Introducing Mr. Michael Niggli
Michael Niggli is the new principal for Bellaire High School. Mr. Niggli joined Team HISD in 1997 as an English teacher at Stephen F. Austin High School, where he also coached boys’ basketball and was named Teacher of the Year in 1997-98. In 2005 he joined the team at Reagan High School, now know as Heights High School. There, Niggli helped start a debate team that would go on to compete at the National Championships in Chicago and was the English Department Chair of an English Language Arts team that regularly earned TEA exemplary ratings. In 2012 Niggli earned his M.A. in Education Administration from Grand Canyon University, and from 2012-2018 he served at Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center as an Assistant Principal, Dean of Students, and Associate Principal, helping move the school out of “improvement required” status. Niggli also started the in-house alternative center known as the SHAC, which became a district model for in-house alternative centers through its multi-tiered approach to academic and social-and-emotional student supports. In 2018, Niggli was named Principal of Stephen P. Waltrip High School. In his first year at Waltrip, the school improved by 10 TEA accountability points – the most of any comprehensive high school in HISD that year. In his free time, Niggli enjoys special moments with his wife and two children at local family events or down on the Texas coast.
Homecoming Game
The homecoming game kicks off at 1:00 pm Saturday, Oct. 29th. Tickets can be purchased online here.
Everyone is Invited to the Tailgate!
Calling all Cardinals, past and present! Homecoming is October 29th. The day will start at 10:30am at our Tailgate at Butler Stadium. Kick-off against Chavez will be at 1:00pm. The tailgate is free for all to attend. All clubs, organizations, and groups are invited to set up a tailgate space on the west side of the stadium. At the end of the event all groups must remove items setup for their group and dispose of all trash. The parking lot area used, should be left as it was found. Football tickets are available for purchase online here. We hope to see you all there! #CardinalProud
Homecoming October 29th
There is Magic in the Night When Pumpkins Glow By Moonlight. The homecoming dance will be at Bellaire High School at 8:00 pm, Saturday, October 29th. Homecoming Dance tickets sold out quickly this week. All students entering the dance must have purchased a ticket and completed the appropriate dance contract. School or government IDs are required for entrance into the dance. No tickets will be sold at the entrance. The doors will open at 8:00 pm and students cannot bring in personal items such as purses, bags, or backpacks. The parking garage will be available for parking. Student's being dropped off and picked up should utilize the Drop Off Zone on Maple street. All student's and their guests should use the sidewalk that runs along the parking garage into the courtyard to enter the building. The dance ends at 11:00 pm and all students should have transportation arranged prior to arriving at the dance. Once a student leaves the dance they may not reenter the event. There will also be no loitering in the parking garage.

All students are encouraged to review the code of student conduct and make good choices throughout the day and dance. Bellaire HS administration and HISD police will be present throughout Homecoming events including the dance. We are looking forward to a fabulous and fun event!
Homecoming Court 2022
Congratulations to the 2022 Homecoming Court members and to the finalists for Homecoming King and Queen. The Homecoming Court and finalists will be announced at today's pep rally and Saturday at half-time at the Homecoming Game. #CardinalProud #HOCO2022
Anne Washburn's Mr. Burns

Redbird Productions Presents - Anne Washburn's Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play in the Black Box Theatre (Room 1227) October 27 & 28 at 6:30 PM and October 31 at 5:00 PM. Tickets are $7 for students and staff and $10 general admission (available for purchase now at www.bhsauditorium.ludus.com!
Frightfully Fun Food - October 31st
Finally a day where there is some food on campus that you can choose to purchase! October 31st "Boogie On Down Main Street" all day for donuts and muffins for breakfast, Chick-fil-A sandwiches for lunch, and sweets and sodas through the day! All proceeds from food sales will benefit the Class of 2023 After Prom.
District Champions!
Congratulations to the Lady Cardinals for winning the District Championship this week! We wish them the best of luck as they begin playoff action this week against Cy Fair! Game one is at Delmar, so put on your spirit wear and head over Tuesday night to support them! #CardinalProud
Dracula Blood Drive

Blood Drive November 7th! You must be 16 years old or older and weigh a minimum of 120 lbs. You can sign up in the JROTC rooms 1607-1608 or in the Black Box.
Freshmen Parent Meeting - Presentation Link
Click here to access a link to the presentation that was shared with families at the 9th Grade meeting Wednesday evening. This meeting focused on the transition to high school, getting involved and connected, and creating strong habits. . #ClassOf2026
Senior Portraits - Last Chance
The deadline to take a senior portrait for the 2023 yearbook is Friday, Nov. 18. Seniors who have not scheduled a session received another email with information last week. Only studio appointments are left and must be made at cady.com/schedule.

Seniors that have not had a yearbook picture taken will have one last opportunity on campus to have their yearbook photo taken with no additional poses/backdrops Nov.1. If you are a senior that has not had your picture taken, please look for an email from Ms. Negri with your appointment time in it.
PSAT/SAT Prep Classes
Want to improve test scores for the PSAT & SAT? Ms. Chopra and Mr. Wolf are holding FREE PSAT/SAT prep classes after school from 4:15 pm - 5:15pm. Ms. Chopra will hold classes for the Math part of the test on Wednesdays in room 1618.  Mr. Wolf will hold classes for the English part of the test on Thursdays in room 3717. Contact Ms. Chopra, Mr. Wolf, or Ms. Mulet in office 2726 if you have any questions.
Check HISD Student Email for Two Important Item
Progress Reports
Progress Reports will be sent out to student's HISD email addresses, Sunday, Oct. 30th for Cycle 2. Please do not hesitate to reach out directly to any teacher with a question or concern.

Superintendent Letters
Students that participated in the beginning of the year Renaissance universal screener and whose performance in reading indicated that intervention was needed received a parent letter from the Superintendent via their HISD student email address. This assessment is taken three times a year and is designed to help teachers measure reading proficiency. HISD uses this tool as an indicator of students’ progress toward their reading goals on specific reading skills. Its function is diagnostic, and the results do not affect student grades or grade-level promotion. The purpose of this letter is to provide information to the parent about the student’s reading performance on the universal screener and to assist families with access to resources that build and support strong reading skills. If you have questions about your student's reading performance, please reach out to your student's English teacher. HISD reading resources have also been curated for families and can be accessed here.
 
NHS Student Tutors Ready and Waiting to Help
The National Honor Society has tutoring sessions available for any student at Bellaire. Please scan the QR code and sign up! If you need just a little help or a lot, we have student tutors who have been in your shoes and mastered the content and can help you. For questions about NHS tutoring, please reach out to Ms. Kuhleman.
STAAR Tutorials
All students retesting in Algebra 1, Biology, English I or II, and US History should be attending a tutorial session during Cardinal Hour each week and a tutorial before or after school. All students received retesting notifications through content area teachers and via email. To sign up for a tutorial session before or after school, please see your English, Math, Social Studies or Science teacher. Questions about tutorials, please email Ms. Campbell.

A reminder to all students and families, December is the last time that students will have the opportunity to take and pass the STAAR 1.0 exams. Beginning in the spring of 2023 all students will be required to take and pass the STAAR 2.0 version of the exam.
College Center Update
Upcoming Dates:
October 31st- No Trick Or Treat Till You Complete (4-6 PM)
November 1st- University of Texas at Austin Priority Deadline
November 1st- University of Houston Scholarship Deadline
November 1st- Sam Houston State University Scholarship Deadline
November 1st- Early Action I /Early Decision I Deadline (check your college list)
November 5th- SAT Test
November 15th- Application Deadline (check your college list)
November 16th- TSI Test (RSVP)
November 17th- No Pie Til You Apply (Must show proof of 3 submitted apps)
 
Reminders:
  • The next SAT is on Saturday, December 3rd. The deadline to sign up is November 3rd.
  • The next ACT is on Saturday, December 10th . The deadline to sign up is November 4th.
  • We should be done with the college essay and short answers (Topics here)
  • We should be done with the senior brag sheet. (Download here)
  • We should have already added all of our colleges to College I’m Applying To (How To Video)
  • We should have already asked for all teacher letters of recommendation (How To Video)
  • We should have requested our transcripts (How To Video)
  • If you are using Common App to apply, please waiver your FERPA rights and match your Common App and Naviance (How To Video)
  • The 2023-2024 FAFSA is open. This is for US Citizens & Permanent Residents. Click HERE for the FAFSA Checklist
  • The 2023-2024 TASFA is open. This is for undocumented students looking to study in Texas. Click HERE for the TASFA Checklist
  • DO NOT BEGIN WORKING ON FINANCIAL AID WITHOUT SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION FOR ADMISSIONS. The University will not have a student account to match the FAFSA with, and you may do more harm to your financial aid than help.
  • Looking for scholarships? Visit Cash4Cards, Bellaire’s one-stop-shop for all your scholarship needs. Upcoming scholarships due in November: Coco Cola (national scholarship), Chick-Fil-A Scholarship, Hispanic Heritage Foundation (students without social security numbers), and Jack Kent Cooke (financial need). Apply for one or ALL OF THEM TODAY!  

 
Stay Connected with the BHS College Center
It is very important that all students check their HISD email regularly.
·         Instagram: @BHSCollegeBound
·         Twitter: @BHSCollege
·         Remind: @BHSCC23
Library Update
This school year is in full swing. October has been busy with Homecoming this week, PSAT testing, online database training with Seniors, and more. Ms. Carpenter visited 23 classes during October for various classes. Ms. Carpenter was even featured in the first issue of Three Penny Press that just came out- see it here. 

Thus far this year, we have had 1,534 physical books checked out via the Bellaire Mobile Library. We have seen a drop in circulation the past 2 weeks as events and extracurriculars keep kids busy. To combat this, next week we will be doing a satellite library on the 2nd floor of the academic wing on Novembver 2nd. This will hopefully provide students with more variety of books to choose from and an opportunity to return books throughout the day. The English teachers will be able to send students throughout the day during classes to this area for checkout. 
We have had a lot of success with our online databases: MackinVia and Comics Plus. These databases allow for students to read from their phone and school issued devices. They include eBooks, databases, and audiobooks. Students were trained on MackinVia during Library orientation with various English classes. Comics Plus has only been active for our school for less than a month, and we have already seen a lot of use out of it. We have used it as a Fun Friday activity, in classes for personal and academic use, and in our online book displays. 
If you or your students have any questions regarding the library- please reach out to Ms. Carpenter via email at kaitlyn.carpenter@houstonisd.org. 

Stronger Together Membership Drive
Our Fundraising Campaign Stronger Together is BHS PTO main source of funds. Our sole purpose is to support the school administration to bridge the gap deficit between the funds provided by HISD and the needs required to support our school.

Such needs include professional development for teachers and staff, teacher appreciation events, teacher grants, student activities, student summer scholarships, among others.
Support today by clicking here.

Questions? Email: membership@bellairepto.org
PTO Corporate Sponsors
Become a Bellaire HS partner. Support our school and get the word out about your business!

Check-out the Corporate Sponsors at the bottom of this email!

Support BHS When You Shop Minted and AmazonSmile
We are partnering with Minted this holiday season!  Make your holiday card & gift purchases count this year by shopping at Minted using our unique code FUNDRAISEBELLAIRE at checkout. You’ll get a 20% discount and Minted will donate 15% of every purchase made using our code back to BHS PTO at the end of the year.  Spread the word and happy shopping!  https://www.minted.com/

Register with AmazonSmile and every time you make an eligible purchase, Amazon will donate 0.5% to BHS PTO.  All donations generated through AmazonSmile support the programs at BHS directly.  Choose "Bellaire High School Parent Teacher Organization" as your charity and bookmark the link.  Email the link to family, friends and neighbors and have them register too!  Please remember to use AmazonSmile every time you shop!  

Remind Messaging App
All parents and students are encouraged to join their BHS Class Remind Group. Remind is a communication tool that will deliver important communications through text message or email. You can download Remind for IOS here and Android here. Once you download the app, simply text the class code you belong to above to the number 81010.

Remind can also be accessed by clicking on the links below to join a group.






In addition to the class codes above, students will have the opportunity to receive communication and correspond with their teachers through the Remind App.
It Takes A Village...
"Bellaire Share" is new this year. Please help us collect important information and get student and staff accomplishments out to our school community. Share with us Bellaire HS activities and student achievements. You can upload your pictures of any event easily. Together we can accomplish a lot. You can submit information anytime on the homepage on the right side of the page or bookmark this link.
BECOME A CORPORATE SPONSOR 
BHS PTO is seeking corporate sponsors to partner with us to meet the needs at our new campus. Your tax-deductible contribution will make a positive impact on the lives of Bellaire students, and in return your business will be recognized throughout the year.  Learn more here. 
Thank you to the Bellaire PTO Corporate Sponsors for 2022-2023