MPVA Weekly Update

Dear Parents and Students,

First, a huge thank you to our PTO and to everyone, parents, students, and staff, that made National Principal Day last week a special one. I truly believe in the power of education to change lives and lift people up. The work is often very difficult, however it is truly rewarding work when you see your students growing and feel your school community also engaged in the work. Parents are partners in public education and I feel truly fortunate to have some of the very best around.

Second, a huge thanks in advance for all of the treats and love that will be shared with the staff this week in recognition of Teacher Appreciation Week. Our teaching staff has been working hard all year and this show of support will go a long way in helping teachers make that final push towards the end of the school year and finish strong.

Finally, we will administer end of the year MAP testing on May 28, 29, and 30. I thank you in advance for continuing to encourage our students to do their best up until the last day of school and also end the school year on a high note!

Respectfully,

Mr. Sarabia

Academics are the mind of our school. Athletics are the heart of our school. Arts are the soul of our school. #WeAreMPVA

Our final Coffee With the Principal will be Monday, May 6th at 8:30am. These have been such a great opportunity this year - come ask any questions you have and hear about what's going on at MPVA from our wonderful principal, Mr. Sarabia.

Please cast your vote for Fan Favorite Educator of the Year! Voting is open Monday, May 6, through Sunday, May 12. Winners will be announced at the Educators of the Year celebration on Friday, May 17. Click here to cast your vote for MPVA Teacher of the Year, Mr. Courtney Adams!

Attached below are MPVA Traffic Maps (English and Spanish) to help you navigate parking and traffic around our school. This year we have had two accidents involving MPVA students and cars. That is two students too many.

One of the accidents happened at the corner of Manhattan and Wigton and the other at the intersection between Manhattan and Willowbend.

Please help us keep all our students safe by following all posted signage around our school and using the attached maps to guide you with parking options.

We have been actively seeking Crossing Guard help since the Fall and were able to acquire help in the afternoon at the corner of Manhattan and Wigton. I also want to thank PTO member, Mr. LeBlanc, who has been helping us at that intersection all year during the morning and afternoon commutes. Some who have seen him day in and day out may think he works for HISD, however, he does this voluntarily and his help has been invaluable. Please let me know if we have any other parents who would like to help.

Finally, I want to caution parents against asking their children to meet them on the other side of Willowbend. That is a high-traffic and high-speed intersection. Finding areas within the neighborhood to designate as a pickup spot makes more sense. Many parents do this and it works.

Thank you all in advance for helping us take care of our students. #ItTakesAVillage.

Attendance appeal hours were due on March 22, 2024. Students who have not completed their recovery time are encouraged to continue until all hours are completed.

We are in the process of notifying students who have recovery time during the second semester of school.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact D.Bolden (Counselor), K.Moody (Counselor), B. Perez (Wraparound Specialist), and Silva Alvarado (Attendance Clerk).

Respectfully,

The Attendance Committee

Attendance Recovery Tutorials are now available for students who need to recover attendance hours. Attendance Recovery will be held every Wednesday in May in the school library from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Two Saturday dates are available, May 4th and May 11th, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This is a significant opportunity for them to catch up on any attendance recovery hours and improve their academic standing.

The Princess Ball is coming soon! Please contact Ms. M. Jordan, marsita.jordan@houstonisd.org, or Ms. Perez-Williams, Brittany.WilliamsPerez@houstonisd.org, with any questions or contributions!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I am thrilled to announce that I will be hosting an informational meeting for EF Tours Japan Summer 2025. The meeting will take place on Thursday, May 23rd, 2024, at 6:00 pm in the library. During this session, we will discuss the exciting itinerary, travel logistics, how to earn high school or college credit, affordable payment options, and the enrollment process for the trip.

I am looking forward to seeing you there! Please RSVP for the meeting by clicking on the following link: https://bit.ly/3Urt5qE.

If you have any questions or need further information, feel free to reach out to me via email at dbeaubru@houstonisd.org.

Thank you for your attention, and I appreciate your continued support.

Warm regards,

Derilia Beaubrun

Dear Greyhound Family!

I wanted to share with you a personal invitation to the third annual Teacher Advisory Group pop-up exhibition, State of Disruption. The opening celebration will be on Friday, May 10, from 6-8PM at POST Houston in the X-Atrium space. There will be snacks, a student DJ, and incredible work from teachers and students from 15 different schools. Meyerland students included in this exhibition will be:

Eliana Gottlieb, Loren Pryor, Story Slaven, Brenley Corbins, Abigail Barr, Elissa Alvarez, Genesis Mendoza Salguero, Quinn McCormack, Louisa Picard, Cayden Berry, Dulce Revolorio Rodriguez, Liliana Tezeno, Emma Williams

You must RSVP at this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tag-pop-up-public-opening-state-of-disruption-tickets-880950315107?aff=oddtdtcreator

The exhibition will be on view May 11-26. If you would like to know more, please check out the following link. https://camh.org/event/state-of-disruption/

Mr. Courtney Adams

Broadcast journalism and communication application students were involved in recording a radio show with KPFT 90.1. Each student scripted and presented their stories in class before being selected to share their story on the radio.

Names of Students: Sophia Sorena, Ella Wolf, Louisa Picard, Grace Jennings Mesler, Christopher Crear, Sasha Solomon and Brynn Cabe.

The show, So What’s Your Story? will air on KPFT 90.1 at 6pm on Wednesday, May 1st 2024.

We cant wait to hear our Greyhounds on the radio!!!

Congratulations to the Meyerland Greyhound D3 Baseball Team on a great season and a 2nd place finish in the tournament.

Are you in need of any non-academic supports for you and your family? Look no further, Ms. Perez-Williams has your back. Wraparound Services includes, but is not limited to: food, clothing, shoes, housing support, mental health support, etc. Please fill out a SAF (Student Assistance Form) for assistance at: https://www.houstonisdsaf.com and our Wraparound Specialist will reach out to you for further information. Thank you have a great week!

All 8th graders are invited to have fun and make memories this Friday in the cafeteria. There is no cost to attend the dance - the PTO has been taking donations to cover the meal, DJ, Photo Booth, decor, etc, as well as the field trip and other fun events. If you're an 8th grade family and have not yet made your donation to fund end of year celebrations, online donations to 8th Grade Events can be made through the PTO's website at https://mpva.membershiptoolkit.com/class-of-2024. Suggested donation is $100 per student, but you are welcome to pay what you can or throw in extra to help fellow Greyhounds. If you need to sign a permission slip or access 8th grade paperwork, they can be found here: https://www.houstonisd.org/domain/55929

8th GRADE CELEBRATIONS

Let's celebrate these kids! There have been a couple of event changes due to new testing dates, so check out the new calendar. We'll need decorators, chaperones, and clean-up crew for the Sneaker Ball on May 10th, line helpers on Ice Cream Truck day, and a crew to help set up and serve a Grab & Go Breakfast on the last day of school. For the kids' sake, we ask that only 6th and 7th grade parents chaperone the dance - 8th graders don't want their parents around snapping pictures! We'll also need VIPS-approved volunteers to chaperone the field trip to Andretti Karting & Games, but those will need to be requested with Mr. Lopez, the 8th Grade dean. Aaron.lopez@houstonisd.org

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0A4CAFAF2CA6FD0-48931887-2024#/

With end of year events/parties/field trips/teacher appreciation/etc coming up, we want to be sure everyone who wants to help is VIPS approved! Sign up here: https://www.houstonisd.org/VIPS#calendar347170/20221108/month

It’s time for a Spirit Day on Wheels with Chicken Salad Chick! Parents, teachers, staff, family, and friends - order your choice of 1 pound tubs of chicken salad, egg salad, pimento cheese, large sides like broccoli salad, pasta salad, grape salad, mac 'n cheese, and fresh fruit, as well as croissants and treats. Order here: https://forms.gle/ePDT3Nn1YHimaWTAA by Tuesday, 5/7, at 10 am.

Chicken Salad Chick will call to collect payment. 20% of sales will be donated to the Meyerland PVA MS PTO. Pick up your order Wednesday, 5/8/2024, from 5:30-5:45 pm in the Meyerland PVA MS parking lot off of Manhattan Drive.

RAISE YOUR HAND!

Information about positions available on the MPVA PTO board and committee roster will be coming out shortly, so be sure you're registered in toolkit and are following the Meyerland Performing And Visual Arts Middle School Parent Group on Facebook (we win longest group name EVER :P).

Those MPVA sweatshirts and fleece jackets are awesome for cool mornings and cool classrooms! Need any extra? Anything purchased from the MPVA PTO SCHOOL STORE is delivered during SPARK on the following Monday: https://mpva.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/7241

Registration for Morning and After-Care for the 2023-2024 school year can be found at https://mpva.membershiptoolkit.com/aftercare-2023-page1. Once all fees and four (4) registration documents are received and processed, a confirmation email with QR and Remind app codes are sent out. Students cannot be accepted to care without these.

This year’s rate is a $180 flat fee per month that includes both morning and after care (there is no a la carte pricing), there is a $75 registration fee, and a $75 drop in rate (after the third drop in the account will automatically convert to monthly). Questions about the program may be directed totreasurer@mpvapto.com.

Join the PTO

Register to be a member of the PTO (it’s free) to get official parent communication and buy uniforms via the school store at: https://MPVA.membershiptoolkit.com

Follow the PTO

Subscribe to emails here: mpva.membershiptoolkit.com

Facebook: Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School PTO

Instagram: @mpvapto

Twitter: PTO of MPVA Middle School

Register to be a member of the PTO (it’s free) to get official parent communication and buy uniforms via the school store at: https://MPVA.membershiptoolkit.com

This Week

Monday, May 6th (Grey)

• MPVA PTO Coffee with the Principal @ 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
• Theatre Rehearsal @ 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
• Intermediate 2 Theatre Rehearsal @ 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Tuesday, May 7th (Purple)

• MPVA Dance Studio Series @ 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
• Theatre Performance ( Intermediate 2) @ 6:30 - 8:00 PM

Wednesday, May 8th (Grey)

• MPVA Dance Studio Series @ 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Thursday, May 9th (Purple)

• MPVA Dance Studio Series @ 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
• MPVA PTO Spirit Night : Chicken Salad Chick Drive - Thru pick up @ MPVA @ 5:30 PM - 5:45 PM
• Kickstart Spring Belt Ceremony @ 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Friday, May 10th (Grey)

• MPVA Dance Studio Series @ 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
• 8th Grade Dance @ 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Monday, May 13th ( Purple)

• Spring Band Concert 1 (Developing) @ 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

• Spring Band Concert 2 (Advancing) @ 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Wednesday, May 15th (Purple)

Friday, May 17th (Purple)

• Spring Mariachi Concert @ 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Dress Code

General School Supply List

HISD Connect Parent Portal

HISD Student Code of Conduct