Howdy Trailblazers
Oct. 10 - 21 , 2022
Greetings from Principal Bueno
I want to congratulate Coach Iverson and Coach Howe for hosting a very successful Bike Rodeo last Friday. We had a record number of student participants this year! We also saw many new volunteers on campus supporting the event and we want to thank you for your time and support. The students had a lot of fun and it was very nice to see so many families come out to enjoy the event.
This week we celebrate National School Lunch Week- #NSLW2022. President John F. Kennedy developed this program in 1962 to highlight how important it is for students to receive healthy and well-balanced meals from our nation's school cafeterias. Big KUDOS to our Cafeteria Manager, Sara Vidaurri, and our Ott-some cafeteria staff for delivering top notch quality meals and customer service with a smile to our students!
Our October PTA meeting is scheduled for the evening of Oct.11th at 6:00 p.m. in our cafeteria, followed by our Storybook Pumpkin Painting Party hosted by our Ott Early Childhood department. We are very fortunate to have an active PTA board and I can't thank them enough for their consistent support of our students, staff, and community. Thank you PTA, for all that you do for Ott Elementary. We love you all! The evening is going to be a lot of fun and we are looking forward to seeing our families join us!
Lastly, we to want to encourage families to join us for our second Ott Spirit Night at Whataburger located on Potranco Rd. and 211 this Wednesday evening. In order for our campus to receive credit, please remember to let the cashier know you're representing Ott Elementary between 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Make it an Ott-some week Trailblazers! #GLOWatOtt #NISDIgnited
Principal Bueno
Welcome New 4th Grade Teacher - Ms. Morgan
Hello! I am Ms. Morgan and I am very excited to be a 4th grade teacher this year at Ott Elementary! I am a San Antonio native who grew up in Northside ISD from elementary school through high school. I went to college in Dallas at Southwestern Assemblies of God University where I received my Bachelors degree in elementary education.
This is my 7th year in education. I taught 2nd grade for three years in Dallas before I made the move to New York City where I taught grades 3- 5 in the South Bronx for three more years. It has always been a dream of mine to get to teach in Northside. I am very excited to return to my roots and look forward to partnering with parents as well as loving and teaching kiddos as this year progresses.
New Ott Sp. Ed. Collab. Instructional Assistant - Stacy Howe
Welcome New Ott Attendance Secretary - Katherine Rosa
Socktober 2022
Ott Spirit Rally - Oct. 21
PINK OUT in Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month - OCT. 21
Monster Mash - Oct. 28
50th Day of School - Oct. 31
Red Ribbon Week Oct. 24-28, 2022
Safety Message - October 2022
As this school year progresses, safety remains a priority on all of our campuses. It is important to review key components of our district’s safety protocols to ensure we never lose sight of how school staff and parents must work together during a potential threat.
Since the beginning of the school year, several NISD schools have had to respond to situations near their campus by calling for a lockdown or modified lockdown. As a result of ongoing training and drills, campus staff and students have been able to react calmly and efficiently in these situations.
As a District, we have learned valuable lessons from these experiences and want to share these best practices and expectations during a potential threat.
- We understand that communication is critical. We will work to keep parents informed of any potential threat or incident on their child’s campus utilizing our School Messenger platform. We will do this through email, call out, push notice, and/or text message. In order for parents to ensure they are receiving these messages, first ensure that your child’s school has your most current contact information on file through the school attendance office. If you have children at multiple schools, you only need to contact one to have all records updated. Second, be sure to set your notification preferences by visiting the go.schoolmessenger.com website. Finally, be sure to download the Northside App from the App Store or Google Play.
- During any potential threat or incident, our priority will be the students and staff on site. If you receive notice of any incident at your child’s campus, we ask that you refrain from calling or going to the school. In most cases, students will not be released until law enforcement has provided an all-clear. Your presence on campus could pull valuable staff resources away from addressing the safety of students and staff.
- Keeping students and staff safe is a shared responsibility. We value the reports made by students, parents, and community members to our Safeline regarding any potentially dangerous situation. We ask that you continue to make these reports so that the NISD Police Dept. and campus staff can follow up appropriately. All reports are taken seriously and can be made anonymously, 24/7, by calling 210-397-7233 (SAFE).
- Many times information on social media or other platforms may not be credible. Hoax, or false, reports can cause significant disruption to a school environment creating unnecessary panic. We encourage parents to speak with their children about the harmful effects of incorrect or misleading information. Students who engage in these hoax reports will be subject to disciplinary and/or criminal action.
Thank you for a successful start to this school year.
2022-2023 Parent/Guardian Counseling Department Needs Assessment
2022-2023 Parent/Guardian Counseling Department Needs Assessment - Elementary Campuses
Purchase G.L.O.W. Spirit Shirts in the School Office - $15
From the Superintendent Dr. Woods
Attendance Matters
Northside continues to ask you to make your child's attendance a priority. Research shows that school attendance leads to future success and brings numerous benefits to students, including higher academic achievements.
Texas Education Code states that the students must be present in class 90% of the time in order to earn course credit or be promoted to the next grade level.
When students are tardy to school, they are missing valuable morning time with their class. Morning meetings begin promptly at 7:45 and this time allows for students to get ready for a successful day. We will begin recording tardies to school (arriving after 7:45 am).
As a reminder, not only do absences lead to learning loss, they can also lead to social-emotional deficiencies. We encourage all parents and students to make school attendance a top priority except for time when the student is sill. Be sure to send a note upon your student's return to school.
Early Dismissal - Oct. 19, 2022
For staffing and planning purposes we are requesting for parents to complete the Ott Student Early Dismissal Form. Students who remain at school will attend Ott Student Study Time until 3:00 p.m. The form must be completed by Oct. 18th.
The Home Access Center for Parents
The Home Access Center (HAC) allows parents to register students, complete data verification, access report cards, and track attendance.
(Your username is your email address and your password is the temporary password you received by email. You will be required to change it the first time you log in.)
2022-2023 Free & Reduced-Price Meal Information
Your child(ren) may qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Households interested in the meal program must apply for the program every school year.
Click below to apply online!
Volunteer Background Check - Required
1) All volunteers must complete a background check form each school year. All information is deleted each year in May.
2) Background checks are completed online only. No paper forms are accepted.
3)Please contact the main office of your campus to find out if you are cleared to volunteer. All campus administrators (principals, vice-principals, assistant principals…etc.) have access to the cleared list.
4) It takes one to two weeks for the results of checks to be returned from the date of submission.
Background Check Link
Luna M.S. Elective Night - Nov. 1
Veterans Day Ceremony - Nov. 11
San Antonio Food Bank Mega Distribution
Registration is now open for the next San Antonio Food Bank mega distribution at Gus Stadium. This distribution is scheduled for Friday, October 21st. Slots fill up quickly. Register using the link below.
https://freshtrak.com/register/event/101103
Need Service Hours or Just Want to Help?
NISD hosts a Mega Food Bank distribution twice a month at Gus Stadium from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Volunteers are needed. If you are a high school club sponsor or a parent of a high school student needing service hours, this is a great opportunity for students to volunteer and give back to their community. Dates for upcoming Mega Food Bank distributions are: Oct. 21, Nov. 4, Nov. 18, and Dec. 2.
Volunteers may register here (at the top under Volunteer Job Location, select Gustafson Stadium.) The Food Bank also has some Saturday opportunities for students to earn NHS volunteer hours.
COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics
Northside ISD has COVID-19 vaccine clinics for those that qualify. For qualification requirements, specific clinic details and registration, please visit the link below.
Stay Connected with NISD
While one-on-one communication is the best, in a district as large as Northside ISD it is sometimes difficult. Because we want our parents to stay informed, NISD has several ways that parents and other interested citizens can stay informed about the successes and challenges of San Antonio’s premier school district of choice, as well as find out news about their children’s schools.
Follow Ott on Social Media
Please don’t forget to stay connected by following and "Liking” Ott Elementary and Ott PTA on:
- Facebook @ottelementary and @OttElemPTA
- Twitter @NISDott and @ott_pta
- Instagram @nisd_ott and @ottelementarypta
Thank you to those who have joined us this year, we appreciate your support. We encourage everyone to follow us on these social media arenas. #GLOWatOtt #NISDIgnited
NISD Hiring Child Nutrition Workers
You must apply online at https://ess.nisd.net/ess/employmentopportunities/
NISD Hiring Custodians
Details: https://www.nisd.net/.../nisd-custodial-department-holds...
NISD Hiring Speech Language Pathologists
Visit nisd.net/careers for more information.
NISD Hiring Bus Drivers
The Northside ISD Transportation Department is currently for several positions, including full and part-time available. Full time positions include benefits.
Visit: www.nisd.net/hr to process an application or call 210-397-0878 for more info.
2022 - 2023 NISD Online Tutoring
Free Workshops for Parents: "Parenting in the Cyberworld" and more
RESOURCE: MY CHILD JUST RECEIVED A DIAGNOSIS, NOW WHAT?
2022-2023 Ott Elementary PTA
Please click here to view the latest edition of the Ott PTA Newsletter.
Ott WATCH D.O.G.S.
Message from our TOP D.O.G. - Mr. Gomez
I would like to congratulate Emma C. In 1st Grade!! She’s the winner of the coloring contest we held at the Watch DOGS Pizza Night. She won an Ott Trailblazer Hoodie!! Just in time for winter. I posted it on our “Wall of Fame” for all to see. Thank you Principal Bueno for judging the contest.
Once again, I commend all that dads & father figures that showed up to support the Watch DOGS program. We are only as good as our volunteers. Hope to see y’all on campus.
Ott Counselors Care
Important Dates
October: Crime Prevention Month, Learning Disabilities Awareness Month, National Bullying Prevention Month
- Scholastic Book Fair Week (closed Wednesday)
- National School Lunch Week
- PTA Membership Meeting Meeting @ 6:00 p.m.
- Storybook Pumpkin Painting @ 6:30 p.m.
Scholastic Book Fair closed today
5th Grade Whataburger Spirit Night @ 5:00 p.m.
10/14
Show your spirit and wear Ott Spirit Shirts
Stu Co Store Opens @ 7:15 a.m.
Scholastic Book Fair last day
- Digital Citizenship Week
- National School Bus Safety Week
- Student Early Dismissal @ 11:45am
- Spirit Rally @ 8:00am