STAAR WRITING ASSESSMENT FOR 7TH ALL GRADERS, TUESDAY APRIL 20.

Ortiz 7th Graders will take the STAAR Writing assessment on Tuesday, April 20. We ask that ALL 7th graders report to campus no later than 8:30 a.m. We have systems in place to ensure student safety on testing days. All students must bring their fully charged Chromebook and will be requred to wear a mask while on campus. Our 6th and 8th grade students will stay home and have an asynchronous learning day (en Español). All students will return to their normal learning environment (in person or virtual) on Wednesday, April 21. 

HOUSTON FOOD BANK SCHOOL MARKET AT ORTIZ THIS WEEK TO HELP SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY

In collaboration with the Houston Food Bank School Market, Ortiz MS will be distributing fresh produce and pantry items this Saturday, April 17 and Saturday, April 24, for all community members (while supplies last). Click English or Spanish for more information and to register for the event. Please contact Ms. Tavera, our Wraparound Services Coordinator, at 713-845-5650 or jtaveras@houstonisd.org if you need assistance or have questions.

JOIN ORTIZ STUDENTS IN HELPING FIGHT CANCER WITH LLS

Ortiz Middle School has teamed up with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Hero Squad program (formerly Pennies for Patients) starting on Friday, March 26, 2021 and running through Monday, April 12, 2021 to teach our students about kindness, bravery and how working together for one common goal will help both children and adults in their fight against cancer. 

The money we raise will help blood cancer patients by funding research, providing free information, financial and support services, and advocates for blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care.

Students can join our Squad by following the link below and selecting “Join Our Classroom Team” to create an account and start getting support from friends and family from all over.  By raising money, students will earn fun Hero Gear prizes at various fundraising levels, shipped right to your house. You can even link your child’s fundraising page to Facebook -this is the coolest way parents and guardians can support your student’s fundraising efforts!

https://events.lls.org/pages/txg/Ortiz-Middle-School-2021

BELL SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENT FOR UPCOMING PRACTICE STAAR ASSESSMENTS

In order to prepare our students for the upcoming state-mandated STAAR assessments, Ortiz students will take practice assessments in April.

April 13: Math (all grades)

April 14: Reading (all grades)

April 21: Social Studies (8th grade only)

April 22 Reading (7th grade only) and Science (8th grade only)

We will follow an altered bell schedule on these testing days.

STUDENT COURSE SELECTIONS FOR 2021-22 NOW AVAILABLE!

It's never too early to plan ahead! We are currently taking course requests from all 6th and 7th graders for the 2021-22 school year. Students have the opportunity to choose from a variety of performing and visual arts, as well as technology, physical education, and language acquisition. To make your selections, follow these steps:

1. Click HERE for short videos that describe some of the course offerings available.
2. Click HERE to complete the course request form to submit your choices.

Selections can be made until February 2021. Students can make changes until then by resubmitting the form in step #2 above. Reach out to your grade level administrator if you have questions or need assistance.

HISD @H.O.M.E TV

We are continuing to air HISD @ H.O.M.E. TV lessons through partnerships with Univision/Unimas67 and KHOU/KTBU 55.

• KTBU 55 airs our entire 2.5-hour block daily for students Monday-Friday from 9 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.
• Unimás 67 continues to air Spanish-language lessons daily, Monday-Friday from 7 A.M. to 7:30 A.M.

Along with our current distance learning platform, HISD @ H.O.M.E. TV continues to provide instructional videos from 9-11:30 A.M., 1-3:30 P.M., and 5-7:30 P.M., Monday-Friday. Segments in English and Spanish are broadcast on HISD-TV – Comcast Ch. 18 and Ch. 99 U-verse, as well as online via HoustonISD.org/LiveTV.

Current and previous lessons can also be accessed online at blogs.HoustonISD.org/HISDTV/ and YouTube.com/theHISD. The HISD @ H.O.M.E. TV schedule can be accessed online at HoustonISD.org/HomeTV.

WE'RE TRYING TO REACH YOU!

Teachers and staff have attempted to reach all Ortiz students to ensure our families are safe and that students have the technology needed to access our distant learning classes. If you have not yet been contacted, please update your contact information HERE so that we can correct any misinformation we may have in our records. You can also call the Ortiz main phone number at 713-845-5650 and leave us a voice message.

PARENT CODES FOR NEW HISD CONNECT

HISD Connect by PowerSchool includes student contact, enrollment, and demographic information, as well as grades and online resources.

Parents will be given a unique code, or access ID, for each of their students and will be able to use those codes to set up an account to access their students' profiles through the new parent portal.

Parents have three options to obtain their code:

• Email us at OrtizMS@houstonisd.org your student's name and grade level. We’ll email you the code sheet.
• Fill out the survey at http://bit.ly/OrtizConnect and we’ll send you the code via text or email.
• Call us at 713-845-5650 if you want a printed copy to pick up from campus.