EMS Raider Student & Family News

AUGUST 14 - 18

A Message from Mrs. Venegas

Hello Raider families!

It was another awesome week at Eastwood Middle School. We are on our way to great things and have the entire Raider community to thank! This week, we have our volleyball and football teams continuing their seasons agains Parkland MS and Horizon MS respectively. Wish them good luck!!

As you can see from the pictures below, we have had a week FULL of great things. Your Raider is in GREAT hands and will have an excellent middle school experience. Thank you in advance for your support and cooperation in helping that happen.

I'm hopeful that these two weeks have been great for your Raider and family as well. This is the BEST middle school and, as a Raider parent myself, I am confident that this year will be one of the best for this campus.

Although I am leaving the role as principal of this beautiful campus community, I look forward to continuing to see you all at games, parent nights, and performances. We Raider parents need to do all we can to support the faculty & staff here in partnership of keeping our Raiders safe, healthy, and thriving during their middle school years. Thank you for entrusting me with your child and allowing me to have a small part in their growth. It has been the highest honor of my career!

💙💛

Mrs. Venegas

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2023 STAAR Results

Beginning Wednesday, August 16th YISD families will be able to access their children's STAAR results via the TEA Family Portal & the YISD Home Access Center. Please be on the lookout for information coming next week about this topic.

Thank you for your support of your Raider and our campus!

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Campus Traffic Patterns & Drop-Off Zones

Due to the large campus population and heavy traffic in the area, it is essential that all Raider community members (students, parents, and staff) adhere to safety standards when traveling around the campus area. We ask that you support our efforts to ensure ALL of our Raiders remain safe and secure while traveling by foot or vehicle.

First and foremost, we ask that you adhere to the directions given by staff members who are serving as cross guards or helping traffic flow. Do not stop in the middle of crosswalks or refuse or ignore their stop signs or directions. Understand that we are all trying to keep our Raiders safe and need your cooperation to do so!

More helpful reminders for keeping our Raiders and community safe:

Refrain from speeding on the streets surrounding the campus, especially during student arrival and dismissal times - the hours of 7:30 -8:30 am and 3:50 - 4:50 pm.
Be on the lookout for students who may be crossing the streets, whether at the crosswalks or not.
Emphasize the importance of crossing the streets safely at crosswalks rather than the middle of the streets where cars are less likely to slow down.
Refrain from making u-turns on Album, Chaswood, Bywood, and Escarpa streets, especially when students are arriving or departing the campus.
When dropping off or picking up your Raider, please pull all the way up to the front of the drop off area rather staying back. This helps traffic flow more easily around the surrounding streets.
Consider parking away from the campus and having your Raider walk to or from your car rather than using the drop-off areas to avoid getting stuck in traffic.

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NEW Campus Safety Procedures

As some of you may have noticed, the district is currently improving our front visitor's vestibule area. As the work progresses, we will need to make some adjustments to ensure we keep our campus safe. Please read the procedures outlined below so you are prepared in the event you need to enter our school building during the school day.

All visitors must have a valid picture ID.
Be prepared to show your ID outside of the campus after notifying the receptionist you have arrived, and to have it scanned in our Hall Pass system for a quick background check.
The doors on the right-hand side are to ENTER the campus only. Doors on the left-hand side are to EXIT the building.
Should you need to sign your child out for an appointment or the day, you will do so inside of the visitor's vestibule. You may wait inside the vestibule or just outside the front doors for your child.
The receptionist will check to make sure the person picking up your child is authorized to do so as listed in our student information system.
Your child will be called down to the visitor's center. As they pass through the area our receptionist will note they are ok to leave, at which time they will exit the building out of the exit only (left-hand side) doors. As you see them come through, you can meet them just outside the campus doors.
Should you need to come inside the campus at or shortly after dismissal, you will be stopped at the door by an adult who will ask you the reason for your visit. They will communicate with the front office to make sure you are approved entry and you will be permitted to make your way to the front office for further assistance.

Thank you for your flexibility and understanding of our new visitor's area procedures. It is up to all of us to help keep our campus (students & adults) safe, and we appreciate your support and partnership in doing so.

If you have any questions or concerns, please make campus administration aware and we can assist you.

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What are we learning in our core classes?

6th Grade:

Reading/Language Arts: Laying the Foundation with Rituals and Routines
Social Studies: Unit 1 Think Like A Historian: Family Connection (August 2 - 18); Unit 2 United States and Canada (August 24 - September 22)
Science: Unit 1: Investigating Chemicals (15 days)
Math: Unit 1: Equivalent Forms of Fractions, Decimals, and Percents (August 2-18)

7th Grade:

Reading/Language Arts: Laying the Foundation with Rituals and Routines
Social Studies: Unit 1 Think Like A Historian Exploration, In the Beginning (August 2 - 8); Unit 2 Natural Texas and Its People (August 9 - 22)
Science: Unit 1: Investigating Cell Structures and Functions (15 days)
Math: Unit 1: Rational Numbers (August 3-16); ADV Math - Unit 1: Rational Numbers (August 3-10), Unit 2: One Variable Equations and Inequalities (August 11-30)

8th Grade:

Reading/Language Arts: Laying the Foundation with Rituals and Routines
Social Studies: In the Beginning (August 2 - 8); Era 1 Colonial America (August 9 - August 29)
Science: Unit 1: Investigating Among Living Systems (15 days)
Math: Unit 1: Rational Numbers (August 3-10), Unit 2: One Variable Equations and Inequalities (August 11-30)

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This Week's Campus Events

August 14:

Student BOY SEL Survey Window Opens (through August 25th)

August 15:

Eastwood Area YISD Board Member Visit (Mr. Mike Dwyer) 10:30 - 11:00 AM

August 17:

Choir Anti-hazing Meeting @ EMS Cafeteria 6:00 pm
eSports Mandatory Parent Meeting @ EMS Library 5:30 pm

August 19:

Football @ Horizon MS 9:00 AM
Volleyball @ Parkland MS 9:00 AM

YISD Middle School Athletic Schedules by Sport (click here)

EMS 2023-2024 BELL SCHEDULE

EMS 2023-2024 Dress Code

EASTWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMPUS WEBSITE LINK

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EMS Office Staff & Nurse Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out to anyone by calling our main number 915-434-4300, or any of the direct numbers below, from 7:45 am - 4:15 pm to assist you.

Office Clerk & Nurse Contact Information:

6th Grade Students

Heather Borrego

(915) 434-4368

hborrego@yisd.net

7th Grade Students

Ana Cadena-Medina

(915) 434-4310

amedina79@yisd.net

8th Grade Students

Aida Marquez

(915) 434-4367