The Tartan Tribune
The Newsletter of McCullough Junior High
June 2015
Mccullough.conroeisd.net
Twitter feed @McCulloughCISD
Volume 15 Issue 12
Early Release on 6/4 - 1:30 p.m.
Please note, on June 4th students will have early release at 1:30 p.m. The specific bell schedules for this
date is available online. Buses will run as usual. Anticipate a potentially longer pick up line than normal.
Importance of Attendance for Final Exams - 6/1 through 6/4
Please note final exam dates are below. It is very important for students if healthy to be present for these
major tests. Please use this information in planning trips or doctor’s visits. Missed final exams can be
made up in the front office between 9:00 a.m. and noon the week of June 8th. The special bell schedule
is available for printing and/or bookmarking at our website.
Moving to a New School District for 2015-2016?
If your child is moving to a new school district for 2015-2016, please notify the registrar’s office to complete the appropriate withdrawal paperwork before the end of the current school year. For more information please e-mail Karla Rizzuti at [email protected]. Note in advance records are not sent to
any school, public, private, or international until the receiving school requests them.
Ordering P.T.O. School Supplies - Deadline For Purchase 6/16
Each year our P.T.O. offers parents/guardians the opportunity to
purchase pre-packaged school supplies. This optional service is
provided by the P.T.O. again this year for all parents/guardians for
$40.00. To purchase go to www.educationalproducts.com, access
the ―School Pack‖ pull-down menu, and choose ―Order Your Pack.‖
From this page enter MCC064 in the school I.D. box. Shrinkwrapped school supplies for our campus will be available for pick
up at Student Orientation in August for each child. School supplies
will be available for purchase through June 16th.
Pick Up of Clinic Items by 6/4
Please remember to pick up any medications your student has in the
clinic by Thursday, June 4th at 2:00 p.m. After that time all medication left in the clinic will be disposed of. If you have special circumstances, please contact the clinic and speak to Nurse Stewart.
Required Seventh Grade Immunizations for 2015-2016
If you have an incoming seventh grader for 2015-2016, please note
that Texas requires three immunizations before school starts. These
include Tdap, Varicella, and Meningitis. These are required before
the first day of school. Records can be turned in at your current intermediate school, or faxed to 832-592-5127.
Football Equipment Issue Day– Tentative
Football equipment issue day will be on Friday, August 21st. Times
are as follows:
8th grade- 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
7th grade- 1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Athletes must be present in order to receive their locker as well as
their equipment, which is sized specifically for them. Please bring
the following items: Completed physical dated after April 15, 2015
or later, copy of birth certificate, and white calf length socks. Please
bring extra money if you wish to purchase optional equipment/gear
or QB Club parent clothing/accessories. Athletes can pick up items
they purchased earlier online at the event.
Textbook Return Schedule
Please note students will have review packets and all needed information for final exams prior to textbook pick up by department.
Note that many of our textbooks are now consumables and will be
the student’s items to keep for future reference or study. Textbook
pick up for the following areas will occur on the dates listed below.
Wednesday, May 20– algebra and geometry
Thursday, May 21- algebra and geometry
Wednesday, May 27– history (Green Day Classes)
Thursday, May 28- history (Red Day Classes)
** Please do not turn textbooks into the front office. If a student
does not have his/her book on their assigned day it may be turned in
to the collection table in the Commons LGI the following day.
Color Guard Auditions
The auditions for McCullough
Color Guard will be held May 5th
through May 7th from
4:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. in the
McCullough gym. Color Guard
members participate in competitions, prepare for high school Color Guard performances with
TWHS band, and have fun. No
experience is necessary. Students
should enter through the main
west doors by the gyms. Incoming
seventh graders should not arrive
prior to 4:15 p.m. as we are clearing regular west traffic until that
time. Students auditioning should
wear dark athletic school appropriate clothing. Audition packets will
be available in April in the
McCullough front office as well as
the front offices of each of our
four feeder campuses. If you have
any questions please contact Mrs.
Garza at [email protected].
Drivers’ Education Proof of
Enrollment Cards
If your child is planning on taking
drivers’ education this summer,
please send the registrar, Karla
Rizzuti, an email with the student’s name and grade level. Ms.
Rizzuti’s email address is [email protected]. Students are
required to be in attendance at
school 90 percent of the time in
order to be eligible for drivers’
education. Proof of enrollment
cards will be distributed to qualifying students the last week of
school. Note we have nothing to
do or knowledge of drivers’ education programs. Campuses such
as our simply provide the verification of enrollment required to
participate in a driver’s education
program.
Principal:
Chris McCord
Assistant Principals
Steve Skidmore
Shannon York
Jerry Horan
Lindsay Nichols
Counselors
Lindsay Hollomon
Jana Shriver
Marti Meerscheidt
Steven Jessen
Upcoming Events
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(7th A-K)
(7th L-Z)
(8th A-K)
(8th L-Z)
(7th A-K)
(7th L-Z)
(8th A-K)
(8th L-Z)
5/5 Color Guard auditions
begin
5/21 Law Enforcement Day
5/22 Law Enforcement Day
5/27 TWHS Athletic Physical
Day
6/1/ Final exams begin
6/4 Early release at 1:30 p.m.
6/16 School Supply Purchase
Deadline
8/11 Eighth grade orientation
8/13 Seventh grade orientation
8/21 Football equipment issue
day
8/24 Immunizations due from
incoming seventh graders to
begin school
8/24 First day of school
8/25 7th Open House
8/27 8th Open House
9/1 Fall pictures
9/2 Fall pictures
9/7 Holiday
11/23 Thanksgiving break
12/14 First semester exams
begin
12/21 Winter Break
1/13/16 Incoming Eighth
Grade Information Meeting
1/19/16 Incoming Seventh
Grade Information Morning
1/20/16 Incoming Seventh
Grade Information Night
2/4/16 Elective Information
Night for Incoming Seventh
Graders
5/27/16 Final exams begin
6/2/16 Last day of school
All dates are tentative
McCullough Phone Numbers
Transportation: (832) 592-8800
Main Line:
(832) 592-5100
Metro Line:
(832) 482-6215
Main Line:
(936) 709-7215
Fax:
(832) 592-5116
Attendance:
(832) 592-5111
Attendance:
(936) 709-5111
Kidchat Tipline (888) KIDCHAT
Front Desk Hours 8:00—5:00
Summer Front Desk Hours
9-3 M-Thursday
Closed the week of June 29 through
July 4
The Tartan Tribune
State Student Success
Initiative (SSI)
As a reminder, students
currently in eighth grade are
usually required by the state
Student Success Initiative
(SSI) law to pass the eighth
grade STAAR math and
reading exams to advance to
ninth grade. Eighth grade
students will have three
opportunities to take these
exams with two tests for
each subject coming in the
school year and one each in
the summer. Please note in
advance summer STAAR
testing will occur in late
June and students who do
not pass the exams on the
second administration are
required by the state to attend summer STAAR Academy.
C.I.S.D. Advancement
Policy Requirements
Students in junior high are
required to pass three out of
the four major core classes
to advance to the next grade.
Language arts and math
class must be passed along
with either science and/or
social studies.
Backpacks the Last
Two Days
Locker combinations may be
rolled the evening of
Wednesday, June 2nd. For
the safety and security of all
children, the last two days of
school beginning on June
3rd students can enter the
building with a small purse,
pen, pencil, review packet,
calculator if needed, cell
phone, and a lunch. Backpacks, athletic bags, and all
other types of bags will not
be permitted in the building
and will be taken up at the
door. All bags, including
purses, are subject to inspection. This information will
be advertised over the intercom well in advance.
Free Homework Help
McCullough offers many different
varieties of tutoring and homework
assistance for students. Taking advantage of these programs provides
invaluable and free help for students.
Please note programs include:
 Free teacher tutoring at 8:05 a.m.
daily
 SPARKS peer tutoring during
Advisory with Ms. Donna Meyer
– [email protected]
 PAWS homework help Tuesdays
through Thursday from 4:00 p.m.
until 4:45 p.m. in the downstairs
library
PAWS is operated by a staff member
accompanied by high school Interact
students. PAWS pick up is at 4:45
p.m. in the front south horseshoe. Additionally, note a campus math instructor is available most days during
PAWS to offer free math tutoring for
students needing assistance.
Planning Ahead- Final Exams for
2015-2016
Please note final exams dates for the
2015-2016 school year are tentatively
set for the dates below. It is very important for students to be present for
these major tests if healthy. Please use
this information in planning trips or
doctor’s visits.
Fall Semester 12/14/15- 12/18/15
Spring Semester 5/27/16- 6/2/16
Cars and Buses The First Week
Of School
Please note that the first week of
school, and especially the first couple
of days, buses may potentially be running later than usual due to heavy car
line traffic and kindergarten parent
pick up at drop off bus stops. Expect
the car rider lines to be much longer
the first two days. As we are the third
bus run following the elementary and
high schools, any opening week slow
downs will affect us more than others.
Request for Teacher or Counselor
Recommendations over the Summer
For a number of reasons parents/
guardians request teacher recommendations over the summer. Please note
the last day on campus for teachers is
June 5th. The last day for counseling
staff is Friday, June 12th. If you need
any type of recommendation please
ensure the request is made prior to
these dates.
June 2015
Law Enforcement Day
Our annual Law Enforcement Day will occur on May 21 and
22 through our social studies classes. Each year our Campus
Watch organization coordinates with The Woodlands Watch
of The Woodlands Township to bring in various law enforcement, medical, and protective agencies to speak to students
regarding available services and safety.
Tentative Student Orientation Dates
McCullough Junior High has a special student orientation
each fall to help young people and their parents/guardians to
be prepared and feel good about the upcoming year. Student
orientation allows children to pick up lockers/combinations,
obtain valuable handouts, see their tentative schedules, walk
their classes, and see their friends. Additionally, parents/
guardians can sign up for P.T.O., purchase school clothing/
gear, and pick up required reading books, if interested. Attendance is not mandatory but is a huge plus. Textbooks will
be issued the first week of school. The child, or the child’s
official parent/guardian, must be present to pick up materials. Should a student not be in town on his/her assigned date
and pick up time, he/she can obtain a copy of his/her tentative schedule and pre-assigned locker at our front desk during the week of 8/18. These students who miss orientation
will be issued pre-assigned lockers the first week of school.
Students’ schedules will only be available during their time
slot so that the line will move quickly for all students, parents, and guardians.
8/11/15
8:30 a.m.— 9:30 a.m. 8th grade
Last Name A-C
9:30 a.m.— 10:30 a.m. 8th grade
Last Name D-H
10:30 a.m—11:30 p.m. 8th grade
Last Name I-L
11:30 p.m.—12:30p.m. 8th grade
Last Name M-P
Closed 12:30 p.m. until 1:00 p.m. lunch and volunteer shift
change
1:00 p.m.— 2:00 p.m. 8th grade
Last Name Q-S
2:00 p.m.— 3:00 p.m. 8th grade
Last Name T-V
3:00 p.m.— 4:00 p.m. 8th grade
Last Name W-Z
Students’ schedules will only be available during their time
slot so that the line will move quickly for all students, parents, and guardians.
8/13/15
8:30 a.m.— 9:30 a.m. 7th grade Last Name A-C
9:30 a.m.— 10:30 a.m. 7th grade Last Name D-H
10:30 a.m — 11:30 p.m. 7th grade Last Name I-L
11:30 p.m. —12:30p.m. 7th grade Last Name M-P
Closed 12:30 p.m. until 1:00 p.m. lunch and volunteer shift
change
1:00 p.m.— 2:00 p.m.7th grade
Last Name Q-S
2:00 p.m.— 3:00 p.m.7th grade
Last Name T-V
3:00 p.m.— 4:00 p.m.7th grade
Last Name W-Z
Our administrative and teaching staff will be working inservice during this week. Any student missing his/her orientation date will receive books and locker the first week.
8/21/15
Student Orientation for all students registering in August
new to C.I.S.D. will occur on August 21st. The specific new
to C.I.S.D. student pick up times will be:
7th graders– 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.
8th graders- 11:00 a.m. until noon
The Tartan Tribune
Remaining 2014-2015 Important STAAR
and Benchmark Testing Dates (Very Tentative)
Science Benchmark - grade 7: 5/11-22
Social Studies Benchmark - grade 7: 5/11-22
STAAR - 8 reading retest: 5/12
STAAR - 8 reading retest: 6/23
 Eighth grade students in Texas are required to
pass STAAR Reading and STAAR Math
most years in order to advance to ninth grade.
 Eighth grade non-passers after two attempts
will attend summer school remediation
throughout June to prepare for their third
attempt to pass.
 Students who are on campus during testing
who still need to pass a required state exam
will be administered the test for that day.
Front Horseshoe Closed Briefly for
Student Dismissal 6/4
The front horseshoe will be closed briefly on June
4th from 12:30 p.m. until 1:45 p.m. for final student dismissal. After all students have safely left
the building the horseshoe will open for business.
Please plan accordingly and use the main west lot
if you are picking up your child on this day.
Drop Off Room Volunteers
If you are interested in working the P.T.O. drop
off room during the 15-16 school year, please
contact Rhonda Emberton at [email protected].
Library Summer Reading and Vocabulary
Workshop Book Sales
The McCullough Library will be selling a limited
number of copies of the required reading book for
incoming seventh and eighth graders. Additionally, a limited amount of incoming ninth grade
books are available. Vocabulary Workshop books,
which are required of all McCullough students, are
also available in the upstairs library main checkout
area. Students may stop in the library at any time
during the school day to purchase these materials.
Athletic Physical Information
Students participating in athletics in Texas require
a physical completed by a physician each school
year. This document must be completed before a
student can begin tryouts, practice, or contests for
any activity. Note the athletic physical form 20152016 must be dated after April 15, 2015. The official form form for use in C.I.S.D. is available at
the ―Athletics‖ page of our McCullough website.
If you are planning to obtain a physical from your
physician in the summer, note in advance doctor’s
offices normally offer a limited amount of slots for
these examinations.
June 2015
The Woodlands High School Athletic Physical Day - May 27th
The Woodlands High School will be hosting physical examinations for the 2015
-2016 school year at The Woodlands High School 10-12 Campus on Wednesday, May 27, 2015. This year, the physician portion of the physical will be offered during the school day and through 5:30 p.m.
Off Campus Private P.E. Information for 2015-2016
Please note the important bulleted details below for parents/guardians considering Off Campus physical education for their child:
 By state law, Private P.E. is for participation in individual Olympic sports
only.
 Students are only allowed to participate at CISD approved facilities.
 Off Campus physical education is a year-long commitment. There are no
one-semester versions of this program. Students participating in Off Campus physical education are committed to both the fall and spring semesters
and their class schedules are developed accordingly.
 By state law, students in this year-long program will not be able to participate in school athletic programs which have their own athletic class during
the day. Participants may be able to tryout for school club programs such
as track, golf, tennis, and soccer that meet outside of the school day and do
not have an athletic class period.
 For students properly enrolled in the year-long program, a facility can only
be changed at mid-term. Choose your facility wisely from the outset.
 Any student choosing Off Campus physical education must be picked up
daily at 2:50 p.m. at the northwest corner, main student entrance. Please
make sure as a parent/guardian you have year-long afternoon pick up arrangements in place prior to choosing Off Campus physical education.
 Students are not allowed to leave campus and walk home unsupervised.
 Grades and attendance for a child in Off Campus physical education are
submitted each three weeks by the approved facility. These grades are
reflected on report cards and do count toward U.I.L. eligibility.
 The Texas Education Agency allows Category I (15+ hours per week)
participants to leave campus one hour prior to the end of the school day.
From 2:26 p.m. until 2:50 p.m., students will be supervised by a
McCullough instructor in a silent study hall.
 Choosing Off Campus physical education (Category 1) requires a commitment to leave early on both red and green days.
 Students in Category 2, Off Campus physical education do not leave
school early each day and do not have a physical education class on campus. However, students do receive two extra classroom classes above and
beyond. As a result, a student choosing and qualifying for Category 2, Off
Campus physical education must be enrolled in band, choir, or orchestra.
 Students who fail to meet state guidelines for completion of hours will be
dropped from Off Campus P.E. and placed in a regular campus P.E. class.
Importance of Attendance on The First Day - August 24th
For the state of Texas PEIMS accounting, it is important for students to be on
campus the first day of school. If students are not present the first day of school,
they are classified as inactive for the state reporting system and a parent/
guardian must schedule an appointment to re-enroll.
Summer Office Hours
Please note our front desk will be open during the summer from 9:00 a.m. until
3:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. We will be closed the week of June 29th
through July 4th. The front desk can be reached at 832-592-5100.
The Conroe Independent School District (District) as an equal opportunity educational provider and employer does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or
disability in educational programs or activities that it operates or in employment matters. The District is required by Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Title IX of the
Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as Board policy not to
discriminate in such a manner. For information about Title IX rights or Section 504/ADA rights, contact the Title IX Coordinator or the Section 504/ADA coordinator at 3205 W. Davis, Conroe,
Texas 77304; (936) 709-7752.