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Spring semester is in full swing! I wanted to take a moment for a few reminders as well as ask for your help with a few things!

• We take safety VERY seriously. In this day and age, you can't take anything for granted, and my number one priority is keeping the kiddos and faculty safe at McCullough. Please, please, please talk to your kiddo and remind them that ANY talk about weapons, drugs, or threats will be investigated fully, taken very seriously, and consequences will be assigned. This INCLUDES what they deemed as "joking" with a friend, or "just playing around." Anytime anything is said, whether joking or not, we have to do a full investigation, conduct a threat assessment, involve the CISD police, etc. It is a very time consuming process as you can imagine! Also, as I stated at the beginning of the year, if there ever was a true threat made towards McCullough, or towards students or staff at McCullough, then you will hear about it from me! 🙂
• Dress Code: Please remind your kiddo that PJ's and PJ pants are not allowed. I will offer "PJ Days" occasionally throughout the school year as a reward for the kiddos, but other than that, keep the PJs at home! 😜
• We are starting to see more students without their Smart Tag ID's and lanyards. We have seen an increase in the number of temporary tags purchased by students. If your student has lost their permanent ID, please order a new one through school cash online. I'll put the link below.

As always, THANK YOU for all your support! ❤💚

Thank you to those who were able to attend one of our various Parent Information Nights the last couple of weeks! For our rising 8th grade parents (current 7th graders), be sure to check out our "All Things Registration Newsletter" that we sent out on Friday. I will attach the link here as well. The district rolled out our new website on Friday as well (It's pretty awesome!), and some of the links we had weren't playing nice with it. We think most of that is good to go now!

McCullough will be hosting our Athletic and Elective Night on February 11th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

6:00 p.m. Girls Athletics Presentation - Bock Auditorium

6:45 p.m. Boys Athletics Presentation - Bock Auditorium

Elective presentations will be available at various times

Electives Teachers will have tables set up with information

Back in August, we had our first ever "Back to School Bash", which was a huge success! I've always had two big, fun events for kids at my campuses. One event in the Fall (BTS Bash), and one in the Spring. While we organize the BTS Bash as a campus, our AMAZING PTO will be hosting our Spring event. Get ready for the first McCullough JH Spring Fling! Hopefully these two events will become traditions here at McCullough and get better each year! While we are still finalizing a few details on Spring Fling, here is some information and date to mark your calendars:

Date: Thursday, April 17th

Time: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Tickets: Starting at $25 online (More information to come with sale dates and optional packages!)

Activities:

• Inflatables
• DJ
• Karaoke
• "Glow Room" Dance Party
• Photo Booth
• Mini-Tricycle Races
• Bouncy Ball Races
• Various Games (Think Giant Jenga, Corn Hole, etc.)
• Raffle
• Concessions

Basically a huge party! Be looking for more information to come including:

• Sign-Up Genius for volunteers and items that we may need, etc.
• More details on Ticket Sales
• More details as we fine-tune the vendors and finalize the event

Our choir students CRUSHED it at Region Choir Auditions!

Our band kiddos are crushing it as well! Congratulations!

Two McC art students received Special Merit for their Western artwork. Their work will be on display in the Hayloft Gallery at NRG during rodeo season!

Serene Huang, "Hay There!" (Teacher Ms. Owen)

Sofia LaHaie, "Saddle Up" Teacher Ms. Justice

Serene H. received Honorable Mention from Scholastic Art!

We are so proud of our JV and Varsity Competition Color Guard teams for BOTH bringing home FIRST PLACE at their first competition of the year on February 1st @ TCGC Morton Ranch!

Go Guard! 🏳

The Highland Girls competed in their 1st contest of the season on Saturday, February 8th. They represented McCullough so well during a very competitive and demanding day. The team and officers competed against 7 other junior highs and won every award possible!

• The team won Super Sweepstakes, Best in Category for Kick, Novelty, and Pom. They also won Best in Class, a special Kick Technique award, and Tops in Texas.

• The officers won Super Sweepstakes, Best in Category for Kick, Lyrical, and Open. They also won Best in Class, and Tops in Texas.

The following 7th grade soloists placed:

• 4th Runner Up - Keira McMullan
• 3rd Runner Up - Scarlett Weatherford
• 1st Runner Up - Lacy Taliaferro

These 8th grade soloists placed:

• 4th Runner Up - Amelia Bickett
• 4th Runner Up - Autumn Kahlan
• 2nd Runner Up - Charlotte Belhumeur

These duets placed:

• 2nd Runner Up - Lucy Alexander & Vicky Lewis
• 1st Runner Up - Sophie Beck & Emme Ha
• 1st Runner Up - Anna Alley & Aquirrah Lee
• 1st Place - Claire Anderson & Ava Beam

Awesome Job Highland Girls! 💚💚💚

Congrats to our January athletes of the month!👏👏👏👏💪💪

• 7th Grade:
• Kobey Rodipe 🏀
• Maria Ruiz 🏃‍♀️
• 8th Grade:
• Patricio Novelo 🏈
• Ana Palazuelos 🏀

Please join me in thanking our AMAZING counselors for ALL that they do!! We are very fortunate to have such incredible counselors here at McCullough. They do SO much both on the front lines, as well as behind the scenes! Thank you for everything Ms. Augustine, Mr. Texidor, Ms. Goforth, and

Mrs. Bentley!

Laura Willard, CISD Coordinator of College Career/Readiness, recently presented at out PTO meeting about students transitioning to High School. She offered great insight and advice for students transitioning to the next level, and we appreciate her taking time to come and present! Here is a link to her presentation:

Dear Parents/Guardians,

It is time to start getting excited for the 2025 soccer season!

The following information is for students who are interested in signing up for the McCullough girls soccer team.

Our soccer tryout dates will be February 18th, 19th, and 21st. Everyone who signs up for tryouts will be evaluated on the first two days (Tuesday 2/18 and Wednesday 2/19). On the evening of Wednesday, the 19th, a round of cuts will be posted on the McCullough Soccer website. Participants who are invited back for the third day of tryouts on Friday the 21st will see a final cut posted that night determining who has made the team.

If your child is unable to attend either of the first two days of tryouts (February 18th or February 19th) for any reason other than a school-sponsored UIL event, they will not be invited back to try out on Friday, February 21st. If your child does get invited back for the third day of tryouts, but they are unable to attend, they may not be considered for the team.

• Tuesday, February 18th- day one of tryouts

• Wednesday, February 19th - day two of tryouts (cuts posted online in the evening)

• Friday, February 21st - day three of tryouts (final cuts posted online in the evening)

Girls soccer participants will try out from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. after school. Students should leave their 4th/8th period class during the appropriate dismissal time and head down to the locker rooms to get changed and make their way to the field.

If your child is participating in a scheduled UIL event during any of the above tryout dates, they need to contact their coach in person and via email prior to the date(s) they will miss so that it does not count against them.

Below is the link to the girls soccer websites where additional information, physical forms, and tryout cuts will be posted:

• https://mccullough.conroeisd.net/athletics-1/soccer-girls/

In order to participate, students do need to submit a copy of their recent physical to their head coach and have the appropriate information filled out in Rank One before the first day of tryouts. If a physical has already been submitted for another sport during this current school year (2024-2025), then another one will not need to be submitted. The current physical (pre-participation) form can be found on the McCullough Athletics website along with information about Rank One: https://www.conroeisd.net/department/athletics/

Tryout Sign-Up Information:

• Students can sign up for soccer tryouts starting on Monday, February 3rd.
  
  

• 7th and 8th grade girls soccer players will need to sign up with Coach Dawson during advisory in Portable 2.
  
  

• Players will be required to wear a plain white t-shirt with their assigned tryout number written on the front and back in large black numbering. The number needs to be clearly identifiable and visible from a distance.
  
  

• All participants are to bring their own soccer ball to tryouts. It is suggested that students have their names written on their equipment to avoid any issues.
  
  

• Anyone without the proper equipment, (white t-shirt with black number, soccer ball, soccer cleats, shin guards, etc.) may not be allowed to participate in tryouts and may be disqualified from making the team.
  
  

• If you have any questions regarding tryouts or the season, please contact Coach Dawson for girls soccer (kridawson@conroeisd.net).

Thank you,

McCullough Soccer

Dear Parents/Guardians,

It is time to start getting excited for the 2024-2025 tennis season!

The following information is for students who are interested in signing up for the McCullough boys and girls tennis team. These students must currently be enrolled in either 7th or 8th grade at McCullough for the 24-25 school year.

In order for your child to participate in tryouts, they must attend a brief player meeting the week before tryouts. Players should plan on attending a meeting either before school or after school on the designated date.

• Girls will meet in room B205 at 8:10 or after school at 4:10 on Monday, January 28th.
• Boys will meet in room B205 at 8:10 or after school at 4:10 on Tuesday, January 27th.

Tryouts will go from 4:15-5:45 p.m. each day. All participants will need to secure a ride home immediately following the conclusion of each tryout day.

• We will post who made the team and provide a practice and game schedule on Thursday, February 6th.
• If your child is unable to attend tryouts for any reason other than a school-sponsored UIL event, they will not be considered for the team.
• When athletes come to the tryout meeting, they will need to turn in an updated physical (dated after April 15, 2024). The physical form can be found on the McCullough Athletics website. It is also linked here. Students who have already submitted a physical for football, basketball, volleyball or track this year will not need to submit another.

• Girls tryouts will be held on Monday, February 3rd at 4:15 until 5:45.
• Boys tryouts will be held on Wednesday, February 5th at 4:15 until 5:45.
• Athletes will need to bring athletic wear, tennis racquet, water, and a completed physical form

Thank you,

McCullough Tennis

If you're interested in joining the National Ranked Highlander Swimming & Diving Team, please stop by the front office at McCullough to pick up a tryout flyer. Early swimming tryouts will be held on February 25th at the Conroe ISD Natatorium.

UIL - No Pass / No Play - Texas UIL No Pass / No Play law states that grades will be checked every three weeks, except for within the first 6 weeks of the school year. The important dates this grading period are in the attached calendar. This law also applies to all UIL competition groups/teams.

2024 - 2025 UIL Eligibility Dates

The McCullough Library was informed this month that through the state license plate program, Read to Succeed, $335 dollars has been donated to us to purchase books. If you were one of those that purchased the Read to Succeed plate, Mrs. Eaves wants to Thank You for naming us and supporting reading!

Got to see a sneak peak of this years yearbook in production! It looks so cool!! Be sure to purchase yours before our allocation runs out. scan or long-press the QR code to purchase!

Parents,

Friendly reminder about our dress code policy! We started having some struggles there at the end of the first semester, which I'm sure had to do with all the different dress-up days. 😏 Here are a couple of friendly reminders:

• Pajama pants are not allowed unless communicated by the school as being part of a specific dress-up day or PJ day.
• While no "fingertip" rule is still in effect, please make sure that shorts and skirts are at an appropriate length and cover the rear fully when moving or bending.
• Mid-drifts aren't allowed, and belly buttons or lower backs should not be visible either stationary or during movement.

Please refer to "Scotty" below as a good visual of what should be covered! Thanks!

Here is "Scotty", that shows the McCullough dress code and coverage. Like mentioned before, it is basically a "box" from the shoulders down to below the bottom/private area.

• Temporary badges are now being printed for students who do not have their IDs
• A $1 charge will be placed on the student's account for every temporary badge that is printed
• Replacement badges and lanyards can be purchased for the following amount:
• A $2 charge will be placed on the student's account for a replacement ID badge
• A $2 charge will be placed on the student's account for a replacement lanyard

Also, our "sleeves" for Smart Tags this year seem to be rather flimsy. They break quite often, and we do not have the budget to replace all of the broken ones. We recommend finding a more heavy-duty option for your student. As long as you can clearly see the Smart Tag, and a lanyard can be attached, you should be good to go! See the link below for some ideas off of Amazon:

McCullough is a very large Junior High School. We serve over 2,200 students!👀 As such, the front office can be very busy throughout the day. Because of this, as well as limited staff, here are the rules regarding student item drop-offs:

• Student items MUST be labeled with the student's name, and will be left on the student shelf up front (the student can pick up during their assigned lunch)

• NO Deliveries are allowed–This includes food, flowers, and/or gifts

• The student will NOT be notified of their lunch delivery, so please plan ahead!

• Drinks need a screw top–NO fountain drinks/Starbucks/Giant Smoothies–they can cause a mess!

• We will NOT accept any food deliveries from vendors such as Doordash, Uber Eats, etc.

TWHS offers a multitude of languages, including German, French, Chinese, and Japanese.

As students decide which language to choose, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First and foremost, students should make sure that they choose the language and culture that truly interests them. They will be spending a lot of time in their foreign language classroom, and they might as well enjoy it while they learn.

Secondly, they should keep their own marketability in mind. Which language will make them stand out to future employers? See below for more information.

Find more information in our TWHS Foreign Language Newsletter here:

Here is a link to the clubs available at McCullough Junior High! The website will be updated as more information about specific clubs becomes available.

Thank you to those who have donated! We are always looking for more donations as they get picked through pretty quickly. Please consider donating:

• $5 - $10 gift cards to eating establishments, Amazon, Starbucks, Target, Eating places, etc.
• Teacher supplies like Sharpies, Dry Erase Markers, Post-it Notes, Flair Pens, Gel Pens, etc.
• Any other donations that teachers would really appreciate

If you are able to donate, please drop off your donations at the front office and let them know it is for the teacher treasure box! Thank you for your continued support!!❤💚

Participation in Theme Thursday's was great last semester, and the number of kiddos participating increased throughout the Fall! Teachers and students are encouraged to dress in the theme for the day each Thursday. Outfits must be school appropriate and meet the McCullough Junior High dress code guidelines. 🙂

McCullough Junior High Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is a group of parents, family members, staff, and teachers who work together to enhance academic achievement and enrichment for all students. PTO volunteers organize Orientation, design and sell spirit wear, organize staff appreciation events, and more. In addition, the funds they raise from dues are used to purchase school enhancement items that fall beyond the school’s budget. Recent purchases include additional chrome carts, carline signs to direct traffic, new entrance rugs, a McC backdrop sign, acrylic hallway signs (to be installed soon), outdoor picnic tables, and TV’s in the cafeteria for announcements/reminders/pictures.

Please click on the link below to purchase your PTO Membership and support the faculty and staff at McCullough. The PTO membership fee is the only fundraiser we do. Thank you for your support!

Candy Grams will be available for $1 (Cash Only) this week during lunches!

• Wednesday 2/5
• Thursday 2/6
• Thursday 2/7

2/25/2025 - Niko Niko's

Our small gym mats are in seriously bad shape! I'm not sure when the last time they were re-done (if ever), but they are severely faded, have tears all over them, and are repaired with red duck tape in many locations. 🤦‍♂️ I received a bid to have them replaced, and it will cost almost $20,000 to replace all the mats, including extending the mats on the end to provide safe coverage for all areas of the court perimeter. If you know of anyone who would be interested, let me know! I'd love to have a conversation about ways to shout out your business and promote your support and generosity with signage in the gym! Email me if you are interested!

We are excited about a new year and want your child to get off to a great start. I would like to pass on information about Child Nutrition to help you navigate breakfast and lunch at school so your child can be successful. Please see the following information regarding eating breakfast/lunch at school and changes for the 2024-25 school year:

• Please load money onto your child’s school lunch money account through My School Bucks.

• Please complete a Free/Reduced Lunch Application if you believe you might qualify.

Please note this very important change regarding Lunch Charges:

• We have a new charge process that has been established that limits students to 15 charges (1 charge = a breakfast and a Lunch).
• Once a student has charged 10 times, a school administrator will contact you to make you aware of the situation and discuss options on how to clear your child’s charges, how to use My School Bucks, directions on completing a Free/Reduced application, or will consider any special circumstances.
• Please be aware of the process once your child has 15 charges. Please know that we will complete this task with the utmost discretion as possible:
• Junior High and High Schools (7 – 12):
• Students that reach or surpass the 15-charge limit will have charging privileges removed until a full payment has been made, a payment plan has been initiated, or a campus administrative override has occurred for extenuating circumstances.

Thank you for helping us provide your child the best experience at school to meet their breakfast and lunch needs effectively and efficiently!

Here are a few dates you'll want to put on your calendar! Dates are subject to change. Date in BOLD have either been added, changed or finalized.

Aug 14 - First Day of School!

Aug 15 - Volleyball Tryouts

Aug 15 - Open House 7th Grade

Aug 19 - Open House 8th Grade

Aug 20 - Class Meetings in Bock (Students)

Aug 21 - Class Meetings in Bock (Students)

Aug 28 - School Picture Day (Through History Classes)

Aug 29 - School Picture Day (Through History Classes)

Aug 29 - ISP Parent Information Night in Bock (6pm)

Sep 15 - End of MP1

Sep 19 - PTO General Meeting in LGI (9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.)

Sep 23 - 7th Grade Pep Rally

Sep 24 - 8th Grade Pep Rally

Oct 02 - School Picture Retakes

Oct 15 - Wear RED for Dyslexia

Oct 15 - 7th Grade Pep Rally

Oct 16 - 8th Grade Pep Rally

Oct 17 - Eligibility Lose or Gain

Oct 17 - Highlighted Highlander Ceremony

Oct 23 - 31 - Red Ribbon Week

Oct 24 - PSAT Administration for 8th Graders

Nov 8 - Eligibility Gain

Nov 25 - 29 - Thanksgiving Holiday

Dec 9 - Eligibility Gain

Dec 12 - Highlighted Highlander Ceremony

Dec 16 - Advanced Math Parent Meeting for Incoming 7th 6:00 PM Bock (New Date!)

Dec 17 - 20 - Midterm Exams

Dec 20 - Early Release Day

Jan 14 _ Eligibility Loss or Gain

Jan 16 - PTO General Meeting

Jan 20 - School Holiday

Jan 21 - Rising 8th Grade Parent Info Night

Jan 28 & 29- Rising 7th Grade Parent Information Night 6:00 PM Bock *Only attend one meeting

Feb 3 - Eligibility Gain

Feb 3 - School Pictures through History Classes

Feb 4 - School Pictures through History Classes

Feb 10 - Cheer Try Out Parent Meeting @ 6pm (Mandatory) Bock Auditorium

Feb. 10 - Highland Girl Applications available at home campuses

Feb 11 - Athletic & Elective Night 6pm - 8pm

Feb 13 - Highlighted Highlander Ceremony

Feb 14 - Student Holiday

Feb 17 - School Holiday

Feb 18 - TELPAS 7th Grade Listening and Speaking

Feb 19 - TELPAS 7th Grade Listening and Speaking

Feb 20 - TELPAS 8th Grade Listening and Speaking

Feb 21 - TELPAS 8th Grade Listening and Speaking

Feb 25 - TELPAS Listening and Speaking Make-ups

Feb 25 - Eligibility Gain

Mar 3 - TELPAS 7th Grade Reading and Writing

Mar 4 - TELPAS 7th Grade Reading and Writing

Mar 5 - TELPAS 8th Grade Reading and Writing

Mar 6 - TELPAS 8th Grade Reading and Writing

Mar 7 - TELPAS Reading and Writing Make-ups

Mar 3-5 - McCullough Cheerleader Clinic 4:45 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.

Mar 6 - McCullough Cheerleader Tryout at 4:45 p.m.

Mar 7 - Posting of McC Cheerleader results after 6:00 p.m. after all results have been verified.

Mar 10 - 14 Spring Break

Mar 11 - Off Campus/Private PE Applications open online. (Due by June 1st)

Mar 17 - Highland Girl Application Deadline – turn in to home campus by noon or at parent meeting

Mar 17 - Highlander Girl Tryout Meeting, McCullough Large Gym at 6:00 p.m.

Mar 18-21 & 24-28 – Highland Girl Tryout Clinic

Mar 21 - TELPAS Final Make-ups

Mar 24 - Eligibility Lose or Gain

Mar 29 - Highland Girl Tryouts

Mar 30 - Posting of Highland Girls results

Apr 1 - Last day for Off Campus/Private PE requests at McCullough

Apr 11 - Eligibility Gain

Apr 14 - Color Guard Informational Meeting at 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. in Bock Auditorium (Mandatory)

Apr 15 - STAAR Reading 7th

Apr 16 - STAAR Reading 8th

Apr 17 - PTO General Meeting

Apr 18 - School Holiday

Apr 22-24th - Color Guard Audition Clinic: McC Gyms A & B , 4:30 p.m.- 6:30 p.m. (Mandatory)

Apr 22 - STAAR Social Studies 8th

Apr 23 - STAAR Science 8th

Apr 25 - Color Guard Auditions in McC Gyms A & B, 4:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Apr 26 - Color Guard Audition results sent to parent/guardian email by 5:00 p.m.

Apr 29 - STAAR Math 7th

Apr 30 - STAAR Math 8th

May 5 - Eligibility Gain

May 13 - End of Year Awards Ceremony (Bock Auditorium @ 6:30 p.m.)

May 20 - 23 Final Exams

May 23 - Early Release

June 1 - Last day for Off Campus/Private PE Applications with Conroe ISD

Main Office.....................................832.592.5100

24-hour Attendance Line...............832.592.5111

McCullough Fax.............................832.592.5116

Clinic...............................................832.592.5122

Clinic Fax........................................832.592.5127

Counselor's Office..........................832.592.5194

Registrar..........................................832.592.5114