Welcome to the official North Side Pyramid newsletter! Our goal is to share all the great things North Side Pyramid schools are doing as well as to share information about news and events to our community. We will share this newsletter every six weeks. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Alberto Herrera, Principal Pyramid Lead at alberto.herrera@fwisd.org. We hope you enjoy this newsletter!

Howdy from North Side High School! A lot is going on in our campus as usual! Here, our Varsity Mariachi ensemble competed in the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo Mariachí Invitational this past Saturday and took 2nd place! We are extremely proud of them and all their hard work.

Congratulations to Senior Dora Leija, who was a high point scorer with 16, Senior Jahtziri Valdez, who threw in her 12, and Sophomore Ti'yanna Johnson, who pulled down 18 rebounds! Nice job, ladies!

And finally, congratulations to North Side High School’s Teacher of the Year, Jennifer Tuff!

J.P. Elder Middle School Junior Corps of Cadets (JCC) take a team-building field trip to Cinemark!

Kirkpatrick MS goes all out with their Valentine's Day Pep Rally! And a special shout out to the Whiz Quiz 6th graders who made it to playoffs!

Dolores Huerta students are keeping it kind as they celebrated Kindness Week with the help of our wonderful counselor Ms. Rivera.. They also got to experience some music and culture from the Van Cliburn Foundation as a concert pianist graced our students with his talent! Students were very excited about our Van Cliburn performance this year. It was nice to hear and learn about our pianist that traveled all the way from Russia!

Dolores Huerta ES also celebrated Ms. Yolanda Chavez, their Campus Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Chavez is always willing to help others (administration, teachers, staff or students) when needed. She is quick to find solutions and has a growth mindset. She creates lesson that are engaging to students which translate to student achievement. Mrs. Chavez also builds meaningful relationships with students which is evident when her past students greet her. Mrs. Chavez also leads professional development on campus and is great leader. Congratulations, Ms. Chavez!

Incentives kept things cool at Manuel Jara! Our 3rd graders enjoy recognition, prizes, and a popsicle party to celebrate excellent attendance!

We are super excited to announce we have officially updated our school mascot! Our new Wildcat has officially entered 2022 with style. Check it out here on the right!

Operation Warm was a huge success thank you Mr. Ramos and Mrs. Cortez for supporting our awesome shoe event. Students were excited and proud to wear their new shoes.

Rufino Mendoza Student Council members used their leadership and math skills to plan and sell Valentine grams as part of building a campus culture of caring. They raised over $600 that they plan to use to support student initiatives! Nice job!

A lot is going on at Sam Rosen! Our students kicked off the Spring semester with goal setting. A 3rd grader in Mrs. Vargas' class shared his goals with his peers and with Mr. Herrera, his principal.

The 100th Day of School came Sam Rosen Kindergartners celebrated being 100 days smarter!

Our 2nd graders also got in on the action by dressing up as their favorite fairy tale character to act out their favorite fairy tale!

Sam Rosen would like to celebrate the 2021-2022 Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Shelly Minton! Mrs. Minton is dedicated to helping all of her students despite having a large class. She goes above and beyond to connect with each and every student and finds ways to challenge them academically as well as growing their social-emotional skills which the pandemic has hindered. Mrs. Minton strives to challenge her students and build relationships with them. We have all witnessed how she never gives up on her most challenging students. Mrs. Minton is also an excellent teammate. Her leadership and teamwork have helped create a strong third grade team with teammates who come from a different grade level. She is always willing to help and does so with a smile! She is always willing to share her knowledge and expertise with her team. Despite having a large class with several behavior issues, you can always see her with a smile. She is an excellent role model that deserves this recognition and is truly the definition of a Sam Rosen Eagle.

At W.J. Turner we have been recognizing our amazing employees! Here are the Staff and Teacher of the month for January and February. Our wonderful PTA showed appreciation to all our students for their growth in the MAP assessment for the middle of the year with freshly popped popcorn.

We also celebrated our fabulous Teacher of the Year, Ms. Kylie Krauss, our Music teacher!

Turner Tigers ROAR!

Washington Heights Elementary goes all out to celebrate Mrs. Weaver, our Teacher of the Year 🙂!

In today's world it is not surprising to see our children spending several hours on their devices and less time engaging person to person. Advancement in technology has created a world where we can learn and access information faster, but it can also hinder us in other ways. If we are not careful and find a healthy balance to social media and screen time use, our mental health and social relationships can be negatively impacted. Very similar to how we would approach a healthy diet, we also need to evaluate how much we are taking in, its affect on us and what changes are needed as a result. As parents, the key is modeling a healthy balance for the overall wellness of your family.

This weeks newsletter provides you tips and suggestions on approaching social media as a family.

Source: uclahealth.org/mattel

• Set limits on screen use, especially before bedtime.
• Limit your own screen time and model appropriate ways to cope with feelings.
• Emphasize the importance of personal interactions.
• Try to avoid completely banning social media, as this might isolate your child from peers and differing viewpoints.

Ask yourself:

• Are they using their device in secret or lying about device use?
• Are they isolating themselves from family, friends or activities they once enjoyed?
• Do they feel frustrated or upset when online?
• Do they compare themselves to others online and express feelings of inadequacy?

If so, it may be time to implement some resilience strategies and set boundaries around social media usage. If negative behaviors persist, or cause serious anxiety or physical or social problems, seek professional help.

It's important for children and teens to learn who they are and what is important to them - outside of social media. Parents should encourage their kids to think about what makes them happy and their goals and values. Communicate openly about their strengths, social connections and fears to help them feel more resilient in the face of online disappointments.

Email: alberto.herrera@fwisd.org
Website: www.fwisd.org
Location: Fort Worth, TX, USA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fortworthisd
Twitter: @FortWorthISD