Straus

Straus Families,

As we wrap up the first semester, we are excited to share all the upcoming events and news that make our Straus community so special.

Winter Concerts

Our talented student musicians will be performing at our winter concerts this month! These events are a wonderful way to celebrate the season and showcase our students' hard work and creativity. Keep an eye on your email for specific dates and times—we hope to see you there!

Second Semester Kick-Off

Mark your calendars! The second semester begins on Tuesday, January 7th, 2024. Let’s finish this semester strong and look forward to another exciting chapter in the new year.

Volunteer Opportunities

We are so grateful to our amazing PTA and all the parents who dedicate their time to helping our campus thrive. If you’d like to get involved, there are plenty of ways to contribute—big or small! Please reach out to our Straus PTA to find an opportunity that suits your schedule.

Course Selection

Please be on the lookout for next year's planning guide in selecting courses for next year. Students will be selecting courses in January, so start talking with your student about their next steps.

Basketball Season Has Begun!

The energy in the gym is contagious as our basketball teams hit the court! Come out and support our student-athletes as they showcase their skills and teamwork. We ask that students attending our sports events be picked up by 7:00.

Happy Holidays from the Straus Family

As the holiday season approaches, we want to express our gratitude for your partnership and support throughout the semester. We wish you and your family a joyful and restful holiday season.

Thank you for all you do to make Straus Middle School a wonderful place for our students to grow and learn. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events!

Warm regards,

W. Autumn Peralta

Straus Principal

First Fridays

PTA is excited to host a VIP party for all student PTA members on the First Friday of every month! PTA membership offers many benefits for your child and is easy to join. Scan the QRCode on the flyer to get your child started on a year of fun!

We are excited to announce our upcoming Career Day on February 28th! This event is a wonderful opportunity for our students to explore various career paths and gain insights from professionals in the community.

We would love for you to participate! If you are interested in volunteering to speak with our students about your career journey, please sign up!

Feel free to share this message with friends and family who might also be interested in participating. The more diverse experiences we can offer, the better!

Thank you for your support in making Career Day a success!

To ensure the safety and accountability of all students, every Straus Middle School student has been issued an ID. IDs should be either worn on a lanyard or securely attached to their backpack during the school day.

Additionally, students will now be required to show their IDs when attending school events. This policy helps prepare them for similar expectations in high school, while also fostering responsibility and school pride.

Thank you for supporting this important initiative. If your child has misplaced their ID, please contact the front office for the $5 replacement.

A reminder that our administrators are responsible for supervising students during lunches (11:15 AM - 1:35 PM), before school, and after school until our buses arrive at 4:35 PM. We encourage making appointments for meetings to ensure we can dedicate the necessary time to address your concerns.

Please check HAC on a regular basis and set up notifications for grades and attendance.

Northside has begun issuing Attendance Warning Notices for any student with three unexcused absences in any class period. To avoid these warnings, ensure that any notes or documentation regarding absences are submitted within 2 days. This will help us change unexcused absences to excused and prevent Attendance Warning Notices. If you feel there is a discrepancy in tardies or absences, please email the teacher that marked your student and CC carla.brown@nisd.net

This year, we anticipate a student body of approximately 1450 students and our priority remains the well-being and safety of every individual on campus. To ensure a secure environment, we will continue our policy of limiting visitors. Please note that Straus is a closed campus which means no lunch deliveries from parents or external services. We understand that students will forget their lunch on occasion and we only ask that any lunch be dropped off by 9:45 in the morning. Students should either bring lunch from home or plan to enjoy a meal from our cafeteria.

Maverick families, please take time to read through this national research based initiative to help transform schools by increasing student engagement and reducing negative social distractions. Away For The Day encourages cell phone free spaces that allow students to thrive socially and academically. Our expectation is that students put away their cell phones, earbuds, and gaming devices at 8:35 every morning in their backpacks or lockers and to be used again at 3:50 at the end of the day. Telephones are available in all classrooms and all campus offices in the event that a students needs to contact a parent.

All Lost and Found items can be found in the Library classroom and will be donated at the end of each marking period. In addition, the campus cannot be responsible for lost/stolen items. We encourage everyone to leave expensive items at home. Please remind your child that they should not be borrowing, trading, or loaning personal items while on campus. In addition, all PE/Athletics lockers should remain locked at all times.

At Straus, we are fortunate to have a very active PTA that works closely with the school to meet student needs. Please join our Straus PTA!

PTA (strausmspta@gmail.com)

Become a NISD Volunteer or Mentor

NISD requires that anyone volunteering on campus complete a background check. This can be completed on the district website at https://hrvolunteer.nisd.net

Girls Basketball

Boys Basketball

Our Attendance/Withdrawal staff is as follows:

Carla Brown carla.brown@nisd.net 210.398.2558

Claudia Duby claudia.duby@nisd.net 210.398.2582

• December 3: Kallison/Los Reyes/Scarborough Maverick Camp
• December 4: Henderson/Reed Maverick Camp
• December 4: Girls Basketball v. Garcia
• December 5: Boys Basketball v. Garcia
• December 6: PTA First Friday S'mores
• December 9: Orchestra Holiday Concert
• December 10: Choir Concert at Sotomayor
• December 14: Dance Winter Spectacular
• December 16: Choir Winter Concert
• December17: Band Winter Concert
• December 18: Girls Basketball v. Folks
• December 19: Boys Basketball v. Folks
• December 23-January 6: Holiday Break
• January 7: Students Back to School/First Day of Semester 2