September kept our hive buzzing with excitement, and we are so grateful for your support! In the month of October, we will have our first Bee Jubilee of the school year, where we will celebrate the LEARNER profile. Our campus has worked diligently to ensure that our students understand the attributes of a learner. We incorporate this into our morning announcements, our morning class meetings and into the daily routines and learning experiences taking place in class. Being a Learner is just one of the 8 NISD profiles. I encourage you to take a look at the visual below to learn more about the others.

At our Bee Jubilee, we recognize students that exemplified the attributes of a learner- students that are inquisitive, resilient, actively participate, make good choices by respecting the learning environment, and inspire others to grow! PK students and teachers are hosting our first Bee Jubilee on Oct. 4th at 7:45 am. All PK families, parents of cheerleaders, and specific students being recognized are invited.

This month, we also launching our school-wide Bee Bucks Store! Our Bee Bucks are tickets used to reward good behavior, strong work ethic, and kind actions! These tickets can be used to "purchase" special incentives from our campus store. Bee Bucks can also be used to purchase experiences such as lunch-bunch with the teacher, treasure box, extra recess, and school-wide activities led by our campus leaders and staff. We hope this inspires our students to be their best! If you'd like to donate items for our Bee Buck store, click here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2FW5DCI77ZVVM?ref_=wl_share

Here are some other friendly reminders:

If you haven’t already logged into HAC, please do so, as report cards will be ready to view on October 18. Here are some helpful tips as you navigate through the HAC system:

-You can access HAC by clicking the link below: https://hac.nisd.net/HomeAccess/Account/LogOn?ReturnUrl=%2fhomeaccess

-If you ever have trouble finding the website, simply Google HAC NISD, and it will be the first site that pops up.

-If you have already set up your account, your username is your email.

-Not sure about your password? No problem! Please call Ms. Yoli at 210-398-1850, and she can help you reset it.

-Parents, you can also set notifications that alert you when your child’s grade falls below a designated point.

Regarding upcoming Parent/ Teacher Conferences:

Our teachers are busy preparing to meet with you. Beginning of the year conferences are crucial because teachers and parents have an opportunity to connect one-on-one and discuss specific academic and social-emotional progress. Our teachers will soon be sharing a SignUp Genius link for parent conferences. Please be sure to sign up soon!

Once again, thank you so much for entrusting us with your precious children! If you ever need to reach me, have any questions, concerns or would simply like to chat, remember you can always find me by the front drive in the mornings and during dismissal. Also, my email is Julie.Meneses@nisd.net and my direct line is (210) 398-1860. I look forward to hearing from you!

On behalf of our entire faculty, thank you for the privilege of allowing us to serve your family. And thank you for supporting us in our daily mission to put students FIRST in order to grow COMPASSIONATE, INNOVATIVE LEADERS that will THRIVE in today’s society!

Sincerely,

Principal Meneses

10/2 Custodian Appreciation Day

10/4 Bee Jubilee hosted by PK students and teachers! (All PK parents invited!)

10/5 World Teacher Day

10/6 National Coaches Day

10/2 #BlueUp Day! Say NO to Bullying!

10/9 Fall Individual Picture Day

10/11 End of Grading Period

10/11 Hispanic Cultures Celebration in Classrooms

10/14 Student Holiday/Staff Planning

10/14-18 National Bus Safety/Digital Citizenship Week

10/15 Cafecito with Principal and PTA

10/18 Report Cards Visible to Parents

10/22 PTA Mtg #2

10/25 Trunk or Treat

10/28-1 Red Ribbon Week

10/10 PTA Reflections Due to PTA

10/28 APEX Begins

10/31 Fall Fashion Celebration!

11/1 Career Day

Fun Lunch Family Days:

Oct. 1 (A-L), Oct. 4 (M-Z), Oct. 8 (A-L), Oct. 11 (M-Z), Oct. 15 (A-L), Oct.18 (M-Z), Oct. 22 (A-L),

Oct. 25 (M-Z)

We’d like to thank you for a beautiful Grandparents Day celebration. It was truly a magical event for our students and staff! Thank you for sharing your parents with us. Here’s a little video we put together to help us cherish the memories.

Nos gustaría agradecerles por una hermosa celebración del Día de los Abuelos. ¡Fue realmente un evento mágico para nuestros estudiantes y personal! Gracias por compartir a sus padres con nosotros. Aquí hay un pequeño video que preparamos para ayudarnos a apreciar los recuerdos.

In efforts to keep our Dual Language families informed on specific information, we have put together a campus newsletter that will be updated throughout the year. Please click on the link below!

We have been working hard to make a PK and Kinder playground even more fun for our students! We have added soccer goals and basketball court this year already!

Help us create a fun and interactive play space for our little bees! Visit our campus wish list to see how you can help! https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/S195K4L02SN3?ref_=wl_share

Conflict or disagreement is normal and often happens when children get together. However, hurtful words, gestures, or physical contact are unacceptable ways to deal with conflict and disagreement at school. Our goal is to teach students several positive ways to deal with these difficult situations. To do this, we are asking students who have minor problems to try at least two of Kelso's Choices.

This process can be done before asking for adult help. Of course, the adult will immediately handle any serious conflicts that cause a child to feel threatened or frightened. By using this plan, we believe that our students will develop effective problem-solving skills that they can use again and again. It will help them to deal with conflict in a positive manner and to make appropriate decisions. Knowing what to do will help students reduce the stress and number of conflicts they have at school and in their neighborhood. Colorful charts illustrating ways to deal with conflict will be posted so all children will know their choices. We encourage you to become familiar with this program and use it in your home. By working together, we can develop a healthy life skill for young people to use at home and at school.

Insterested in donating items for our Bee Buck store? Click here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2FW5DCI77ZVVM?ref_=wl_share

¿Está interesado en donar artículos para nuestra tienda Bee Buck? Haga clic en el enlace de arriba.

Our Cafecitos are held annually and allow us to collaborate, share ideas, provide input, ask questions/share concerns, make connections with other parents, and learn different ways to get involved. We are excited to hear your thoughts as we continue to work towards excellence. We will have coffee and pastries for your enjoyment. Please RSVP so that we can plan accordingly. Whether you’re able to make it or not, we’d love your feedback. Please take a few minutes to answer this short survey to help us with our continuous improvement efforts. The RSVP is included in the survey. Thank you for your ongoing support and for your feedback! Survey/RSVP- https://forms.gle/WWhhQufZspz1pQba9

Nuestros Cafecitos nos permiten colaborar, compartir ideas y brindar opiniones, hacer preguntas y compartir inquietudes, hacer conexiones con otros padres y aprender diferentes formas de participar. Tendremos café y pasteles. Favor de confirmar su asistencia para que podamos planificar. Ya sea que pueda asistir o no, nos encantaría recibir sus comentarios. Tómese unos minutos para responder esta breve encuesta que nos ayudará con nuestros esfuerzos de mejora continua. El RSVP está incluido en la encuesta. ¡Gracias por su continuo apoyo y por sus comentarios! Encuesta- https://forms.gle/WWhhQufZspz1pQba9

Every Friday, the class with PERFECT ATTENDANCE and the MOST SPIRIT gear or school colors gets the SPECIAL honor of holding the SPIRIT STICK for the following week! The spirit stick represents school pride and unity! Way to go, abejitas!

Please visit our PTA website (https://ellison.ptboard.com/, where you can find important PTA dates and volunteer for various PTA activities throughout the year on the designated Sign Up Genius. This year, our PTA has posted the Sign Up Genius links for all events ahead of time. Why? This way, we can give those who want to volunteer enough time to plan accordingly, as we know everyone's schedules are busy. Please sign up now to help make our events a success! Your involvement, whether big or small, makes a significant difference in our school community.

Please be sure to fill out the annual Background Check that is mandatory for all volunteers: https://hrvolunteer.nisd.net/TempMod.nsf?Open

Please review our arrival and dismissal procedures!

Our front drive crossing guard begins duty at 7 a.m. Parents may begin dropping students off as early as 7:00 a.m. but not any sooner.

To ensure the safety and security of all children and staff and to prevent disruption of the learning environment, after the first week of school, the hallways will remain a student-only zone in the mornings, with the exception of PK, Kinder, ALE, and ECSE. Families of students in PK, Kinder, ALE and ECSE are highly encouraged to park and escort students into the building, however must arrive between 7:00-7:40 a.m. to do so. We ask that all other parents/guardians either use the express lane or park and walk students to the security lobby, where a staff member will be happy to greet and welcome them! Visitors are always welcome to check-in to the building to meet with the school nurse, speak to the office staff, visit the library during library open hours, or for scheduled conferences or meetings.

We know that dropping off our children and getting to work on time can be stressful! To expedite student drop-off, parents may use the bus loop after 7:10 a.m. to drop off 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students. This option is only available after 7:10 a.m. (or when buses have departed) and only for our older students. As students are dropped off, they should follow the side-walk that leads to the school entrance where they will be greeted by monitoring staff.

To ensure safety of younger students, families of 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th graders with younger siblings should use the front Express lane 1 for drop-off.

If you think your child may qualify for free and reduced lunch benefits, or to find menus and additional details, click here.

Parents of ECSE, PK, and Kinder students are welcomed daily to escort their child into the building and enjoy breakfast.

To comfortably accommodate our guests, on designated dates (by student's last name) parents of all students are welcomed into our cafeteria to enjoy lunch with their child.

This month's Fun Lunch Dates are:

Oct. 1 (A-L), Oct. 4 (M-Z), Oct. 8 (A-L), Oct. 11 (M-Z), Oct. 15 (A-L), Oct.18 (M-Z), Oct. 22 (A-L),

Oct. 25 (M-Z)

Here’s a little tip, parents! If you’re not sure that you’ll be able to join your child for lunch, it’s always best to happily surprise them instead of telling that that you “might” make it. Some of our students can get really sad when they’re expecting their parents and we don’t want to send them back to class feeling disappointed.

Please read below for friendly reminders that pertain to parents enjoying breakfast or lunch with their child.

Our Watch D.O.G.S. program, Defenders of Great Students, is now open to more than male figures. All moms and mother figures are invited to participate. Use the calendar below to sign up or click here: beewatchdogs.youcanbook.me

Please be sure to fill out the annual Background Check that is mandatory for all volunteers. Please make sure your background check has been submitted and cleared. Contact Joann Sanchez at our front office to confirm this information. ✅Click here to access the NISD Background Check Form: https://hrvolunteer.nisd.net/TempMod.nsf?Open

Calling all Watch DOGS!! We could use your help with the following:

• Assist by helping on Family Lunch Days.
• On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of every week we would love to have our Watch DOGS help us in the library anytime between 7:00-7:35 a.m. Students are working on AR and the library is open for parents to check out books! Come and help be an extra set of eyes and help in any way you'd like.
• Between 7:00-8:00 am: Greet our students in the morning any day of the week! Where? Near the front drive, by the front office near the security lobby, by the bus loop, in the cafeteria, in the gym, anywhere! Even if you're only available for a few minutes, we could use your help and our students and staff would love to have you!
• Join your child's grade level or ANY grade level during recess time! You can lead a game of soccer, basketball, four-square, etc! We can always use more adults to assist with monitoring our playgrounds! For specific recess times, visit your teacher's weekly newsletter.
• Assist students as they go through the cafeteria line and hang out with our students as they eat lunch!
• Monitor our hallways and help us by patrolling the exterior of our campus at any time of the day.
• Assist with dismissal at the bus loop or at the front drive. Give students high fives and fist bumps on their way out of the building between 2:30-3:15 pm.
• Help us run our Bee Buck Store on specific dates.
• For specific classroom activities, reach out to your child's teacher with ideas on how you'd like to volunteer in the classroom.
• If you have other ideas about how you would like to volunteer, reach out to us! Email Manuel.Benavides@nisd.net or Julie.Meneses@nisd.net

Not only are all of their products cool, proceeds from their sales come directly back to our students! Thanks to PTA, our little bees have been blessed with new additions to our playground and our teachers will have an opportunity to apply for a PTA grant. Please continue to support PTA, and our Ellison bees!

Click below to visit our wonderful PTA site. With a click of a button, you'll be able to purchase spirit gear, which students are encouraged to use on the first day of school and every Friday of the year!

Ellison is the place to “bee”- Growing, learning, and building our hive together!

In our hive, our daily mission is to put students first! Our campus vision is that our students grow daily as compassionate, innovative leaders!

Location: 7132 Oak Drive, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: 210-398-1850
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllisonElementary