Howdy Trailblazers
Oct. 7-18, 2024
Greetings From Principal Bueno
I hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable Thanksgiving break. We are excited to welcome our students back and look forward to three weeks of engaging learning before the next holiday break.
Thank you to all parents and guardians who took time out of your busy schedules to attend parent-teacher conferences this fall. Your active role in your child’s education is invaluable, and we deeply appreciate the partnership you have established with your child’s teacher. We look forward to continuing this collaboration throughout the school year.
The second grading cycle will end on December 20th. Parents, we kindly ask for your support in ensuring your child completes and submits any missing work by this deadline. Report cards will be sent home and will also be available in the Home Access Center (HAC) on January 10th. Below, you will find Math and Reading infographics designed for parents to use at home to support your child, provided by our Ott Math and Reading Specialists. Please feel free to reach out to your child's classroom teacher if you have any questions regarding additional resources for your child's use at home. I hope you find these resources helpful.
As a reminder, we encourage students to read daily at home:
- Primary Grades: 15–20 minutes per day
- Intermediate Grades: 30–50 minutes per day
Our amazing librarian, Mrs. Molinar, allows students to check out unlimited books, so please encourage your child to bring books home from the library over the holiday break. Parents are also welcome to check out books from our library.
This month, our focus in the Ott Learner Profile is on the characteristic of CREATORS. This profile encompasses characteristics identified by our Campus Leaders as essential for students to develop in order to achieve success. These traits are applied across all grade levels and reflect our promise to the Ott community of learners. Please ask your child how they are learning to be a CREATOR at school.
We encourage our families to join us for our scheduled campus-wide events this month, including our 10 Days of Ott Holiday Cheer, which begins on Dec. 9th. We hope our students enjoy the daily festivities as we count down to winter break. Please see the event calendar below for more details. Classroom winter parties are scheduled for December 20th. To ensure the safety of our students, we will maintain our closed-campus policy during this year’s classroom party celebrations. Teachers will communicate soon regarding any requests for donated items to help make the winter parties enjoyable for our Trailblazers.
Our next newsletter will be published after winter break. In the meantime, please refer back to this newsletter for updates and information. We wish all our Trailblazer families a joyful holiday season and a Happy New Year. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on January 6th!
Have an Ott-some few weeks ahead 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. 16-27- 1st Grade Mrs. Carvajal!
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
12/9
- Holiday Cheer- dress comfy/ favorite sweats
- PTA Holiday Store
- Choir Rehearsal- 7:15- 7:35 am
- My Art Starz in Art Room- room D113- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Strings Meeting in Room B212- 3:15- 4:00 pm
12/10
- Holiday Cheer- fuzzy socks w/leggings or jeans
- PTA Holiday Store
- Choir Rehearsal- 7:15- 7:35 am
- Jr Doctor- Harry Potter in Room B107- 3:05- 4:05 pm
- Stream Team Meeting in Room B207- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- PTA Meeting & Choir Performance with Santa too- 5:00- 7:00 pm
12/11
- BATTLE of the Schools- Chick fil A Spirit Day- Potranco/1604 & 151/Military- 6:30 am- 10:00 pm
- Holiday Cheer- holiday shirt with jeans
- PTA Holiday Store
- Choir Holiday Party- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Steam Team Meeting in Room B207- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Young Astronauts Meeting in Room B211- 3:15- 4:15 pm
12/12
- Holiday Cheer- holiday headwear w/jeans
- PTA Holiday Store
- Strings Meeting in Room B212- 3:15- 4:00 pm
- Esports Meeting in Room B223- 3:15- 4:15 pm
12/13
- Holiday Cheer- wear flannel w/jeans or leggings
- PTA Holiday Store
- StuCo Store- 7:10- 7:40 am
- Career Day- 8:00- 10:30 am
12/14
- Esports Fall Championship @ NAC- 8:00 am- 5:00 pm
12/16
- Holiday Cheer- dress like holiday character w/jeans or leggings
- My Art Starz in Art Room- Room D113- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Strings Meeting in Room B212- 3:15- 4:00 pm
12/17
- Holiday Cheer- wear green w/jeans
- Second Grade Field Trip- SA Zoo- 9:30 am- 2:00 pm
12/18
- Holiday Cheer- wear ugly sweater
- 80th Day of School
- Project Acorn- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Young Astronauts Meeting in Room B211- 3:15- 4:15 pm
12/19
- Holiday Cheer- wear bling, lights or glitter w/jeans
- Strings Meeting in Room B212- 3:15- 4:00 pm
12/20
- Holiday Cheer- wear bling, lights or glitter w/jeans
- Holiday Parties in Classrooms
- Fourth Grade Field Trip- Witte Museum- 9:30 am- 2:00 pm
