Welcome to the Nest

Main Office Phone: (210) 882-1610

Office Hours: 6:45 A.M. - 3:30 P.M.

Principal: Tanya Mares

https://southsideisd.org/mecc/

Dear Menchaca Families,

We are delighted to welcome your little one to our campus this school year. We believe that Menchaca will provide a nurturing and stimulating environment where your little one can grow, learn, and thrive.

Our dedicated team of educators is committed to providing high-quality care and education to every child at our school. We strive to create a safe, supportive, and inclusive community where each child is valued and encouraged to explore, discover, and develop to their full potential.

We look forward to partnering with you in your child's educational journey and to fostering a positive and enriching experience for them at Menchaca Early Childhood Center!

Regards,

Tanya Mares

MECC Principal

Whether your child is coming to school on the bus or being dropped off in our car line, please make sure they have on a name tag. The name tag should include your child's first & last name and teacher's name. This will ensure that all students arriving on our campus will be directed to the correct classrooms in the morning.

If you attended one of our Meet the Teacher events, a name tag may have already been provided to you by their teacher. If you were unable to attend or did not receive one, please be sure to send your child with one on.

If you have not received your child's teacher information, you will be directed to park and visit the front office on the first day of school.

• Please be patient. The first week typically sees a large number of children being dropped off and picked up before they begin riding the bus, resulting in longer lines and wait times.

• Drop Off Begins / Gym Doors open at 6:50 AM

• All car riders MUST enter the campus at the NORTH GATE. The South / Main Gate (traffic light/guard shack) is for buses, staff, and our Early Childhood Special Education students ONLY.

• Parking your vehicle and walking your student into the building will NOT be permitted. Only parents needing assistance from the front office will be allowed to enter the building.

• For the safety of our students and staff, when driving on campus cell phone usage is prohibited. Phones Down / Eyes Up

• When arriving at our drop off zone (GYM), please DO NOT exit your vehicle. Our staff is ready to help unbuckle and unload your child as quickly as possible. Our staff will supervise students as they enter the building and be escorted to their classrooms.

• Please be patient. The first week typically sees a large number of children being dropped off and picked up before they begin riding the bus, resulting in longer lines and wait times.

• Our school dismissal begins each school day at 2:30 P.M. As a courtesy to parents our pickup area is open from 2:30 - 3:00 P.M.

• All drivers in the parent pick up line will enter the campus at the North Gate into the field holding area. Drivers MUST have the assigned MECC pickup tag in order for a student to be released to them. Drivers without the official MECC pickup tag will be directed out of the pick up line to the front office for a photo I.D. check.

• When arriving at our student loading area (GYM), please DO NOT exit your vehicle. Our staff will escort your child to their car and help them into their vehicle. Please be vigilant and follow all directions given by our staff.

• To keep our dismissal lines moving, if you need to assist your child with buckling (car seats/ seat belts), we kindly ask that you drive your vehicle to our designated buckling areas. Those areas include the back fence line of our building and both north and south parking lots. Again, please do not exit your vehicles in our student loading area.

For all Menchaca bus riders, it is the parent/guardians' responsibility to be at the bus stop to receive their child. If a parent/guardian is not present, the child will be returned to the campus. Failure to comply with this district bus policies could lead to the loss of bus riding privileges.

You don't ever have to miss the bus again! Use the Southside ISD GPS System to track your child's bus by clicking here

For routing information, please contact the Southside ISD Transportation Dept. at 210-882-1624

Changes to your child’s dismissal routine should be communicated to the front office AND your child's teacher no later than 1:00 P.M. to ensure that all staff responsible for dismissal have the updated information.

You may contact the front office at 210-882-1610

For the 2024 - 2025 school year, all Menchaca students will receive free breakfast, lunch and supper snack. Below are the breakfast and lunch menus for the school year.

All students will be provided a grab-and-go breakfast to be eaten in the classroom. Breakfast is served daily until 7:30 A.M.

Students in PK4 and Kindergarten will eat lunch in our cafeteria - Cici's Cafe. Lunch times vary by classroom. Please be advised, that due to limited capacity of our cafeteria, parents & families are not permitted to have lunch with their child.

When choosing your child's shoes in the morning, don't forget about daily recess and P.E. class.

Sandals, Crocs, boots and heels might seem easy and cute, but they pose safety concerns during play. Help us prevent unnecessary injuries by sending your child in play-appropriate footwear. Shoes with Velcro straps or laces and rubber soles are highly recommended.

Spills and accidents can happen throughout the school day. Therefore, we kindly ask that parents send 2 changes of clothing to school with your child in a Ziploc bag labeled with their first and last name.

Please include the following items:

• underwear
• shorts/pants
• t-shirt/top
• socks

The extra sets will be kept in the classroom for your child to be used when needed.

Thanks to generous donors and The TEXAS YES Project, all kindergarten students will receive a box of basic supplies during the first day of school. These donated supplies are meant to supplement what is listed on our 2024 - 2025 MECC Supply List. (See attachment)

Nurse Heather Siebert intervenes with actual and potential health problems including providing first aid, emergency care and assessment, and planning for the management of chronic conditions (such as asthma or diabetes).

Student Illness

When your child is ill, please contact the school to let us know he or she will not be attending that day. It is important to remember that schools are required to exclude students with certain illnesses from school for periods of time as identified in state rules. For example, if your child has a fever over 100 degrees, he or she must stay out of school until fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medications.

In addition, students with diarrheal illnesses must stay home until they are diarrhea-free without diarrhea-suppressing medications for at least 24 hours. A full list of conditions for which the school must exclude children can be obtained from the school nurse.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child's health, you can reach our nurse at: heather.siebert@southsideisd.org

I have been in education for 18 years. I absolutely love what I do and do what I love! I am so excited to be one of the early childhood counselors at Menchaca Early Childhood Center for my 6th year as a Cardinal.

I believe all children deserve the very best education and support. They have limitless potential and I am honored to help them discover the power within themselves!

I am happily married to Scott and we have 3 children: Hunter (23) who graduated from Sam Houston State University works in Technology at a hospital, Joshua (27) who is a Radiologist and Captain in the Air Force, and Jessica (31) who followed her dreams to New York and works in a hospital. We also have our fur-baby, Lea Michele, who was a stray we adopted. She's part Chow and part German Shepherd and super lovable and huggable!

In my spare time, I am with my family. I enjoy reading, playing board games, listening to music, and watching movies and television shows.

I am honored and excited to serve as one of the early childhood school counselors at Menchaca Early Childhood Center. This is my 5th year as a school counselor. I am very passionate, and energetic, and feel it’s a privilege to do what I do every day. The social, emotional, and academic development of your child are my top priorities and I will always advocate for that.

Prior to joining MECC, I worked for Child Protective Services as an Investigator Specialist, Family-Based Safety Services Specialist, and Conservator Specialist. After working for CPS, I worked at UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, as a Youth Health Counselor. From these experiences, I decided to pursue a degree that would allow me to help children become more successful students, work with them to help them effectively deal with a variety of problems, and inspire them to do their personal best in their lives. I obtained my alternative teaching certificate from Region 20. I have worked at an early childhood center in Somerset ISD, taught Kindergarten and 1st grade for 13 years at Floresville ISD and Pleasanton ISD, and then worked as a School Counselor in San Antonio ISD, Floresville ISD, and here at Menchaca ECC in Southside ISD.

On a personal note, I was born and raised in Floresville, TX and currently reside in Floresville. I am married to my high school sweetheart, George, and we have two wonderful children, Ileana (18) and Esai (12), that keep my husband and I busy with all of their activities. Another huge piece of my life is our dog, a Shih Tzu, named Niko. He provides us with endless entertainment and cuddles. My favorite pastimes are watching movies, shopping, and spending time with friends and family. My family and I enjoy spending time at the beach and river.

I love being a school counselor and every day I feel thankful to have the opportunity to be working with students, teachers, the administrative team, and parents. My belief is to always encourage all students to strive to achieve their goals. Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

If you any questions, please feel free to reach out to our Early Childhood Counselors at:

celena.hernandez@southsideisd.org or melanie.morgan@southsideisd.org