Gladiator News
August 28 -September 1, 2023
Hello Garcia Families,
We are ready to have all our Gladiators back on Monday!! We cannot wait to welcome everyone back for another great year! We had such a great time seeing everyone at both our open house events! Thank you all for coming. This week will be tiring but exciting! We ask for your patience with drop off, lunches, and dismissals this week as we all ease back into our daily processes. We have a lot of information regarding our first week back below.
Students will receive their devices Wednesday through Friday this week. Each student will receive a computer and a charger this week and are responsible for both pieces of technology for the entire year. Families will also have a financial responsibility if any of the checked out technology is damaged or lost.
Student schedules could change this week due to class leveling. This is a yearly event to make sure our teachers have the correct number of students in each class. We apologize for this inconvenience and thank you for support.
Need a spirit shirt? Check out the flyer below. You can download, print and return to place your order
Please see our traffic pattern map below. Our traffic patterns are a TEAM effort each day. If everyone follows the patters as they are listed, both our drop off and pick up lines move much faster. We have our campus police out on Kyle Seale each day to help as well. We have teachers and administrators in front of the school. We will review walking patterns with students the first week of school as well. Once we get through the first week we can get our lines down in about 10 minutes from dismissal each day.
Here are some tips to help our traffic each day:
1. Please do not drop off or pick up students on Kyle Seale, this is illegal and dangerous
2. Please do not pick up or drop off at the Grandview park, the subdivision has asked local PD to issue citations for trespassing
3. If your student is not ready to be picked up in the front drive, please circle around or park in the parking lot until they are ready
4. Do not form lines in the parking lot. It blocks traffic patterns. Please use a parking spot to wait.
5. Please do not pick up in the lane closet to the parking lot, this is dangerous and slows our traffic
Please see the information from NISD regarding the law change about vaping below.
Attention all art students: art kits from our vendor are no longer available. We will be sending out information on how to purchase art kits from the art teachers this week.
We have added both a picture and a downloadable copy of our bell schedule to our newsletter.
We offer a calendar link to our community calendar. We put all of our campus events on the calendar so our Gladiator Nation can support all our wonderful events.
We have included some information from Nurse Kat, Please take time and read her message about NISD health screenings that will occur.
Our front doors will remain locked for safety. Please be patient as we welcome each of you into our building. When you arrive at our door, please call our front office and someone will be there to give you access to our building. Safety is our first priority at Garcia! Speaking of safety, did you know we have a Watch DOGS program at HGMS? In fact we had about 120 Watch DOGS last year who helped keep our campus safe each day! We encourage all moms, and dads to volunteer for this fantastic program! We are in search of a "Top Dog" also to help us organize this wonderful program. Please visit our Watch DOG table at Market days to help keep our campus safe!
Another added layer of safety this year will be student ID cards. Students will receive one free ID card and lanyard in the first few weeks of school. Students will be expected to wear their ID card throughout each day while on campus. Students will need to show their student ID cards to enter athletics events on campus, purchase tickets for dances(and enter dances), will scan them in the library, scan in the lunch line, and scan when they enter the counseling and nurses office. Replacement IDs will be made for a $5 fee. Students can purchase Garcia branded lanyards at the PTA Market Day table! Thank you all for your support on this new safety item.
We had one change over the summer that effects us all. Officer Gill has moved to elementary patrol. We will miss him greatly and wish him well. Thank you Officer Gill for all your service to the HGMS community. We will bring aboard Officer Gutierrez from another NISD campus. We know he will do a great job for us. As soon as he is officially on board we will make sure our community has a change to meet him!
Did you know last year, and all or our years, we had the largest PTA in NISD??!! That is one of the qualities that make HGMS so great! Our goal for PTA memberships this year is 1000. I know we can do it! We were so close last year. Did you also know you can sign up your student? Even grandparents can sign up! Please take some time to join our PTA this year, along with your student. We have some special gifts for those who sign up two or more individuals! Each and every penny we raise through PTA goes back to our school. We also offer business sponsorships for our community members. Have you seen those wonderful banners with businesses on them as you come into our school? Those are our PTA business partners and they receive some outstanding perks for partnering with our PTA. We have such a supportive board. We are SO grateful for all they do for our school! Please see the HGMS spirit gear order form and information from PTA below for more details!
The first day of school is Aug. 28 and it is approaching quickly! We will see you all next week at the camps and at Market Day!
We ask you to connect with us via social media. All of our information is below:
NISD
Twitter: @NISD
Garcia Middle School
Twitter: @NISDgarcia
Instagram: @nisdgarcia
Facebook:Dr. Hector P. Garcia Middle School and Hector Garcia Middle School PTA
Principal- Mark Lopez
Twitter: @DrMarkJLopez
Academic Dean- Lori Persyn
Twitter:@LoriPersyn
Associate Principal: Mateo Macias
Twitter:@APMateoMacias
Assistant Principal- Jennifer Christensen
Twitter: @teach_jen
Dr. Hector P. Garcia Middle School
Counseling
Twitter- @HGMSCounseling
Instagram- @garcia_counseling_dept
HGMS Traffic Flow Map
New Vaping Law Information
NISD Families:
The Texas Legislature recently enacted HB 114 requiring all school districts to implement mandatory disciplinary alternative education program (DAEP) placement for students found in possession of, using, selling, giving, or delivering e-cigarettes or vaping devices on school grounds or at a school-related event.
This alternative school placement, required by law, is made regardless of whether the substance being vaped is a controlled substance or not.
We ask that you discuss this new state law with your child(ren).
Welcome to the 2023-2024 School Year!
Welcome to our New Gladiators!
HGMS Counseling Department
HGMS Library
From the HGMS Nurse
Important information regarding NISD health screening in the link below. Please read
HGMS PTA
Gladiator Nation!
We are so excited to welcome you back to school! My name is Andi Schmid and I am looking forward to my second year as the HGMS PTA President. We have an amazing PTA Board and we all have big plans for Garcia this year. The purpose of the PTA is to support the faculty, staff, parents, and most especially, our students at Garcia.
In order to be successful, we need the support and involvement of our families, faculty, staff, and community business leaders. I encourage you to become a member of our PTA. Your membership is $10 and dues help support the various programs the PTA sponsors at Garcia (and there is no volunteer requirement!) Membership is encouraged not only for parents, but also for students, grandparents, and community members. You can join by completing the membership form online at www.hgmspta.com. For every two memberships purchased, you'll receive a free Gladiator cinch bag courtesy of our PTA Gold Sponsor Pierson & Saunders Orthodontics.
While you're on our site, take a look at our Spirit Store. We've added several new items this year. You can get a jump start on shopping by purchasing online and picking up your items at Market Day. Avoid the lines and purchase your items by noon on Tuesday (8/15). Your order will be bagged and waiting for you at the PTA table in the lobby by the cafeteria. You can also complete and bring the order form provided below.
Another way to support our school is through PTA Sponsorships. We offer two levels a Gold ($500) and a Silver ($250). Both levels provide significant promotion and exposure to our Garcia community. Sponsorships and donations can be completed on our website - www.hgmspta.com.
We are still in need of a Garcia parent to be our Top Dog for our Watch Dog program. Ms. Rasco has volunteered to be our faculty sponsor for Watch Dogs! So, if you were thinking about volunteering, but weren't sure about taking it on by yourself, you won't be alone. Stop by the Watch Dog table at Market Day to sign up and meet Ms. Rasco.
And finally, I want to introduce our PTA Board. These ladies do so much and are so dedicated to making sure Garcia is the best it can be. If you are interested in getting involved or helping out, you can email us at HectorGarciaPTA@gmail.com. Several of our committees are in need of additional help.
President Andi Schmid
1st VP of Membership Jaime Key
2nd VP of Fundraising Melissa Barber
Secretary Alexis Clanton
Treasurer Jennifer Couch
Parliamentarian Summer Diamond
Communications Bethany Bellizzi
Hospitality Karina Wood & Crystal Pena
Programs Natalie Balderrama
Reflections Allison Smith
Spirit Gear Michelle Chang
Spirit Nights Kristin Acosta
To stay informed about upcoming events throughout the year, be sure to sign up for emails from PTA on our website and follow us on Facebook at Hector Garcia Middle School PTA.
I look forward to seeing you at Market Day and working with you throughout the year.
Thank you!
Andi Schmid
HGMS Calendar Of Events- Click Image For More Detail
Upcoming Events/Announcements
Connect With Dr. Lopez!!
Email: mark.lopez@nisd.net
Website: https://www.nisd.net/garcia
Location: 14900 Kyle Seale Parkway, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: 210-397-8400
Twitter: @DrMarkJLopez