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Dear Bellaire High School Parents and Community,
I hope this communication finds you well at the end of the winter break. With quality time well spent the past two weeks, the entire Bellaire High School faculty and staff are excited and looking forward to welcoming your children back to school for the spring semester of the 2022-23 school year. Bellaire teachers, counselors, and administration are here to support your child’s academic and social-emotional needs as we work together towards a successful semester for all.

As the semester progresses, more detailed communications will be forthcoming about the various assessments that will take place during the spring semester. In the meantime, some of the assessment windows to be aware of that affect large majorities of the student body include:
March 22nd: School Day SAT (11th grade)

April 18th – 28th: STAAR English I and English II assessment window (final dates to be determined)
April 25th – May 5th: STAAR algebra I, biology, U.S. History assessment window (final dates to be determined)
April 27th – May 19th: International Baccalaureate assessment window
May 1st – 12th: Advanced Placement Exams assessment window

As you know, there have been several communications that have gone out regarding student ID badges, which are required to be on, out, and visible starting Monday, January 9th. Permanent ID badges are always available at Request for a Student ID (jotform.com) and can be picked up 24 hours later during Cardinal Hour in room 1307. If a student does not have a permanent ID badge, he or she must get a temporary badge for the day. Temporary badges will be available at all three student entry points:

· Main Entrance at the front of the building
· Courtyard Doors coming for the parking structure
· Bus Lane doors for our bus riders

After 8:45 am, temporary ID badges can be attained at any assistant principal’s office. It is advisable that your child gets his or her permanent ID badge right away if he/she doesn’t already have it. Starting January 17th, temporary ID badges will cost $1.00 with funds going towards supporting materials for the ID badge safety initiative.

Also, thank you in advance for ensuring that your student is dressed appropriately for school every day. Bellaire High School does not have a school uniform at this time, but there is a dress code. The dress code one-pager is linked for easy reference and it is also found in the student handbook on our school website: Directory (houstonisd.org)

Thank you, parents, for your support as we all work together to provide the best for the students of Bellaire High School. Let’s have a great semester!

Michael Niggli, Principal
Bellaire High School
Class of 2023 Graduation!
Important Update! Graduation for the Class of 2023 will be held at NRG Stadium on Sunday, June 4th, at 6:00 pm. Mark your calendars; it'll be here before you know it! #CardinalProud #ClassOf2023 #June4
2nd Semester Student Schedules
Students should check their HISD Connect account to view their 2nd-semester schedule. It is not uncommon for a student's schedule to change. Students should report to their first-period class.

Course change request forms may be submitted online if you are enrolled in an incorrect course. Level Change forms may be picked up in the Counselor's Office and must be signed by the teacher, parent, and student.
Canvas Parent Accounts
New semester - new courses! Observer roles are now available to parents in CANVAS our Learning Management System. With an observer account parents and guardians can monitor students’ Canvas courses, calendars, and announcements. Observers can view the course content but cannot participate in the course. Observers can access their account on a browser, or the Canvas Parent app using iOS or Android devices. More info here.
Yearbooks Orders - Deadline Approaching
Buy a yearbook for $85 at bellaireyearbook.com ! Prices increase to $100 on January 13th. Make sure you take advantage of the lower price!
Seniors - Deadline Approaching
Purchase a senior ad at bellaireyearbook.com before January 10th.
PSAT Scores are Available
The scores for the October PSAT administration have been released online.

How to Access Your Scores
If you provided your email address on your answer sheet on test day, you should have received an email notifying you that your scores are available.
The email will have a unique access code that will connect you to your scores online. If you haven't already done so, you'll be asked to set up a free College Board account before you can view your scores.
If you didn’t provide an email address on your answer sheet on test day, you can still access your scores online. If you haven't already done so, you'll be asked to set up a free College Board account before you can view your scores.

If you need help understanding your PSAT scores click here. If you have additional questions, please reach out to Ms. Perez.
Food Drive - Big Success
A traditional food drive since 2015, this year, once again, Bellaire High School came together for the annual drive organized by the Italian National Honor Society for the Houston Food Bank.

In late December, they delivered over 60 boxes full of cans donated by our school's community. Next week we'll be able to share how much food in total was donated.

Thank you to all the teachers and students involved, and congratulations to Ms. Camarillo for winning the competition with over 900 food cans donated!! A sweet reward for your classes is coming in January!
Prospective Students - Magnet Tours
Magnet information sessions resume this week! Prospective students and families can attend to learn more about the World Languages program at Bellaire HS. Visitors should park in the visitor's parking lot located at the corner of S. Rice and Maple Street. Magnet sessions will begin in the auditorium.

Prospective families should sign up for a day to tour here!
IB Information Session
Prospective families that are interested in learning more about Bellaire's IB program are invited to an informational meeting on January 10th to learn more about the diploma program and the application process.

Prospective families can park in the lot located at Maple and S. Rice and enter through the Main Entrance.
Seniors, have you paid your Senior Dues yet? Dues go up Monday, January 10th! Pay early and save! Senior dues cover everything; your prom ticket, cap and gown, senior t-shirt, and the senior luncheon. Head over to SchoolPay! Please see Ms. Littlejohn in the main office Monday if you need to pay with cash. #ClassOf2023
Support the Class of 2023
The Class of 2023 has had very few opportunities to raise funds for their After Prom. Prom at Bellaire is held at the Museum of Natural Science and the Grand Hall is transformed into a fantastic party with games, prizes and foods. The After Prom is free for all seniors to attend. Please donate to help us fund this event for our seniors. Click here to make a donation! #CardinalProud #ClassOf2023
Library Update
The library has had a wonderful 2022- and hopes that everyone has a safe winter break. 
Included above- shows some of our accomplishments of the fall semester, we are on track to double if not triple the total circulation of previous years. This is an amazing feat after not having access to the physical space of the library until after Thanksgiving break. Since the library opened after Thanksgiving, we have had a total of 1,862 sign ins in about 2 1/2 weeks. Also, in the image, there is a QR code for our Winter break challenge. Talk with your students about how they may stay active in their literacy, we have included 12+ unique challenges from Reading graphic novels, manga, learning about various holidays including Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanza, and other creative outlets. We cannot wait to see all of our students and staff back on January 9th. 
 
College Center Update
Upcoming Dates
Friday, January 6th- Today is the last day to register for the Feb. 11th ACT
Wednesday, January 11th- 12th Grade Financial Aid Meeting via English 4 in Auditorium
Sunday, January 15th- Deadline for FAFSA/TASFA
Sunday, January 15th- Major deadline for various colleges and universities (Early Action/Decision & Regular Decision)
Sunday, January 15th- Lamar University Scholarship Deadline
                                               Angelo State University Scholarship Deadline
                                               Tarleton State University Scholarship Deadline
                                               Texas A&M University- San Antonio Scholarship Deadline
  
Similar to Bellaire High School, colleges will be closed Dec. 19-Jan 6. You can try to email, but you may not get a response until the first week we get back. Please have patience.
Reminders:
Just because you press submit does not mean you are done. Make sure you think FAST
  • F- Fee/Fee Waiver- Did you pay the application fee? Did you submit your college application fee waiver to the university? If you need a waiver, visit the College & Career Center
  • Application- Review that all information is correct and press submit.
  • S- Supplemental Items- Don’t forget to submit any essays, letters of recommendation, resumes, test scores, or any other items needed for you to apply. Do the research to make sure you don’t miss anything for your specific major/deadline/college. If you forget, the university will send automated emails until the deadline.
  • T- Transcripts- All official transcript request must go through Naviance 10 days before the deadline. Bellaire will send the transcripts to the university.
 
Admissions:
  • Do not apply for financial aid before you do admissions. This will complicate your application.
  • Just because you press submit, does not mean you are done. Make sure you think FAST
  • F- Fee/Fee Waiver- Did you pay the application fee? Did you submit your college application fee waiver to the university? Common App fee waivers are electronic; Apply Texas is email/mail/upload.
  • A- Application- Review and press submit before the deadline.
  • S- Supplemental Items- Don’t forget to submit any essays, letters of recommendation, resumes, test scores, or any other items needed for you to apply. Do the research to make sure you don’t miss anything for your specific major/deadline/college.
  • T- Transcripts- All official transcript request must go through Naviance 10 days before the deadline. Bellaire will send the transcripts to the university. (Watch this video) If the school wants you to self-report or complete the SRAR, use your unofficial transcript in your HISD email.
  • Texas A&M University must have all supporting documents by Thursday, December 15th. 
  • As you all are receiving your university ID numbers, usernames, and passwords, please write this information down in a secure place for future reference. You will do this for EVERY school.
  • Please check your university portals for any missing documents and to check the status of your admissions decision.
  • We are currently in a high intensity deadline period meaning colleges and universities are receiving partial documents from all across the US to make completed application files for each student. Please be patient and allow up to TWO WEEKS before you see updates in your portal.
  • Concerned about the status of your docs? Check with the College Center, then check with the university.
  • My school is asking for mid-year grades; what do I do? 1. If they are asking for mid-year grades or your fall semester grades, they will not be ready until mid-February. This is across HISD. Please communicate that this is out of your control to your college. If they are okay with a copy of your report card, communicate this to the College Center in January.
  • Congratulations to those who have received acceptance letters!
  • Please upload all acceptance letters to tinyurl.com/accept23. This includes colleges that you will not attend. We must see your name, the university’s name, and the fact that you were accepted. This is a part of the end of the school year checkout process for seniors.
  • Up next? Housing! Scholarships! Financial Aid!
Multi-Lingual Programs Department - Launch Your Dream
The Multilingual Programs Department is hosting the Launch Your Dream: A World of Opportunities for Diverse Learners district-wide onsite parent leadership conference on Thursday, January 26, 2023, at Austin High School from 5 pm to 8 pm (see attached flyer).  The conference offers our district’s parents, families, and communities an opportunity to learn from educational experts’ view of a variety of opportunities that the district provides for Emergent Bilingual Learners and how they could support their child utilizing the resources provided. Families will also learn about HISD choice schools and the programs the district offer:  Fine Arts, Foreign Language, Montessori, S.T.E.M. & S.T.E.A.M., Single-Gender College Preparatory, and Vanguard. Additionally, district has other choice school options to learn about, including Boundary Option, Career/Technology Education (CTE), Dual Language, International Baccalaureate (IB), Prekindergarten (pre-K), and more. During the event, campus and district representatives will support parents with the school choice application process.
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!  

Join the Bellaire PTO
Everyone is welcome to join and participate in the Bellaire High School PTO. Joining is quick and easy online. A list of meeting dates and other information can be found on the PTO website. Click here to learn more.
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.
Thank you to the Bellaire PTO Corporate Sponsors for 2022-2023
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.