PTO Meeting
Bellaire HS PTO meeting - Thursday, September 22 at 6:00 pm in the Bellaire Auditorium. Parents will have the chance to grab a quick snack to eat on their way into the building from the Fido Food Truck that will be on site. (Donated by Fido). Everyone is invited to the meeting and we hope to see you there!

Parking for parents is available in the parking garage. Please enter the garage from the dedicated lane off of Maple. Parking arms and gates will be set to allow for entry and exit of non-permitted vehicles.
9th, 10th, 11th Grade Pictures
Students had their school picture taken this week. To view and purchase pictures families should visit our photographer Cady's website. We do not have a confirmed date yet that pictures will be uploaded but will post when we receive a notification.
 
Pictures will be shipped directly to the address specified on the order. They will no longer be sent to the school. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Negri.
Progress Reports
Progress Reports will be sent to each student's HISD email address this weekend. Parents, all progress reports, report cards and official documents will be delivered during the school year to student's secure email addresses. A notification will also go out via Remind that the emails have been sent. Questions, please contact Ms. Campbell.

Students are encouraged to attend tutorial sessions and reach out to teachers for student conferences and retakes during Cardinal Hour. Students, remember there is a bell that rings between the Red and White blocks to help you manage your time.
Save These Dates:
Financial Aid Parent Meeting - Wednesday, Sept. 21 6:30 pm Auditorium
Senior Parent Meeting - Wednesday, Sept. 28 6:30 pm Auditorium
College Fair - Tuesday, Oct. 11
*Update -Freshmen Parent Meeting* - Wednesday, Oct. 12
Important: If You Haven't Done This -Please Do It This Weekend!
Returning Student Verification Form.

The online application allows parents to verify their home address, phone number, email address, complete annual forms and add/update emergency contacts, which will be auto-delivered directly to HISD Connect.

HISD families are asked to complete the online Student Verification form. The Student Verification form includes annual acknowledgments and general updates, such as contact information and student health information.

For current students returning to HISD for the 2022-2023 school year, Student Verification forms will be completed via the HISD Connect Parent Portal Account.
Club Meeting Schedule
Bellaire has over 100 clubs registered for this year! You can check out what they are doing and get information about their activities and meetings by following them on Instagram or joining their Reminds. Click here to see a full list of clubs, Instagram handles, and Remind codes.
 

Students can also find a club to join by looking at the meeting schedule for the rest of Cycle 1 Click here to view the schedule!

Please see Ms. Chapman in room 2712 or email her at echapman@houstonisd.org with any questions about getting involved with clubs!
New Policy - No Food Deliveries
Beginning Monday, Sept. 12th, no food deliveries will be accepted on campus*. Students will not be allowed to meet delivery drivers. Bellaire High School is not responsible for any orders that are placed and not picked up. Students should plan ahead and bring their lunch or eat the meal provided by the school. Only 11 and 12 grade students with home lunch permits will be allowed to leave campus during Cardinal Hour.
*Administrative approval is needed for any delivery.
Freedom From Period Poverty
Since the Fall of 2021, the Italian National Honor Society has been providing girls with free female hygiene products refilling the baskets with projects that were funded on Donors Choose.
We are now left with very few pads and our project has not received enough funding for us to keep bringing equity to our school.
We are very thankful to all the families that have been sensitive to this subject and have helped us provide girls with what they need to continue their school life without unnecessary interruptions. Help us continue with our service to the school. Here's a link to the project on Donors Choose: https://tinyurl.com/BHSFreedom
Grads Within Reach
Grads Within Reach Walk! Bellaire High School
community supports & believes in our students’ ability to succeed!

Thanks to our team for their work in walking our community today to encourage students to return to school! A big shout out to Ms. Uglade and Ms. Williams for organizing the walk for Bellaire staff last weekend. #CardinalProud
Website Announcements
Cardinals, be sure and scroll through the announcement board located on the homepage of our website! We encourage everyone to find a club or organization to connect with! #GetInvolved

Families are encouraged to check the website often for updates and information!
From the Bellaire Counseling Office:
September is Self-Care Awareness Month. Linked here is a monthly calendar to check out ideas for gaining new coping skills and help reduce burn-out. Over the weekend, try to find at least one activity that brings you joy.

Remember, while on campus, your School Counselor and/or our Social Worker are here to help if students need someone to talk to. Parents and staff members can utilize the HISD SAF (Student Assistance Form) to refer a student: https://houstonisd.force.com/saf/s/ to the Counselors, Social Worker, or Wrap Around Specialists. Referrals will be routed to the correct person on campus to assist the student.  

After hours, keep these numbers handy in case you need to talk to someone: 
-Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 74741. Connect with a crisis Counselor for 24/7 free crisis support via text messaging. 
-Texas Youth Helpline- Call or text- 1-800-989-6884. Free confidential help to youth in crisis who need help finding a Counselor, shelter, or someone to just talk to. 
-Teen Line: Call 1-800-852-8336 or Text TEEN to 839863. Provides peer-based emotional support before problems become a crisis. 

Regarding Schedule Changes: 
The final day to submit a course change for the 1st semester is: Monday, September 12, 2022. Approval to join a different course is based on space availability and priority.
Level Changes: The Level Change Window opens next week, September 12, 2022-September 30, 2022
Here is a link to the level change form. Parent and teacher signature are required before the level change will be processed by the Counselor. 
 (Example- A student wants to drop HADV World Geography and add Academic World Geography.)
No level changes will occur in the first 3 weeks of school, with exceptions listed below. 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 the days teachers are verifying grades for the first six weeks. Students are still able to 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 onto your schedule. (You did not request the level.)
2. You are a new student to BHS (any grade level) in the 2022-2023 school year.
3. If a student is recommended to move up a level, parent approval is required.
4. If in 9th grade, to be considered for a level change after October 3rd, it must be reviewed and approved by a committee consisting of the Counselor, AP, and teacher.
 Important:
-All schedule changes must be submitted using the schedule change/level change form.
-Counselors will not grant a schedule change request through email.
-When making schedule changes, Counselors do attempt to cause the least disruption to the schedule as possible. However, that is not always possible. By submitting the schedule change or level change form, you are authorizing your counselor to change your entire schedule if necessary (including teacher changes) to accommodate your requests. Keep in mind that prerequisites must be met prior to enrollment in a course.
College Center Update
JFS College Financial Education Program- Tuesday, September 20th from 6:30 to 8 PM
On Tuesday, September 20th from 6:30 to 8PM, The BHS College & Career Center will be partnering with the Jewish Family Services & Amegy Bank to address strategies for affording college and understanding the cost and resources available to you and your family. This program will benefit high school students and their parents of any background. The event will be held at Amegy Tower (1717 W Loop South Houston Texas 77027) and is free to attend in person or virtually. Register at https://www.jfshouston.org/events/collegeseries-2022.
 
 
College Affordability Parent Meeting- Wednesday, September 21st from 6:30 to 8 PM
On Wednesday, September 21st from 6:30 to 8 PM, The BHS College & Career Center we will be discussing what all makes up the cost of attendance at colleges, how to research affordable colleges, and the financial aid application all in anticipation for the opening of the 2023-2024 FAFSA, TASFA, and CSS Profile. We will also have time for questions and answers at the conclusion of this presentation. Please come prepared to engage, take notes, and ask questions.
 
Save The Date
September 21st at 6:30- College Affordability Meeting 
September 25th 1-4 PM- Houston NACAC College Fair (register here)
October 1st- 2023-2024 FAFSA/TASFA Opens
October 8th 10 AM- 5PM- Black College Expo (register here)
October 11th at 6:00- 2022 BHS College Fair
October 12th- NMQST PSAT for 9th-11th grade
October 15th- Priority Deadline for Texas A&M University (especially for Business, Engineering, Sciences)
 
Financial aid opens in 10 school days (FAFSA/TASFA/CSS Profile) (Admissions BEFORE Financial Aid)
18 school days until October 15th deadline (TAMU Engineering/Business)
29 school days until November 1st deadline (UH & SHSU Scholarship Deadline/Early Action/Decision)
39 school days until November 15th deadline (Early Action Deadline)
46 school days until December 1st deadline (Most Texas Colleges Deadline)
 
Reminders
  • Need fee waivers? Complete the Socioeconomic Form.
  • Join the College Center Senior Remind. Text @BHSCC23 to 81010
  • Review the College Application Meeting
  • Brag Sheet (for counselors, possibly teachers) & Resume Template (teachers, applications, jobs)
  • Adding schools to “Colleges I’m Applying To…” (video)
  • Requesting Letters of Recommendation on Naviance (video)
  • Requesting Transcripts on Naviance (video)
  • Apply for college admissions before you apply for financial aid (FAFSA and TASFA). Apply for scholarships all the time.
  • [Tinyurl.com/BHSCash4Cards]Cash4Cards: Scholarship Listing- this is a one-stop shop for all the scholarships that come through the College Center. This is a living document, so please ensure that you are checking it regularly. If you search through all the active scholarships and you don’t find anything for you, let me know and I can provide you search engines for independent research. (Tinyurl.com/BHSCash4Cards)
 
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 News & Events
This week was a busy one beginning with English I classes, Make it Monday programming, and Open House! This week's biggest success was our first make it Monday programming. This was shared via Canvas to all students. On this Make it Monday, we learned how to make Friendship bracelets using embroidery thread and each student who came to visit the library during Cardinal hour could ask for a Make it Monday kit which included: directions, a QR code to the Make it Monday Canvas page, and Precut thread of various colors. Ms. Carpenter prepped around 150+ Make it Monday Kits for this event and by the time Cardinal hour was over she had less than 20 left. During Cardinal hour because of the students visiting the library cart for kits, we had our highest daily checkout at 53 books checked out in 1 day. 

Next week, we will be celebrating National Banned Books week. This is an annual event put on to celebrate the freedom to read that every person has. This celebration is meant to highlight the importance of free and open access to information that is protected by our first amendment right to freedom of speech. This will begin the week with Blackout poetry for Make it Monday and giving students information about why certain books have been banned or challenged and allowing each student to form their own opinion on the matter. To find out more about Banned Books Week please see the information provided on the Banned Books Week website.

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 2021-2022