Tejeda News
March 25, 2024
Dear Tejeda Timberwolves,
This week in the Den, we wrapped up the week with a phenomenal dance for our students. There were approximately 300 students in attendance. A special thank you goes out to Student Council Sponsors, Mindy Waters, Margaret Kaysa and Sabrina Gatison. We are grateful for our amazing staff and parent volunteers who chaperoned the school dance to allow our T-Wolves to dance the night away with friends. Our T-Wolves did a great job in dancing through the decades!
Thank you to the following parents & staff who volunteered their time to chaperone:
Crystal Beck
Karen Berlanga
Kelly Black
Nancy Cheak-Zamora
Candy Dodge
Jennifer Easley
Wendy Irwin Feeney
Abby Gutierrez
Jenny Heintz
Karla Langer
Melissa Ling
Meredith Munn
Amy Salisbury
Gresly Sanchez
Mandy Subia
Daniel Allen
Martin Arevalo
Dave Cope
Kaley Davis
Melinda DeLeon
Michael Gonzalez
Ashley Guenther
Dee Dee Luther
Karen Martinez
Stacey Mitchell
Amy Oxley
Brandy Paulino
Mark Purnell
Sara Stolhandske
Jesus Torres
Wendy Vadachkoria
Christopher Vasquez
Michele White
We are expanding the Principal’s Leaders of the P.A.C.K. to include interested parents and guardians. Together we will learn how T-Wolves participating in this group are acquiring leadership skills to identify areas for improvement at our school. Together with PTA, we are expanding upon this concept to increase parent/guardian voice at our school. Through this unique opportunity we intend to build trust and solidify connections within the community. If you are interested, please review next week’s smore and participate in a Google Form to collect feedback. We will review the data at our first Parent/Guardian Voice PTA Meeting on April 9th at 5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. in the library. Please save the date and join us as we work together for our T-Wolves!
The T-Wolf 7th and 8th grade Track Teams competed in the Large Zone meet on March 20th. The 7th grade Boys finished 4th place overall while the 8th grade Boys finished 2nd place overall. The District Meet of Champs will be held next Wednesday, March 27th at Heroes Stadium, where they will compete for the top spot in their event of all NEISD middle schools. The top 4 of from each event out of the Large and Small zones compete in the Meet of Champs. Here is the list of their accomplishments:
In 7th grade:
100m- James Morris, 4th place
4x100m Relay-James Morris, Michael Sloan, Thomas Jensen, Jayden Taylor. 2nd place
4x200m Relay-Michael Sloan, Jayden Taylor, Ryan De Alejandro, Brett Williams, 3nd place
4x400m Relay-James Morris, Michael Sloan, Ryan De Alejandro, Brett Williams, 2nd place
Shot Put-Noah Berlanga, 1st place…Thomas Jensen, 4th place
High Jump-Noah Berlanga, 3rd place
Pole Vault-Kensington Lum, 2nd place
In 8th grade:
100m-Jayden Lacy, 3rd place
200m-Jayden Lacy, 4th place
1600m-Brett Packard, 2nd place
100m Hurdles-Josh Hunt, 4th place
300m Hurdles-Josh Hunt, 4h place
4x200m Relay-Austin Richie, Caden Blair, Daniel Gonzalez-Salazar, Jeremiah Boykins, 3rd place
4x400m Relay-Quentin Padilla, Austin Richie, Caden Blair, Jeremiah Boykins, 2nd place
Long Jump-Austin Richie, 1st place
Shot Put-Zayden Peden, 1st place—Austin Patino, 2nd place
Discus-Zayden Peden, 1st place and new school record with a 144’11” throw
High Jump-Quentin Padilla, 1st place
The Lady T-wolves competed in the Large Zone Track Meet on March 20th at Heroes Stadium. 7th Grade girls finished 6th place in the meet and 8th grade girls finished 4th place in the meet. The girls that qualified for the Meet of Champs which is on Wednesday, March 27th are listed below. We are very proud of all the athletes’ hard work this season.
Here are the results:
Meet of Champs Qualifiers: 14 girls Total
7th Grade- Lily Viera – 3rd place Discus – 62’3”
8th Grade Qualifers:
Avery Hale – 200 m dash, 2nd place 28.852 and Pole Vault, 2nd place 7’6”
Ashley Thompson- 400m dash, 4th place 1:07.435 and 4x400 relay 4th place
Adeline Mekeres – 800m run 3rd place, 2:42.702
Gillian Schroder – 1600m run 3rd place, 6:05.226
Hadley Lamar – 100m hurdles 4th place, 18.629
Sofia Thompson- 4 x 200 relay and 4x400 relay
Amelia deCamara- 4x200 relay
Sophia Tavarez- 4 x 200 relay
Ava Colson- 4 x 200 relay
Mia Guzman- 4x400 relay
Alyssa Gonzales- 4 x 400 relay
Peja Graves- 3rd place Discus, 73’4 1/2”
Emily Pilgrim – 1st place Pole Vault
As you may already know, there is an exciting event on April 8th since Tejeda Middle School will be in the path of totality for the upcoming eclipse. Thank you to Tejeda PTA for purchasing a pair of Solar Viewing Glasses for every student. Beginning next week, students will be provided instructions during their science classes for a safe solar eclipse experience. Since this is a once in a lifetime event and learning opportunity, we are kindly requesting permission from every parent/guardian to take students outside to experience the total eclipse. If you do not wish for your child to participate, please do not return the permission slip. Students not viewing the total eclipse will gather in a supervised indoor location. Please email your student’s science teacher if you have any questions.
If you need anything, please do not hesitate to contact me at 210-356-5600 or reach out to any member of my leadership team. I have included my team’s email addresses and office phone numbers in the information below in this newsletter. Please look out for the next smore on Saturday, March 30th.
Thank you for your time and I appreciate you choosing NEISD and Tejeda Middle School for your student’s educational experience!
Respectfully,
Martha Reyes, Principal
Important Information:
3/26 Early Dismissal:
We want to remind all families that we will have an Early Release day on March 26th. We appreciate your help in making arrangements for your child to leave school at 1:25 p.m. Students are not allowed to stay on campus for after school tutorials or interventions. The only students permitted to stay on campus are those supervised by KIN and Honors Orchestra participating in UIL. Thank you for your support!
4/6 History Faire:
Whether you are a History "buff" or simply want to experience a fun activity as a family, the Annual Tejeda History Faire & Culture Fest is the event that all will enjoy! There will be plenty of "hands-on" activities for all ages to experience. Come and learn about the Buffalo Soldiers, hear a real Mariachi Band, watch a Medieval Tournament, or interact with Roman Soldiers! Historical re-enactment groups will be on the grounds of Tejeda's History Hill for a day of fun and learning, FREE to all.
Tejeda Departments & Clubs will be selling food, drinks, and various items to benefit their organizations. A shaded area for eating and resting will be available as well as restroom facilities.
A Message From Our Family Engagement Liaison:
Please take a look at my Family Engagement calendar for upcoming classes. We would like to invite you to a Family Matters Discussion: Addressing Kid’s Aggressive Behavior & Our Triggers on April 3rd at 9:00 a.m. and on April 4th at 6:00 p.m. at Regency Place Elementary School. Please click on the flyer to register. Hope to see you there. Please call or e-mail Ruby Morris at rmorri1@neisd.net if you have any questions.
Gentle & Helpful Reminders
Save The STAAR Dates:
We are kindly requesting your cooperation in placing the upcoming dates for STAAR Exams on your family’s calendar. During Spring 2024, NEISD students will have opportunities to take various state assessments mandated by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for their respective grade levels. NEISD is committed to providing all our students with the knowledge and skills to be successful on the state assessments. We appreciate many parents requesting this information to ensure their T-Wolf will be present in the Den. If you have any questions about state assessments, please contact your child’s administrator or counselor. The state assessment dates for Tejeda Middle School are listed below:
Leading The P.A.C.K. Focus on Electronics:
We are kindly requesting your support to encourage your T-Wolf to follow school guidelines that electronics are out of sight, out of mind during the school day. The only time T-Wolves are permitted to have their phone is in the cafeteria during lunch or if a teacher directs them to use it for instruction. If their electronic device is out during the school day, it will be collected and returned at the end of the school day. When your T-Wolves’ phone is collected in an electronic round-up, the staff member will direct them to text you that their device was collected and will be stored in the main office. If you need to contact your T-Wolf, please call the main office. We appreciate your support with helping our T-Wolves remain focused on instruction and appropriate social interactions in the Den!
Leading The P.A.C.K. Focus on Dress Code:
This year in the Den we have focused on all our students understanding our “Leading the Pack” initiative to help keep our campus safe and welcoming for all T-Wolves. In this campaign, students are encouraged to be Proactive, Accountable, Collaborative, and Kind. In the Fall, we conducted weekly reviews of the behavioral expectations for our classrooms, hallways, cafeteria, restrooms and school assemblies to support the behavior we want in the Den. In the month of February, our Pack Leaders had a special focus on electronic devices in the Den. We will continue to reinforce this expectation and are adding a new focus for the month of March. Our Pack Leaders have selected to focus on dress code since the temperatures are changing for a warmer climate and we want to ensure class time has an academic focus as we work our way towards STAAR assessments. We are kindly requesting your support to encourage your T-Wolf to follow our NEISD dress code that is found in the Student-Parent Handbook. A few highlights are as follows:
- Shorts/Skirts/Dresses must be longer than fingertip length. When a student’s arms are extended at their sides, the fingertips should not touch the skin. This rule applies to any holes in distressed pants as well.
- Pants shall be worn securely at the waist and sagging is prohibited.
- Mid-drifts and backs should not be exposed, and all shirts must have at least a 2-finger width of coverage on the shoulders.
- Clothing with inappropriate advertising, pictures, symbols, or statements that are offensive and/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.
We kindly ask that you discuss this dress code requirement with your child prior to sending them to school. Dress code violations will be directed to change. If we do not have a change of attire available, students will be allowed to call home for a change of clothes. We want to ensure students are dressed for success each day to avoid a loss of instructional time! As always, we appreciate your support in helping our T-Wolves remain focused on instruction in the Den!
Message from School Nurse Pretli:
In accordance with Texas immunization requirements, current 6th grade students who will be in 7th grade for the 2024 school year, will need the following immunizations to start school:
- Tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis vaccine - One booster dose if at least 5 years have passed since the last tetanus containing vaccine was received
- Meningococcal vaccine - One dose of meningococcal vaccine
Students must have a complete immunization record on file with the school nurse one week before the first day of school. Students with incomplete immunization records will not be issued a schedule or allowed to attend classes. Please submit an updated immunization record, including immunizations received over the summer, to the school nurse as soon as possible.
School Choice Window is Open:
It is School Choice time again! Online applications are available for submission until July 26th. Applications are only accepted for students entering into K-12 in the upcoming school year. Parents with students who are “New to the District” can apply for both the current school year and the 2024-2025 school year. Please take note that if the student is moving from Elementary School to Middle School or Middle School to High School, a new school choice application is required and must be submitted during the School Choice window. If a student is already on School Choice at Tejeda, they do not need to reapply to remain at Tejeda. Parents/guardians may submit only one application per child. (Ex: A family of 3 must submit 3 separate School Choice forms, 1 for each child.)
Families will receive an official email notification during the 3rd week of May regarding the status of the student choice request. If you have any questions, please call Tejeda’s Data Processor, Mrs. Laura Lara at 210-356-5621.
Skyward Reminder:
Please take time to review your phone number, email addresses and emergency contact information in Skyward. This information is often used for contacting your family via phone and email. We are grateful for the most up to date information. If you have a friend or neighbor who does not receive this smore information, please encourage them to call us at 210-356-5600 to ensure their email information is up to date or they can review the information in the Skyward portal.
Get Connected With Tejeda’s Social Media & Give Us A “Like” & “Follow” On Facebook!
In addition to our weekly smore, we will post updates via our campus Facebook and Twitter accounts. District updates will also be available via email notifications, NEISD Critical Updates, and NEISD Social Media.
To find Tejeda on Facebook from a Desktop or Search Engine:
https://www.facebook.com/TejedaNEISD/
To find Tejeda on Facebook via the mobile app:
Search: Tejeda Middle School – North East ISD
To find Tejeda on Twitter:
Search: @TejedatW
Messages from Tejeda PTA
2024-2025 PTA BOARD OFFICER INTEREST
It's time to get excited about the 204-2025 school year!! We are looking for volunteers to fill our elected PTA officer positions for next school year. If you want to help out next year in an officer position, please complete our 2023-2024 Board Interest Form by Friday, March 29th. You can also use this same form to express interest in a committee chair position. There are links to position descriptions in the form but if you have any questions, please email Kerry Jonietz at president@tejedapta.
STUDENT VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS:
Did your student complete some volunteer hours this summer or during the beginning of this school year? All students who have logged at least 20 service hours during April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024, will be recognized in the Spring for their service. All hours must be logged by March 31, 2024. Click here for instructions on entering service hours (scroll to the button to find instructions and information).
ONGOING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
- Library volunteers -
- Tejeda PTA Workroom Volunteers, Workroom Volunteers Signup
- If you need workroom training, you can also schedule training by emailing Lynne Berry at workroom@tejedapta.com.
BE A VOLUNTEER:
If you would like to be included on our Volunteer E-mail list, please complete the Tejeda PTA Volunteer Form to receive e-mails from SignUp.com about all Tejeda volunteer opportunities. Anyone interested in volunteering this year, must complete the form to receive the e-mails. If you have not volunteered on a NEISD campus before or in the last 12 months, please click here, NEISD Volunteer Form, to become DPS cleared.
SUPPORT THE PACK - JOIN TEJEDA PTA:
New to Tejeda or just not a member of the PTA yet? Now is a great time to join the PTA and support the pack. For just $7.00, you can be a voice for your child and support our PTA programs such as red ribbon week, author visits, faculty appreciation events, field day, 8th grade end-of-the-party, student volunteer service awards, and so much more! Anyone - parents, guardians, grandparents, students, siblings, aunts, uncles, teachers, community members, and businesses - can join PTA! Joining the PTA does not mean you have to volunteer or even attend a meeting (though we would love for you to do both). You can join online at our PTA website. Thank you for your continued support of our T-wolves!
Upcoming Events:
Monday 3/25 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Concert Orchestra UIL Contest @ Reagan
Monday 3/25 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Advanced Orchestra UIL Contest @ Reagan
Tuesday 3/26 1:25 p.m. Early Release Day
Tuesday 3/26 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Honors Orchestra UIL Contest @ Reagan
Tuesday 3/26 6:30 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. Combined 6th Gr Choir Concert in Cafeteria
Wednesday 3/27 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Meet of Champs @ Heroes
Thursday 3/28 7:15 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. FCA Officer Mtg in B130
Thursday 3/28 8:45 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Youth Orchestra of SA Presentation in Cafeteria
Thursday 3/28 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Chess Club in A 113
Friday 3/29 Student & Staff Holiday
Monday 4/1 3:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. Coin Club Meeting in B107
Monday 4/1 3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Cyber Patriot Meeting in B137
Tuesday 4/2 7:50 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. Art Club Meeting in B104
Tuesday 4/2 3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Kindness Club Mtg in A119
Tuesday 4/2 3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Comic / Anime Club Mtg in A212
Tuesday 4/2 3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. Math Counts Meeting in A216
Thursday 4/4 7:15 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. FCA Mtg in Girls Gym
Thursday 4/4 4:45 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Girls Soccer at Wood MS
Thursday 4/4 4:45 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Boys Soccer vs Wood (Home Game)
Saturday 4/6 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. History Faire
Contact us:
Tejeda Contact Information:
Melinda DeLeon - Counselor for 8th Gr L-Z & 6th Gr
210-356-5623 – mdeleo3@neisd.net
Michele White – Counselor for 8th Gr last name A-K & 7th Gr
210-356-5659 mwhite1@neisd.net
Dr. Karen Martinez - Mental Wellness Counselor
210-356-5643 kmarti11@neisd.net
Kiera Craft - Special Education Coordinator
210-356-5624 kcraft@neisd.net
Dee Dee Luther - Academic Dean
210-356-5640 dluthe@neisd.net
Michael Gonzalez - Asst Principal
210-356-5609 mgonza1@neisd.net
Email: mreyes37@neisd.net
Website: https://www.neisd.net/tejeda
Location: Frank Tejeda Middle School, Evans Road, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: 210-356-5600
Facebook: facebook.com/tejedaneisd
X: @NEISD_Reyes