We have made it through the first 3 weeks! Thank you for being so patient with us and the renovations that have taken place. Everything is finally all coming together and the buildings look great.

Please take a moment to fill out this quick interest survey for a school t-shirt.

I hope you all have accepted your invite to ClassDojo. You will see teachers posting what is going on in their classes there. To help promote and reinforce positive characteristics that we value here at Nolan Creek. We have shared ClassDojo & BragTags with the students. ClassDojo has created a schoolwide system which is new this year. This allows any staff member the ability to award points to any student and or class for positive behaviors. This week every student got their "Welcome to school" Brag tag.

Canvas is our learning management system. This is where you will find lesson plans for all grades and assignments & grades for second to seventh grade students. If you need any help with connecting to Canvas, please look to our website first for instructions under our parent tab, but if you are still having difficulty please do not hesitate to reach out us.

I encourage you to become active members of the PTA. They are an amazing group that does a lot for the students. Last year they paid for some of our fieldtrips and our entire field day to include shirts for the students and staff. Though our Horned Frog family is small we are mighty.

If you have not completed the volunteer application online and would like to volunteer on campus or help out with fieldtrips I encourage you to do so.

Thank you for a wonderful start to the year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Wendy Gamble

Principal

Parents and families are essential partners in promoting good attendance because they have the bottom-line responsibility for making sure their children get to school every day. Just as parents should focus on how their children are performing academically, they have a responsibility to set expectations for good attendance

and to monitor their children’s absences, so that missed days don’t add up to academic trouble. This Parent Handout (Spanish) outlines strategies including:

• Make getting students to school on time every day a top priority.
• Alert schools and community agencies to barriers that keep kids from attending class.
• Ask for and monitor data on chronic absence.
• Demand action to address systemic barriers that may be causing large numbers of students to miss too much school.

https://awareness.attendanceworks.org/

Here are some ways parents can help their children with organization:

• 1. Break tasks into chunks.

  Help kids break school projects or household chores into smaller, more manageable steps. This will show them that each project has a beginning, middle, and end, which can make projects feel less overwhelming. For example, if your child’s nightly chore is to clear the table, explain: First, scrape any food scraps into the garbage. Then load the dishes into the dishwasher. Then wipe the counters.

  2. Make checklists and to-do lists.

  Once kids know all the steps involved with a particular task, help them add it to an overall to-do list. Include regular homework and chores on the list. Encourage kids to keep the list in a place where they’ll see it often and can check off accomplishments as they go. Some kids might create their list using a smartphone app. Others may write it on a dry-erase board in their bedroom or print out a list to carry around throughout the day.

  3. Teach calendar and time management skills.

  Encourage kids to write down important tasks on a calendar (digital or paper). Then help them estimate how much time each task will take. After they complete a task, ask whether the time estimate was accurate or not. If needed, suggest adjustments for next time. It may also help to have kids write the due date directly on school assignments.

  4. Establish daily routines.

  Creating a regular schedule can help kids learn what to expect throughout the day. Use picture schedules, clocks, and other time management strategies.

  5. Introduce idea organizers.

  Show kids how to use outlines, graphic organizers, or concept webs to organize ideas for school projects. Encourage them to take class notes in two columns, using a narrow column on the left for main ideas or questions and a wide column on the right for all the details. Later, when they’re studying for a test, they can look at what’s in the narrow column to review the big ideas and see if they can remember the details.

  6. Use color-coding.

  Assign colors to each school subject. For example, green folders and notebooks may be for English and blue for math. Use brightly colored pocket folders for items that need to be signed and returned. Suggest using pens of different colors to help kids shift from the role of writer to the role of self-checker and editor.

  7. Create fun memory aids.

  Show kids how to create their own silly sentences, songs, acronyms, or cartoons to remember information. (One popular mnemonic, “Never Eat Soggy Waffles,” helps kids remember north, east, south, and west.) They can use these memory aids for anything from preparing for an exam to recalling a locker combination.

  8. Create an organized work space.

  Set aside spaces at home where each child can work without interruption. It might work best if this is somewhere near you for times when they need your assistance. Keep school supplies and technology such as calculators, tablets, or laptops nearby.

  9. Do regular backpack audits.

  Your child’s backpack is a crucial link between home and school, so it’s important to keep it neat. Schedule a time each week for kids to clean out and organize the backpack.

  10. Help kids think ahead.

  Before bedtime, sit down together to review plans for the next day. This can make kids feel more secure. Together you can plan how to handle things if a change comes up in the schedule.

Wright, L. W. (n.d.). 10 tips to help get your child organized. Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/10-tips-to-help-get-your-child-organized

2 Labor Day-No School

• Hydrocephalus Awareness Month

4 College/Military Shirts

6 Semester 1 Pizza Fri Forms DUE & Spirit Shirts

8 Grandparents Day

11 College/Military Shirts

• 9/11 Remembrance & Texas 1st Responders Day

13 No Pizza-Spirit Shirts & Progress Reports (½ through 1st 9 Weeks)

17 Picture Day & PTA Meeting 5:30pm K/1 Performance

18 College/Military Shirts

19 PTA Fundraiser BJ’s Restaurant 11A-11P Code: SEP145

20 First Pizza Friday & Spirit Shirts

25 College/Military Shirts

27 Pizza Friday & Spirit Shirts

• American Indian Heritage Day

https://orenda.teams.hosting/selfserve/EntryPointHomeAction.do?parent=true

If your child is out sick, please either email or send a note in with your child upon their return but no later than 5 days after the absence. . In this email or note, please state that your child was out due to illness. If you do not specify that it was due to illness, the absence can not be excused. Three parent notes are allowed per semester (August to December & January to May).

Of course there are other reasons your child may be absence, if you have any questions please speak to Ms. Jamielyn.

If you and your child(ren) arrive after 7:40am, please walk you child up and sign them in at the front desk.

We are the beginning of our school year and it has been hot. We have had students out of dress code. I covered our dress code policy with our students on Tuesday September 3, 2024. Below is our policy:

Nolan Creek School students are expected to dress in a manner that conveys respect for their learning community and communicates a message of personal confidence and pride. The following specific guidelines must be adhered to:

Students may NOT wear:

• Clothing or conspicuously displayed jewelry or accessories with inappropriate advertising or statements that are offensive or inflammatory are prohibited. This prohibition includes, but is not limited to, alcoholic beverages, profanity, sex, tobacco, drugs, gangs, guns and other weapons, excessively violent or gory imagery, and the promotion of violence.

• Any pajama-type pants or tops, or other sleeping attire, including onesies.

• Any form of flip flops, slippers or “house shoes.”

• Yoga pants, athletic pants, tights without covering them with appropriate dress code shorts, shirt, or skirt.

• Large chains, such as those attached to wallets.

• Jeans or any pants that have tears or holes larger than one inch. NO holes or tears may be above the knee.

• Any clothing, jewelry, or other item that is gang related or shows affiliation with any other inappropriate organization.

• Hair must be neat and clean. Nolan Creek School does not discriminate against a hair texture or protective hairstyle commonly or historically associated with race. The term “protective hairstyle” includes braids, locks, and twists. Unconventional hairstyles that are considered to be distracting and/or disruptive to the educational environment are prohibited. For further clarification on what is unconventional, please consult with the campus administration.

• No masks or “costume like” attire (tails, paws, ears, etc.).

• Visible tattoos and similar body painting(s) that promote violence or reflect gang activity are prohibited. Visible tattoos and similar body painting(s) that are considered offensive, inflammatory or disruptive to the learning environment are prohibited. This prohibition includes, but is not limited to, inappropriate advertising or statements that are offensive or inflammatory alcoholic beverages, profanity, sex, tobacco, drugs, gangs, guns and other weapons, excessively violent or gory imagery, and the promotion of violence.

• Skirts and shorts must reach at least two inches above the knee.

• Halter tops, exposed midriffs, strapless and/or low cut tops that expose breasts or cleavage, exposed backs, spaghetti straps and see-through clothing are not permitted.

• Shirts may not expose midriffs.

• Undergarments must not be able to be seen through clothing.

• Any sleeveless tops must have straps that are at least two inches wide. Oversized armholes/jersey-type tanks are not permitted without a sleeved undershirt.

• Clothing may not be too tight or revealing.

• Pants must be worn at the waist and secured with a belt, if needed.

• Appropriate undergarments must be worn at all times, and may not be visible or exposed.

While it is inevitable that there will be differences of opinion as to the appropriateness of dress, grooming, and/or determining whether or not a student’s attire is disruptive or distracting to the educational environment of the School, the final determination will be made by the Principal. Any student who does not comply with the dress code will be removed from the regular school setting until the student complies with this code.

September 17 – Kinder-1st Performance

November 12 t– 2nd -3rd Performance

February 4 – 4th -5th Performance

April 15 – 6th -7th Performance

May 13 – Special Performance

Here are your PTA representatives.

President: Ashley Phillips

Vice President: Open

Treasurer: Nick Guajardo

Secretary: Kimberly Beshansky

Contact: nolancreek.pta@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NolanCreekSchoolPTA/

PTA Membership: joinpta.org (District: Public Charter/Private, School: Nolan Creek School)