International Day is Friday, January 10, 2025!

MMS International Day embraces our ethnic diversity by showcasing typical foods, dances, games, and traditional clothing. This is one of the very few opportunities to volunteer and be part of an amazing day.

We invite all parents, family members, and friends interested in representing a country or volunteering for the day to sign up. Remember, all volunteers will need to be registered as a volunteer with SBISD and pass a criminal background check. It will take a few days to be approved so register now.

https://www.springbranchisd.com/engage/register-to-volunteer

Thank you!
International Committee Chairs
Ivette Chapman - ichapman@speedyprintingtx.com
Gaby Arreola - gabrielaarreola@yahoo.com.mx

January 10th is almost here and we need your help, signup and have fun at International Day.

Remember, all volunteers will need to be registered as a volunteer with SBISD and pass a criminal background check. It will take a few days to be approved so register now.

Students interested in participating in the Dragon and Lion Dance at I-day?

Dear MMS Families,

If you would like to register your child for Spring 2025 CBE testing, please complete the CBE Student Interest Application by January 6, 2025.

Students who are eligible for spring testing:

• 8th graders interested to take a Language Other than English (LOTE) exam
• Students interested in acceleration may test during the summer window and if successful will become eligible for acceleration the following school year
• Summer Credit By Exam Testing Windows

Please reach out to your grade level counselor with further questions.

6th Grade: Ms. Villalobos

andrea.villalobos@springbranchisd.com

7th Grade: Mr. Kunik

eric.kunik@springbranchisd.com

8th Grade: Ms. Thompson

dorothy.thompson@springbranchisd.com or

Mr. Roberts

jerry.roberts@springbranchisd.com

Volunteer!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508084FAFAE2CA75-54055070-canes#/

Purchase!

https://mmsptaspringbranch.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/299971

Remember when you dropped your Red Ribbon Week questions? Here are the top 3 most common questions of Memorial Middle School students.

Top 3 Questions Answered:

Myth 1: What makes drugs addictive?

Answer: Addictive drugs are identified because they are scientifically proven to alter our brain’s chemistry. Our brain communicates by releasing neurotransmitters, these are our brain’s chemical messengers. Drugs trick the brain into releasing or suppressing different neurotransmitters. Addictive drugs trick the brain to release artificial good feelings via chemical messengers.

Question 2: Why are drugs so dangerous?
These artificial good feelings come at a cost: the drug poisons your body and damages your natural brain’s ability to send messages. It’s harder for you to be naturally happy and often increases negative emotions and physical discomfort when you stop using. In addition, the more you use to try to fix your emotions, the more physical damage the drugs do to your body.

Example of the negative consequences of alcohol:

Too much alcohol can poison you. Beyond poisoning, alcohol impairs our decision-making skills and damages our hand-eye coordination (your ability to play sports well). It might seem small, but drunk driving is an example of the consequence of alcohol use and is the leading cause of death for teens in the US. It can also affect mental health: teens any a alcohol use is also linked to increased anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.

Question 3: What is the harm of vaping?

Answer: Vapes are not regulated and most people mistake the liquid for water. Vapes are actually made with liquid glycerin and it is linked to increase in asthma. In addition, vaping coats the throat and lungs with nicotine and other undisclosed chemicals. People who vape have an increased chance of getting a condition called popcorn lungs, a type of bronchiolitis where you chemically damage your lungs. Depending on the pod there can be more or less nicotine in a single pod than a cigarette. There are some vaping pods that contain as much nicotine as a whole pack of cigarettes. Consequently, they can also be more addictive than cigarettes.

If you have any questions or concerns, reach out to Communities in Schools at Memorial Middle School at 713-984-9805.

Resources: Harvard Health Publishing from Harvard Medical School, SAMSHA and American Council for Drug Education.

When having my meeting with Snapchat Law Enforcement Operations they informed me about a website our MMS parents can check out that can help out with safety resources regarding the Snapchat App. Some of these resources include navigation on how to implement parental controls on their child’s Snapchat account. The family center tool can let the parent view their child’s friends, who they messaged, and restrict them from viewing certain content. One of the biggest issues with Snapchat is the geographical location sharing feature that share the user’s location whenever they are using the app. With the parental controls, the parents have the ability to limit or turn off that function. Hope this helps.

The website is www.parents.snapchat.com

Yearbook Sales- The store will remain open until we sell out. We usually sell out by mid-March. Extra books are not ordered.

Questions? Stephanie.Aguirre@springbranchisd.com

https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/productBrowse/1079182/Memorial-Middle-School/2025-Yearbook/2024080715152107352/CATALOG_SHOP

Arrival Procedures:

6th and 7th grade students arriving before 8:35am will be directed to the COURTYARD and 8th grade students will be directed to the basketball courts outside the 8th grade building. Students may not enter the building until 8:35am. Students will not be allowed on campus/gates will not be unlocked/teachers are not on duty until 8:15am. Buses unload on the Attingham side of the school. There is a car lane there, but you are encouraged to drop car riders on the Vindon side of the school at the parent circle at the gate by the gym so as not to block the buses.

***Our SBISD police officer will block the teacher parking lot in front of the school. Please stay in the drop off lanes.

Breakfast and Lunch:

Both breakfast and lunch are available in the cafeteria. Parents may also drop off meals and forgotten items in the main office. Closed bottles only. No fountain drinks.

Dismissal Procedures:

Students will see a safety video the first day of school illustrating the appropriate means of dismissing school.

Walkers-Students crossing to go to the Tallowood parking lot MUST cross with the crossing guard at the Attingham corner or in front of Tallowood. Our crossing guard, Miss Patty, will be waiting for them there. Students crossing at Barryknoll must cross at the stop sign and make sure no cars are coming. Students must be aware of moving cars in the parking lot. BE CAREFUL!

Carpool-Pickup occurs on Attingham and on the Vindon side by the gym. When parking around the campus, please do not block the crosswalks. Please watch out for students and do not block the buses. Please do not block passing lanes in the front parking lot.

The front parking on Vindon is a STAFF parking lot. Please refrain from parking in or driving through the staff lot for after school pickup. Use the carpool line. Please be patient. Once students are out things do move pretty quickly and everyone is usually gone by 4:05. Pack your patience and drive friendly!

Rules, Phones, Chromebooks, Dress Code Reminders, etc.:

Please click the Eagle Camp PDF below for the slide show we showed our students on Monday morning. Feel free to show your child and discuss it.

Click here for the bus finder link:

https://www.infofinderi.com/ifi/?cid=SBI04322537629

If you cannot find your bus information in Infofinder, there is a tab that says, contact us. This will send Transportation an email. You can also email the following:

Jenny.Nieves@springbranchisd.com

Ana.Plaisance@springbranchisd.com

Anissa.McDonald@springbranchisd.com

Want to get notified when buses at MMS are running late? Sign up for the MMS Bus Notification Remind account.

Click this link to get signed up:

https://www.remind.com/join/k2adc87

Questions?

Email Ellen Green at jane.green@springbranchisd.com

All academic and AAC and GT ELA courses will use Membean and NRI this year. Please purchase by cash or check before August 15th.

*Special Education students taking Basic Language Arts should not purchase at this time.

Parents of incoming 7th grade students: Most students now are compliant with state vaccination requirements with an updated record on file. Parents will be contacted directly if an updated record is needed. Thank you!

Medication and Forms

· Medication forms for the 2024-2025 school year can be found by clicking the link below. **A new form is required each year. https://www.springbranchisd.com/about/departments/academic-performance/student-support-services/nurses/forms

· When completing the Returning Student Verification on Skyward, please make sure you have completed the section, Student Contact, Emergency and Health Information. It is imperative that we are aware of any changes to your child’s medical information.

· If your student needs emergency medication kept at school, please send the nurse the appropriate forms and plan to drop it off in the clinic ASAP. Some examples of emergency medication include: EPIPEN, INHALER, Emergency medication for SEIZURES.

· Students can self-carry some medication if the appropriate form is turned into the clinic. Examples: INHALER/EPIPEN/Single dose of Benadryl – tablet form, no liquid.

Parents – please make sure your student has it in their backpack every day.

Activity Restrictions/Accommodations

Please email medical notes requiring activity restrictions and/or accommodations to mmsclinic@springbranchisd.com and include your child’s coach if relevant. If your child is bringing a copy to school, please instruct them to drop it off in the clinic.

Please do not hesitate to contact the school nurse if you have any questions or concerns.

Jennifer Zantout, RN

School Nurse

Memorial Middle School

Clinic: 713-251-3920

Office: 713-251-3925

Fax: 713-251-9437

Jennifer.Zantout@springbranchisd.com

Tips and tricks from the ladies in the MMS Front Office:

• Avoid the Lost and Found! Mark all of your student’s belongings with their first and last name. If a found item is marked, we will make every effort to reunite it with your student. Each year, we have over $1,000 worth of found water bottles with no names. Please mark water bottles, jackets/sweatshirts/hoodies, airpods, backpacks, lunch containers, pencil cases, and even LuluLemon sacks.

• If you need to pick up your student in the middle of the school day:

• Best practice is to send a note with your student to bring to the front office that morning. We will write them an “Early Dismissal Pass” that they will give to their teacher, so they are waiting in the office when you come to sign them out.

• Similarly, if you email the front office (with plenty of lead time), we will send them an Early Dismissal Pass so that your student is ready and waiting.

• You do have to come to the front office to sign out your student, but you do not need to come to the front office to sign them back in. Students can sign themselves in. However, please do have them bring the doctor’s excuse note.

• Last chance to sign your student out early is 3:40 pm. After 3:40, you will need to wait until the bell rings at 4:00pm.

• If you want to designate a person not on your student’s emergency list to pick up your student mid-day, please send a note with your student or email the front office giving them permission to pick up your student. That individual will need to bring a photo ID when picking up your student.

• Best front office emails to use: lynn.harrison@springbranchisd.com and/or kristin.hopper@springbranchisd.com.

• Attendance

• Email for all attendance issues: MmsAttendance@springbranchisd.com

• The best kind of absence is an excused absence. Doctor’s notes will make an absence excused, but even if an absent student doesn’t have a note, please call or email mmsattendance@springbranchisd.com to let us know why they are absent.

• Doctor’s notes can be submitted in person or by email up to 2 days after the absence.

• Please make sure your student is at school ontime. If they are not in their 1st period seat by 8:40, they will be tardy. Three tardies equals an after school detention.

During the 88th Legislative Session last spring, House Bill 114 was passed and subsequently signed into law by Governor Abbott. This law requires that students be sent to our District Alternative Education Program (DAEP) if they sell, give, have, or use a vape on campus. In simple terms, vaping is prohibited by law and never allowed on our campus or at any SBISD facility.

Any violation will be handled in alignment with our Student Code of Conduct.

Should you have any questions, please let me know.

Ellen Green

Principal, Memorial Middle School

If your parents need help with Canvas login or navigation, there are support documents available on our Canvas for Students & Families webpage, linked here. This page is accessible from the Spring Branch ISD homepage. If the documentation does not solve their issues, we are available to provide support centrally.

If parents/students need additional Canvas assistance, they should email digitalresources@springbranchisd.com. We want to support the MMS community, and this will ensure that we are able to provide timely support with our limited staffing this year. By having your parents reach out to our department email, we are better able to serve them.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uDDazYTaxLOXQ3HLtoDAfTDEVngd2rDleHQL13ABYN8/edit?usp=sharing