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We are SO excited to get the 2024 - 2025 school year kicked off! Below you will find a TON of information. Please take some time and review it carefully. While I will do my Hughes Huddle videos weekly, they will mainly be "quick hitters", and the more detailed information will come in the Tartan Tribune here. I plan on posting a Tartan Tribune every couple of weeks at the beginning of the year, and then once per month after that. Looking forward to a GREAT year this year at McCullough Junior High! Go Highlanders!!❤💚

McCullough Junior High Dress and Grooming Policy

Cornerstones:

1. A consistently enforced, uniform dress code is critical to maintaining the mental and physical health and safety of our students and staff, and to sustaining an academically focused environment.

2. Educators in Conroe ISD are dedicated to ensuring the enforcement of the dress code policy in such a way that it does not reinforce or increase the stereotyping, marginalization, or oppression of any group.

3. As a community of parents, students and educators, we will approach and enforce our dress code with the understanding that “state of dress” can easily be changed, whether intentionally or accidentally, throughout the day and can be dependent upon certain activities (bending, reaching, etc.) or unforeseen interferences (a backpack causing a skirt or shorts to ride up for example).

4. Therefore, appropriateness of dress and appearance will be determined and enforced by administration on an individual basis.

5. This policy has been reviewed and approved by a Site-Based Advisory Committee. Membership on the committee includes parents/guardians, faculty, students, and community members.

Fundamentals:

1. Clothes must be worn in a way such that abdomen, back, private area, buttocks, and breasts are fully covered at all times (even with movement) with opaque fabric. Parents and students may wish to check that full coverage is maintained even when bending over, reaching up, kneeling, sitting cross-legged, etc.

2. The foundation pieces must meet this fundamental level of coverage, even when a student is wearing a hoodie or jacket or other form of “additional covering” that can be removed or repositioned.

3. Please note the possibility that while some clothing may be perfectly acceptable at times, it may not provide consistent, sufficient coverage throughout the general activities of the day (see Cornerstone # 3).

Students Must Wear (see Cornerstone # 1, 3, and 4):

• a shirt (with opaque fabric that covers the waistband (even with movement - see Fundamental #1) in front, back, and on the sides under the arms), AND

• pants/jeans or the equivalent (for example: a skirt, sweatpants, leggings, dress, or shorts) - that provide full coverage (even with movement - see Fundamental # 1) , AND

• appropriate shoes with soles

Students Cannot Wear (see Cornerstone # 1 and 4):

• on the head:

• hats, hoods, or other headwear (with the exception of religious headwear)

• on clothing, body, or belongings:

• violent, profane, or pornographic language or images

• images depicting (or wording that references) drugs, alcohol, or any other substances, items, or activities prohibited by law

• hate speech or offensive images or wording

• images or language that targets or creates a hostile/intimidating environment for any protected class or consistently marginalized groups

• any clothing that reveals visible undergarments (waistbands and straps included)

• accessories that could be considered dangerous or could be used as a weapon

• accessories or clothing items that could contribute to distraction and disruption of learning

• any item that obscures the face or ears (except as a religious observance); this includes headphones/earbuds except as instructed for use during a lesson or while at lunch

• pajamas or sleepwear (including onesies, house shoes, slippers, or novelty slippers)

All students are required to have a SmartTag ID. Students will be given their ID's the first day of school.

• 7th grade students will have green lanyards (handed out the first week of school)
• 8th grade students will have red lanyards (Handed out the first week of school)
• Returning 8th graders are highly encouraged (please!) to bring their red lanyard from last year if possible. This will greatly reduce our cost to replace all 1100 red lanyards.😁

Please see the chart below for Texas Minimum State Vaccine Requirements for Students K-12. Most of our incoming 7th graders need one or more immunizations prior to school starting in the fall.

For more information please visit the Conroe ISD Health Services page at the following link:

https://www.conroeisd.net/department/health-services/

All students will report to their Alpha homeroom the first day of school.

• Student can find this information located at the top of their schedule (see top middle number by HRM) they picked up at orientation.
• For any student unable to pick up schedules ahead of time, we will have signs posted around the school to assist them on where to go.
• Student will be given a new GREEN schedule on the first day that they will follow.

• Please follow directives from staff members to ensure a safe and organized pick up/drop off of students
• Loading students in the street is NOT allowed for safety and traffic flow reasons
• Please load students in the "Student Pick Up Area" ONLY
• The front horseshoe opens after 8:30 am for student drop off, and is CLOSED for student pick ups at dismissal

• Enter and proceed to the entrance using the route detailed in the map below.
• Please pull all the way up to the car ahead of you in the line
• ONLY drop off students in the designated "Drop Off Area"
• Exit the car rider line using the route detailed in the map below.

• Enter the parking lot and either:
• Enter the car line and pick up students in the "Student Pick Up Area"
• Park, walk to the exit doors to greet your student, walk student back to vehicle, then exit
• "Car Line" Vehicles will exit via the "Car Line Exit"
• "Park and Pick Up" vehicles will exit via "Parent Pick Up" exit
• See map below for details on each location

Our Open House Dates for the 2024 - 2025 school year are:

7th Grade — Thursday, August 15th

8th Grade — Monday, August 19th

Upon arrival at McCullough, please report to your child’s first period Red Day classroom. Open House is an opportunity for parents/guardians to visit their child’s classes.

* Please note, due to space constraints, this event is for parents/guardians only *

Please see below for additional information regarding our Open House schedule.

• Parents will follow their student's schedule from class to class and learn more about each of the courses that they are taking.
• The evenings will run classes of 1-4 Red followed by classes of 5-8 Green as we cover two days of classes in one night. We will not be attending advisement this evening.
• Class meetings will begin at 6:00 p.m. and conclude at 7:45 p.m.
• Parking will be available on both the west and east sides of campus.
• All entryways will be open.
• The PTO will be available if you would like to join or purchase school-related clothing.
• District police will be on site to help with traffic dismissal.
• Carpooling is something to consider and may be of assistance as traffic will be extremely heavy.
• Students from various organizations will be available to help you find your destination.
• Extra schedules and maps will be available in The Commons.

• All girls interested in trying out for the 7th and 8th grade 2024 volleyball season, please make sure you have registered online and submitted all necessary paperwork.
• All information can be found on our McCullough Volleyball Website
• Please complete Rank One Forms and Volleyball sign up form.
• Registration will close Wednesday August 14th @ 8p.m.
• Please bring paper copy of physical to tryouts
• First Day of tryouts is August 15th!!
• Please be prepared and patient the morning of tryouts! Several sports will be trying out on the same day so traffic will be heavy!

Let's Go Highlanders!❤💚

Tryouts for Lady Highlander XC will be Saturday, August 17th.

• 8th grade will tryout at 7:00 am
• 7th grade will tryout at 8:00 am
• You must be enrolled in the XC course to tryout. Students who are not currently scheduled for XC will not be able to try out
• You will be assigned a tryout number based on rosters
• You will need a completed physical on file dated after April 15, 2024
• Your tryout consists of running two miles on the XC course
• 8th graders need to run in under 17:00
• 7th graders need to run the course in under 18:00
• Failure to make the time standard, quit your time trial, or not tryout will result in your schedule being changed to PE.
• The girls will be given more information on the first two days of school
• Please email Coach Collins at kcollins@conroeisd.net with any questions

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.

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:

• Per board policy, 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:
• Elementary/Intermediate Students (EC – 6): Students that reach or surpass the 15-charge limit will receive a modified meal as follows:
• Breakfast would consist of milk and cereal
• Lunch would consist of a sandwich and milk.
• 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!

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. In the event an athlete is not passing all classes at the end of the first 6 weeks (2nd progress report) he or she would not be allowed to participate for a minimum of 3 weeks starting Sept 27th. At the end of the first 9 weeks report card grading period, any student who had to sit out due to grades must now be passing ALL classes in order to participate again. This date will be Oct 17th. After Oct 17th, athletes will have another chance each 3 weeks. This law also applies to all UIL competition groups/teams.

2024 - 2025 UIL Eligibility Dates

We will be having Theme Thursdays this year! 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. 🙂

TWHS Robotics is having a Shoe Drive August 1 - September 30. We are collecting new and gently used shoes. Drop off sites for the shoes are located at:

• TWHS
• South Regional Library at Lake Robbins Drive
• Mitchell Library at Ashlane Way

Your shoe donations help support our robotics build projects and our community outreach programs, while improving the lives of people in developing countries through microenterprise. It's a win-win!

Thank you for your support!

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.

McCullough Junior High 2024-25 PTO Memberships for Incoming 7th and 8th Graders are available now. If you'd like to get a head start on 2024-2025, 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!

Join at the link below!

For teacher morale and appreciation, I have a "Teacher Treasure Box" in my office. It is typically filled with a variety of items that teachers can choose from. I will be doing daily trivia, decoration contests, teachers achieving excellence, etc., and teachers would be able to select an item from the treasure box! Our teachers and staff work so hard every day making McCullough a great place to be and I want to celebrate them! I am hoping for the following donations if you are willing to help out:

• $5 - $10 gift cards to eating establishments, Amazon, Starbucks, Target, 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 support!!❤💚

• We are currently in the process of "cleaning up" our website! It has gotten a little busy with all the links and different boxes. Stay tuned!
• The student handbook will be posted on our website soon. We are updating it with our new policies for dress code, cell phones, etc.
• The mowers should be coming through soon as well! It is still a small forest outside, and we apologize for the appearance! ☹
• We are working with the Boy Scouts to start our "McC" letter revitalization project up front! Stay tuned!

Here are a few dates you'll want to put on your calendar for the beginning of the school year. Grades are subject to change. You will be notified of any changes made to important dates.

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 10 - School Picture Retakes

Oct 16 - PSAT Device Check (Date Added)

Oct 17 - Eligibility Lose or Gain

Oct 17 - Highlighted Highlander Ceremony

Oct 23 - 31 - Red Ribbon Week

Oct 24 - PSAT Administration for 8th Graders (Updated Date!)

Oct 28 - 7th Grade Pep Rally (Updated Date!)

Oct 29 - 8th Grade Pep Rally (Updated Date!)

Nov 8 - Eligibility Gain

Nov 25 - 29 - Thanksgiving Holiday

Dec 9 - Eligibility Gain

Dec 12 - Highlighted Highlander Ceremony

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 22 - School Pictures through History Classes

Jan 23 - School Pictures through History Classes

Feb 3 - Eligibility Gain

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

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

Feb 13 - Highlighted Highlander Ceremony

Feb 17 - School Holiday

Feb 25 - Eligibility Gain

Mar 3 - 6 - Cheer Try Out Clinic

Mar 6 - Cheer Try Outs

Mar 10 - 14 Spring Break

Mar 17 - Highland Girls Parent Tryout Meeting

Mar 24 - Eligibility Lose or Gain

Mar 25 - April 4 - Highland Girls Clinic

Apr 5 - Highland Girls Tryouts

Apr 11 - Eligibility Gain

Apr 15 - STAAR Reading 7th

Apr 16 - STAAR Reading 8th

Apr 17 - PTO General Meeting

Apr 18 - School Holiday

Apr 22 - STAAR Social Studies 8th

Apr 23 - STAAR Science 8th

Apr 24 - 28 - Color Guard Clinic

Apr 29 - STAAR Math 7th

Apr 30 - STAAR Math 8th

May 1 - Color Guard Try Out

May 5 - Eligibility Gain

May 20 - 23 Final Exams

May 23 - Early Release

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