Mustang Memo October

Hello NSMS Community,

The first nine weeks is coming to an end and we are off to a great start. Things have picked up with academics and extra-curricular activities. Students are working hard during class to be better than they were yesterday in everything they do whether its sports, quizzes, band, group activities or being a kind friend. Our MS UIL sign-ups have been posted around campus. If your child would like to participate make sure they sign up.

One thing we will continue focusing on at Middle School is Treating People Right and Doing the Right Thing. These two things are skills that your child will need for a lifetime. I ask that you help me with this message when your child is at home as well. We will continue to work on building a community of students and staff that treat each other like family. That is the goal of our motto "One Team. One Dream." I ask that you help with this by encouraging your child to treat people with respect wherever they are (school, home, social media) and that they always think before they make decisions.

Academically, we are continuing to work on getting better each day so that your child can reach their full potential. We have seen gains throughout the time we have had together so far. However, we are seeing some issues with students turning in their assignments. Please make sure you have access to your child's grades through the parent portal. You can also communicate with teachers through the ROOMS app. If students are not turning in their work, they will not only have points taken off of their assignments or receive zeros, but they may also have to miss out on some of our fun activities like pep rallies and PBIS trips to get their work completed. Your child can login to all of their programs through Classlink if they are doing work at home. If you would like your child to stay to get assistance with assignments, please contact the office to make arrangements. We are here to help our students succeed.

If you would like to help at home with academics, please have a dedicated time for your child to read and asking him/her basic comprehension questions. You can even read stories or research topics together. Any reading will help your child continue to grow. Also, please practice with your child on basic math facts. Students should be able to add, subtract, and multiply quickly. If they struggle with these basic facts, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to solve multi-step math problems. We appreciate your willingness to help.

Thank you for your help and support. We look forward to seeing you at Trunk-or-Treat!

Brittany Rogers

Principal

Oct 3rd - FB @ Poth

Oct 4th - Intersession Grade and Attendance Check

Oct 7th - Intersession Letters Go Home

Oct 7th - VB @ Home

Oct 9th - Hispanic Heritage Night @ HS

Oct 10th - FB @ Home

Oct 10th & 11th - INTERSESSION

Oct 14th- No School - Holiday

Oct 16th - Report Cards Go Home

October 16th - Fields of Faith

Oct 17th - FB @ Kennedy

Oct 17th - VB @ Karnes City

Oct 21 - 25th - Homecoming Week

Oct 24th - Homecoming FB Game

Oct 25th - HS Homecoming Football Game

October 28th - Picture Day

Oct 28 - November 1st - Red Ribbon Week

October 30th - Trunk or Treat

Oct 31st - FB @ Karnes City

Notes go home to all students on October 7th. This note will determine if your child attends the first Intersession or not. The first intersession days are October 10th and 11th. If students are required to come, they must be here. If they do not come, this will count against there attendance and could require them to come to Saturday Schools or other requirements for missing class.

In order for your child to earn Intersession time off, they must keep their grades at 70 or above and their attendance must be above 95%.

**This does not apply to elementary students. Elementary students will follow the normal calendar year and attend all school days.

Most of the time, if we ask our children questions like "what did you learn at school today?" or "how was your day?" the answer is usually, "nothing" or "fine." Children of all ages are still developing the art of communication, and so we have to help guide them through the process. We can do that by asking questions that require more than one-word answers.

• What was the best thing that happened today?
• What was one thing that surprised you today?
• What is one thing you learned or did today that made you smile?
• What are you looking forward to tomorrow?
• What was your least favorite part of the day?
• Tell me 2 things you learned today.
• What is one thing you hope happens before school is out for Thanksgiving break?

Other tips for talking with your teen:

• Talk about topics that your child likes -children are more willing to talk about things they are interested in. Find topics that your child likes and talk about those things.
• Put yourself in their shoes - Teenagers think that their parents and caregivers don’t understand them. Try to resist saying things like, “I understand what you are going through because I was a teenager once too you know”.
• Be patient - Give your child opportunities to talk about things with you, but don’t try to force them to talk to you. That will only result in her becoming more stubborn and closed off.

Capturing Kids' Hearts Theme: Self-Direction

• Focus: Encouraging students to set goals, make plans, and take responsibility for their learning and actions. Find out more in the Capturing Kids Hearts Newsletter in English and Spanish.

ASCA Calendar Events:

• National Bullying Prevention Month: October 1-31

• Red Ribbon Week: October 28- November 1

Parenting Tips

• Help your child develop effective study habits by creating a consistent homework routine and a quiet, organized study spaces. 8 Tips for Helping Kids Develop Better Study Habits

• Student Tip: Create a study schedule that includes regular breaks. Use tools like planners or apps to stay organized and manage your time effectively. Homework Help

Monthly Counseling Events:

• Coffee with the Counselor for Parents over Student Anxiety - October 22nd 7:30 - 8:30 AM - Sign up on this google form to let us know you are coming!

• Bullying Posters - What We Will Do: Students will create posters with positive messages or images that promote kindness and anti-bullying. Once completed, we will select the top three posters and award the winners, while the remaining posters will be displayed around the school to spread awareness.

• Red Ribbon Week - What We Will Do: For Red Ribbon Week, students will create red ribbons featuring messages about the dangers of drugs in our society. These ribbons will be displayed around the school to raise awareness.

• Norma's House Presentations for all Grade Levels - Your child must have an Opt-In form signed to attend. Norma's House is a non-profit organization that helps provide education to the community. To learn more about Norma's House visit https://www.normashouse.net/community-education-and-programs.html

5th - Gabriel Sanchez

Gabriel is a hard worker who is always willing to help his peers. Not only does Gabriel meet classroom expectations, he goes above and beyond. He is respectful to peers and adults on campus and takes pride in his work. Gabriel is an overall great student!

6th - Claire Cluff

Claire is an amazing student. You can always count on Claire to be on task and ready to learn. She is responsible and respectful to all students and staff. Claire participates in class and is engaged in her learning. She takes pride in her work and always gives her best effort. She is an avid reader and she really loves silent reading time. She can become lost in her book, which is every reading teacher's dream. Claire is a deep thinker and she adds wonderful insights to our class discussions. Claire definitely has a bright academic future ahead of her.

7th - Adriana Tovar

Adriana does a great job of making sure she does the right thing all the time. She also gives her absolute best effort in all she does. She is polite, asks good questions, always has good work ready to turn in. Adriana is helpful to her classmates in need.

8th - Estrella Deras

Estrella is a responsible student. She turns her assignments in on time and asks questions when she doesn't understand. Estrella is respectful of her teachers and peers. She is polite, kind, and always mannerly. She helps her peers when needed. She is the first to lend a helping hand. Estrella is always engaged in class and does her best. Overall, Estrella is a dedicated, responsible student.

We will have our Thanksgiving Meal on November 8th this year. We welcome you to come and join your children for an amazing Thanksgiving lunch. Ticket sales will be ONLINE ONLY. You can purchase tickets here. You will have to present your ticket (physical or online email) in order to get your plate. If you purchase multiple tickets, you will be given all of your tickets at the same time when you check-in. The last day to purchase tickets is Friday, October 25th. We will not be able to serve a meal to visitors who have NOT purchased a ticket before the deadline. Lunch times are as follows: 5th/6th- 11:05 -11:45 and 7th/8th -11:55-12:35. We look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with you.

ALICE is NSCISD's procedure for responding to an active shooter. We have been using this program since 2018. It is a federally endorsed safety protocol that trains students in different options for responding to a school intruder. We had our first ALICE drill in September. Local law enforcement was here to observe and they had great things to say about our staff and students and the way that the drill was carried out. The letters in Alice stand for:

• A - Alert - pay attention to your surroundings, notice unfamiliar sounds.
• L - Lockdown - lockdown and barricade the door
• I - Inform - Pass on as much specific information as possible to others
• C - Counter - an effort of last resort, if an armed intruder does get in, counter with distractions
• E - Evacuate - If it is safe to do so, ALL are encouraged to evacuate the building and remove themselves from the threat

These are not sequential steps, rather the idea is people have choices beyond the traditional "lock the door and hide." Just as we do fire drills every month, we will practice and discuss skills on a consistent basis. Our hope is that we never have to use these skills in a real situation but we want our students to be prepared if the situation ever arises.

We do not allow deliveries to our campus. This includes any outside deliveries such as flowers, gifts, food, or drinks. Students can bring cupcakes for their birthdays as long as they are store-bought.

At the middle school, we strive to make SMART choices. These posters are hung up around our campuses and we remind students of these things daily. Please reinforce making SMART choices at home with your child.

To communicate with our teachers you can use the Rooms feature in our Nixon-Smiley App. This app will be for all teachers in our district. If you need assistance setting up your account, click here. Once you create an account, the video below will show you how to use the app. English Video. Spanish video. We will also post information on the Nixon-Smiley CISD Home of the Mustangs Facebook page and our district website. Please also check with your child daily about any important information that may have been sent home or communicated with them.

If you have a question or concern, please call us at (830) 582-1536, Ext 301. We are happy to set up Parent/Teacher conferences at your request either by phone or in person.

Email: rogersb@nixonsmiley.net
Website: www.nixonsmiley.net
Location: 800 North Rancho Road, Nixon, TX, USA
Phone: (830) 582-1536
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nixon-Smiley-CISD-Home-of-the-Mustangs--264506510244649
Twitter: @nixonsmileycisd