***Please make sure to read to the very end of the newsletter. There is a lot of new information***
***Important Upcoming Dates***
April 30th Thursday - Lanier Pops Words and Music Concert 6:00pm Lanier Auditorium
May 1st Friday - Lanier Dance Chick-fil-a Spirit Night 5:30pm-7:30pm 59/Kirby location
May 4th Monday - Parlez with the Principal (see flyer below)
May 5th Tuesday - Piano Spring Recital 6:00pm Lanier Auditorium
May 6th Wednesday - Kendra Scott Spirit Night 5:00pm - 7:00pm
May 9th Saturday - Incoming 6th Grade Open House
May 12th Tuesday - Lanier Choir POP Show 6:00pm Lanier Auditorium
May 14th Thursday - Orchestra Spring Concert (All 4 groups Preform) 6:00pm Lanier Auditorium
May 15th Friday - Parent Coffee
May 16th Saturday - 8th Grade Dance 6:00pm - 9:00pm
May 17th Sunday - Centennial Open House 1:00pm - 3:00pm Lanier Middle School
May 23rd Saturday - International Peace Festival
May 29th Friday - 8th grade Field Day Celebration
May 29th Friday- General PTO Meeting
Important STAAR Testing Information
Testing Dates
Social Studies Grade 8: April 22 (Wednesday)
Math Grades 6–8 & Algebra I: April 28 (Tuesday)
Purple PUPdate - April 13th-April 17th
Please make sure you are registered with Parent Square in order to receive Mr. Williams weekly PUPdate. The end of the year is very busy with activities, testing, performances and more. Please stay up to date. In case you missed it click the link below.
September 29, 1992 was proclaimed by the mayor of Houston to be Lanier Middle School Recognition Day. Lanier was the first and only HISD school to be selected by the U.S. Department of Education Drug Free School Recognition Program. The principal and counselor at that time traveled to Washington DC to accept the award.
If you know anyone who attended Lanier and would like to share any memorabilia please have them email purplepage@lanierpto.org
It is so fun being able to share these memories with the Lanier community.
Lanier Spotlight
Ms. Cantu
Ms. Cantu is Lanier's Spanish I and Spanish II teacher. Both classes are high school credit courses. She is also one of the teacher sponsors for Lanier's National Jr Honor Society.
This is Ms. Cantu's 25th year at Lanier and 25th year in education. Yes, she has taught her entire career here!!! That truly says a lot about how much she loves our school, students and community. Ms. Cantu is from Houston and attended Lanier herself as a middle schooler. She then attended Lamar and after high school went to the University of Texas in Austin where is received her Batchlor's of Arts in Spanish.
Ms. Cantu is married and has 3 children. One in high school, one in 8th grade and a 4th grader. Here is another Lanier Fun Fact, Ms. Cantu met her husband at Lanier in 7th grade. A middle school love story.
She is a proud soccer and dance mom. Her weekends are busy at games and recitals. She definitely enjoys time with her family and enjoys traveling as well.
Ms. Cantu is a Lanier treasure. She loves the school and enjoys the team of teachers she works with. Thank you Ms. Cantu for your continued dedication to Lanier students. You make our school a better place.
What's Going on in the Halls?
Lanier art students are filling the halls with some real masterpieces.
Interested in being on the Lanier PTO Executive Board?
A little sneak peek of the work taking place right now. New stair treads have been needed for so long and it's finally happening. Thank you to all families and corporate sponsors who have donated to the PTO fundraisers. This could not be made possible without community support.
Yearbook Signing Parties
We still have spots available for purchase!!!! See below.
Special Offer From Minted
If you need graduation invites, thank you cards or more, take a look at Minted and help Lanier at the same time.
Safety is of the utmost importance at Lanier. When requesting entrance into the school please press the button and state the reason for your visit.
Please DO NOT hold the door open for other guests to enter. They must be let in one at a time by pressing the button and stating the reason for their visit.
When you enter the building please close the door behind you.
When LEAVING the building, please close the door behind you. Please DO NOT let the door close freely as to let others grab the door to enter without being let in by proper methods.
The above reminders are for the safety of everyone on campus. We understand the need to visit campus and want visitors to feel welcomed and safe.
Forgotten lunches must be dropped off before 10:00am
Please have Proper ID ready when picking up students. It is a requirement.
Doors open at 7:45am
ADA time for attendance is 10:15am
If you have a change in your student's transportation for the day, please call the school before 2:45pm to allow time to get the student the correct information.
To see an administrator please email them to make an appointment. With daily schedules they are not always readily available to meet at a moment's notice.
Important Notice of Uniform Store Closure Dates
As the school year is ending, please pick up your uniform orders. Also, due to STAAR testing, the store will be closed Wednesday,April 22nd. We will only be open Monday from 4:00 to 4:30 that week.
Saturday Tutorials for 8th grade History
8th Grade History teachers go above and beyond during Saturday tutorials in order to review and make sure students are ready for upcoming tests.
Pictured here, students are doing a Manifest Destiny land claiming game. Class went outside and moved about how the US acquired the land. During these Saturday tutorials teachers are doing hands on and movement reviews. Next week they plan on doing a Constitution Escape Room and making Civil War stew during tutorials.
Congratulations Atharv Anish!!!!
Lanier's Regional Geography Bee Champ
Please Read - New Information including Spirit Night at Fajita Pete's!!!
**Support Lanier Robotics Teams Going to Worlds!**
We are proud to share that Lanier Middle School Robotics teams (1065B Team Tinted, 1065C Ctrl-Alt-Elite, and 1065D LanierBot) have qualified for the VEX IQ World Championship in St. Louis this April!
Our students have worked incredibly hard all season and are now raising funds to help cover travel and competition expenses.
**Volunteer Opportunity for Teens:**
Evelyn’s Park is looking for teen volunteers to help with their Earth Day Festival this Saturday, April 18th. Any middle or high school students can sign up here:
Please place under “Referred by”: LILY CORNEJO (Purple Pup Alum)
Gordon Education Launches 2026 Summer Filmmaking Camps
Gordon Education is excited to announce its 2026 Summer Film Camps, offering four immersive programs for young creatives aged 9 to 17. Each filmmaking camp focuses on a different genre:
Historical, Changemakers, Documentary, and Narrative Fiction, allowing aspiring filmmakers to explore the art of cinema from multiple perspectives while developing their own voice. All camps offer a range of experiences from production to on-camera acting, and conclude with a red-carpet film premiere for family and friends. Prior experience is not required to enroll in any filmmaking camp.
Emerging filmmakers create an original time-traveling movie set on the historic grounds of the Heritage Society. Campers are mentored by professional filmmakers, community leaders, and professional storytellers. After a successful 2025 launch, Gordon Education is thrilled to be back in partnership with The Heritage Society to produce a one-of-a-kind film that uncovers Houston’s fascinating history.
Inspired by global social justice leaders showcased at the Eternal Gandhi Museum, campers create their own narrative film about the footprint they want to leave on this planet. Special guests include inspiring young Houston artists, poets, and peace activists. Campers visit Houston’s own Eternal Gandhi Museum.
June 29-July 10 at St. Paul’s School (No camp on July 3)
Houston teens collaborate on a documentary examining gun violence as a national public health crisis through interviews with individuals personally affected, those in rehabilitation, and those actively working to make the community safer. In partnership with the nonprofit BYkids, this project gives Houston youth a powerful platform to present solutions and spark national change. Includes guest speakers and field trips in the Houston community. Select footage from this camp will be featured in a national PBS film.
Young storytellers unleash their wildest creative visions in this story-driven filmmaking camp. Whether their movie is set in outer space or under the sea, campers have full artistic license to bring their unique ideas to the screen. Together, they will write, film, direct, and act in an original production, using the "Hero’s Journey" as a roadmap to learn the essentials of storytelling. Camp Leaders are Dan Gordon and Bri Guerrero. Dan Gordon is a documentary filmmaker, director of Gordon education, and brings 20 years experience as an arts educator in Houston and NYC. Bri Guerrero is a professional Film Art Director in Houston bringing her design expertise to many local projects. Bri has been teaching with Gordon Education in schools and summer camps since 2023.
Space is limited, and scholarships are available. More information can be found at:
Founded in 2014, Gordon Education is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering young voices through the art of filmmaking. The organization has produced Take the Stage, a bilingual PBS Learning Media series, a national PBS documentary on Indian classical dance, and a music video promoting library access. and has been teaching film workshops in schools, museums, and juvenile justice centers across Houston and NYC. Learn more at www.gordoneducation.org
Reminder
Please reach out to Penelope if you have any interest in joining her in a Lanier Grandparents Club.
8th Grade Families
Stay up to date with upcoming 8th grade events and activities. Click the flyer above or the link to pay your student's dues.
If you have questions, please consider looking through the handbook. Lots of answers found here!!!
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.
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.
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.
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.
