If you have selected for your child to participate in the See to Succeed field trip, please remember to send him/her to school on Monday, January 23rd. The students will be gone most of the day, so a sack lunch will be provided from the cafeteria. If parents want to send a lunch from home instead, please make sure the student's name is on the outside of the lunch.

HISD's Family and Community Engagement Department (FACE) will be presenting a FACE 101 Workshop on campus Tuesday, January 24th at 9:30 am in the Cafeteria. Families will get an overview of HISD’s key resources and tools available to aid in student achievement. Everyone is welcome!

Save the Date! We will have our PTO Kick Off meeting on Thursday, January 26th at 5:30 pm! We will kick it off by sending home PTO applications this week, so everyone can sign up! The cost of PTO registration is $10. Please contact you child's teacher for more information!

During the PTO Kick Off Meeting, you will be able to do the following:

• Learn about the Purpose of WBE's PTO
• Speak with Mrs. McMillan's about her vision for WBE's PTO
• Discuss 2023 Spring Events & Sign Up
• Questions & Suggestions

Flyers and PTO application will be sent home with your child by this week! I have also attached an electronic copy below.

We will have a Pre-K registration event on Saturday, January 28th, 2023 from 9:00 am-12:00 pm. Parents will be able to use our computer lab to apply online to their choice of HISD Pre-K programs. You can apply to up to 10 schools in a single application. We will be offering school tours at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. for parents who are applying for Pre-K. Parents should bring their child’s birth certificate and proof of income. Below is a list of forms of proof of income that will be accepted. Pre-K is a need-based program and families must meet requirements in order to qualify. You are not required to bring the child to this event.

Proof of Income

• Most recent pay statement
• 2022 Tax Return
• Most recent SNAP Letter (if applicable)

Who Can Enroll

To be eligible for enrollment in a free, full-day pre-K program, a child must:

• Turn 4 years of age on or before September 1, 2023
• live in the Houston ISD school zone

AND meet one of the following criteria:

• Unable to speak and understand English
• Economically disadvantaged (eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program)
• Child of a member of the U.S. Armed Forces
• Has ever been in state foster care
• Homeless (no documents needed to enroll)
• Child of a person eligible for the Star of Texas Award

This is just a friendly reminder that Walnut Bend Elementary is a uniform school. During our 2nd Quarter Shared Decision Making Committee (SDMC) Meeting, WBE's uniform policy was discussed. The SDMC understands that during this time of year, we receive students from other schools whose previous school uniform color may not have been the same color, so we have expanded our school uniform policy for the remainder of the school year.

Tops

• Any solid color collared shirt
• WBE Spirit Shirt (Fridays/Monday)
• WBE House Shirt (Mondays)
• College Shirt (Fridays)
• No spaghetti straps, tank tops, crop tops, or halter tops

Bottoms

• Any color khaki skirts, dresses, or pants
• Jean skirts and pants (no ripped, frayed, or holes)
• No leggings except under a skirt or dress

Shoes

• Tennis shoes preferred
• Closed toe shoes/sandals with a back (except on PE days)
• No Crocs, flip flops, or heels

Mark your calendars and be on the look out for permission slips! 1st-5th Grade students are headed back to the Houston Arboretum, so they can see how everything changes with the seasons. If you would like to be a chaperone, please contact your child's teacher and make sure that you are VIPS approved.

• 1st Grade: January 18th
• 2nd Grade: January 25th
• 3rd Grade: February 1st
• 4th Grade: February 7th
• 5th Grade: February 15th
• Kinder: February 22nd

As part of the 2022-2023 HISD promotion requirements, students in first and second grade must successfully pass the High-Frequency Word Evaluation (HFWE). The HFWE is designed to be individually administered, one student at a time by the classroom teacher. Students must correctly identify 80% of the words assessed to meet promotion standards.

Students will have three opportunities during the school year to meet this promotion standard. Should a child fail to meet standard by the Third Administration, he/she will be required to attend summer school and will be assessed during the Summer Administration to meet the promotion standard.

• 1st Administration Window: 10/31/22-11/19/2022
• 2nd Administration Window: 1/30/23-2/10/23
• 3rd Administration Window: 5/8/23-5/19/23

For more information, please do not hesitate to reach out to your teacher.

We will be doing Valentine's pictures on Thursday, February 2nd as our first PTO fundraiser. Students may dress up and wear school appropriate outfits for their photos. The cost of the picture will be $5 cash; exact change please. Flyers should be going home soon, and I have attached a hardcopy below.

It is one of my goals as Walnut Bend's principal to always keep the lines of communication open with parents. In efforts of being more efficient and green, I have chosen an electronic monthly newsletter as my main mode of communication. Whenever we have to send hard copies of items, they will be sent home mostly on Fridays. During a meeting this week, it was brought to my attention that there are many parents that have not been receiving the link to my monthly newsletter. I usually send the link through a text with our callout system. I wasn't aware that phone carriers block some links to avoid spam.

Moving forward, I will make sure that my monthly newsletter link will be sent out to the following places by the first Friday of every month. I will also do a callout letting everyone know to be on the lookout for it once the link has been sent.

• Class Dojo
• Email
• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter

If you have been missing my monthly newsletters, I am sending my sincerest apologies! I have also attached all of my of my previous newsletters below! 😊

January

• 3rd: Ms. Salinas's Birthday
• 4th: Ms. Williams's Birthday
• 9th: Students Return from Winter Break (Mon.)
  
• 13th: 3rd Cycle Report Cards Go Home
  
• 16th: Ms. Broadous's Birthday
• 17th: Ms. Hernandez's Birthday

• 18th: 1st Grade Field Trip #2 to the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

• 23rd: Ms. Wynn's Birthday

• 23rd: Read to Succeed Field Trip

• 24th: FACE HISD 101 Workshop at 9:30 am

• 25th: 2nd Grade Field Trip #2 to the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

• 26th: PTO Kick-off Meeting at 5:30 pm

February

• 1st: 3rd Grade Field Trip #2 to the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
  
• 2nd: Valentine’s Day Pictures
• 3rd: 4th Cycle Progress Report Go Home
• 7th: 4th Grade Field Trip #2 to the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
  
• 13th-17th: Scholastic Book Fair
• 15th: 5th Grade Field Trip #2 to the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
• 16th: Curriculum Night (Time TBD)
• 20th: Teacher Professional Development Day (No School)
• 22nd: Kinder's Field Trip #2 to the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

Follow us on social media and tag us on all of your fun pics!

Email: alecia.mcmillian@houstonisd.org
Website: https://www.houstonisd.org/walnutbendes
Location: 10620 Briar Forest Dr, Houston, TX 77042, USA
Phone: 713-917-9540
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walnutbendes
Twitter: @WalnutBendES