Greetings From Principal Bueno
Happy Fall Y'all! A heartfelt thank you to all of our families who joined us for the PTA "No Place at Home" membership dance! It was wonderful to see so many families sign up for PTA membership and enjoy a membership evening together. We truly appreciate your support, and our campus and PTA are grateful for it!
The PTA is currently seeking adult male volunteers for the Ott WATCH D.O.G.S. program and will be hosting a pizza party this Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the school cafeteria. The evening will feature a general information presentation and opportunities to sign up for volunteer roles throughout the academic year. Adults are encouraged to bring their child(ren) to the event.
Let us take a moment to acknowledge the remarkable achievements of our dedicated school counselor, Jessica Q. Rodriguez, who has devoted considerable effort to completing the application process for our campus to receive the esteemed TEA Purple Star Designation. This notable recognition, established by the Texas Legislature, emphasizes the commitment of public schools and open-enrollment charter schools in Texas to support our courageous military-connected students and their families. We are genuinely pleased that our campus will proudly hold the Purple Star Campus designation for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. Congratulations to Jessica Q. Rodriguez for her unwavering commitment and tireless dedication to our military-affiliated students and families. She's a true champion, and her contributions will make a lasting difference.
We sincerely appreciate your support for our World's Finest Chocolate fundraiser; it was a wonderful success! Our campus enjoyed nearly $18,500 in chocolate sales, and we are truly grateful to everyone who supported Ott Elementary. Your contributions were invaluable to this achievement! We look forward to announcing our top 10 winners by the end of the week.
We currently have just under 100 families who have not yet completed the CEP form for the 2024-2025 academic year. The CEP ensures that all students at Ott Elementary are eligible for healthy breakfast and lunch each day at no cost to your household. Furthermore, the CEP form aids in determining funding for state and federal programs and services that may be available to Ott Elementary. If you have not already done so, please complete the form by October 21, 2024. We appreciate your support in providing this important information, and we extend a special thank you to all the families who have already submitted the form. Your cooperation is greatly valued!
Parents, we kindly ask that you exercise caution while driving during the mornings and afternoons, as many students and parents are walking to and from school. Erratic driving can result in accidents and injuries. We recognize that heavy traffic can be challenging; however, we appreciate your patience as student and parent safety remains our top priority. Please note that students should not be dropped off in the faculty parking lot at any time, nor should they cross the front driveway on their own after being dropped off. This behavior poses a safety risk and could potentially lead to accidents. We encourage you to park your vehicle and escort your child across the street, or to pull through the front driveway for drop-off. Thank you for your cooperation.
We kindly remind you that daily attendance for our Trailblazers is essential. According to the Texas Education Code, students must be present in class 90% of the time to be promoted to the next grade level. Please note that students should be seated at their desks and ready to learn by 7:45 a.m. each morning. Tardy slips will be issued to any students arriving after this time.
This month, our focus for the Ott Learner Profile characteristic is COLLABORATORS. This profile consists of key characteristics identified by our Campus Leaders as essential for our students to develop in order to achieve success. These characteristics are relevant to all Trailblazers across every grade level and signify our commitment to the Ott community of learners. We encourage you to ask your child how they are learning to be a COLLABORATOR at school.
Have an Ott-some week Trailblazers! #OttSeason20
Principal Bueno
Ott Birthday/Celebration Policy
● Treats will be handed out to the classroom at the end of the school day.
● Non-food individual goodie bags are preferred.
● If parents prefer to send a consumable treat, it must be individually wrapped. Ex: “Little Debbie
Cakes”
● Birthday treats will be delivered to the office and picked up prior to the end of the day by the classroom teacher.
● Water is the only beverage that will be accepted.
● No balloons or flowers may be delivered to students.
● Student and staff birthdays are announced each morning. Students also receive a ribbon in recognition of their birthday from the school office.
● Please note, as stated in the NISD Parent-Student Elementary Handbook “invitations to private
celebrations may be passed out at school only if every child in the classroom receives one or if every girl in a classroom receives an invitation to a girl’s party or every boy in the classroom receives an invitation to a boy’s party.”
Student Device Distribution
Northside ISD works hard to provide a mobile device for every student to participate in classwork. Northside campuses are distributing student mobile devices and chargers during the first few weeks of the 2024-25 school year. As the school year continues, all students have been automatically opted into Northside’s technology lending program and will be issued an appropriate mobile device. For additional guidance on the NISD Device lending agreement, visit nisd.net/help/device-lending.
Distribution dates and processes may vary by campus. For specific questions about device distribution at your child's school, please contact the campus front office.
NISD/Ott Volunteer Background Check - Required
Thank you for volunteering at Northside schools. Whether you are mentoring a child, chaperoning a field trip, a board member of a PTA or helping out in the classroom, you are choosing to make difference in a child’s life and we appreciate you. Here’s some helpful tips on background checks for volunteers.
- All volunteers must complete a background check form each school year. All information is deleted each year in May.
- Background checks are completed online only. No paper forms are accepted.
- Please contact the main office of your campus to find out if you are cleared to volunteer. All campus administrators (principals, vice-principals, assistant principals…etc.) have access to the cleared list.
- It takes one to two weeks for the results of checks to be returned from the date of submission.
Background Check Link.
Free Meals for Ott Students 2024-2025
We are pleased to inform you that Ott Elementary will implementing the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) under the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs for School Year 2024- 2025.
What does this mean for you and your children? Great news for you and your children! All enrolled students at Ott Elementary are eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch each day at no charge to your household for the 2024-2025 School Year. Your children enrolled at Ott Elementary will be able to participate in these meal programs without having to pay for meals or submit a Free & Reduced Meal Application. The only thing we request is for all Ott families to complete this form required by NISD:
Please note, if your children attend schools that are not participating in CEP, your household will still need to fill out a Free & Reduced Meal Application or pay for meals. For additional information, please visit nisd.net/schools/menus or
From the Superintendent Dr. Craft
Ott Student Attendance Matters
Northside continues to ask you to make your child's attendance a priority. Research shows that school attendance leads to future success and brings numerous benefits to students, including higher academic achievements.
Texas Education Code states that the students must be present in class 90% of the time in order to earn course credit or be promoted to the next grade level.
When students are tardy to school, they are missing valuable morning time with their class. Morning meetings begin promptly at 7:45 and this time allows for students to get ready for a successful day. We will begin recording tardies to school (arriving after 7:45 am).
As a reminder, not only do absences lead to learning loss, they can also lead to social-emotional deficiencies. We encourage all parents and students to make school attendance a top priority except for time when the student is sill. Be sure to send a note upon your student's return to school.
Ott Bi-Weekly Attendance Contest
We look forward to increasing our daily attendance this year! Thank you families for assisting our Attendance Contest in support of student achievement.
Winners: Sept. 2-13: Ms. Castro 3rd grade
The Home Access Center for Parents
The Home Access Center (HAC) allows parents to register students, complete data verification, access report cards, and track attendance.
(Your username is your email address and your password is the temporary password you received by email. You will be required to change it the first time you log in.)
Stay Connected with NISD
While one-on-one communication is the best, in a district as large as Northside ISD it is sometimes difficult. Because we want our parents to stay informed, NISD has several ways that parents and other interested citizens can stay informed about the successes and challenges of San Antonio’s premier school district of choice, as well as find out news about their children’s schools.
Follow Ott on Social Media
Please don’t forget to stay connected by following and "Liking” Ott Elementary and Ott PTA on:
- Facebook@ottelementary and @OttElemPTA
- X@NISDott and @ott_pta
- Instagram @nisd_ott and @ottelementarypta
Thank you to those who have joined us this year, we appreciate your support. We encourage everyone to follow us on these social media arenas. #OttSeason20 #Trailblazers
Ott Counselors Care
Since children may experience a variety of concerns at different developmental stages, Ott's Guidance & Counseling Program offers many services that assist students in acquiring knowledge and skills necessary for healthy emotional and social development. Please take a moment to visit the Ott Counselors' Corner Newsletter for more information.
2024-2025 Parent/Guardian Counseling Department Needs Assessment
Please help us ensure we provide the appropriate focus for your child on our campus this year. Professional School Counselors provide skill goal-based classroom guidance lessons and theory-based small group counseling sessions to help students gain the skills necessary to improve aspects of their social and emotional well-being, and to improve the skills necessary to take maximum advantage of education and career preparation opportunities. Your input regarding our specific focus is invaluable!
2024-2025 Parent/Guardian Counseling Department Needs Assessment - Elementary Campuses
PTA Membership Perks!
Did you know that PTA Membership comes with no obligations? Membership doesn't mean you have to volunteer or attend meetings (though we would love for you to do both!). PTA membership dues allow the PTA to provide many benefits to the students and teachers at OTT including $10.50/student for field trips, supplemental teaching supplies, and free member events.
Did you also know that membership with the Texas/National PTA entitles you to discounts at several businesses? You can view the list of member offers at the following websites:
https://www.txpta.org/member-perks
https://www.pta.org/.../mar.../Save-Money-with-Member-Offers
If you haven't joined the Ott PTA yet you can join at https://www.joinpta.org/
We would love for you to partner with us in impacting the lives of the students at Ott!
Important Dates
- Student Leadership Fundraiser- Spirit Wear
- PTA Clothing Fundraiser- Phil the Box
- Strings Meeting- 3:15- 4:00 pm
9/24
- Student Leadership Fundraiser- Spirit Wear
- PTA Clothing Fundraiser- Phil the Box
- Battle of the Schools- Ott Chick fil A Spirit Day- Potranco/1604 & 151/Military locations- all day
9/25
- Parent Cafectio Hosted by Oakley Martinez- 7:45- 9:00 am
- Student Leadership Fundraiser- Spirit Wear
- PTA Clothing Fundraiser- Phil the Box
- Girls on the Run in Room B111- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Choir Practice- 3:15- 4:15 pm
9/26
- Student Leadership Fundraiser- Spirit Wear
- PTA Clothing Fundraiser- Phil the Box
- Strings Meeting- 3:15- 4:00 pm
- Girls on the Run in Room B111- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- GT Awareness & GT Night- 5:00- 7:00 pm
- Watchdog Pizza Night- 5:30- 6:30 pm
9/27
- National Instructional Assistant Day
- PTA Clothing Fundraiser- Phil the Box
- Student Leadership Fundraiser- Spirit Wear
9/30
- Last Day For PTA Clothing Fundraiser- Phil the Box
- My Art Starz- 3:05- 4:05 pm
- Strings Meeting- 3:15- 4:00 pm
10/1
- National Principals Month, National Bullying Prevention Month, Crime Prevention Month, Learning Disabilities Awareness Month
10/2
- National Custodial Appreciation Day
- Choir Practice- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Girls on the Run- 3:15- 4:15 pm
10/3
- 4th Grade Field Trip- O'Connor Ag Fair
- Girls on the Run- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Strings Meeting- 3:15- 4:00 pm
10/4
- World Teacher Day
