JNE'S Friday Newsletter
Friday, April 5th
JNE's Weekly Campus Update
Dear JNE Parents and Guardians,
We want to thank our first grade students for putting on a wonderful performance today! Congratulations to Ms. Barrera and Ms. Waites for putting on another excellent performance with our Longhorns.
This week was paraprofessional appreciation day as well as Librarian Appreciation day. JNE has wonderful paraprofessionals that support our Longhorns each and every day. We also want to thank Ms. O'Brien for all that she does to keep our Longhorns reading and learning! Thank you for giving your best to our Longhorns!
Recently an email from K12 Insight should have arrived in your inbox with the Fort Bend ISD Culture & Climate Survey. The purpose of the survey is to hear your thoughts and insights regarding our campus. FBISD encourages all community members to take a few minutes to complete this survey which will be open from March 21 – April 8.
We recognize that fasting practices occur throughout the calendar year, but that many observances in which individuals fast occur in the spring. As a school community we are sensitive to and accommodate students and staff observers who express they are fasting. If your family would like the campus to be aware of your student's wish to fast, please send an email to your child's classroom teacher so that we can be aware of any needs that may occur during an observance.
New Student Registration for this upcoming school year opens this Friday, March 1, at midnight. Pre-registration for tuition-free Pre-Kindergarten and registration for Kindergarten to 12th grade will open online at www.fortbendisd.com/newstudent. To learn more about FBISD’s New Student Registration process, please visit www.fortbendisd.com/newstudent.
Fort Bend ISD is hiring for all positions and job roles! Register today for the 2024 District-wide Hiring Event, which will be held April 6 at Travis High School from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Learn more and register at www.fortbendisd.com/careers.
Upcoming Events
Saturday, April 6th- FBISD Job Fair at Travis High School (9am-12pm)
Thursday, April 11th- Kindergarten Field trip
Friday, April 12th- PTO Evening Event: BINGO and Silent Auction
Monday, April 15th- 5th Grade Reading STAAR
Tuesday, April 16th- 4th Grade Reading STAAR
Wednesday, April 17th- 3rd Grade Reading STAAR
Thursday, April 18th- 5th Grade Science STAAR
Please review our April student calendar, for additional upcoming student activities, posted below.
Items in our Newsletter Include:
- DreamBox: Growing Students in their Math Skills
- Campus Flyers
- Lunch Visitors
- Campus Reminders
- Attendance Information
- 2023-2024 Health and Safety Protocols
- Link to FBISD 2023-2024 Webpage
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
The JNE Admin Team
Campus Flyers
Field Day is One Month Away!
Please click the link to submit your student’s lunch order before April 15th.
Jeremiah’s Italian Ice will be providing a sweet treat during field day! Be sure to select your child’s favorite flavor. https://forms.office.com/r/GyjXGrdY9d
Field Day T-Shirts will be on sale until April 7th. All sales will be final at this time.
Please click the link to order a shirt for your student!
When ordering, click “Add Student”, rather than “Add To Cart”. This will allow you to see your cart.
Shirts will be delivered to school, and sent home with your student the week of field day.
Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC)
Campus representatives for the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC) are needed for the 2024-2025 school year. SEPAC is a support network where parents can ask questions, meet other parents on the special education journey, and learn about relevant issues in the state and district that pertain to educating students with disabilities. To inquire about being a SEPAC representative, please complete the SEPAC Application Form 2024-2025.
Join the SEPAC meeting on Wednesday, May 15 @ 6pm to learn more and meet other special education parents in FBISD.
Neill Elementary Looking Ahead to 2024-2025: Parent Input about Your Child's Education
Dear parents of incoming kindergarten students and current K-4th graders,
As we approach the end of this academic year, planning is already underway for next year. One of the most important tasks in preparing for the next school year is creating an effective learning environment for every child. This requires a great amount of time and thoughtful consideration of each child’s individual needs. We are committed to creating well-balanced groups that are, by intention, designed to ensure the success of every child.
Our process for creating classes each year involves the grade level and special program teachers, our counselors and specialists, and the campus principals. In addition, we encourage parents to provide a special “lens” into their child’s learning needs. Although completing this form is not a requirement, we appreciate your input.
Please complete this survey (one per student) to share your thoughts regarding your child's academic strengths and areas for growth, as well as any social, emotional, or physical needs that you believe will help in creating a successful year of learning. Although it is not feasible to meet with parents to discuss class placements, all information shared will be reviewed and considered when formulating class lists. Class assignments will be sent by email prior to our Meet and Greet just before school starts in August.
Special Note: Requests including specific teachers or placement with specific students will not be considered.
We look forward to partnering with our families to promote a healthy and productive learning environment for every Longhorn student!
Please submit ONE FORM PER CHILD. No response needed for current 5th grade students.
Deadline to submit form: Friday, April 26th, 2024 (or within 3 days of enrollment).
JNE is excited to announce that our annual Multicultural Festival will be on Thursday, April 25th. We have opportunities for families and students to participate in the event. Please us the included links to sign up a student to participate in our fashion parade. Also, we are seeking families to host a booth that will represent their culture and customs. We look forward to another great event in partnership with our community!
Spring 2024 Fundraiser Cheatsheet
Our fundraiser cheat sheet offers detailed insights into our upcoming fundraising events, and where your contributions will support James C. Neill Elementary School, our PTO, or our community. Please take a moment to review our flyer to determine if you are interested in supporting one of the upcoming events.
Student Activity Calendar
Film Fest Competition and Awards Night
The submission window for the annual FBISD Film Fest is now open! The Fort Bend ISD Film Festival competition is an annual enrichment opportunity which celebrates and showcases the creative talents of our students, fostering a passion of storytelling through a variety of digital media. Elementary and Secondary students may compete by submitting their original work no later than March 1, 2024. The top submissions in each category will be recognized at the Film Fest Awards Night on Thursday, April 11, 2024 at Rodger’s Auditorium. A full list of categories and rules can be located on the FBISD Film Fest Website.
JNE PTO Weekly Updates
Family BINGO Night and Silent Auction hosted by the JNE PTO
Friday April 12, 2024!.. You still have time to reserve your spot at the FREE FAMILY BINGO NIGHT and Silent Auction Showcase . RSVP by Tues. April 9 to guarantee you and your family will receive a (free) reusable BINGO card as well as gives you the option to pre-purchase dinner options from Crust Pizza https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/89e9195e-4b8c-4308-80e5-1cbad79cfd77
There will also be a live raffle (featuring items like a Nintendo Switch and the much coveted 40oz Stanley Cup tumbler), presale raffle tickets can be purchased here
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/6e1c8041-3fa9-480d-8844-b5eabb1ffda9
The Silent Auction website will open for bidding at 12 pm this Sunday April 7th, and online until Friday April 12th at 7 pm. You can view all items and continue your bidding at the in-person showcase on Friday evening where you can then take your items home with you!
The nomination window is now open for the 2024/25 Neill PTO Executive Board. If you’re looking for an opportunity to help lead the PTO next year, you can use this form to nominate yourself or someone else in the Neill community! Please see attached flyer for additional details.
PTO Website
Your two free Custom Pages - Only TWO DAYS Left
Due April 7th
JNE Spirit Wear-- NOW IN HERD COLORS!
The Neill PTO On-Demand Spirit Wear store is open with all HERD colors are represented! Ships direct to your home (shop in bulk or join efforts with a friend to earn free shipping over $75) https://spirithero.com/collections/neill-1
Campus Reminders
Arrival Reminders
Our arrival line is longest between 7:45-8:10am. We invite families to take advantage of a shorter line by delivering their student to school between 7:30 and 7:45am.
Lunch Visitor Sign Up
Lunch Visitors
Neill Elementary School will be inviting parent to join their children for lunch. Only one guest per student will be allowed into the cafeteria. We strongly encourage parents to sign up only one time per week if space allows.
Due to space constraints with large grade level enrollment, as well as to ensure the safety and security of all students, staff and visitors, we will ask that lunch guest sign up to join us ahead of time. Each week in our Friday Newsletter, we will post the link to a sign up genius for the upcoming week.
Link to JNE's Lunch Visitor Sign Up Genius
On Monday, April 8th, JNE student lunch schedules are changing so that the solar eclipse can be viewed. We will not host lunch visitors on this day. On Thursday, April 11th, Kindergarten will be on a field trip and will not have lunch visitors this day.
JNE will not be able to host lunch visitors starting April 15th through April 26th as the campus will be hosting state STAAR Assessments each day. Due to changes in schedules, as well as test secure materials being present on campus, JNE will not host visitors during these weeks.
Please remember to bring a photo id with you to campus as this is required to be signed in to campus as a visitor.
We thank you for supporting us as our current practice is set in the interest of safety and fairness to everyone who would like to enjoy lunch with their child.
District Diversity Calendar & Days of Fasting
Fort Bend ISD is happy to serve a community with families from all around the world. We are proud to be culturally diverse and celebrate our unique traits as a community of compassionate citizens.
We recognize that fasting practices occur throughout the calendar year, but that many observances in which individuals fast occur in the spring. As a school community we are sensitive to and accommodate students and staff observers who express they are fasting.
Link to FBISD Diversity Calendar Webpage
If your family would like the campus to be aware of your student's wish to fast, please send an email to your child's classroom teacher so that we can be aware of any needs that may occur during an observance. Our partnership with our school community is important to us and we thank our families for their communication with the campus regarding special occasions and observances that may impact the instructional day.
JNE Reminders for First Time Lunch Guests
- Lunchtime guests will be signed in to visit in the cafeteria only.
- Please be on time for lunch so that you and your student are able to enjoy the full lunch time together. Thank you for exiting the building through the front doors at the end of lunch.
- Guests can only join a student for lunch if they are an approved emergency contact in Skyward Family Access.
- Guest must have a photo ID to be allowed onto campus.
- Visitors may only bring food for their child.
- Families who need an allergy-free seat during lunch may leave a note in the comment section of the sign-up genius.
- Please exit the cafeteria at our 5-minute remaining mark to help us prepare for our next lunch and to allow students time to rejoin their class and prepare to return to their classroom.
- We will not be able to host lunch visitors during state testing or special events on campus.
Clinic Reminders
Clothing reminders:
- We kindly ask that all families place a change of clothes for ALL students, as well as extra shoes for little ones– soiled, torn, accidents, spills etc. happen to everyone.
- Please consider to donating gently used black girls stretch pants in various sizes especially larger;
- Please consider to donating some gently used ELASTIC waist boy gym shorts and sweat pants (now that it is winter) in larger sizes
Health Reminders:
- If your child is ill – keep them home.
- Parents please medicate or treat for allergy symptoms at home.
Contact Reminders:
- Please make sure the clinic has the most up-to-date contact information for parents, guardians and emergency contacts.
- Please add the clinic phone number to your contact list so urgent phone calls do not come up as SPAM – 281-327-3768.
Birthday Treats
Students will be allowed to celebrate their birthday at the end of the day, by bringing individually packaged store-bought food products, provided by the parent or grandparent. Treats may be distributed to classmates on or near (i.e. bring treats on Monday when the birthdate was on a weekend) the student’s birthdate.
Prior to sending any treats, we ask that you contact your child’s teacher to discuss the date you will send treats. The nutritional label must be attached to your store-bought item. A parent or guardian must bring them into the building and fill out the proper form which is submitted to FBISD’s Child Nutrition office.
Parents or grandparents of a student at Neill may provide one birthday treat per child to share with the student’s homeroom class only. This may be in the form of ONE individually wrapped edible or ONE small tangible item (such as a pencil) with the value of the individual item not to exceed $5.00.
We require single serving items, which must be pre-packaged and individually wrapped, such as mini- cupcakes, cookies, brownies, or Krispy treats.
We respectfully request no cakes, drinks, balloons, flowers, donuts, stuffed animals, or goody bags. To preserve instructional time, additional party favors ARE NOT permitted. Birthday treat time is not a “party” but a simple, quick recognition of the child’s special day.
Please keep in mind that we have several students with food allergies. For this reason, products containing peanuts or manufactured on equipment that processes peanuts are prohibited. No nuts please, due to allergies.
For students with a birthday on February 14th, who want to bring a treat for their birthday, we ask that you consider bringing the cupcake or item on Tuesday, February 13th or Thursday, February 15th.
Attendance Information
Neill Elementary Parking Lot is a Hands- Free Zone as per Texas Transportation Code 545.425
FBISD Health and Safety Protocols
FBISD Health and Safety Protocols & How to Report Testing Positive for COVID-19
The health & safety of students, teachers, and staff is the District’s foremost priority. Students and staff should stay home when sick and if they do test positive for COVID-19 self-report using the FBISD Wellness Screener. Individuals can return to school/work once they meet the following requirements: five days have passed since the start of symptoms (if no symptoms, five days after testing positive), improvement of symptoms, and the individual has been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.
Link: FBISD Health & Safety Protocols Webpage; FBISD Wellness Screener
FBISD Whole Child Health
Drug Take Back – April 27th
he Fort Bend ISD will host a collection site for the DEA Drug Takeback on April 27th, 2024, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm in the administration building parking lot. This event provides a safe, convenient, and responsible opportunity to drop off unused or outdated prescription medications. The event flyer is attached.
Updates from Fort Bend Education Foundation
James C. Neill Elementary School
Email: margaret.murphy@fortbendisd.com
Website: https://www.fortbendisd.com/jne
Location: 3830 Harvest Corner Drive, Richmond, TX, USA
Phone: 281-327-3760
Twitter: @JNE_Longhorns