on track for AP Calculus in their Senior Year.

Again, this course if offered to students who will be able to take IM II in 9th grade, and to place them on track for AP Calculus in their senior year.

Before deciding interested 8th grade students or parents of 8th grade students, first consult with your student's current math teacher at BVM.

Thank you,

Dr. Salazar

Mr. Kumabe, our awesome 8th Grade Science Teacher was elected by his colleagues as the Certificated Employee of the Month for the month of May! Mr. Kumabe is consistent in maintain high academic expectations for all his students! He ensures that students get the most of their time with him! Mr. Kumabe puts learning first above everything else and his students, historically, have always performed well on Science State Testing. We will miss Mr. Kumabe as he will be leaving us at the end of the school year. BVM appreciates you, Mr. Kumabe! You will be sorely missed!

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