Howdy Trailblazers
Oct. 7-18, 2024
Greetings From Principal Bueno
I hope that all our families are enjoying the semi-cooler weather and looking forward to the upcoming Thanksgiving Break. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to our Ott community Veterans for their dedicated service to the United States Armed Forces. We are forever appreciative of your bravery and sacrifices in protecting our country and our freedoms. We invite all Veterans and Ott community members to join us for our annual Veterans Day ceremony on November 11th at 8:00 a.m. in the Ott Gym. A continental breakfast will follow the ceremony in the cafeteria, hosted by our Social Studies Committee. We encourage everyone to wear patriotic colors on this day. Further details can be found below.
Thank you to all who participated in our annual Monster Mash, and a special thank you to our wonderful PTA for organizing the event. We are also grateful to the many volunteers who dedicated their evening to help. Your support is greatly appreciated! Kudos to our Ott families for their engagement in our October campus events. It was a busy month, and seeing so many of you join us for the festivities truly warmed my heart. It is wonderful to have our families on campus, and I look forward to seeing you at many more events this year.
Reading STAAR Interim assessments will take place on November 12th for all 3rd to 5th grade students, with make-up testing scheduled for November 13th and 14th. The data collected from this assessment is immediate, allowing teachers to design and plan targeted instruction to support students who may have deficits in reading skills. This data will also help predict student performance on the STAAR summative assessment administered in late spring. The Math STAAR Interim for grades 3 through 5 will be given in February, along with the Science assessment for our 5th grade students. This will be an online assessment conducted with the same testing protocols as all online assessments. Please assist us in supporting your child by encouraging them to get adequate rest prior to the testing days, to take their time and not rush through the assessment, and to give their best effort.
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.
It's hard to believe we are nearing the midpoint of the second grading quarter. Parents are encouraged to register for the Home Access Center (HAC) to monitor your child's current grades and academic progress. Progress reports for this grading cycle for students in grades 1 through 5 will be posted to HAC on Friday, November 15th at 4:00 p.m., and we will also distribute paper copies to all students. Additionally, report cards for the second grading quarter will be available on HAC on January 10th at 4:00 p.m.
We invite you to attend this month's PTA meeting on November 12th at 6:00 p.m., which will be followed by the Kinder Turkey Tango performance. You will enjoy seeing our Kindergarten students in action and may wish to bring a camera to capture these special moments. We extend our gratitude to all of our families for their participation in the PTA. Your support is greatly valued.
This month, our focus in the Ott Learner Profile is on the characteristic of COMMUNICATORS. 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 COMMUNICATOR at school.
Thank you once again, parents, for your support of Ott Elementary. Our staff is dedicated to the success of all our students, and we appreciate your ongoing assistance. I will provide updates to this newsletter as needed in the coming weeks leading up to the Thanksgiving break and will publish a new edition upon our return. I wish all of our students and families a joyful Thanksgiving this year, filled with peace, love, and happiness. I hope our Trailblazers enjoy their time away from school to recharge after a busy few months. Please remember that students will return from the break on Monday, December 2nd.
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
11/4
- Kite Sales Continue
- SPED Fundraiser
- StuCo Food Drive
- My Art Starz in Room D113- 3:05- 4:05 pm
- Strings Meeting in Room B212- 3:15- 4:15 pm
11/5
- Student Holiday/ Staff Development
11/6
- Kites Sales
- SPED Fundraiser
- StuCo Food Drive
- Girls on the Run in Room B111- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Project Acorn- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Choir Practice- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Young Astronauts Meeting in Room B211- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Cardboard Arcade Showcase- 3:15- 4:15 pm
11/7
- Kite Sales
- SPED Fundraiser
- StuCo Food Drive
- Strings Meeting- 3:15- 4:00 pm
- Esports Meeting in Room B223- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Girls on the Run in Room B111- 3:15- 4:15 pm
11/8
- National STEM Day
- SPED Fundraiser
- StuCo Food Drive
- Kite Day
11/11
- National School Psychology Week
- Texas Character Education Week
- SPED Fundraiser
- StuCo Food Drive
- StuCo Officers Meeting- 7:15- 7:45 am
- Veterans Day Ceremony in Cafeteria- 8:00- 9:00am
- My Art Starz in Art Room- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Strings Meeting in Room B212- 3:15- 4:00 pm
11/12
- SPED Fundraiser
- StuCo Food Drive
- StuCo Meeting in Room B213- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Parent Dyslexia Education Session in Library- 5:00- 5:30 pm
- PTA Meeting and Kinder Turkey Tango in Cafe/Gym- 6:00- 7:00 pm
11/13
- SPED Fundraiser
- StuCo Food Drive
- Choir Practice- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Girls on the Run in Room B111- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Young Astronauts Meeting in B211- 3:15- 4:15 pm
11/14
- SPED Fundraiser
- StuCo Food Drive
- Esports Meeting in Room B223- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Girls on the Run in Room B111- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Strings Meeting in Room B212- 3:15- 4:00 pm
11/15
- SPED Fundraiser
- StuCo Food Drive
- Progress Reports Post to HAC
- Spirit Rally in Gym- 8:00- 9:00 am
11/18
- American Education Week
- 5th Grade Fundraising- Cookie Dough
- Choir Rehearsal- 7:15- 7:35 am
- My Art Starz in Room D113- 3:05- 4:05 pm
- Strings Meeting in Room B212- 3:15- 4:15 pm
11/19
- American Education Week
- 5th Grade Fundraising- Cookie Dough
- Choir Rehearsal- 7:15- 7:35 am
- Tiny Trailblazers Toddler Storytime- 2:15- 3:00 pm
- Jr Doctor- Harry Potter in Room B107- 3:05- 4:05 pm
- Stream Team Meeting in Room B207- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- StuCo Meeting in Room B07 and then Resource Room- 3:15- 4:15 pm
11/20
- American Education Week
- 5th Grade Fundraising- Cookie Dough
- Choir Rehearsal- 7:15- 7:35 am
- Fall Picture Retakes- 9:00- 10:30 am
- Project Acorn- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Stream Team Meeting in Room B207- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Choir Practice- 3:15- 4:15 pm
- Young Astronauts Meeting in Room B211- 3:15- 4:15 pm
11/21
- American Education Week
- 5th Grade Fundraising- Cookie Dough
- Choir Rehearsal- 7:15- 7:35 am
- 5th Grade Transition Camp- 9:30 - 1:00 pm
- Thanksgiving Staff Luncheon in Lounge and Resource room During Your Lunch
- Strings Meeting- 3:15- 4:00 pm
- Esports Meeting in Room B223- 3:15- 4:15 pm
11/22
- American Education Week
- 5th Grade Fundraising- Cookie Dough
- Choir Rehearsal- 7:15- 7:35 am
- 4th Grade Girls Video in Resource Room- 1:30- 2:30 pm
