As part of our college and career readiness efforts at Memorial Middle School, we strive to set all students up for success. That’s why we’re offering the PSATTM 8/9—the first test in the SAT® Suite of Assessments—to our 8th grade students. Results from this assessment help us establish a baseline for each student as they start their high school journey. The results help us focus classroom instruction and support your child’s growth.

Taking the PSAT 8/9 can also help your child to:

• Understand their strengths, and what skills they need to improve.
• Find out what AP® courses they’re ready to take.
• Explore personalized career insights aligned to their score.

The PSAT 8/9 is administered in a digital format that provides an overall easier testing experience for students. Watch this video to see what students can expect with the digital PSAT 8/9.

Your child will take the PSAT 8/9 on October 9, 2024, using her/his school issued Chromebook.

If you or your child have questions about the PSAT 8/9, please reach out to Colleen Burgin (colleen.burgin@springbranchisd.com) or Allison Kohtz (Allison.kohtz@springbranchisd.com).

6th grade parents must have consent signed via Skyward or hard copy by 9:00am Monday, October 7th in order to opt in for the presentation that day. Form is attached below or go to Skyward to opt in.

8th Grade Ads- Deadline October 25th

DON'T GET LEFT OUT! This is a great way to celebrate your child.

Mrs. Aguirre recommends you create your own ad using the Jostens site, or a 3rd party site like Canva. If you would like help, or for Mrs. Aguirre to create the ad for you, please email her at Stephanie.Aguirre@springbranchisd.com

Half Page: 8.5 x 5.5 inches, Quarter page 4.25 x 2.75 inches, 300 DPI

https://www.jostens.com/yearbooks/students-and-parents/yearbook-ads

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

Insurance is only $25 a year. It must be purchased annually. We accept cash or check. YOU MUST RENEW EVERY YEAR!

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

The Students and Faculty of Memorial Middle School Need Your Support!

Did you know that without PTA support, MMS would not be able to fund Field Trips, Teacher Appreciation, Curriculum Redesign, Educational Subscriptions, Teacher Start Up Funds, Professional Development and more?

Please consider becoming an MMS Family or Business Underwriting Sponsor

Family Underwriting Donations can be made via Big Form. Business Underwriting Donations can be made here HERE . A huge thank you to our business underwriters who have already contributed this year.

Please support the businesses who support us!

2024-2025 PTA Business Sponsors

Platinum

Magness Orthodontics, The Enrichery & Wendy Swantkowski Dentistry

Silver

Northstone Builders, Angela England of Tindall/England PC & Jennings Orthodontics & Oyster Creek Studios Interior Design

Bronze

Village Dermatology, Clint Simpson/Martha Turner International Sotheby's Realty, Robin Tucker Martha Turner International Sotheby's Realty & Becky Andress/Greenwood King

Copper

Ellen Halper/Compass, Strutton Plumbing & Smooke Dental

PTA Needs Support From Your Businesses Too!

Please scan the QR Code Below to Become An MMS PTA Business Sponsor

To Become a Business Sponsor, Click on the QR Code Below