January 15, 2021

- 1/15: Choose Virtual or In-Person for upcoming 6 weeks!
- 1/15: Progress Reports - Check your child's grades for P3
- 1/18: Martin Luther King Day
No School for Students
- 1/29: Teacher Preparation Day
No School for Students
- 2/24: 8th Grade PSAT
Update This Today,
Even If You Are Staying the Same!
We need your help! Update your child's preference today (face-to-face or virtual) in the HISD Connect Power School portal. For planning purposes, we are asking EVERYONE to update your preference, even if you aren't changing. This helps us balance the numbers for class assignments, location and get a true picture of in-person spot availability. Thank you so much Razorback Families!

And, while you are logged in, check your child's progress report under the heading P3!
Progress Reports Sent Home Today
You can check grades in Parent Connect Under the Heading P3

Please take some time this weekend to look at your child's grades. Check in with them about any assignments that are still missing. Dig around in all of their HUB Courses. See what they see. Empathize with the growing pains of middle school responsibilities. Cheer them on and/or help them create a game plan and strategy for success. The 6 weeks ends on February 5th.
Rodeo Art Contest

Una Majkic (7th) "Morning Ride"

Five students will represent Hogg MiddleSchool in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo art contest. There will be a preliminary round of judging by HISD officials where the pieces will be on display at the HISD Hattie Mae building. Art teacher, Ms. Ozanic believes, "we have a good chance of moving forward to the 2nd round of judging at NRG!" She is very proud of our Hogg artists.

The rodeo has moved from March to May 3 - May 24 this year.

Enjoy the beautiful artwork!
Aiden Askandari (8th) "First Time Riding"
Eliel Obregon (8th) "The Long Way Home"
Gabriella Galvan (7th) "A Day at the Rodeo"
Mia Fisher (7th) "A Perspective"
Washington, D.C. and New York City
Feel free to reach out to the trip leader: cmark@houstonisd.org for any questions.
Have a 6th grader interested in travel?
If you missed the Razorback Travel Club Trip Meetings for the Washington DC and NYC summer trip for 2022, there will be an informational meeting on Wednesday, January 27, 2021. If you attend the meeting and decide to enroll, EF is granting a $200 discount for all enrollees. (Students enrolling in 6th grade will be set to travel at the end of their 7th grade year.)
 
During our informational meeting, we will discuss dates for the trip, itinerary details, what’s included with payment, cross-curricular IB connections, and much more. Next week we will have an RSVP link here to receive an emailed Zoom meeting link.
STEM & Travel - The Perfect Combination!
Eighth Grade parents, if your child is interested in geology or STEM, then GeoFORCE might be right for them!

GeoFORCE Texas is an amazing summer outreach program that recruits students in Southwest Texas and Houston. Once accepted, GeoFORCE students are given the opportunity to travel across Texas and throughout the country to places like Mount St. Helens and the Grand Canyon. More information is available on the GeoFORCE website. https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/geoforce/

If you are interested or want more information, contact Kyla Hardaway - khardaw2@houstonisd.org or Jasmine Gulick - jasmine.gulick@utexas.edu
GeoForce Applications
are now available!
 
Applications are due by January 31, 2021. If any students need help applying or retrieving their 7th and 8th grade report cards please send Ms. Hardaway an email or message on the HUB. 
How to Talk to Your Child About Current Events!

Sometimes challenging times are teachable moments while other moments call for simple, brief explanations. What works best for your child? Here are some tips:

  1. Be honest. Do your best not to "sugarcoat" current events. Doing so can create distrust between you and your child when they find out the truth.
  2. Acknowledge fears and anxiety. For example, you can tell your child, "When these things happen, it is ok to feel scared and anxious. That is completely valid and acceptable."
  3. If the current event includes violence or something scary, make a list of measures that being taken to keep everyone safe. Ask them - "What are some things we can do as a family to feel safe at home? Let's think of some things we can do together to ease our anxiety."
  4. Limit exposure to media when necessary. If you have been honest with your child, and/or they have seen the news, it is not necessary to expose them to the same event again. Instead have a discussion or ask them questions. Constant exposure will eliminate any efforts you have taken as a family to dissolve the fear in your home.
  5. Talk about actions instead of labels. Avoid the labels the media uses to identify prejudices. Instead talk about what you see, as opposed to what you hear. 
  6. Allow them to voice their questions and time to process emotions. There have been plenty of times students have walked into my office with a big problem, not knowing how to handle their emotions. After talking about how they feel and asking questions about how to understand their thoughts, they walk out feeling better. Give your child an opportunity to speak. 
  7. Help them to understand and become aware of disinformation. This goes back to talking about what you see, instead of what you hear. Acknowledge that while some news is true, people are human and often speak out of emotion instead of facts. 

For any questions or concerns, email me at hazel.javillonar@houstonisd.org
The Hogg Clinic
Hey Hogg Parents! Don’t forget that we are fortunate to have the Memorial Hermann Hogg Clinic on our campus. Their phone number is 713-864-7614, and they would be happy to answer any of your questions. 
Nurses and counselors are available -
Monday - Friday 7:30 am – 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm – 4:00 p.m.
 
Their services include:
  • Immunizations (for uninsured and Medicaid participants)
  • Well Child & Teen Physicals
  • Sports Physicals
  • Sick Child Visits
  • Minor Injury Care
  • Medicine prescribed at the visit, if needed
  • Lab testing
  • Student and Family Counseling
  • Dental Care Van (every 3 months) Monday - Thursday 7:30am - 3:00pm
The Book Hogg - A Pop Up Library on Wheels

Come check out books from the Book Hogg! Our new schedule is below! All books on the cart have been quarantined for at least 14 days. Ms. Chance and Ms. Brown wear masks and gloves when books are pulled. Gloves are discarded after each session.

And check out our write up in the Historic Heights Living Publication in February!

How to Request a Book?

Ms. Brown takes the Library on the road every day for Hogg in person students! It's called the Library Roadshow!

Whether you are virtual or in person - you can put a book on hold. Watch the video below or click here to see how!
Updates for HMS Sports & Theatre
Due to an increase in positivity rate in the Houston area, HISD has suspended middle school UIL, theatre, dance and sports events until January 22nd. This affects Hogg sports - cross country, football, volleyball, swim, Razorettes, and cheer. Therefore, in person tryouts and practices have been suspended. Coaches and teachers will contact students directly about practicing virtually. At this time insurance and paperwork submitted will be kept in the event that Sports and UIL events resume after January 22nd. Stay safe Razorback families!
The Hogg Library Needs You!

Virtual and In-Person students can put physical books on hold. For In-Person students, Ms. Brown delivers books to students' English teachers on her Library Roadshow Route. For Virtual students, Ms. Chance will have their books to pick up from the Book Hogg (Bike) route!

Right now, though, we need help! We need plastic bags in which to put the books for virtual students. In the spirit of recycling, if you have Amazon delivery sleeves, save them up! Drop them off to
  • the front gate Hogg Book Drop
  • the Hogg Library
  • the Book Hogg (Bike)
All sleeves will be quarantined for 14 days prior to reuse.

We also need volunteers at Hogg! If your child attends Hogg In-person, and you would like to help us pull/shelve books for our numerous holds, email Carly.Brown@houstonisd.org

Ms. Brown will teach you our protocols and procedures that allow us to check out books safely.
What Motivates Students?
Whether your child is in-person or virtual, motivating tweens and teens can be challenging. Moreover, finding the motivation you need to complete hard tasks can become difficult when the world is uncertain or changing. Therefore, establishing consistency and routine is the first step.

This week in Hogg Homeroom, students learned about 10 drivers of Motivation. They learned we are all motivated to complete tasks for different reasons. Teachers employ many of these in their classes to ensure student success. In Hogg Homeroom, students learned to identify motivation factors as well as how to use that motivation as a strategy for success.

Ask your child which motivation factor in the infographic helps them complete hard tasks. (We all have more than 1. Sometimes we are motivated by 3 or 4!) Knowing what your child is motivated by becomes important when discussing expectations and grades. Students who are motivated by a goal or affirmation care about grades and recognition. But if your child does not seem to be motivated by these 2 factors, see if their motivation lies elsewhere.

Also, click on the link to learn science based tips for how to motivate your child.
Join the PTA Program Committee!
The Programs committee is over the community events and advocacy for Hogg. They provide social, community and advocacy events for parents and students like the Black History Program and Literacy Night.

To sign up for the committee, please click on the link below:
The Houston Public Library has
3 Fun Things for Tweens & Teens!
The QuaranTeen Zine Project is a chance for Houston youth ages 13 -18 to share their experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic, have their work promoted by Houston Public Library, and see their writing added to our collection! Document your thoughts, your feelings, your fears, and hopes – anything you want to share about life during the pandemic. Submitted zines will be scanned and shared on the Houston Public Library’s website and social media platforms as well as be added to the online catalog. The physical zines will be housed in a non-circulating collection located at the Central Library Teen Room.

What is Zine?
Zines may contain poetry, prose, drawings, collages and more - the possibilities stretch as far as your imagination! Not familiar with zines? Check out this quick Zines 101 video. Need a starting place? Here's a template for how to make an 8 page zine from a single sheet of paper.
A Fun Podcast for Tweens & Teens

Chapter One with HPL is a podcast highlighting first chapter reads from awesome titles every Tuesday (for tweens) and Thursday (for teens) at 10.

You can also listen to past chapters of books like The Night Gardener, Children of Blood and Bone, A Good Kind of Trouble, and Eleanor & Park.


For the safety of Hogg students and staff,
discuss the right way to wear a mask with your child.
Absences - Report Protocol

If your student is absent, please email Ms. Ramirez aramir12@houstonisd.org the following:

Email Subject: ATTENDANCE: J. Doe (student's first initial and last name)
Email Body: Full name of student and reason for absence
Attach: Excuse note from doctor

Questions? Reach out to your grade-level assistant principal.
Hogg @Home Help Desk

If you have an issue regarding a school device, please submit a virtual ticket through the Hogg@Home Help Desk Portal by clicking the button below.

We will respond via email, so make sure to check both the “other” folder as well as junk mail or spam folder.
Hogg's Support Team is Here for Your Family!

For Assistance with just about anything related to supplies, applying to high schools, study-skills development, immigration, counseling, nursing, language learning... You name it, we've got you covered.

For more information, click the button below.
Pictured left to right: top row Ms. Singleton, Nurse Mack, bottom row Ms. J, Ms. Jeffery, Ms. Jones, Ms. Roman
Helpful Information!
Our Wraparound Specialist, Ms. Jones is here to help out Hogg families with anything they need. She regularly gets job notices. Reach out to her today if you want more information!

James Hogg Middle School | ph: (713) 802-4700 | fax: (713) 802-4708 | jameshoggms@houstonisd.org