BVM Community,

Good morning and Happy Veteran's Day! On Monday, we honored the brave individuals who have served and continue to serve in our Armed Forces. Your sacrifices are deeply appreciated and we celebrate you today!

Community, we also want to take this time to thank you the 14 families and students who showed up for our Campus Beautification Event this past Saturday! Thank you for investing 4 hours of your time--especially during your 3 Day Weekend! We took the time to clean student areas near the ASB, Main Quad, Library, 9th Grade Lawn, and the front of the school. We cannot tell you how grateful we are for our community and your partnership!!! We are truly a special school, place, and community because of you! The campus looks great thanks to you!

Moreover, as we look ahead to a short week and just 9 days until Thanksgiving Break (November 25 - November 29), let's come together as a community to ensure our students finish the semester strong—especially our 8th graders. Passing all classes with a D or better is essential and an SUHSD District Requirement for participating in the promotion ceremony and receiving their certificates. Remember, the habits formed in middle school often carry into the high school years--hence we are working with a sense of urgency to close out our semester on a strong and positive note and we need your partnership.

As we look forward more specifically to this week, please take a moment to check out our Week-at-a-Glance to stay informed about upcoming events. We’re excited to announce that our ASB is kicking off a Door Decorating Contest this week, with the inspiring theme of “Gratitude.” The winning advisories will be rewarded with a delicious Pizza Party, complete with chips and water!

We also have a special outing for a select group of students focused on academic improvement. They will visit San Diego State University on Thursday, November 14, 2024, which will be a fantastic opportunity for them to explore future possibilities.

Don’t miss our virtual Coffee with the Principal (Thursday, November 14 from 5:15 pm - 6:15 pm) this week! We'll discuss important topics such as safety, featuring a presentation from Mr. Bonilla. Additionally, we will delve into how we can best support our children as we approach the end of the semester and reflect on how they spend their time during breaks—fewer hours on social media can lead to more meaningful experiences.

Finally, I encourage everyone to check out our recent events available to our students--let's make sure your student is participating in school-wide events. Together, let’s continue fostering a strong connection within our school community and support each other in positive ways.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership as we work to nurture and inspire our students! Let's make it an awesome week!

Sincerely,

Alex Salazar

Happy Veterans Day to all who have served in the United States Armed Forces! As a proud Marine (1998-2003), I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who has donned the uniform, as well as those who are currently serving. Your dedication and sacrifice inspire us all! #ServiceOrientation #IBCandidateSchool #BVM

BVM families,
Those interested in trying out for boys soccer, girls’ soccer, or girls Field Hockey must first complete the clearance process through the "Home Campus" website. Instructions are attached. You must be cleared before you can tryout. Get cleared before it's too late. Let's go Crusaders! Please click on the link below.

Girls soccer tryouts will begin next week afterschool out on the grass fields at 3:25pm. The schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, Nov 13, 2024
• 7th graders only

Thursday, Nov 14, 2024
• 8th graders only

Friday, Nov 15, 2024
• Combined
*Practice at 1:15pm

*If you are not cleared, you may not try out.
*Plan on attending your grade level and the Friday tryout.
*First cuts will be posted on Monday.
Good luck everyone!

BVM Community,

MESSAGE FROM COACH HUEZO (BOYS SOCCER):

We will be having a boys' soccer meeting in room 406 on Thursday, November 14, 2024, from 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. to discuss tryouts and other relevant information. The meeting will be mandatory, and tryouts will be next week from the 18th through the 20th of November. We are asking parents to attend this meeting along with their student-athletes.

Thank you --(MESSAGE FROM COACH HUEZO).

Parents and guardians, to report a student absence, please make sure to fill out the following form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScLJrFXTi9s9G9nIzEOJSMEn2NeMLbDqMYUseHAKr5YRwJmYQ/viewform.

For any absences extending to 5 or more school days, please contact Ana.Monge@sweetwaterschools.org, our Attendance Coordinator, to complete an short-term independence study contract.

Please contact Ms. Rubi.deleon@sweetwaterschools.org, our attendance technician, to report any attendance errors.

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).

Nominated by Coach Beck, Nikolas Dallaris. Nikolas continues to earn excellent marks in all catergories for Physical Education. Nikolas is a pleasure to have in class. I am very proud of his efforts! Congratulations Nikolas Dallaris! Picture is forthcoming! #IBProfile#Communicators#IBCandidateSchool#BVM

Nominated by Ms. Heredia, Keinaan Duarte Mendoza. I am please to bring to your attentionthe remarkable acheivements of Keinaan Duarte, a standout English student. Keinaan has consistently demonstrated an unparalleled dedication to academic excellence and a genuine passion for learning English. Furthermore, Keinaan actively engages in class discussions, contributing valuable insights and fostering a positive learning environment. Lastly, Keinaan demonstrated a commitment to furthering his English proficiency skills and his enthusiasm for the subject serves as an inspiration to his classmates and peers. Thank you for working hard Keinaan, you are amazing! Mrs. Heredia

Stop the Vape! Congratulations to our finalists in the STOP THE VAPE POSTER CONTEST (162 entries): Karime Jimenez, Xyoli Macias, and Audrey Robbins!!! Xyoli Macias and Audrey Robbins earned top 3 finishes overall in the middle school division finishing 2nd and 3rd place overall!!! Let's go BVM!!! Way to represent! Dr. Meza, thank you also for promoting this contest as well!

This past Saturday, our Builders Club of Bonita Vista Middle School hosted a wonderful Campus Beautification Event, and what an incredible day it was! We had 14 enthusiastic families come together to spruce up the student areas around our Main Quad, ASB, Library, 9th Grade Lawn, and the front of the school.

Not only did we collect over 30 bags of trash, leaving our campus looking fantastic, but the highlight of the day was witnessing families bonding—fathers and daughters, mothers and sons—spending quality time together while making a positive impact on our community.

We wrapped up the day with an engaging debrief session, where we shared ideas for future projects and continued building our sense of community. A huge thank you to all the students and families who joined us for this meaningful event! Your dedication and spirit truly made a difference, and we can’t wait for our next opportunity to come together and give back!

Let’s keep the momentum going! 💪🏽✨

In room IA 5, you can find our aspiring builders and creators hard at work on their robotics projects after school, all under the attentive guidance of Mr. Dougherty. While this year has been a learning experience for our Robotics team, we are enthusiastic about the possibilities that lie ahead. Keep up the great work, Crusaderbots!

We are thrilled to share that our incredible BVM Crusader Cheer Team participated in the annual Veteran's Day Parade at Veteran's Elementary School in East Chula Vista! This event has become a cherished tradition for our Cheer Team, and we extend our heartfelt gratitude to Coach Alyssa and the 2024-2025 BVM Cheer Team for helping us continue this meaningful celebration of those who have served in the Armed Forces.

In addition, we are excited to announce that our cheerleaders received their final shipment of uniforms this past week! Check out the photos above to see our team proudly donning their full uniforms. Thank you for your support as we cheer on our community and honor our veterans!

Our US History (8th) classes have been busy learning about the events leading up to the American Revolution! Above you kind find students working on visual depictions or representations of some of these key events. The summary below highlights the events that our students have been learning in Mr. Kennedy's class, Ms. Juarez's class, Mr. Diaz's class, and Ms. Caballero's class. Thank you to our awesome students for fully engaging in the learning process!

The events leading up to the American Revolution were marked by growing tensions between the American colonies and British authorities. After the French and Indian War (1754-1763), Britain sought to reduce its debt by taxing the colonies. Key laws, such as the Stamp Act (1765) and the Townshend Acts (1767), imposed taxes on everyday items and legal documents, provoking strong resistance from colonists.

Colonial opposition began to organize through groups like the Sons of Liberty, who protested against these taxes. The phrase "no taxation without representation" became a rallying cry, emphasizing the lack of colonial representation in the British Parliament. Events like the Boston Massacre (1770) and the Boston Tea Party (1773), where colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor in protest against the Tea Act, escalated tensions further.

In response, Britain enacted the Coercive Acts (1774), which restricted colonial self-governance, leading to the formation of the First Continental Congress. The situation deteriorated into open conflict with skirmishes at Lexington and Concord in April 1775, marking the start of the Revolutionary War. These events culminated in the colonies declaring independence in 1776.

Hey everyone! Our Builders Club has been hard at work recently, organizing fantastic events like our Pumpkin Decorating Contest, which raised an amazing $840 for youth experiencing homelessness in San Diego! Just this past Saturday, we also hosted a successful Campus Beautification event that brought our community together!

As we continue planning even more exciting projects, we’re looking for passionate students to join our Builders Club—a club dedicated to service and making a difference in our community. You may be wondering why we call ourselves "Builders"—it’s because our mission is to build future leaders and inspire positive change!

**Are you ready to make an impact?** We meet every Wednesday from 3:15 PM to 4:15 PM in room 201. Everyone is welcome, and we’d love to see you there! Don’t miss this opportunity to create lasting change and have fun while doing it!

**Interested? Sign up below and become part of something great!**

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7Pv_6voq1NTHfZvJLQzmoUT_mJt2JXpks8wRiWHQ9FfSm2g/viewform

Character building is embedded in an IB education. We want our students to learn and embody 10 Learner Profiles (See attachment below). Our Fourth Learner Profile: BALANCED: We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives— intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve well-being for ourselves and others.

Focusing on the intellectual, physical and emotional in order to achieve well being for themselves and others. We would like for our students to recognize their interdependence with other people and with the world in which they live

You can email me pictures and stories of how your student has exemplified being BALANCED if you'd like your student to be featured in our weekly newsletter: alexander.salazar-arbelaez@sweetwaterschools.org.

IB Learner Profile Balanced: We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives— intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependencewith other people and with the world in which we live.

Let's celebrate Ms. Veronica Sandoval for her outstanding leadership in our counseling department at Bonita Vista Middle School. As our head counselor, she has played a pivotal role in introducing Social Emotional Lessons on Anti-Bullying, Empathy, and Acts of Kindness to all our students. Ms. Sandoval's hard work and dedication have made her one of the strongest pillars of our leadership team, and we are grateful for her unwavering support for both our students and staff. Let's keep shining, BVM!

We understand that with busy schedules and different work commitments, finding time to eat together can be challenging. However, research shows that teens and kids who share meals with their families regularly are significantly more likely to achieve excellent grades—up to 40% more likely to earn A's and B's compared to those who have fewer family dinners each week.

At BVM, we encourage you to prioritize family meals, even if it’s just on weekends or during holidays. These moments you share around the table can strengthen your family bond and create great memories, fostering communication and support.

We recognize that every family's situation is unique, and even a few shared meals can make a big difference. So, let’s celebrate those opportunities to come together, nourish our bodies, and deepen our connections whenever we can. Thank you for your efforts to make family time a priority!

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. Please join us for our upcoming workshop Thursday, November 21st from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm. Families will be treated to Pizza for Dinner while they enjoyed having a space, time, and a facilitator work with them and their student on buidling trust and growing closer with your child(ren).

Make sure to sign up for our up and coming workshops! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxH9o6MjcwKWycIqOGf5i-BntHnGL_q2MNzR2ZKuJbHYdgng/viewform.

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