Tejeda News

It was a wonderful week in the Den that started with a proud moment at the NEISD School Board Meeting with 8th grader, Maria Goncalves Falck Palagi, sharing the invocation and 8th Grader, Brooklyn Watne, reciting the Pledges. These amazing T-Wolves were supported by their families and did a fantastic job of representing our school! This week our 8th graders visited Johnson High School to learn about the awesome opportunities that await them up at the hilltop. Thank you to the hospitality from Johnson High School and Assistant Principal Ashley Hafemeister for her coordination of this event. We closed out the week by welcoming our incoming 5th grade students. The future T-Wolves had a successful visit on Friday with an opportunity to tour the school. They also met our leadership team and learned about procedures such as: breakfast/lunch time information, locker protocols, core classes required and passing periods. Thank you to PTA for providing a snack for all our 5th grade visitors. I also want to thank students from PALS, Dance, Band and Athletics for their warm welcome to our future members of the Den! Last but not least, I want to extend my gratitude to Counselor Melinda DeLeon for coordinating this important event.

This week, Tejeda counselors worked with 8th grade students on their 4-year high school plans. The 4-year high school plan is a map that students use to help them learn about everything they will need to graduate and to get them to start thinking about their future. This plan is fluid, meaning that it will change throughout their high school careers depending on what courses they choose to take. Parents and students are encouraged to look at and discuss the plans together at home through Skyward. Before the end of the year, students and parents will need to sign and submit the plans once it has been completed. Please remember that the 4-year plans are not the same thing as course selection and will not be set in stone as to what classes students will take each year.

All 6th and 7th grade families are cordially invited to attend our Annual Course Fair on Tuesday, January 16th from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. The evening will begin with information about the middle school experience, core classes required at middle school, high school credit options and elective courses offered for the upcoming school year. Teachers, Counselors, and Administrators will be available to answer your questions. You will also experience live performance and information sessions from the Tejeda Band, Choir, Orchestra, Theater Arts, Debate, Dance, and Art programs. We look forward to shining a spotlight on all the great courses and programs that Tejeda Middle School has to offer for your T-Wolf. See you in the Den on January 16th!

We send our best wishes to T-Wolves participating in the Academic UIL tournament and Boys’ Basketball End of Season Tournament on Saturday! I look forward to bringing you their accolades in next week’s smore.

Please do not forget that Monday, January 15th we will have an NEISD student and staff holiday to honor the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. As we enter into this three-day weekend, let us remember the life of service and love for all mankind. “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”

If you need anything, please do not hesitate to contact me at 210-356-5600 or reach out to any member of my leadership team. I have included my team’s email addresses and office phone numbers in the information below in this newsletter. Please look out for the next smore on Saturday, January 20th.

Thank you for your time and I appreciate you choosing NEISD and Tejeda Middle School for your student’s educational experience!

Respectfully,

Martha Reyes, Principal

1/22 Course Selection Process Begins:

In the next few weeks, counselors will be reviewing next year’s course selections with all students during Science class. Course cards are already posted on the Tejeda website and families are encouraged to start looking them over and deciding what courses students would like to take. When counselors meet with classes, students will receive a paper copy of their grade level course card and will be encouraged to enter their selections that day. Course cards will then be sent home to review with families.

All students are required to enter their course selection choices. We are asking students to return the paper copies to Tejeda. This helps the counselors in correcting unexpected errors made during course entry.

The course card entry window will open on January 22nd and end on February 26th. During this window, students and families may make changes to their selections. After this deadline, you will only be able to view your choices, but any changes must be made by the Tejeda Counseling Office. Please email the students current grade level counselor to make these changes. 8th grade students will need to email their 9th grade counselor. Here is a link to the counselors at Johnson for easy access.

https://www.neisd.net/johnson/counselor/find-my-counselor

Please remember that you will not be able to see your student’s schedule until August. Elective class will be scheduled based on availability. Other course information will also be available on the Tejeda Webpage. The link for quick access is: https://www.neisd.net/tejeda/course-selection

1/23 Track Parent Meeting:

Parents please join us for a Virtual Track Parent meeting for 7th & 8th boys and girls on Tuesday, January 23rd at 6:00 p.m. Please use the following link to join us. We will go over very important information track information. If you have any questions for girls, please email Coach Dutson ddutso@neisd.net and questions for boys can be emailed to Coach Meno jmeno1@neisd.net. We look forward to seeing you virtually!

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YzE4MzkwMWUtODk0Ni00ZTQ0LWJiMjMtMGY5ZjY0MTU4NmM1%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22ff46e091-fc2d-42fb-bbc1-6b0755d6d667%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%224da0a1b2-3b90-4d96-876b-cc98cf9cdb4e%22%7d

1/23 Tejeda Spelling Bee:

Tejeda’s annual spelling bee will be held on Tuesday, January 23rd, at 8:30 a.m. in the library. It is open to all grade levels; any student is welcome to participate. If your child needs a word list, please have him/her see Mrs. Valdez in room A218.

1/26 GT Nomination Deadline:

We are currently accepting nominations for students who may meet eligibility criteria for the NEISD Gifted and Talented program. Nominations may come from parents or teachers. Gifted learners are those who perform or show the potential to perform at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience or environment. Gifted learners may exhibit some of the following characteristics: learns rapidly or with ease, retains a quantity of information, has a long attention span, is curious and has a variety of interests, has high academic achievement, and is self-motivated and self-sufficient. If you feel that your child may be a good candidate for the Gifted and Talented program, please email Mrs. DeLeon, school counselor, at mdeleo3@neisd.net. Upon your child’s nomination, you receive an email with more information and a permission form and checklist to complete. The deadline for all Gifted and Talented nominations is 3:00 p.m. on Friday, January 26th. Testing will take place in February. For more information on Gifted and Talented, please visit the NEISD GT website at: www.neisd.net/gt

A Message From Our Family Engagement Liaison:

Please take a look at the Family Engagement calendar for upcoming classes. This month we started our Positive parenting class series. We will have a different topic each month. Positive Parenting Discussion Groups are tailored for elementary school children. We also have a series starting for teens, Positive Approaches for Parenting Teens. The topic for this month is Getting Teenagers to Cooperate. It will take place on January 24th from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Tex Hill MS. If you would like to register for these classes, please call or e-mail me. Please email Ruby Morris at rmorri1@neisd.net if you need any assistance to register for the classes.

Interested in Athletic Game Tickets?

North East ISD offers an online ticket purchasing for all NEISD varsity and non-varsity games. Tickets will be available to purchase starting at 12:00 PM on Sunday each week prior to the events. Get your tickets through ticket spicket prior to the game so you don’t have to struggle with server connections. Use this link to access the Tejeda Athletics Page and then download the APP Ticket Spicket through the Apple Store or Google Play Store. You can also access athletic information at the following link: https://www.neisd.net/tejeda/athletics or directly through the Ticket Spicket link at: https://events.ticketspicket.com/home

3/2 NEEF Gala Announcement:

The North East Educational Foundation is only a few weeks away from our Denim, Diamonds & Dreams Gala and we hope you will join us on Saturday, March 2nd at Pedrotti’s Ranch! This western chic event is our largest fundraiser to help our district. Proceeds go towards fulfilling North East Educational Foundation’s philanthropic mission of raising funds to develop and expand educational opportunities for NEISD students. We cannot do this without our teachers, students, parents, and community. At the event, talent from each high school cluster will be showcased and we will raise a glass in our Toast to Teachers tribute. Look out during the last week of February where our silent auction items will open giving you a chance to start bidding for some amazing items such as tickets to sporting events, VIP parking to athletic events, gift baskets, and staycations – just to name a few!

Be sure to purchase your tickets now on our website at www.northeastfoundation.org/gala. Grab your cowboy hat and boots and we cannot wait to see you on March 2nd! If interested in donating a silent auction item, please contact NEEF at foundation@neisd.net or fill out the Silent Auction Google Form. Thank you in advance for your consideration of this request and please let our team know if you have any questions. More information regarding the North East Educational Foundation can be found at our website, https://northeastfoundation.org/.

School Choice Window is Open:

It is School Choice time again! Online applications are available for submission until July 26th. Applications are only accepted for students entering into K-12 in the upcoming school year. Parents with students who are “New to the District” can apply for both the current school year and the 2024-2025 school year. Please take note that if the student is moving from Elementary School to Middle School or Middle School to High School, a new school choice application is required and must be submitted during the School Choice window. If a student is already on School Choice at Tejeda, they do not need to reapply to remain at Tejeda. Parents/guardians may submit only one application per child. (Ex: A family of 3 must submit 3 separate School Choice forms, 1 for each child.)

Families will receive an official email notification during the 3rd week of May regarding the status of the student choice request. If you have any questions, please call Tejeda’s Data Processor, Mrs. Laura Lara at 210-356-5621.

Skyward Reminder:

Please take time to review your phone number, email addresses and emergency contact information in Skyward. This information is often used for contacting your family via phone and email. We are grateful for the most up to date information. If you have a friend or neighbor who does not receive this smore information, please encourage them to call us at 210-356-5600 to ensure their email information is up to date or they can review the information in the Skyward portal.

Get Connected With Tejeda’s Social Media & Give Us A “Like” & “Follow” On Facebook!

In addition to our weekly smore, we will post updates via our campus Facebook and Twitter accounts. District updates will also be available via email notifications, NEISD Critical Updates, and NEISD Social Media.

To find Tejeda on Facebook from a Desktop or Search Engine:

https://www.facebook.com/TejedaNEISD/

To find Tejeda on Facebook via the mobile app:

Search: Tejeda Middle School – North East ISD

To find Tejeda on Twitter:

Search: @TejedatW

SPELLING BEE JUDGES NEEDED:

Tejeda will be holding its annual Spelling Bee on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. Mrs. Valdez will get things started after the morning announcements, about 8:30 am. The Bee will continue until there is a winner. It’s hard to predict when it will finish because in years past it has taken less than an hour or times where it has taken almost 3 hours! Volunteers don’t need to worry about pronouncing words; Ms. Ramierz, the librarian will do that. The judges’ job is to help with pronunciations if necessary and hear the spellers to eliminate them when necessary. I will have a list of words ready for the judges to use as reference, and I will also review general rules. If you're willing and available, please sign up here.

SUPPORT THE PACK - JOIN TEJEDA PTA:

New to Tejeda or just not a member of the PTA yet? Now is a great time to join the PTA and support the pack. For just $7.00, you can be a voice for your child and support our PTA programs such as red ribbon week, author visits, faculty appreciation events, field day, 8th grade end-of-the-party, student volunteer service awards, and so much more! Anyone - parents, guardians, grandparents, students, siblings, aunts, uncles, teachers, community members, and businesses - can join PTA! Joining the PTA does not mean you have to volunteer or even attend a meeting (though we would love for you to do both). You can join online at our PTA website. Thank you for your continued support of our T-wolves!

2023-2024 LIFE MEMBERS ANNOUNCEMENT:

The Texas PTA Life Member award is the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the Texas PTA for outstanding contributions to the well-being of our children and youth. In December, Tejeda PTA presented the Texas Life Member award to teacher Kaley Davis, and counselor, Dr. Karen Martinez. These individuals truly do go above and beyond for our school and students.

8TH GRADE T-SHIRTS:

8th graders – wear your Class of 2028 8th Grade t-shirt on Tuesdays to show your class pride. All shirts have been distributed. Don’t have one yet, we have a few extra available to purchase for $15. Please contact Kerry at president@tejedapta.com if you need a shirt.

ONGOING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

• Library volunteers -
• Shelving Volunteer Signup
• Lunch Coverage Signup
• Tejeda PTA Workroom Volunteers, Workroom Volunteers Signup
• If you need workroom training, you can also schedule training by emailing Lynne Berry at workroom@tejedapta.com.

STUDENT VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS:

Did your student complete some volunteer hours this summer or during the beginning of this school year? All students who have logged at least 20 service hours during April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024, will be recognized in the Spring for their service. All hours must be logged by March 31, 2024. Click here for instructions on entering service hours (scroll to the button to find instructions and information).

TEJEDA PTA BOARD POSITION OPEN:

Help Lead the Pack! Tejeda PTA is looking to fill one more vacant role on the Tejeda PTA Executive Board for this school year. Current open positions: Courtesy (acknowledging Board birthdays and sending cards of congratulations and condolence, as needed). If you are interested in serving on the 2023-24 Executive Board or have further questions about position responsibilities, please contact PTA president Kerry Jonietz at president@tejedapta.com.

To stay connected with Tejeda PTA this year visit our website at www.tejedapta.com and follow us on Facebook at Frank Tejeda Middle School PTA.

BE A VOLUNTEER:

If you would like to be included on our Volunteer E-mail list, please complete the Tejeda PTA Volunteer Form to receive e-mails from SignUp.com about all Tejeda volunteer opportunities. Anyone interested in volunteering this year, must complete the form to receive the e-mails. If you have not volunteered on a NEISD campus before or in the last 12 months, please click here, NEISD Volunteer Form, to become DPS cleared.

Monday 1/15 Student & Staff Holiday

Tuesday 1/16 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Math Counts Mtg in A216

Tuesday 1/16 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Course Fair in Cafeteria

Wednesday 1/17 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Tennis vs. Lopez @ BAC

Wednesday 1/17 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Girls BBall 7G @ Tejeda/8G @ Bush

Thursday 1/18 7:15 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. FCA Mtg in Girls Gym

Thursday 1/18 3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Young Historians Mtg in Library

Thursday 1/18 TBD Boys BBall Tourney 7G @ Hill/8G @ Garner

Friday 1/19 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CyberPatriot State Semi-Finals Competition

Friday 1/19 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. AVID Recruitment Mtg for 8th Gr

Friday 1/19 TBD Boys BBall Tourney 7G @ Hill/8G @ Garner

Saturday 1/20 TBD Boys BBall Tourney 7G @ Hill/8G @ Garner

Saturday 1/20 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Academic UIL Meet @ Hill

Monday 1/22 3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Embroidery Club in B145

Tuesday 1/23 7:15 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. Colorguard Mtg in A115

Tuesday 1/23 3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Kindness Club in A120

Tuesday 1/23 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Math Counts Mtg in A216

Tuesday 1/23 3:50 p.m. – 4:20 p.m. StuCo Mtg in B128

Tuesday 1/23 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Online Track Parent Mtg

Wednesday 1/24 1:25 p.m. Early Release

Wednesday 1/24 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Tennis vs. Nimitz @ BAC

Thursday 1/25 7:15 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. FCA Officer Mtg in B130

Thursday 1/25 1:25 p.m. Early Release

Thursday 1/25 TBD Girls BBall Tourney 7G @ Nimitz/8G @ Krueger

Friday 1/26 9:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Holocaust Speaker for 8th Gr

Friday 1/26 TBD Girls BBall Tourney 7G @ Nimitz/8G @ Krueger

Saturday 1/27 TBD Girls BBall Tourney 7G @ Nimitz/8G @ Krueger

Saturday 1/27 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Double T All Star Music Festival

Tejeda Contact Information:

Melinda DeLeon - Counselor for 8th Gr L-Z & 6th Gr

210-356-5623 – mdeleo3@neisd.net

Michele White – Counselor for 8th Gr last name A-K & 7th Gr

210-356-5659 mwhite1@neisd.net

Dr. Karen Martinez - Mental Wellness Counselor

210-356-5643 kmarti11@neisd.net

Kiera Craft - Special Education Coordinator

210-356-5624 kcraft@neisd.net

Dee Dee Luther - Academic Dean

210-356-5640 dluthe@neisd.net

Michael Gonzalez - Asst Principal for last name A-K

210-356-5609 mgonza1@neisd.net

Ashley Hafemeister - Asst Principal for last name L-Z

210-356-5663 ahafem@neisd.net

Email: mreyes37@neisd.net
Website: https://www.neisd.net/tejeda
Location: Frank Tejeda Middle School, Evans Road, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: 210-356-5600
Facebook: facebook.com/tejedaneisd
Twitter: @NEISD_Reyes

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