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23-24 NSE Mustang Message ~ August

#NSEhero #MustangStrong

23-24 NSE MustangMessage ~ August#NSEhero #MustangStrong

Message from the Principal

Dear Families,

We are looking forward to beginning the 2023-2024 school year. Our hallways and classrooms are ready to be filled with our little Mustang superheroes. We look forward to an amazing school year! For those of you that are new to our school, welcome!


Our first big event this year is Meet the Teacher on Monday, August 7 from 4:30-6:00 pm. We encourage every family to attend Meet the Teacher in order to help their child find his/her classroom and get to know their new teacher. Attending this event will help your child have a much smoother first day. There is a PK and Kinder meeting with me, Mrs. Atkins, the principal, in the gym at 4:00 pm. Mrs. Pecina, the assistant principal, will conduct the meeting in Spanish in the cafeteria. PK & new kinder students will have a school bus orientation right after the 4:00 meeting.


We will allow parents to walk their children to their classes on the first day of school. Students will need to go home the way you requested on the transportation portion of registration starting the first day of school. After the first day, visitors are not permitted to walk students into the building. We will have fourth graders and staff help the younger students to their classes. Older siblings that also attend our school can walk them as well.


We are continuing our superhero theme! We believe every child has a superhero inside waiting to be discovered. We are excited to discover the hero in your child and help them meet their full potential and meet their goals! We will use the theme to inspire and empower the students to grow, lead, and serve through meaningful educational opportunities and experiences.


Be on the lookout for a newsletter each month posted in ROOMS. Be sure to download the NSCISD app to be able to access the messaging app (Rooms). Your child's teacher and I will use this app to send important information throughout the year. The district's Facebook page has a lot of helpful information too. Links are at the bottom of the newsletter.


This newsletter has a lot of important information. (New staff, dress code, & school supply list) Please keep reading and scrolling until the end. You can come back to the newsletter at any time to review important information. Thank you for working with us to make this year SUPER as we soar to new heights!


Sincerely,

Mrs. Atkins

Principal NSE

Connect with the Nixon-Smiley CISD App (Click Here)
Make sure you download this app! Teachers and the school will communicate with you through the Rooms tab in the app.

Important Dates

August 7- 4:00 pm PK & Kinder Meeting with the Principal & bus orientation,

English: NSE Gym, Spanish NSE Cafeteria

August 7- 4:30-6:00 Meet the Teacher


August 9- First Day of School for registered students. If your child is not registered, they will not be able to start school today. Parents may walk students to class.


September 4- No School Labor Day


September 8- Grandparents Day (More information closer to the date.)

Transportation

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Routine

Please use the transportation you chose during registration starting on the first day of school. You can bring your child the first day, but if your child will ride the bus home each day, he/she needs to ride the bus the first day as well. This best way to practice our routines and get our bus routes working smoothly as soon as possible. Having your child do something different the first week and then changing to the bus puts a strain on our transportation system and keeps your child from learning their normal routine. Reminder: An adult or MS/HS sibling must be present at the bus stop in the afternoon before the bus driver will drop off your child.
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Car Riders

Morning drop off begins at 7:20 a.m. at the front of the building. Please do not drop off your child earlier than 7:20 a.m. We will not have staff to monitor your child until this time. You must go through the car line after the first day. Parking and walking up with your child puts a strain on our morning car line and causes safety issues.

We will have poles out for cars to pull up beside (RED, WHITE, BLUE, YELLOW & GREEN). Please pull up to the next available pole and wait for the staff to open the door. Please do not let your child out of the car without us helping.

Anyone in line before the tardy bell rings at 7:45, will not be counted as tardy. If you arrive after the tardy bell and a staff member is not present, please walk your child to the door and ring the bell. You will need to come in and fill out the tardy Google form on a computer in the office.

Afternoon pick-up begins at 3:20. The gates will open at 3:15. We have a car line path to avoid blocking home driveways. We will give you a map of the pathway at Meet the Teacher. We will have poles out again for cars to pull up beside. We will direct your child to go to your car by the pole color.

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Transportation Changes

Transportation changes are not allowed the day of unless it is an emergency. Emergency changes need principal approval. If you need a temporary change we are happy to help set that up the day before the change needs to occur. Permanent bus transportation change may take up to 48 hours to process. Keep in mind, that routine is the best way to ensure your child arrives home safely. Too many changes create confusion for your child and may create an unsafe situation.
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PK & New Kinder Bus Practice

On Meet the Teacher Night, all PK students will receive a ticket from their teacher to explore a school bus! Parents and PK students will get on a bus and find out how to have safe bus rides to and from school. This is mandatory for all PK & new kinder students riding the bus, but car riders may participate too.
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Visiting School

When coming inside the school during school hours, park in the parking lot, walk up to the entrance doors, and ring the doorbell for service. Our doors will continue to remain locked for student safety. You may schedule an appointment to have a parent/teacher conference. Contact the teacher to set up a time. (ROOMS is the best way to message the teacher.) If you do not have an appointment, you will only be able to speak with the office staff or the principal if available. If you have a scheduled appointment, you will need a driver's license to enter the building for the meeting.
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Car Rider Dismissal Tags

If your child will be a car rider at the end of the school day for dismissal, you must pick up a car tag on Meet the Teacher Night. If you lose your tag, call the office and we will get you a replacement.

New Staff

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Marcella Rivas~ Kindergarten

Fun Fact: I graduated from Nixon-Smiley High School in 2018 and from the University of Houston-Victoria in 2022. I am a first-generation college graduate and this will be my first year as a teacher.


I am looking forward to creating everlasting relationships with all of my students and their parents. I also want to make this year a fun and memorable one for my students!

I am eager to serve my community!

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Lagena Garcia ~ SPED Resource

Fun fact about me is that I love gardening. I'm currently growing my own pumpkin patch for Halloween this year.


I am looking forward to working with a wonderful team here at Nixon-Smiley. I am hopeful in making this my best year ever teaching in special education.

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Amanda Atkins ~ 4th ELAR

Fun fact about myself: I was born in Utah! I grew up in northern Utah and moved to Texas when I was in high school. Although Utah was beautiful, Texas is certainly my favorite place to live.

This year, I am looking forward to meeting my new students and having a great year. I am excited to be teaching fourth grade and can't wait to have fun learning!

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Carlo Melchor ~ 4th Math

Fun fact - I have three children that are not biologically related. My two older daughters are adopted and my son was a great surprise.


I am looking forward to a new district, school year, and grade level. I am eager to bring my experience to the district, staff, and my students.

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Katelyn VanAuken PreK

Fun fact about myself: My favorite thing to do is spend time with my daughter. We can usually be found at any Mustang sporting event. Go Mustangs!

I am looking forward to meeting my students and making this a great year! I am excited to be teaching Pre-K and can not wait to make great memories with my students.

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Awesome New Teacher Assistants

We are so excited to introduce you to our new teaching assistants. They will all be a great addition to all of our returning TAs!


Kimberly Aguilar

Nievas Norris

Kadence Sellers

Debbie Stewart

Marissa Aguilar

Yesenia Villareal

Capturing Kids' Hearts (CKH)

In order to build a positive school culture, we use strategies from the CKH program. This year we are also adding weekly character lessons. Each month will have a theme. The theme for August is EMPATHY.


What is Empathy?

Empathy is the ability to be aware of, understand, and be sensitive to another person’s feelings. Instead of focusing how these feelings impact ourselves, empathy motivates us to focus on others and respond with care and compassion.

Why focus on Empathy?


  • Empathy builds positive classroom culture. Empathy empowers students to learn to understand each other to build trust and safety in the classroom.
  • Empathy strengthens community. Empathy helps students strengthen their relationships with classmates, other students and adults at school, and at home.
  • Empathy prepares your students to be leaders in their community. The best leaders understand the people they lead and are able to show they care.



Empathy in Action:


  • Take a different perspective. When you take a different perspective, you put aside your own feelings and reactions to see the situation through another’s eyes.
  • Put aside judgment. Take a pause and rather than express conclusions about a situation based on what you see, step back and consider other things you may still need to know or understand.
  • Communicate that you understand. Instead of giving advice, respond with reflective phrases like, “It sounds like you...” or “I hear that you...” to express that you understand and care.


You can help at home by talking about the theme each month with your child. The same theme will be taught on all NSCISD campuses. If you have children on multiple campuses, you can discuss the theme as a family. We will let you know about theme in each newsletter.

Counselor’s Corner by Mrs. Cunningham

This month we will be talking about the role of the school counselor. There are many ways I can support the students at NSE. We will be discussing these services I can provide. We will also begin discussing identifying our feelings and talking about them. This will be discussed during Care Time on Tuesdays in your child’s classroom once every six weeks. I will also be conducting small groups and individual counseling sessions as needed.



Healthy Kid Tip:

Prepare children to transition back to school by having frequent, open conversations about it – long before the first day! Answer their questions, set expectations, and get excited together!

School Supply List

New Dress Code

Outside Food

We are bound by the food and nutritional rules laid out by the Department of Agriculture and the state legislature. We provide free breakfast, lunch, and two snacks. Please do not send additional snacks. If you choose to send a lunch for your child, make sure it is complete. We do have students from time to time that only bring chips and a drink. Any student not having a complete lunch will also get a school lunch to ensure they have plenty to eat. Students may bring food to eat at breakfast. Chips, sodas or other sugary drinks will not be permitted at breakfast time. Students cannot share food, so please only send what your child can eat in one meal. (For example: Please do not send the class donuts in the morning.)


You may send cupcakes for your child's birthday. Call your child's teacher to schedule a birthday celebration. This may be scheduled after 2:30 pm. The only other time we can accept outside food to share with the class is on our party days. We get three a year: Christmas, Valentine's Day, & Easter. Any other days outside food, must be linked to an educational activity and approved by the principal.

Thank you for reading our newsletter!