Navigator Newsletter

STAAR TESTING WINDOW OPENS (3rd-5th grade)

Parents of 3rd-5th grade students,

STAAR testing is here! Your students and our teachers have been working hard to prepare, so please review the following information to help them make the most of testing day.

Note: these documents are also attached to this email as PDF files for easier viewing

CLOSED CAMPUS DURING STAAR TESTING--NO PARENT LUNCHES FRI. APRIL 28th

Parents,

During STAAR testing, we will need to be a "closed campus" April 25th-28th and May 2nd-3rd, to protect testing integrity. This means we will not be able not be able to accommodate parent lunch visits on Friday, April 28th; parent lunch visits can resume Fri. May 5th. Thank you for understanding!

Help Needed with Unexcused Absences

Parents,

It is important that your child has an accurate attendance record. As we approach the end of the school year, we request your help in clearing up any unexcused student absences in a timely manner. If your child has any absences from this 2022-2023 school year that you did not provide a reason for, or you are unsure, please contact our attendance clerk, Mrs. Karla Zelaya:

kzelayar@springisd.org

281-891-0001

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Padres,

Es muy importante que su hijo(a) tenga la adecuada informacion en el sistema referente a la asistencia escolar. Nos estamos acercando al final del año escolar y estamos pidiendo que nos ayuden a limpiar la ausencias de sus hijos lo más pronto posible. Si su hijo tiene cualquier ausencia que no ha sido notificada a la escuela para el año escolar 2022-2023 o no está seguro de las ausencias de su hijo puede contactar a la persona encargada de asistencia. Sra. Karla Zelaya:

kzelayar@springisd.org

281-891-0001

Shoe Drive Extended!

Our Shoe Drive fundraiser is such a success that PTO has decided to keep it rolling further into April! Please keep those new/gently-used shoes coming in to benefit those in need and raise money for the school. The grade level with the most donations will be rewarded. Drop-off boxes are in front of the Library.

Save the Date: Spring ISD Summer School Coming Soon

Parents/Guardians:

We are excited to be able to offer our Summer School program to qualified students, which will provide additional opportunities to explore, learn and excel from Pre-K to high school. The goal is to provide acceleration with just in time interventions to address learning loss.

The Summer School program will run from Tuesday, June 6 through Thursday, June 29. Please note that only families of students identified to participate will receive an email with a Summer School registration form and instructions on how to enroll.

Please note: Clark Elementary students will continue their Additional Days School Year (ADSY) instructional calendar through June 30, 2023 and as such will not participate in additional Summer School days.

Summer School Enrollment Qualifications

Pre-K/Kindergarten EB students
Promotion/Retention (Grades 1-8) and Skills-Based Deficits (Pre-K and Kindergarten)
Attendance
Skills-Based Deficits Grades 3-8 (Reading, Math)
High School End-of-Course Retesters (EOC)
High School Credit Recovery - Students recovering additional credits to graduate
Momentum HS

Additional Spring ISD Summer Programs will also be offered, including 21st Century, Extended School Year Services (ESY) for special education students, Gifted & Talented, and Multilingual Bridge Newcomer Camps for incoming 6th & 9th graders.

More information, including Summer School hub sites, schedules and transportation details, will be provided in the upcoming weeks. If you have any specific questions about your student, please reach out to your principal.

SPANISH

Guarde la fecha: Escuela de verano de Spring ISD próximamente

Padres/tutores:

Estamos emocionados de poder ofrecer nuestro programa de Escuela de Verano a estudiantes calificados, lo que brindará oportunidades adicionales para explorar, aprender y sobresalir desde Pre-K hasta la escuela secundaria. El objetivo es proporcionar aceleración con intervenciones justo a tiempo para abordar la pérdida de aprendizaje.

El programa de la Escuela de Verano se llevará a cabo desde el martes 6 de junio hasta el jueves 29 de junio. Tenga en cuenta que solo las familias de los estudiantes identificados para participar recibirán un correo electrónico con un formulario de inscripción para la Escuela de Verano e instrucciones sobre cómo inscribirse.

Tenga en cuenta: Los estudiantes de Clark Elementary continuarán con su calendario de instrucción de Días adicionales del año escolar (ADSY) hasta el 30 de junio de 2023 y, como tal, no participarán en días adicionales de escuela de verano.

Requisitos para la inscripción en la escuela de verano

Estudiantes de Pre-K/Kindergarten
Promoción/Retención (Grados 1-8) y Déficits Basados en Habilidades (Pre-K y Kindergarten)
Asistencia
Déficits Basados en Habilidades Grados 3-8 (Lectura, Matemáticas)
Estudiantes que necesiten repetir la prueba de fin de curso (EOC) de la escuela secundaria
Recuperación de créditos de la escuela secundaria: estudiantes que recuperan créditos adicionales para graduarse
Momentum HS

También se ofrecerán programas de verano adicionales de Spring ISD, incluidos 21st Century, Servicios de año escolar extendido (ESY) para estudiantes de educación especial, Dotados y Talentosos, y campamentos Multilingües Newcomer para estudiantes de sexto y noveno grado entrantes.

En las próximas semanas se proporcionará más información, incluidos los sitios centrales de la escuela de verano, los horarios y los detalles del transporte. Si tiene alguna pregunta específica sobre su estudiante, comuníquese con su director.

Asian American Pacific Islander Contest

Spring ISDs First Annual Contest for Asian/ Pacific Islander American Heritage Month to recognize and encourage writing and oratory skills in students. The projects will be judged digitally and then the 1st place winners will be able to discuss their projects before the board meeting in June. Our theme this year is Leadership Impacts Individuals and Our Community, and the project provides an opportunity to spotlight student research, effort, and what they have learned. Any interested students/families can contact Mr. Matthews: jmatth1@springisd.org

POLICIES FOR FRIDAY PARENT/STUDENT LUNCHES

We love seeing our families enjoy lunch together on Fridays! Please keep these policies in mind:

-Only 2 adults per student are allowed to attend due to space limitations

-If bringing food, provide food for your student only--other students may have allergies or other health issues

-For safety reasons, please do not remain outside the cafeteria and view students playing at recess; visiting parents are checked into our system for a 30-minute period, and should head back to the front desk to check out once lunch is over. We appreciate your support!

Friday Parent Visit Lunch Schedule:

Pre-K & Kinder - 10-10:30am

1st grade - 10:35-11:05am

2nd grade - 11:10-11:40am

3rd grade - 11:45am-12:15pm

4th grade - 12:20-12:50pm

5th grade - 12:55-1:25pm

2023-2024 School Year Spring ISD School Start Times

The district has released official school schedules for the next school year (see below).

Northgate Crossing students should arrive between 7:35 (doors open) and 8am (tardy bell) to enjoy breakfast and start class on time. Students entering after 8:05 are considered late and must check in at the front office.

At dismissal, all students must be picked up no later than 3:45pm.

BEHAVIORAL TEAMWORK

Parents,

As we enter these final important months of the academic year, we ask for your help in working as a team with our faculty to keep students focused on learning and staying positive. Our teachers are vigilant in classroom management, creating engaging lessons, and fostering a welcoming classroom culture to protect the learning of all students, but home support and family interventions can be even more impactful.

At Northgate Crossing Elementary we strive for authentic learning, showing students how these fundamental educational building blocks are opening doors to their future. When some students are more focused on gossip, sowing discord, "roasting" each other, disrespecting substitute teachers, vandalizing school property, etc., the distraction harms all of our students' future opportunities.

We're always so impressed by how supportive all of our Navigator parents are, and we appreciate that support now in helping keep students on the right track to finish the year strong!

DRESS CODE REMINDER

Parents,

We are seeing many students come to school with shorts and skirts that are too short. This clothing must at least reach the student's fingertips when their arms are hanging down, per district policy. We appreciate your support.

LOST-AND-FOUND REMINDER

Parents,

We have many lost items (jackets, lunchboxes, etc.) in our cafeteria lost-and-found area that will be donated at the end of the semester if not claimed. Please encourage your students to look for any of their lost items. If you visit your student for lunch on a Friday, this is a good opportunity to take a look for any missing items. Please reach out to your student's teacher to help facilitate if needed.

SCHEDULING MEETINGS

Parents,

It is important for us to communicate with you, but we unfortunately cannot always accommodate "walk-in" meeting requests. If you would like to meet with any principals, administrators, teachers, the counselor, other staff, etc., please make sure to contact us in advance to schedule a meeting so that we can best serve you. Thank you for understanding.

ATTENDANCE REMINDER

Regular school attendance is essential for students to earn the full value of his or her education. Daily attendance allows students the benefit of: teacher-led instruction, peer discussion, building each day’s learning on the previous day’s learning, participating in school activities, and growing as individuals. Absences may result in serious disruption of a student’s mastery of instruction; therefore, we ask that parents make every effort to avoid unnecessary student absences.

Students are required by state law to be in attendance for at least 90 percent of the days a class is offered in order to receive credit for the classes in which they are enrolled. If a student accumulates a sufficient number of unexcused absences, that student can be denied credit for that semester.

At Northgate Elementary, we're always on a quest to be the best and have set a 98% attendance goal for our students. We appreciate our Navigator families doing their best to help us reach this goal and ensure a stable learning environment for our little Navigators. Thank you for your support!

SAFETY/TRANSPORTATION REMINDERS

Parents/families walking into the school: for your safety, please make sure to use the crosswalk leading up to our front entrance instead of cutting across the parking lot.
Car rider parents, please do not stop your vehicle at a crosswalk. Also, please follow staff instructions on how far to pull up along the curb. Finally, please do not drop off your student in the parking lot; we understand your time valuable but it is important for safety that you join the car line and drop them off properly.
Please remember that bus drivers cannot release Pre-K and Kindergarten students at a stop without visually confirming that a guardian is present.
If bus riders of any grade do not make it off the bus at their stop for any reason, the bus driver will bring them directly back to school when they finish their route, and the student will need to be picked up by a family member.
Arrival time for students is 7:35am-8am, after which students are tardy and must check in with the front desk. Breakfast is served in classrooms from 7:35-8:05am.

Spring ISD Board of Trustees approves 2023-24 instructional calendar

Spring ISD Board of Trustees approved a 2023-24 Instructional Calendar at its regular meeting Tuesday night. The approved calendar — Option A — will have students starting classes on Aug. 10, 2023, and finishing school on May 31, 2024.

The approved calendar was one of two options presented to staff and the community for input in a survey that drew feedback from more than 7,500 people — a 146% increase in participation in comparison to last year. Both options were similar except for the start and end dates to the school year and a new weeklong district Fall Break.

Specifically, under the approved calendar, the Winter Break will begin for students after an early release half-day of instruction on Dec. 15 and end with them returning to school on Thursday, Jan. 4. Spring break will start on March 11, with classes resuming on Monday, March 18.

Both calendar options prioritized maximizing student instruction — including two additional early release days on Dec. 14 and May 30 for high school students only, to support final exams. Throughout the year, students will have no classes on Nov. 6-7 and Feb.15-16 to allow full days for both teacher professional development and parent conferences in the district.

The Spring ISD Advisory Committee on Education (ACE), which includes staff and teachers, offered input and guidance before the two calendar proposals were presented to the public in the community survey. Both options met all state requirements for instructional time, including 174 days with 440 instructional daily minutes to build in make-up days if necessary.

The 2023-24 Instructional Calendar, as well as the current school year’s calendar, are located at www.springisd.org/calendars.

PARENT GUIDE TO RAISING DIGITALLY RESPONSIBLE YOUTH

Many of our students are exposed to inappropriate and even harmful content on the web and social media outside of school. We encourage parents to view this guide for raising digitally responsible youth to help protect your student and help them make good choices:

https://www.springisd.org/cms/lib/TX01918331/Centricity/Domain/71/Raising-Digitally-Responsible-Youth-A-Texas-Parent-Guide-2021.pdf