The Lion's Roar

Lion Families,

October was a great month at Oak Hills! Our volleyball teams wrapped up their season with all four teams placing 2nd in district and our football teams will be finishing things off this week against Montgomery Junior High. Thank you to Coach Abercrombie and his staff as well as Coach Fox and her staff for their time and effort spent with our student athletes on the field and on the court. Mrs. Whitmire and her Advanced Theatre students knocked it out of the park with their performance of “A Haunting We Will Go”. The Oak Hills Choir had a wonderful showing at Solo contest with 58 students competing and all 58 receiving top honors of a Division 1 rating for their performance.

As we move into November, this gives us time to pause and hopefully reflect on the sacrifices our veterans and current military have made to ensure the many freedoms we often take for granted. We are holding our Veterans Day Parade on Friday, November 10th at 9:30am. The parade is open to any veteran, current military, parents and family who would like to attend. For those attending, we will begin the parade lineup along Keenan Cutoff Rd. about 9:10am and will begin the drive through promptly at 9:30. The route will follow our car rider line through Keenan Elementary and Oak Hills. This is always a wonderful time for our students and staff to pay tribute and say thank you to our Veterans. For questions or further details about the parade please contact us at 936 276 4302.

With the Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner, I would be remiss if I did not express my gratitude for the Oak Hills family and the Montgomery ISD community. We have the best of the best, and I consider myself extremely fortunate to be a part!

Thank you,

G. Whitehead

November Dates

11/6 – 7th Football @ MISD Stadium vs. Montgomery Junior High

11/6 – 11/10 – Girls Basketball Tryouts

11/7 – Election Day

11/8 – 8th Football @ MISD Stadium vs. Montgomery Junior High

11/8 – Student Council Meeting @ 6:50am

11/13 – Veterans Day Parade @ 9:30am

11/13 – 11/15 – Boys Basketball Tryouts

11/17 – 7th Grade Vision & Hearing Testing

11/20 – 11/24 – Thanksgiving Break

11/28 – Spelling Bee @ 3:00pm

11/30 – Boys Bball @ Home vs. Bear Branch

11/30 – Girls Bball @ Bear Branch

If you are a Veteran or would like to recognize a Veteran family member or friend, please let us know! Use this form to submit a Veteran for recognition at our Veteran's Day Celebration HERE

This is a friendly reminder that Friday, November 10 is the deadline to purchase Accidental Damage Protection (ADP) for student-issued technology devices. The cost of the ADP is $25. While purchase of the protection is optional and not required, MISD still recommends payment of the $25 ADP fee to cover the cost of most damage to student-issued devices. In the event families opt out of paying the $25 ADP, they may be responsible for the costs associated with accidental or intentional damage to the device. If you have not previously opted out of the fee, the ADP coverage can be purchased through your MySchoolBucks account.

Digital safety is critically important to Montgomery ISD, which is why we are now using Bark for Schools to help us protect students online while using school-issued technology and devices. Parents now have the option to sign up for a free account as part of Montgomery ISD’s partnership with Bark.

Bark monitors for signs of potential issues like:

• Cyberbullying
• Suicidal ideation
• Online predators
• Threats of violence
• And more

Alerts at the first signs of danger

When possible dangers arise on school-issued accounts, Bark for Schools sends us alerts so we can address the situation in a timely manner. These alerts also give us insights that help us promote the wellness of students.

Sign up to get alerts with Parent Portal

Students use their school-issued accounts both at school and at home, and families are often in a better position to respond to urgent alerts after hours, on weekends, and during breaks. To receive an invitation to create your optional free account for the Bark for Schools Parent Portal, please navigate to bit.ly/MISDbark and fill out the Request Form. As soon as you opt-in, you’ll be able to receive after-hours alerts if Bark detects potentially time-sensitive issues.

Check out these parenting resources

• Visit the Bark Blog to stay informed on all things kids and tech.
• Download this guide for helpful tips on talking to your child about common issues.
• Join the Parenting in a Tech World Facebook group and connect with other parents raising kids in the digital age.

Learn more about Bark for Schools — including their commitment to student privacy. Thank you for partnering with us to help keep students safe online.

As we enter the season of thanksgiving and gifting, our character trait focus will be Gratitude. Here at OHJH, we are so very grateful for our LION family which includes our school community, staff and students.

Parenting with Gratitude

Research shows that having gratitude can improve

mental health. In fact, according to www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org, studies have found that a single act of thoughtful gratitude produces an immediate 10% increase in happiness, and a 35% reduction in depressive

symptoms.

If you have a teenager in your home, you

know that those percentages mean a huge difference in

the atmosphere around your house. Looking for ways to

be thankful can be tough for adolescents, so they will

need you to model this for them.

Looking for ways to acknowledge when someone has

helped you, finding the silver lining, and simply taking

the time to notice the people and things around you are

all a good start for this practice.

Being grateful is a great antidote to being entitled.

When you notice your child displaying a sense of

entitlement to those around them, help them shift

their thinking and acknowledge when others have

had their back.

Questions for parents to consider:

• When is it easy for you to show gratitude? When is it tough? Why?

• How do you show true gratitude?

• Who do you need to thank in this moment?

Questions to ask your child:

• How do you like to be thanked?

• Is it hard for you to accept true gratitude? Why or why not?

• Who do you need to thank in this moment?

Hello Lion Family!

It has been a busy year in the clinic, and we are asking for your help! Parents, please ensure that your students know their phone numbers and practice important phone numbers. This may seem like a silly request, but many students do not know a phone number to contact their parents and if it is not updated in Skyward, we are unable to assist them with this manner. We would also like to remind students and parents of the importance of eating breakfast and lunch daily. This helps keep your student focused and starts them on a healthy trend for the day by alleviating some of those 1st period and 6th period headaches and stomachaches. We have been seeing an influx of students right at arrival or shortly after in 1st period and again after lunches that have not eaten.

Mass screenings are coming up. As of now, mass hearing and vision screenings for 7th grade are scheduled for November 17,2023. Scoliosis screenings will likely be in the spring, this will be for 7th grade girls and 8th grade boys.

Medication may not be transported or sent to school with students! Medication may not be dropped off or left at the front desk! Medication must be dropped off to the clinic by an adult to ensure that the proper paperwork is completed. We do not hold medications over the summer for the next school year it will be disposed of if it is not picked up before the end of the school year, and it cannot be sent home with students.

As the fall months are approaching and the weather is changing, we will be gearing up for Flu season. The flu and the common cold are the illnesses that seem to plague everyone most in the cooler months. These illnesses can appear out of nowhere and can really take a toll on your health. We ask that everyone do their part and be as proactive as possible to reduce the spread of anything possibly contagious. Please remind students to wash their hands and please keep students’ home that do not feel well.

Illness Requiring Exclusion from Schools-

Fever, Diarrhea, and Vomiting-exclude until symptom free for 24 hours without use of suppressing medications.

Per Texas Administrative Code TITLE 25 HEALTH SERVICES PART 1 DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES CHAPTER 97 COMMUNICABLE DISEASES SUBCHAPTER A CONTROL OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES RULE §97.7

Immunizations- 6th Grade Parents -It is never too soon to prepare for your students upcoming 7th grade year! The State of Texas Immunization Law requires a Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) Vaccine and Meningococcal Vaccine for 7th grade. We happily accept all updated shot records at any time your student receives a vaccine.

*If your student has an exemption the original affidavit must be turned into the clinic, not a copy.

*Information on exclusions from immunization requirements, provisional enrollment, and acceptable documentation of immunizations may be found in §97.62, §97.66, and §97.68 of the Texas Administrative Code, respectively and online at https://www.dshs.texas.gov/immunize/school/default.shtm

*Instructions for requesting the official exemption affidavit that must be signed by parents/guardians choosing the exemption for reasons of conscience, including a religious belief, can be found at www.dshs.texas.gov/immunize/school/exemptions.aspx . The original Exemption Affidavit must be completed and submitted to the school. The law does not allow parents/guardians to elect an exemption simply because of inconvenience (for example, a record is lost or incomplete and it is too much trouble to go to a physician or clinic to correct the problem). Students may be excluded in times of emergency or epidemic declared by the commissioner of public health.

COVID- Current COVID protocol calls for 5 days out of school from the onset of symptoms and fever free w/improved symptoms without medication intervention. We do not do any formal letters about return dates or contact tracing, but we would request that parents follow those guidelines and inform the nurse. The district website is updated for reporting for 2023-2024 (the link says 22-23 but ignore that. Everything on the page is updated). The reporting form is linked below.

https://www.misd.org/departments/health_services/22-23_district_health_protocols

We are here to help with any questions you may have! GO LIONS!

-Nurse James & Mrs. Bailey

To view the MISD Attendance Policy and Frequently Asked Questions click HERE

Here are a few tips to consider:

● Have your student arrive at school on time and attend every class period, especially the official attendance-taking period (9:15 AM JH and HS).

● A student who is tardy to class will be subject to the consequences established at each campus in accordance with the possible consequences in the MISD Student Code of Conduct.

● What happens if your student needs to see a doctor/dentist/therapist? If possible, we encourage you to schedule appointments outside of school hours. Obtain and submit a medical note for documentation to provide to your student’s Campus Attendance Specialist. Documentation is needed so the absence will be coded correctly.

● When you receive an absence notification, please follow up with your student and the campus attendance specialist. If you have documentation for your student’s absence, please submit as early as possible (it is recommended to submit within 48 hours). If you believe a teacher has marked a student incorrectly, please have your student reach out to the teacher of the marked period.

Oak Hills Attendance Specialist:

Mrs. Shannon Sedoff

Email: OHJHattendance@misd.org

Phone: (936)276-4315

Fax: (936)276-4301

Oak Hills Yearbooks are now on sale for $40 through BALFOUR.COM

-Last day to buy a personalized ad: 3/1/24

Ads:

-1/8 page- $35

-1/4 page- $45

-1/2 page- $100

-Full page- $200

-Businesses welcome

-Great for miles stones (last year of middle school, member of ___ team, accomplished___ etc…)

-Last day to buy a yearbook: 4/12/24

We are excited about the 100/100 campaign that our Oak Hills PTO has put together to help support our students and staff at Oak Hills. 100% of all donations will go directly back to the Oak Hills PTO with the goal of 100% of students participating at any donation amount. Please take a minute to view the 100/100 flyer below to see how your student can participate. Thank you and Go Lions!

Website: https://oakhillsjh.misd.org/
Location: 19190 Keenan Cut Off Road, Montgomery, TX, USA
Phone: 936-276-4300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oakhillsjuniorhigh
Twitter: @oakhillslions