November 18th Tuesday - Parlez with the Principal 8:45am - 9:45am (Sign up today)
November 19th Wednesday - Lanier Dance Fall Show
November 24th - 28th Recess No Classes
December 3rd Wednesday - Orchestra and Piano Picture Day (during class)
December 4th Thursday - Orchestra and Piano Picture Day (during class)
December 4th Thursday - Piano Winter Recital 6:00pm Lanier Auditorium
December 10th Wednesday - Orchestra Winter Concert (Beginner, Concert, Philharmonic and Sinfonia) 6:00pm Lanier Auditorium
December 10th Wednesday - Jason's Deli Spirit Night
Additional Important Dates to Save per Mr. Williams
Lanier Fun Fact
Another fun fact blast from the past. These are spirit ribbons from the 50's. Cheerleaders would sell spirit ribbons for the weekly football game. Students could pin them to their shirts or display them as they saw fit. Many wore them to the football games. What a fun tradition. Maybe it could be brought back in the future.
Lanier Spotlight
Ms. Hackett
Ms. Hackett is Lanier's Asset Management Coordinator and campus librarian. She has been a Purple Pup for 4 years but has been in education going on 40 years. With her years of experience, she brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and know how to Lanier's Team.
She has many tasks and responsibilities she handles daily, plus much that is done behind the scenes to keep order. She does all library services, inventory and book ordering. She works with E Rate Services, a federal program that helps to fund libraries. On the technology side she handles desktop support, lost or stolen devices and all damaged devices. She is responsible for all Fixed Asset Accounting (Tibweb System) which is inventory of all Chromebooks, IPADs, teacher devices and large equipment on campus. Ms. Hackett also handles all of the campus telecommunication services which includes all phone systems in the building. If you are wondering the list continues. Ms. Hackett is also Lanier's campus level UIL coordinator, organizer of Name That Book and does all the large printing of posters on campus. She is always looking for solutions or ways to make Lanier even better.
Ms. Hackett was born in Los Angeles California and moved to Texas in her middle school years. She still enjoys going back to LA to visit her family. A good education is truly important to Ms. Hackett, that goes for students now and for herself. She has a BA in journalism from Prairie View A&M University. She also has a Master's degree in Library and Information Science from the University of North Texas and a 2nd Master's degree in Mid-Management Leadership from TCU. She has taught ELA, writing and speech from 2nd grade up to 9th grade. She was in administration for 12 years as an Instructional Coach at the middle and high school level. She was also in charge of staff development and training at the high school level. She was a high school librarian for 1 year and a middle school librarian for 5 years.
In her spare time Ms. Hackett loves listening to music. It's one of her joys. She loves to write and enjoys historical story writing. She has a love of rare books and looking through archives. Ms. Hackett is also a public speaker. One day when she retires, she plans on writing more and travel with her love. She has 1 son who is also in education where he is a behavior coordinator at the elementary level. Ms. Hackett has 6 wonderful grandchildren, 3 boys and 3 girls. A senior in college, a sophomore in college, a senior in high school, a 6th grader, a 4th grader and a 2nd grader.
Ms. Hackett has a very busy and full life. She has been very blessed with a wonderful family, many friends and a career that means the world to her. She is a treasure to our Lanier campus. Even with all her duties she finds time to help where needed, monitor the 3rd floor hall during passing periods and run circles around school with her endless energy to get her job done. She makes the library a friendly and welcoming place. Students are welcomed in on a daily basis to get issues resolved, teachers drop by to get things printed and laminated and others come in for a quiet place to take a test. Her library is there for all.
Thank you Ms. Hackett for your continued hard work at Lanier. All you do does not go unnoticed and you are truly appreciated. If you see her on campus, please give her a big thank you!
What's Going on in the Halls?
8th Grade Leadership has done an outstanding job with this weeks bulletin board.
Holiday Gift Donations
To donate please scan the QR code below or click the flyer to view the donation form
Save the Date for Lanier's annual PUP CUP and Auction
If you are able to donate auction items either scan the QR code or simply click the flyer to fill out the donation form.
Calling all Hosts with the Most! If you are interested in hosting a sociable for Lanier's Auction, please fill out the form below.
Congratulations to all of the Lanier Band students who advanced to the 2025 All-Region Band Auditions last week! These talented students performed challenging scales and etudes, and earned outstanding ratings for their efforts.
Special thanks to Mr. Hernandez and Mr. Jacobs for making Lanier Band one of the best middle school band programs in HISD!
Congratulations to the following Lanier students for earning a place in the All-Region Bands:
Reese Baron (8th grade): Trumpet, All-Region Symphonic Band
Harvey Dai (8th grade): Alto Saxophone, All-Region Symphonic Band
Ashton Palmer (6th grade): Alto Saxophone, All-Region Concert Band II
Austin Gao (6th grade): Alto Saxophone, All-Region Concert Band II
Lanier Students Perform at Alley Theater
Kick off your holiday season watching Lanier Middle School students - AJ Dada (6th) and Levi LeFevre (7th) - in Alley Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol. Use promo code COMMUNITY to receive up to a 20% discount on tickets. Purchase at alleytheatre.org/carol.
A Christmas Carol November 16 - December 28, 2025 Rediscover the timeless tale of Ebenezer Scrooge's transformation as he encounters the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Be transported into Victorian England with dazzling costumes and stunning sets. Join us for a Dickensian celebration of love, redemption, and the true spirit of Christmas!
This winter, Rice University is excited to introduce something brand new to the neighborhood: the first-ever "Ice Village at Rice Village", a festive outdoor ice-skating rink experience created to bring holiday cheer and community spirit to Houston.
To celebrate this special inaugural year and strengthen connection with local schools, Rice University would love to invite Lanier students, families and staff to join in the fun by offering an exclusive 10% discount on skating admission. Just use the code ICELANIER when purchasing tickets online.
Exclusive Discount Code: ICELANIER (10% off all tickets)
Whether it's a school outing, student activity, or family day on the ice, Rice University would love to see Lanier families making memories and helping kick off this exciting new tradition in the heart of Rice Village.
A Reminder from Ms. Hackett
Please remind students to always use their Chromebook carrying bag. Each student received a black carrying bag the first few days of school. There has been an increase in damaged devices due to drops in the halls or outside. When changing classes or leaving campus, please secure devices in the carrying bag. If your student's device is damaged and has to be sent for repairs there is no guarantee that there will be a loaner device for your student to use. We do not have an extra supply of loaner devices. As always devices are sent for repair in a timely manner. As soon as we receive them back, they are distributed. Again, please remind your students to take care of their devices and carry them in the proper carrying case.
Lanier MS Student and Family Handbook
Family Handbook
We are pleased to share the 2025-2026 Lanier MS student and family handbook. This handbook serves to provide a normed resource for all Lanier MS stakeholders to reference for answers and information about some of the most common, but essential questions and areas of interest. While this is not an exhaustive document nor does it supersede HISD board policy, state, and federal education laws we hope you find it helpful and informative as you navigate your journey as a Purple Pup.
Make sure your Purple Pups have some long sleeve outerwear! Order before Sunday at 7:00pm and pick up Monday from 4:00pm - 4:30pm. Students can pick up so it’s easy. Please do not forget your students name on the order!
Lanier now has its very own textile recycling bin!
Green City Recycler is dedicated to keeping textiles out of landfills and giving them a second life.
Here’s how it works: For every pound of textiles donated by the Lanier community, the school earns 10 cents. That may not sound like much, but those small amounts really add up!
So, if you have any textiles (clothes, shoes, linens, etc.) that aren’t in good enough condition to donate elsewhere, don’t toss them, recycle them in the bin! Every item helps the environment and supports our school.
Bin location: Next to the bus entrance on Harold Street.
The safety of our students is very important to Lanier Middle School. Please review the drop-off and pick-up map carefully to assist us in assuring that this process runs smoothly. Please be patient, considerate, and careful. Your child’s safety and the safety of all of our children are at stake. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Please click the above button to view detailed information on Drop Off and Pick Up.
Please consider donating something from our wonderful teachers Amazon wishlists.
As always tissues and pencils are greatly appreciated too. You can drop them off at the front desk with the cluster and/or teacher you are giving them to.
Please note that the cutoff time for dropping off lunch to your students is 10:00am.
No Uber eats orders (or other food delivery services) will be accepted for students.
Please also note that the cutoff time for early pick up of students is 3:30pm. If you arrive past this time you will need to wait until official dismissal at 4:00pm to collect your student.
Scan or Click for Lanier's Box Top's for Education
We have kicked off the 2025/26 Raise Your Paws for a Cause Annual Fund Campaign
Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, Lanier continues to reach new heights. We’re proud to recognize the following corporate sponsors for their outstanding commitment to our school.
Ready to make a difference? Join our growing network of sponsors and help shape the future at Lanier.
The Lanier Middle School PTO publishes this weekly newsletter (The Purple Page) during the school year. Deadline for submission in the Purple Page is Wednesday at 5:00pm.
It is the responsibility of the coaches, sponsors, teachers, parents or team members of an event or activity to submit information to the Purple Page editor.
With so many competitions, performances, club happenings and sports events we rely on submissions.
We want to showcase Lanier students, teachers and staff in all they do.
