Hello Bonita Vista Middle School Community!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day so far. With the beautiful weather we're having this Mother's Day weekend, I hope you all had the chance to enjoy it with your loved ones. Speaking of Mother's Day, we want to extend our warmest wishes to all the mothers at BVM. You are appreciated, recognized, and celebrated!

As we approach the last three weeks of the school year, let's focus on framing the end of the semester for our students with positivity, enthusiasm, and clear expectations. We kindly request your cooperation in setting the following expectations to ensure a successful end to the school year at home during family conversations. Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our students' education:

Academics, Promotion, and Summer School:

As we approach the end of the semester, it is crucial that we make the most of our academic efforts. With only 15 days left, it is imperative that our students finish strong. For our 8th graders, it is essential that they pass all their classes to be eligible for the promotion ceremony. Passing middle school classes is also an excellent predictor of academic success in high school; therefore, we must emphasize the importance of finishing the semester on a positive note--not just to participate in our promotion ceremony, but to ensure that we build academic momentum for our 8th graders as they head into their high school career.

Similarly, for our 7th graders, the same applies. Any 7th grader who does not pass their classes will be automatically enrolled in summer school. To ensure that our students are set up for future academic success, we must approach these last 15 days with a sense of academic focus and urgency. We ask that students continue to work with their teachers, turn in late assignments, and retake assessments as permitted.

We still have time, and we do not want any of our students to give up on their semester. Please encourage your child to make the most of these last few days. Let's work together to maximize our academic efforts and set up our students for success.

Behavior and Citizenship:

I would like to bring to your attention some concerning behaviors we have observed on our campus in the past couple of weeks. We have noticed an increasing number of students bringing in Squeeze Water Bottles to school and spraying other students, sometimes even their friends. While this may seem like harmless fun, it has caused a bit of disturbance in isolated situations.

To ensure the safety and well-being of all students, we will be confiscating any squeeze water bottles that are used inappropriately for the last 15 days of the school year (Students/Families can pick up these confiscated items on Monday, June 10th). We also want to remind you that squirt water guns are not allowed on our campus, as they are considered replica firearms and students can suffer severe consequences for bringing them to school.

Furthermore, as we approach the end of the semester, we have observed in the past that a small percentage of students tend to settle their differences with violence or aggression towards those they have had conflict with or a "falling out." We urge all students to work with our staff and report any conflicts in a productive manner so that we can help them resolve their issues and ensure a safe and positive school environment for everyone.

Tardies:

We have recently observed an increase in tardies during the 1st, 4th, and 6th periods. To address this issue, our leadership teams are currently reviewing policies, practices, and priorities to improve overall school culture. However, we must work together to ensure that students arrive on time for their classes. It is crucial to maximize our instructional time and tardiness can greatly impact the quality and quantity of instruction that our students receive. Therefore, we strongly urge everyone to prioritize punctuality and help us maintain a positive learning environment. Thank you for your cooperation.

I cannot emphasize enough the positive impact that our parent and guardian community has had on our school culture this year. Your continued partnership and collaboration are crucial to continuing to improve our School Culture!

8th Grade Promotion Speech Contest:

Lastly, I'd like to promote an awesome opportunity as we continue our efforts to elevate and empower the student voice at Bonita Vista Middle School (Thank you 8th Grade Principal's Council and Mr. Bonilla for leading these efforts)! Okay here it is: We're looking for two student guest speakers to share their experiences at Bonita Vista Middle. We will be selecting two student speeches and those selected will have the opportunity to read their speech at this year's promotion ceremony. If students are interested, here's what they need to do:

Prepare a 2-3 minute speech about how BVM has prepared them for high school.

Criteria: 8th Grade Students cannot have earned Ds or Fs in scholarship or citizenship in their last progress report, dated April 19, 2024.

Interested 8th grade students must attend an informational meeting on Friday, May 17, 2024, during lunch in room 901.

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'll give students more details at the informational meeting. And again, just to let you know, this idea came from the 8th Grade Principal's Student Council in the form of a request and Mr. Bonilla, our awesome assistant principal, who took the initiative and lead to make sure that this opportunity happens for our 8th grade students! We are excited about this opportunity for our students!

Thank you for reading this week's Principal's message. Let's work together to finish the school year academically strong, keep all students safe, and continue with our efforts to improve and elevate our school culture. Let's go BVM!!!

Sincerely,

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, you must attend an informational meeting on Friday, May 17, 2024, during lunch in room 901.

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!

Any student interested in building and racing a Solar Sprint Car? Swing by Room IA4 during lunch or after school this week to see Mr. Galindo. The racing competition is on Saturday, May 18th, and all are welcome to join. No experience necessary, just bring a positive attitude! See Mr. Galindo for more information. Let's race into the future!

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).

Crusader of the Week: Miles Thrower. Nominated by Mr. Bangle, Miles Thrower. Miles is on the leadership council for the band and is a soloist in the BVM Jazz Band. He is also a leader of the saxophones. It has been great having Miles in my class this school year! Let's go BVM!!!

Nominated by Ms. Timmons, Ava Nikka Lapuz. Nikka always comes to dance class ready to work. She always helps out her classmates and has contributed by choreographing for the class. Her performing skills are excellent and her positive attitude motivates her classmates. I appreciate all that she adds to our dance class!

This past week, we had the opportunity to recognize and celebrate our awesome staff at BVM! Assistant Principal, Ms. Higareda, took the lead in coordinating our efforts in ensuring that our staff was treated to candy, a front door service coffee delivery, a gift that included a BVM Bag and BVM Coffee Mug (already a collector's item), an ice cream bar and barbecue lunch this past Friday.

Thank you to our awesome staff for all that you do each and every day! We work as a team and work intentionally in the best interest of the student experience at Bonita Vista Middle School. Let's go BVM!!!

Our 7th graders, let me tell you, are some talented basketball players!!! Our staff, was very winded, as we barely edge out a 2 point victory over our 7th grade students. I can't tell you how proud I am of not only our 7th grade students who have made a significant improvement as a grade level, but for their sportsmanship and dedication to our school events that was on full display this past Friday.

Our staff will now look to take on the 8th grade team. I assure you, our staff is not looking forward to this match up out of pure fear :). Just joking, it should be a fun match up (although our 8th graders will be heavy favorites)!

Let's go BVM!!!

After several months of Tournament Play, we have crowned a champion --Thomas "Tommy" Luna is this year's Tournament Chess Champion at Bonita Vista Middle School! In the Championship Match up Leonardo (Leo) Gonzales took on Tommy Luna. Although it was a close match, it was Tommy Luna who came out on top. Not only are we extremely proud of our 8th grader, Tommy Luna, we are also proud of the rest of our contestants who gave it their best shot! As I often say, what matters is that you showed up and you competed!!! You do that enough times, eventually you win out! Keep striving Crusaders, I know that there are 7th graders already looking forward to next year. You got this!!!

Let's go BVM!!!

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

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

WishWell presents Family Circles at Bonita Vista Middle School—an innovative series of workshops designed to enhance trust, connection, and communication between parents and children.

This fun and engaging workshop, filled with guided experiences and games led by the Wishwell team, offers an enjoyable and meaningful way for both parents & children to learn about each other and form stronger bonds.

**BOTH PARENT AND CHILD MUST BE PRESENT TO ATTEND WORKSHOP**

May 2, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Build Trust Together: Learn simple ways to create a strong, trusting relationship with your child.

May 9, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Grow Closer Every Day: Discover how to deepen your bond and connect more meaningfully with your child.

May 16, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Communicate with Confidence: Learn to express and understand each other better for a stronger family bond.

Sign up below if interested: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfmASXlh9MDMwMB8Og16-v61SzcT-6igAOXUq4pMoOvrRq0xg/viewform

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. Dougherty, our International Baccalaureate Coordinator, Robotics Advisor, and excellent 8th grade Science teacher was recognized by his colleagues for the month of April as the Certificated Employee of the Month. Mr. Dougherty is described as the team member behind the scenes that is always helping those team members that need support, assistance, or guidance. Mr. Dougherty is a long standing member at BVM and is truly a pillar of our learning community! Thank you Mr. Dougherty!

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