Sunday, December 13, 2015

News from Mrs. Graves

Upcoming Events

Monday, 12/14  TESTING BLUE
Period 1 & 3 Finals

Tuesday, 12/15 TESTING GREEN
Period 2 & 4 Finals
Winter Orchestra Concert, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, 12/16  TESTING BLUE
Period 5 & 7 Finals
Fall Dance Concert, 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, 12/17  TESTING GREEN
Period 6 & 8 Finals
SLL Fieldtrip
SDMC Meeting, 3:30 p.m.
Winter Choir Concert, 6:00 p.m.

Friday, 12/18  CHARGER
No after school care - Full School Dismissal, 3:30


Final Exam Schedule
 

Not all students will participate in Midterm/Final Exams in all classes. Teachers will communicate information about end of semester tests and final exams through the cluster websites. All students will follow the above schedule so as not to disrupt classes with some children out for exams.


Parents' Guide to Midterm/Final Exams
Students in high school credit classes (Algebra, Geometry, IPC, Theatre I, AP Spanish and 8th gr Language classes) will take midterm examinations December 14-17.  Other students may take an end of semester test or regular common assessments, but it will be counted as an ordinary test, not as an official midterm.

Pin Oak students in high school credit classes take midterms which are administered according to high school rules.  It is good to be aware of how this affects them:

·      The score on the midterm:
o   is not part of the grade average for the third grading cycle.   
o   is averaged with the three cycle grades to yield the overall grade for the semester.
Example:         1st six-weeks average:    86
                        2nd six-weeks average:    82
                        3rd six-weeks average:    93
                        Midterm exam grade:     90
  Semester grade:    88  

       There is a very strict academic honesty policy.  Cheating on a midterm will result in a grade of zero, without opportunity to rehabilitate the resulting grade average.  In the above grade calculation, the semester grade would be  (86+82+93+0)/4 = 65.  So, the student fails the entire semester and does not continue in the course for the spring semester.
We expect Pin Oak students to uphold high standards of integrity.  We hope that not only will they avoid cheating, but also they will do their best to avoid even an appearance of cheating. We expect that they will not receive inappropriate help or give someone else inappropriate help.  As we discuss appropriateness with them, we confirm that talking about the content of an exam is an example of inappropriate help.

Big Weekend Wins for POMS
This past weekend we made some big wins. Congratulations to...
  • 8th grade Girls' Basketball Team, who took first place in the POMS Basketball Tournament, 8th grade Division.
  • 7th grade Girls' Basketball Team, who took second place in the POMS Basketball Tournament, 7th grade Division.
  • POMS Chess Team who took 1st place in the TH Rogers Chess Tournament.
Exciting New Classes Available for Spring
We are thrilled to offer some new elective opportunities for Spring.  
  • Urban Agriculture
  • Comics and Graphic Novels
  • Computer Science and the Sciences
  • Game Design II (Coding)
  • The Real World (Personal Finance)
  • Bioengineering and World Health
  • Wings & Wheels (History and Model Building)
House Principals are finalizing schedules this week.  Students will receive their new schedule when they return on January 5th.  We will start the day in Advocacy.  In most cases, all core content classes will remain unchanged.

Ms. Howell's Retirement
Please join me in thanking Ms. Howell for her tremendous service to Houston ISD and Pin Oak Middle School.  As you may have already heard, she will be retiring at the end of this month.  Please take a moment to stop in and say thanks for the friendly smile, gentle spirit and dedicated service. She has been a tremendous help to me, and the many principals she has served alongside.  


Big Thank You 
... to George Mickelis and family, owners of Cleburne's Cafeteria for the generous donation for the teacher appreciation luncheon on December 16.  Cleburne's Cafeteria continues to be a strong supporter of Pin Oak Middle School with sponsorship throughout the year.

Corporate Matching Gifts
POMS PTO is so grateful for the generosity shown by parents in their gifts of time and donations.  As the year comes to a close, please check with your employer about their matching gifts program. It's a simple way to double the impact of your donation!  Questions? Contact Jodie Rephlo at mjrephlo@yahoo.com.

POMS Giving Tree
This holiday season consider gifting POMS, and leave a lasting marker of your child's time at Pin Oak. Purchase a metal leaf ($300) or granite stone ($1000) to honor your student, teacher, club, or athletic team. Place your order by December 18th at http://pinoakpto.org/pin-oak-tree/ for an early spring semester installation.  Contact Lauren Earthman (learthman@sbcglobal.net) if you have any questions.








Sunday, December 6, 2015

News from Mrs. Graves

Upcoming Events

Monday, 12/7  BLUE
Toys for Tots Donation Contest Begins
School-wide History Fair this Week, POMS Library
Swim Meet vs Lanier, @Lamar High School, 5:00 p.m.

Tuesday, 12/8  GREEN

Wednesday, 12/9  BLUE
Orchestra/Band/Choir Field Trip
Boy's Basketball v Dowling @POMS, 5:30 p.m.
Girls' Basketball @ Dowling, 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, 12/10  GREEN
Holiday Band Concert, 6:30 p.m.


Friday, 12/11  CHARGER
Show Choir Sings at Houston Federation of Garden Clubs
Girls' Basketball Tournament

Saturday, 12/11
Girls' Basketball Tournament

Next Week

Monday, 12/14  TESTING BLUE
Period 1 & 3 Finals

Tuesday, 12/15 TESTING GREEN
Period 2 & 4 Finals
Winter Orchestra Concert, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, 12/16  TESTING BLUE
Period 5 & 7 Finals
Fall Dance Concert, 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, 12/17  TESTING GREEN
Period 6 & 8 Finals
SLL Fieldtrip
SDMC Meeting, 3:30 p.m.
Winter Choir Concert, 6:00 p.m.

Friday, 12/18  CHARGER
No after school care - Full School Dismissal, 3:30


Final Exam Schedule


Not all students will participate in Final Exams in all classes. Teacher will communicate information about end of semester tests and final exams through the cluster websites. All students will follow the above schedule so as not to disrupt classes with some children out for final exams.

AP or IB?
We recently hosted representatives from Bellaire HS, Lamar HS and Reagan HS, who shared some of the common similarities and differences between AP and IB. I will attach two enlightening articles to the SchoolMessenger Blog Post Email for those of you who are interested but couldn't make the meeting.

Toys for Tots
Starting Monday, December 7th, Pin Oak will be collecting toys for the Toys for Tots campaign. We are asking students to bring new, unwrapped gifts to donate to less fortunate children in our community. Donation boxes will be located in each House office and the House that donates the most will win a free dress day when we come back from winter break! 

POMS Stage Band
I had the pleasure of watching our Stage Band perform today at the Willow Waterhole December in the Park Festival.  Beautiful day and fantastic tunes!



Pin Oak Boys' Lacrosse
The Pin Oak Boys Lacrosse team is still accepting new players, 5th through 8th grade. No prior experience is needed!  Come watch our first practice game on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 2pm here on the Pin Oak field. 

Also, an information meeting for all interested players will be next Sunday, Dec.13 at 5pm at Fuzzy's Pizza on Bellaire. 


Check out our website to find out more. It is www.pobl.org   We look forward to having YOU join Pin Oak Boys Lacrosse!

End of First Semester
The end of the semester is very quickly approaching.  Help your child make the most of the semester by encouraging them to turn in all missing assignments as soon as possible. Take advantage of tutorials and retakes this week.