9th Grade Parent Meeting

This meeting will focus on the transition to high school, getting involved and connected, and creating strong habits. We hope to see all of our freshman parents at this meeting. The garage will be available for first come, first serve parking. Please enter through the door the main entrance. The meeting will be held in the auditorium. We will do our best to have you in and out in 60 minutes. #ClassOf2028

First PTO General Meeting

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend!

September 17th @ 7pm

*Immediately following the Freshman Parent Meeting

Location: BHS Auditorium

Senior Parent Meeting

Thank you to everyone that came out to the Senior Parent Meeting last week. If you missed the meeting the slide deck from the meeting can be found here. The slide deck is also linked on the Senior Information page of our website and the homepage.

Graduation Date Announced!

The Class of 2025 will graduate on June 9th at 9:00 am. No tickets will be required to attend graduation. More information and details will be share with families in the spring.

Football Game Moved This Week

Due to recent damage at Cowart stadium, the next varsity game has been moved. The game against Hastings originally scheduled for Saturday, 9/21/24 is now going to take place on Thursday, 9/19/24 at Crump Stadium in Alief with a 6:00 pm start time. 

Bellaire vs Sam Houston

Come out to the district opener and homecoming game on Thursday night! You will see some great football. The Belles and Mighty Cardinal Band have a fabulous half time performance planned for you! Bellaire Cheer, the Bird Keepers and Booster Club members will all be on the field to help you cheer the Cards on! #CardinalProud #HOCO2024

Homecoming Tailgate

Calling all Cardinals! The BHS Homecoming Game is Thursday, September 26th. Pre-game tailgating at Butler Stadium will kick-off the festivities at 5pm. The game against Sam Houston will start at 7pm. The tailgate is free for all to attend. Bellaire clubs and organizations who wish to have a reserved space should fill out this form. Now is the time for clubs and organizations to begin to plan.

The Homecoming Dance will be held on Saturday, September 28th. Information will be posted soon regarding tickets etc.

Homecoming Dance

Bellaire's Homecoming Dance will be held Saturday, Sept. 28th from 8-11pm.

Tickets go on sale first to Seniors on September 20th during Cardinal Hour and then to all other grade levels the week of September 23 during Cardinal Hour until the dance sells out. Tickets are #30 cash or card.

Only Bellaire students can purchase a ticket and attend the dance. Students must be present at the time a ticket is purchased. Tickets will be sold in Ralphy's Room (#1703).

PSAT and SAT

The SAT Suite of Assessments is designed to help students determine what they need to work on most so that they are ready for college when they graduate from high school—and it supports educators as they guide the way. Our scholars at Bellaire High School will be taking the Digital PSAT 8/9 and PSAT/NMSQT during the week of October 14th and SAT during the week of October 23rd . More information can be accessed here.

Looking for information about how to prepare for the PSAT? Click here!

PTO Annual Campaign - Stronger Together

The Annual Stronger Together Campaign is off to a good start and we hope you will consider the impact that your donation can make for every student at BHS this year. Please visit the campaign page to see specific examples of how your dollars can provide change. If you make a contribution before the Freshman Info and PTO Meetings on Tuesday evening, you will be able to pick up your yard sign at those events. Thank you for your support!!  Click here to access the campaign.

STAAR Tutorials for Students Retesting in December

Students who need to retest on one or more STAAR EOC exams will receive tutorial assignments this week. STAAR tutorials are mandatory and held during the red block of Cardinal Hour.

Mandatory tutorial notices will be sent home with students this week. The notification pages need to be signed and returned to the school. Attendance will be taken at tutorials.

Progress Reports

Progress Reports were distributed through 2nd period classes on Friday, September 13.

Attendance Matters

In Texas, students must attend at least 90% of their classes to receive credit for a course. The "90% Rule" is part of the Texas Education Code (TEC), specifically in Section 25.092. means that if a student misses more than 10% of their class meetings (excused or unexcused), they may be at risk of losing credit. For a typical semester, this is around 9 days. The number of days varies and also depends on the length of time a student has been enrolled. Even if a student’s grades are passing, excessive absences could prevent them from receiving credit for the course. It’s important to stay on top of attendance and communicate with the school if issues arise. Attendance matters!

Students who have already begun to accumulate absences that could lead to NGs received notices along with their progress reports on Friday.

Home Lunch Permits

We have a group of qualified seniors who have off campus lunch (“Home Lunch Permit”). They are expected to be back and on time to 5^th period class just like any other student. We are becoming increasingly aware that more and more students with the Home Lunch Permit are returning to campus late and with food, especially large food bags. This is a distraction to instruction on several levels. There is plenty of time during Cardinal Hour for Home Lunch Permit students to get their lunch and eat it without having to be late to 5^th period. As a result, increased tardy monitoring Home Lunch Permit seniors return from lunch will be taking place. In addition, starting on Monday, September 16^th students will no longer be allowed to return to campus with food after 1:00 pm. They will need to leave it at the main office for pick up after school. While most students take positive advantage of the opportunities that Cardinal Hour offers, some are abusing it. We hope this action will help to preserve the Home Lunch Permit option for qualifying seniors as it is so we can maximize the Bellaire experience for our students.

Parents On Patrol - Join POP

POP - Parents on Patrol

Sign up to be a part of Parents on Patrol! Volunteers that help keep our campus safe. The hours are flexible. Click here to sign up and/or receive more information about how you can help.

To be a POP, you must first be VIPS-certified. Use this link to become VIPS-certified: How to Volunteer 

Mr. Niggli's assistant, Angelina Solis, is your contact for VIPS in case you have any questions. Her email is angelina.solis@houstonisd.org

Once you are VIPS certified you will be able to sign up for a training session.

Safe Gun Storage

Linked is the document outlining State of Texas laws pertaining to concerning safe gun storage and responsibilities of the parent and/or guardian. We are informed that according to Texas State Law 46.13, in Texas, a “child” is defined as a person under the age of 17. The statute indicates that a person commits an offense if a child gains access to a readily dischargeable firearm and charges the person with criminal negligence: (1) failed to secure the firearm; or (2) left the firearm in a place the person knew or should have known the child would gain access to. Please review the attachment on safe gun storage and be familiar with it.

See Something, Say Something: Keeping Our School Safe Together

We want to remind our community about the See Something, Say Something app—an essential tool to help maintain a secure environment. This app allows students, staff, and parents to report any suspicious activity, concerns, or potential threats anonymously.

By speaking up and working together, we can prevent issues before they escalate, ensuring that Bellaire High School remains a safe place for learning and growth. Remember, if you see something that doesn’t feel right, don’t hesitate—report it here. Together, we can make a difference!

Merit-Based Scholarship - Study Abroad

Students who are interested in a merit-based (no financial need necessary) scholarship to study abroad are invited to come to a meeting to learn about the National Security Language Initiative for Youth program.

NSLI-Y is sponsored and funded by the U.S. Department of State. Students who are selected for this prestigious program will spend the summer in a host country doing intensive language study and cultural exploration.

Programs available include the following:

Arabic (Jordan and Morocco)

Mandarin (China and Taiwan)

Indonesian (Indonesia)

Korean (South Korea)

Persian (Tajikistan)

Russian (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Latvia)

Turkish (Turkey)

Students who would like more information and support in applying should RSVP for the meeting on Friday, September 20 in room 2712 during Cardinal Hour. RSVP Here!

Please reach out to Ms. Chapman at echapman@houstonisd.org with any questions.

South Korea and Greece Trips - Great Opportunities!

Bellaire High School students and parents are invited to join us on our upcoming Cardinals Take Flight Spring Break trips!

In 2026, we will travel to Greece to see the real Mount Olympus, visit the floating monasteries of Meteora, ask questions at the Oracle of Delphi, experience the site of the Spartan battle at Thermopylae, sample local olives, feta, and honey, and cruise through the Saronic Islands.

And in 2025, we will experience both the past and the future on a tour of South Korea to travel by bullet train, visit temples, taste delicious treats at street markets, participate in tae kwon do and cooking classes, spend some time on the beach, and learn about the history and culture of the country.

Join us at our virtual meeting on Tuesday, September 24 at 7:00 PM to learn more. Both high school and college credit are available! RSVP to the meeting here!

Exchange with an Italian High School

Last informational meeting for the 2024-2025 Exchange with Italy on Monday, September 16 at 4:30 on Teams. Email mborsa@houstonisd.org for the link by Monday at 1:00 PM.

From the Bellaire Counseling Office:

Course change requests must be processed by the 15th day of the school year, which was Friday, August 30th.

Level Changes

The level change window is Sept. 3-27.  (For example, a student wants to drop PreAP World Geography and add Academic World Geography.) Level change forms can be downloaded here or picked up in the counselor's office. The student, parent, and teacher must sign the Level Change Request form.

No level changes will occur in the first three weeks of school, with the following exceptions. Once the level change window is open, changes can occur until the end of the first six weeks. Also, there will be no level changes on the days teachers verify grades for the first six weeks. Students can still turn in the level change form during that time, and it will be applied to the second six weeks once grades are published.

 Exceptions:

1. The incorrect level was placed on your schedule. (You did not request the level.)

2. You are a new student to BHS (any grade level) in the 2024-2025 school year.

3. Parent approval is required if a student is recommended to move up a level.

We appreciate your patience during this extremely busy time. The BHS Counselors will continue working hard to process the changes received.

Early Dismissal from School

All students must check out with Ms. Espadas in the Attendance Office located in the Main Office before leaving school during the school day. Parents must also come in to check their students out, and they must present a valid ID that matches information in PowerSchool/HISD Connect. The main office will then request the student from class.

3:00 PM is the cut-off time to pick a student up early for the day. Parents arriving after 3:00 PM cannot have their student called down to the attendance office. If a student needs to be picked up early, they must be picked up before 3:00 PM.

When absent, students should turn in an excuse note (doctor’s, parent, etc…) to Ms. Espadas for filing. As a reminder, a minimum attendance requirement of 90% in each class is required to award course credit. 

Parent Library

Bellaire High School purchased new books for Bellaire High School parents: the topics range from understanding the teenage brain to empowering your student-athlete and dealing with your student going off to college. These books are free for any and all Bellaire High School parents to keep and build your own library. Swing by and pick up some free books while you are in the building! Preview the books that are available here with our Virtual Parent Library Shelf. 

This interactive shelf works by clicking on a book to be redirected to a page about that specific book. To get back to the main shelf, click on the stack of books in the bottom right corner to see all of the options again. Thank you to Ms. Carpenter for compiling the online bookshelf!

Club Schedule - Get Involved!

Join a Club - Get Involved

Club Meeting Schedule

Our Goal=Every Student to Connect with a Club!

The club meeting schedule for Weeks 4--6 of Cycle 1 is out! 

We have 175 club meetings scheduled, for an average of 13 opportunities every day for students to find connection and community.. Click here to see a full list of clubs.

Please see Ms. Chapman in room 2712 or email her at echapman@houstonisd.org with any questions about getting involved with clubs!

Library Update from Ms. Carpenter

As we get closer to the first 6 week mark, here are some current successes at Bellaire HS library! Between August 12 and Sept 12th, the library has had 1,048 unique student sign ins, this means that nearly one third of the entire student population has come to the library on their own before school, during class, or during cardinal hour. This number does not include multiple visits in a day- right now we are averaging 196 student sign ins each day. Ms. Carpenter has been kept very busy with classroom visits and collaboration. She has taught 44 classes since the first day of school, which amounts to 868 students taught in the library or by the librarian in their classes. Currently, Social Studies classes are the most visited classes, but English department is not far behind! In this first full month since the first day of school, we have had 827 books checked out both in person and online through MackinVia. 

Included in this weeks highlights: Our Top 5 books checked out, and the classes that the library has collaborated with this week. This week Sociology finished up their yearbook project with a Socratic seminar discussion on the factors and influences that define a school culture. 

We are Serious About Cell Phones, Headphones and Earbuds

All cell phones, headphones, and earbuds need to be in backpacks when entering the building. These devices may only be out of backpacks and used during Cardinal Hour. If a device is out, it will be bagged and tagged. When a device is spotted, a student must drop the device into the bag and present their student ID. The device will be bagged and tagged or simply collected on the spot. There is a $15 fine that must be paid to recover the device in the Main Office at the end of the day.

We do not want to bag and tag any device. Please keep them in your backpack and use them only during Cardinal Hour.

Remind Groups

We encourage all students and parents to join their class Remind group. Throughout the year we utilize a variety of channels to communicate with our community. Remind allows us to push timely messages and reminders to you throughout the year. We are committed to not filling up your text stream. You can text to join or their are links at the bottom of the E-News that you can use to join your class group.

Be a PTO Volunteer!

The PTO at Bellaire HS is a huge support system to the entire school. Please consider getting involved in a way that works for you and your schedule!

Volunteer

Contribute

Stay Informed

BHS Spirit Store is open online!

We are accepting online orders throughout the summer. All online orders will be available for pick up during Cardinal Hour on Friday on Main Street near the big screen. Click here to check it out!

Please email emilycgannaway@yahoo.com with any questions. Thank you for your continued support.

PTO Booster Clubs Open Forum Meeting

Tuesday, September 24 @ 6:30PM

5203 Locust Street

• Freshmen Parent Meeting - September 17
• Homecoming Tailgate - September 26
• Homecoming Dance - September 28

2024-2025 Student Handbook

Click here to access the 2024-2025 Student Handbook. We encourage every student and parent to read through the handbook to become familiar with they systems and procedures that are in place at Bellaire HS.

Dress Code for the 2024-2025 School Year

Please take a moment and read through our dress code.

Click here to access the dress cod

It Takes A Village...

Please help us collect important information and bring student and staff accomplishments to our school community. Please share with us Bellaire HS activities and student achievements. You can upload your pictures or event notices. 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 2024-2025

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.

Class of 2025

Class of 2026

Class of 2027

Class of 2028

In addition to the class codes above, students will have the opportunity to receive communication and correspond with their teachers through the Remind App.