MPVA Weekly Update

Dear Parents and Students,

Happy Easter to all of our school community members of the Christian faith!

Easter is one of the principal holidays of Christianity. It marks the Resurrection of Jesus three days after his death by crucifixion. For many Christian churches, Easter is the joyful end to the Lenten season of fasting and penitence.

Whatever your faith or religion, one thing they all have in common is the belief in higher morals, love, respect, and doing good onto others.

This also defines our teaching profession and what we strive for as parents. Our school community is full of good and kind people who continually strive to teach and nurture all the kids in our village. I am grateful to be a part of this village and will reflect on this during this Easter celebration.

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

Before Spring Break, meetings were held with students and parents were contacted regarding their attendance and the attendance appeal process. A Parent FAQ sheet has been provided to assist with any questions you may have.

Just a friendly reminder that, in an effort to avoid classroom disruptions, we kindly request that parents refrain from dropping off lunch, including outside food such as Chick-fil-A, McDonald's and etc. at the Visitor's Window during school hours. We encourage you to send your students with their lunches in the mornings or allow them to participate in the free HISD hot lunch provided in the cafeteria.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in creating a smooth learning environment.

Mariachi had two very successful back to back performances at Hattie Mae White for the Principal Meetings last Tuesday and Wednesday. They were troopers as many had to get up as early as 5:00 AM in order to get to school, then take the bus to Hattie Mae White for their 7:00 AM performances. They continue to make us all proud!

GOOD SHOW to our Advanced Theater students for their performance of "Masterclasses: The Morley Buck School for Serious Acting for Extraordinary Actors" by Patrick Greene.

The show was hilarious and showcased once again the immense talent in our Theater Department. Kudos to Ms. Duran-Hays on another feather in her cap. Congratulations to all of the actors and tech crew of UIL theater on a year full of growing in your craft and working as a team. Everyone is so very proud of everything you have accomplished together!

The broadcast journalism advanced team participated in a video contest for No Place for Hate. 6 of our MPVA reporters; Rivers Terry, Sophia Sorena, Ezra Scott, Bella Axcell and Jeremiah Price produced an anti-bullying video. Our entry was selected as a finalist and all the entries were judged by the Houston Rockets.

Our students WON 1st place in the secondary section. They scripted, filmed and edited this video! Each student received two tickets to the Houston Rockets game in April.

Congratulations to our broadcast team!

Here is the video: NO PLACE FOR HATE VIDEO 2.mp4

If your child is interested in participating or trying out for any UIL sport that Meyerland Middle School offers, then the following must be completed:

• The student must be registered through RMA (Register My Athlete)
  • Link to RMA: https://www.registermyathlete.com/
  • Link to Video Instructions for RMA:
    • https://youtu.be/5rbBXZaGgq0
  • Link to RMA Step-by-Step Instructions:
  • https://tinyurl.com/mwyvtxck
• All student-athletes must be cleared through RMA before they can try out, practice, or participate in any UIL sport.

Join other MPVA parents and guardians on April 3rd at 6:30pm for a fun night out at Cafe Piquet, 5757 Bissonnet Street, Bellaire, Tx 77401. Cafe Piquet is one of our school's corporate sponsors, so let's show them some love!

Mark your calendars now for our upcoming APRIL Spirit Days - mentioning MPVA when you check out sends a portion of sales back to the PTO to be used in service of the whole school!

Friday April 5th - KONA ICE! The trucks will be over by the Science Building on Wigton after school.

Los Tios Spirit Night is Tuesday, April 4th from 3-9 PM @4840 Beechnut St., Houston, TX 77096

Wednesday, April 24th 11am - 9pm is Spirit Night at Cafe Piquet @5757 Bissonnet St, Bellaire, TX 77401!

We appreciate our families and staff being so patient as the plan has come together this year and we've brought our new dean, Mr. Lopez, on board. The MPVA PTO collaborates with MPVA staff to help support the school with planning and implementation of 8th grade end of year celebrations, and that is only made possible through the generosity of our families. We've got a ton of fun things planned, so let's do this!

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. These funds will go toward the costs of class shirts, the 8th Grade Dance (Sneaker Ball), Field Trip to Andretti Indoor Karting & Games, Fun Fridays in May for 8th Graders, and a Grab & Go Breakfast on the last day of school. Donating to the general donation page on the PTO website ensures that donations can be spent flexibly to pay vendors, and our goal is to collect $25,000. Much more information is provided through the link above. If you'd like to invite loved ones to contribute, here's an easy text: "Help (Kiddo) celebrate their years at MPVA! It's gonna be a blast - we're proud of you, Greyhounds! https://mpva.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/74911994"

All 8th Graders will receive a class shirt - you can enter your student's information through the PTO website to have it delivered early, but all shirts will be delivered on or around May 1st regardless of donation amount https://mpva.membershiptoolkit.com/Open_Forms. For families wishing to pay cash, there will be designated PTO staffed cash collection days announced when we return from Spring Break. Please note that teachers cannot accept money and donations come through the PTO, NOT School Pay.

School paperwork, waivers, etc will all be coming from your teachers at school, and will need to be returned to school in a timely manner. Also, any questions regarding promotion ceremonies need to be referred to MPVA staff. Please watch for all paperwork and instructions and visit the 8th Grade page on the MPVA website for updates. https://www.houstonisd.org/domain/55929.

If you have questions or would like to help, please reach out to Luci Christian-Bell at communications@mpvapto.com. Hip Hip Hooray, Class of 2024!

You've still got time - LOCKTOPIA is hosting an awesome spirit promotion the whole month! Any party booked in February that uses the code MEYERMID will get a portion of the proceeds donated back to MPVA! This is a great idea for birthday parties or just a fun time with a group of friends - book at www.locktopiahouston.com.

We love our new mural! Be on the lookout for future painting dates - this campus creation is for MPVA families by MPVA families. ♥️

We are in need of adult volunteers to help mind the lines during Kona Ice Spirit Days on the first Friday of the month. We have a few more this year and really want to be able to keep this fun treat, so please sign up if you can.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4AA5AF2EA7F9C16-46018609-kona?fbclid=IwAR0QZ4B4u-LDPM2pQU-mpymJRUFFj_NL0TYX1B-ZkLhNhKagAQlxqJlyjPk#/

Those MPVA sweatshirts and fleece jackets are awesome for cool mornings! 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 to treasurer@mpvapto.com.

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

Subscribe to emails here: mpva.membershiptoolkit.com

Facebook: Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School PTO

Instagram: @mpvapto

Twitter: PTO of MPVA Middle School

This Week

Monday, April 1st (Grey)

• MPVA Softball vs. Hogg @ 5:00 PM - 6:45 PM
• MPVA Soccer vs. Pin Oaks @ Meyerland (6/7:00 PM)

Tuesday, April 2nd (Purple)

• Beginner Choir UIL @ 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM
• Meyerland Baseball (D3) @ West Briar @ 4:45 PM - 6:00 PM

Wednesday, April 3rd (Grey)

• MPVA Softball vs. Pin Oak @ 4:45 PM - 6:15 PM

Thursday, April 4th (Purple)

• Meyerland Baseball (D30 @ Briarmeadow @ 4:45 PM - 6:00 PM

Friday, April 5th ( Grey)

• HISD Choir Beginning UIL Clinic @ 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
• Kona Ice Spirit Friday @ 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Saturday, April 6th

• MPVA Orchestra Solo & Ensemble
• Saturday Tutorials @ 8:00 AM - NOON
• Lyons Avenue Renaissance Festival (Dance Ensemble) @ 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM

Just Around the Corner

Monday, April 8th ( Purple)

• MPVA Softball vs. Stevenson @ 5:00 PM -- 6:45 PM

Tuesday, April 9th (Grey)

• MPVA PTO Spirit Night at Los Tios @ 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Wednesday, April 10th (Purple)

• Spring Holiday

Thursday, April 11th (Grey)

• MPVA Softball @ Hamilton @ 4:45 PM - 6:30 PM

Friday, April 12th (Purple)

• Robstown Mariachi Festival
• Open Gym @ 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
• HISD Dance Connect Film Festival @ 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Saturday,13th

• Robstown Mariachi Festival
• Saturday Tutorials @ 8:00 AM - Noon
• All - City Guitar Festival and Concert @ 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
• HISD Middle School District Track Meet (Girls) @ 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

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General School Supply List

HISD Connect Parent Portal

HISD Transportation – Routing and Scheduling

SchoolCafe – Lunch Menus

HISD Student Code of Conduct