Our Mission: Every day, every student will grow through learning experiences as critical thinkers and leaders.

Our Vision: Engage, educate and empower ALL students

Good evening Blattman Families,

What an exciting week we’ve had here at Blattman Elementary! Our students have been engaged in wonderful activities that help them grow academically and socially. Here are some highlights:

5th Graders Visit Camp Hobby and Patriot Camp
This past week, our 5th graders had the opportunity to visit Camp Hobby and Patriot Camp, getting a glimpse of what they will experience next year in middle school. Thank you to Hobby and Rawlinson Middle Schools for hosting our Black Bears and giving them a memorable experience!

Science Visit from our District's Environmental Team
On Tuesday, our 5th graders spent some time immersed in science learning with our district's environmental team. They had an amazing time discovering and growing their understanding of the world around them.

Coffee with the Counselor
A big thank you to Ms. Tenberg for organizing Hobby Middle School's participation in the Coffee with the Counselor meeting. It was wonderful to have a representative visit and share valuable information with our current 5th-grade families. We hope everyone who attended found it informative and helpful.

Blattman Choir Spreads Holiday Cheer
Our Blattman Choir made us proud on Friday morning as they performed at the Senior Living Center. Their beautiful voices and holiday spirit brought joy to the residents and truly brightened the season. Great job, choir members!

A Special Thank You to PTA
We are incredibly grateful to our amazing PTA for treating our staff this past week. From delicious surprises to a wonderful sponsored lunch, you made us feel so appreciated. Thank you for your kindness and support in creating a memorable experience for everyone.

Health and Safety

As the weather turns cooler, please ensure your child comes to school dressed appropriately for outdoor activities. Additionally, with flu season upon us, we encourage frequent handwashing and staying home if your child is unwell. Together, we can keep our school community healthy.

As we head into the final week before winter break, we look forward to continuing the fun and excitement. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

Thank you for your continued support in making Blattman Elementary a fantastic place for our students to learn and grow.

Melissa Spiekerman

Principal

December:

18th: PTA General Meeting at 6pm followed by The Nutcracker Winter Concert in cafeteria; LAST DAY to pre-register for our Winter Party

20th: 3rd Grade's Pillar Ceremony; Blattman's Winter Parties 1:30pm - 2:30pm; end of the 1st Semester/2nd Quarter

23rd-Jan 5: Winter/Holiday Break. Enjoy time with your loved ones! We will see you next year!

January:

1st: Happy New Year!

6th: Student Holiday/Teacher Planning Day

7th: Welcome Back Students! 2025 is going to be a GREAT year! 2nd semester/3rd quarter begins

7th-17th: Library Inventory

10th: Report Cards on HAC at 4pm

16th: Author Visit - Aida Salazar

20th: No School- MLK Holiday

22nd: Class Pictures

23rd: Kinder Roundup 6pm - 7:30pm ; 3rd Grade Field Trip (The Meadows)

31st: 100th Day of School

(*All dates and times are subject to change)

We’re excited to announce a new morning drop-off procedure. Beginning Tuesday, January 7, 2025, you will be able to drop your child off in their grade level hallways from 7:15 a.m. to 7:40 a.m.

To ensure a calm and focused start to the day, we have staff members actively monitoring the hallways each morning to help keep noise levels low. Our students know what appropriate behavior looks like as they wait to enter their classrooms, and they are welcome to read, study, or sit quietly during this time.

Students will enter their classrooms by 7:40 a.m. to be ready for instruction, which begins promptly at 7:45 a.m. Please note that many teachers are busy preparing for the day or attending meetings before school. If you’d like to connect with your child’s teacher, please reach out to schedule a conference or phone call.

To ensure campus safety, families wishing to participate must register for a Fast Pass, which is intended for frequent visitors who regularly walk their students to class. This Fast Pass opportunity will be available only once for the 2024-2025 school year. The pre-registration period for the Fast Pass will be open from Monday, November 4, through Friday, December 13. Please click on this link to complete the form. Once registered, please allow time each day to pick up and return the Fast Pass in the front rotunda area.

Please remember that we will strictly follow our one-way in, one-way out protocol; all families must enter and exit through the main front doors. After 7:40 a.m., parents will not be permitted beyond the rotunda area.

If you do not register for a fast pass, students may still be walked to class by an adult. However, the adult will need to bring an ID each time and present it to the front office to be scanned through the Raptor security system.

Thank you for your cooperation as we work together to create a welcoming, safe and efficient start to each day.

Author, Aida Salazar, will visit Blattman Elementary on January 16th! Please see the flyer below for pre-order information.

Families, please continue to review your student/s grades/attendance using the Home Access Center (HAC). The campus will only be printing the final report card in an effort to save resources. Here is a click sheet on how to view grades and attendance as well as how to log into Home Access Center. If you are have difficulty printing or viewing your child's report cards, please let us know by calling the front office.

Step 1: Download the “Here Comes the Bus” app on Google Play and App Store or visit herecomesthebus.com

Step 2: Tap the “Sign Up!” button to create your account and enter your email, first, and last name

Step 3: Enter one of the following codes:

• Special Needs Student: 29998
• General Student: 29995
• Tap “Next”, then “Confirm”

Disclaimer: Please be aware that special needs routes are consistently changing. Ensure you stay updated with the latest route information to avoid any inconvenience.

Step 4: Create and set a password, then check your email for a “Welcome to Here comes the bus” email and activate your account.

Step 5: Under “My Student”, tap “ADD” & Enter your student's LAST NAME & ID Number. Once confirmed, you’re ready to start using the Here Comes the Bus App!

Note: When a family has riders from both special needs and general, you must return to Step 2 (home screen) to change from special needs to general to access your next child's data. You can add multiple students from the same category without returning to Step 2.

• Raptor system will continue to be used. ID must be presented at all times. If you plan on having lunch or have a parent teacher conference, please allow time to get scanned into our system.

• Badges must be visible and worn at ALL times - staff and guests.

• Perimeter of the building doors will be checked by campus staff after 7:45 am to ensure all doors are looked from the outside. The first front door to access the security lobby will only be open.

• We will ramp up our pre-registration process and scanning in process during our performances and events during the school day.

• We will be strictly asking visitors to follow our "One way in; One way out" policy and that is through the main doors to account for people entering and leaving our building. This ensures that doors aren't accidently left open or not locked. This also applies to students, who are only to be released and checked out through the front office, using our system. Teachers do not release students during the typical school day.

• External doors that flow out into parking lots etc., will not be allowed to be used as a general entrance or exit during the school day. This reinforces our "One way in; One way out" of our campus.

• Students will be accounted for through our iDismiss system at dismissal time to ensure all students are accounted for and kept safe until they are returned to your care.

• Additional safety and security drills will continue to be a part of our preparation plans and we will get feedback from field experts to continuously improve our process.

• Safety and security training for all staff campus on the protocols and procedures to keep students safe and building secure.

• Continued partnership with NISD PD and Shavano PD/FD to enhance a positive presence and visibility.

Volunteer Background Checks

We love having parent volunteers and helpers volunteer at campus events and helpers to prepare projects for our students. Each year any individual who is interested in volunteering, participating in field trips, chaperoning or helping out at an event will need to fill out the volunteer background check form. These forms must be completed each year.

Please do not click on the "Update" button, but use the link provided to fully complete the forms: Here's the direct link: https://hrvolunteer.nisd.net/TempMod.nsf?Open

As you may know, last year we experienced a long delay on clearances from our third-party vendor. By submitting checks early, volunteers can avoid the usual beginning of year delays and any additional delays. Please take care of this now if there is any possibility that you may be on campus for extended periods of time, or participate in any of campus events that are planned for this year.