Hive Happenings!
September 2022
A Message from Principal Meneses
Ellison Families,
What a wonderful first week of school we’ve had! During the first two weeks of school, our teachers work diligently to set classroom expectations, procedures and routines. How can you help? Ensuring that your child is in their classroom on time!
Things to consider:
- Students arriving on or after 7:45 am will be considered tardy.
- Tardiness and absenteeism unavoidably affects the quality of a student’s work, interferes with normal instructional procedures in the classroom, and places additional demands on the teacher to provide remedial assistance. It negatively impacts the child who is absent as well as other students in the class.
- Morning announcements begin at 7:40 am. During morning announcements, students say the daily pledges, hear birthday announcements, campus celebrations, and a motivating message from the school Principal and/or Associate Principal.
- Teachers begin daily class meetings, which we call "Sunshine Starters" promptly at 7:45 am. These meetings are focused on social-emotional learning and character building lessons. Not only do students learn techniques that help with regulating emotions, they also learn in depth about the profiles of a learner. For example, learners are strong communicators, collaborators, leaders, and more! Learn more about SEL below.
We know that students can't learn if their hearts and minds are not at ease. That's why our commitment to Social Emotional Learning continues to be a priority. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is a methodology that helps students of all ages better comprehend their emotions, feel those emotions fully, and demonstrate empathy for others. These learned behaviors are then used to help students make positive and responsible decisions, create frameworks to achieve their goals, and build positive relationships with others. In our efforts of meeting our students' overall well being, our bees will often reflect on their personal social-emotional and academic goals. In doing so, they will refer to our campus Ellison Essentials Matrix, the Learner Profiles, our Campus Behavior Rubric, and a Glow & Grow Reflection sheet. These tools help our students better understand school-wide expectations, helps them reflect on their actions, and sets our students and teachers up for success.
Parents, THANK YOU for choosing Ellison and trusting us with your children. If you haven’t already, I invite you to buzz by to introduce yourself or to say hello. In the mornings, you can always find me at the front drive of our school welcoming our students. Know that we appreciate our families and value the enormous impact that a strong bond between home and school have on our children.
Because we know that education is a shared commitment, I want you to feel more than comfortable to visit or call anytime you have a question, concern, or simply want to chat. If you'd like to set up an appointment, send me an email and we can quickly schedule a time. I’m here for you and our students!
My email is Julie.Meneses@nisd.net and my direct line is (210) 398-1860. I look forward to hearing from you!
On behalf of our entire faculty, thank you for the privilege of allowing us to serve your family. And thank you for supporting us in our daily mission to put students FIRST in order to grow COMPASSIONATE, INNOVATIVE LEADERS that will THRIVE in today’s society!
Sincerely,
Principal Meneses
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IMPORTANT DATES
9/5 Labor Day-Student/Staff Holiday
9/9 Grandparents Day Breakfast
9/11 Patriot Day
9/13 PTA Meeting/ Parent Orientation at 5 pm (Interested in our GT Program? Don't miss the Info Session in the cafeteria following the PTA meeting at 5 pm.)
9/15-10/15 Hispanic Heritage Month
9/16 Fun Fridays BEGIN! Parents may eat Lunch with their child on the stage! (Feel free to bring your child a store bought lunch.)
9/19 APEX begins
9/21 Student Early Release Day/Teacher Planning Time
9/23 Progress Reports available via HAC
9/30 APEX Ends
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Here’s what’s Buzzing in the Hive!
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Familiarize Yourself with Our Campus Policies and Procedures
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National PTA Reflections Contest
Does your child enjoy art, music, and dance, or have an interest in writing, producing films, and taking photos? Then join us and have fun helping your child unleash their inner artist with PTA Reflections!
Each year, the National PTA challenges students in Pre-K through 12th grades to create and submit original works of art in the areas of Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts into the PTA Reflections Contest.
At Ellison, third, fourth, and fifth graders will be invited to begin drafting their ideas in school. Have a kiddo in Pre-K through second grade? Have no fear, we are here to support them with their fantastic ideas, but parents, WE NEED YOUR HELP!! Here are a few ways that you can support your kiddo to create their masterpiece!
- You can provide items such as a canvas, special paints, pencils, etc.
- You can help by recording singing or dancing performances.
- You can help by revising and editing their writing.
- Need more tips on how to help? Reach out to your child's teacher for pointers!
To register, simply pick up submission guidelines and an entry form in the front office, or you can click the link below to find digital copies. Submissions should be made to your child's teacher no later than October 20th.
There are so many benefits of participating in this wonderful opportunity! Your work may be recognized at the campus, district, and possibly even at a national level, winners may qualify for scholarships, but most importantly, contest registrants will walk away with a sense of pride and achievement! We've got so much talent at Ellison, let's help our students "Show their Voice!"
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Student Arrival
Upon arrival, students will walk to either the cafeteria or gym. Monitors will be present to supervise students. Students will transition to their classrooms by 7:30 a.m. where they will be greeted by their teachers. It is highly recommended that students who plan to eat breakfast arrive to school before 7:30 a.m. Breakfast is served between 7:05-7:35 a.m. Morning procedures for PK, ALE and ECSE may vary.
Upon arrival, ECSE, Pre-K, and Kindergarten students will be welcomed and safely escorted into the building by a safety patrol or an adult monitor. In addition to the safety patrols and monitors lining the express lane, hallways are also lined with safety patrols and staff to ensure the safety of all children.
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Convenient Drop-Off for 3rd-5th Grade Students
To ensure safety of younger students, families of 3rd, 4th or 5th graders with younger siblings should use the front express lane for drop-off.
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Student Dismissal
Parents/Guardians picking students up should use the EXPRESS LANE. For safety reasons, all Express Hang Tags MUST be prominently displayed by hanging from your vehicle's rear view mirror.
Parent walk-up is limited to families walking to and from school, not to those in a vehicle. All car riders must use the Express Lane. This procedure helps prevent overcrowding in the front of the school, keeps students and staff safe, and expedites the dismissal process.
Don't want to wait in a long line? No problem! Arrive to campus closer to 3:20 pm when we're getting to the end of the dismissal window and you will be done in no time! We are usually done with dismissal by 3:25 pm.
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Meet our BEES Staff!
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A Message from our Awesome PTA!
Join us for our 1st PTA General meeting on September 13th at 5pm in the cafeteria.
Another year with Apex is right around the corner. This will be our first fundraiser for the school year. We kick this off on September 19th. APEX runs through September 30th. This year we will have an obstacle course run that will take place on Thursday, September 29th during the school day. But we need your help! Look out for a sign-up genius for Apex parent volunteers coming soon.
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Follow us on Social Media!
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Mark your calendars for Early Release Days!
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Meals
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Support our PTA!
Click below to visit our wonderful PTA site. With a click of a button, you'll be able to purchase spirit gear, which students are encouraged to use on the first day of school and every Friday of the year!
Bonnie Ellison Elementary School
Ellison is the place to “bee”- Growing, learning, and building our hive together!
In our hive, our daily mission is to put students first! Our campus vision is that our students grow daily as compassionate, innovative leaders!
Location: 7132 Oak Drive, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: 210-398-1850
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllisonElementary
Twitter: @NISDEllison