The Weekly Update #3-12

Steele Nation!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Sorry we are a day late on the newsletter but we didn't forget. 😊 It's hard to believe that we are only four days away from our Thanksgiving break. A huge Thank You to everyone who came out for our Fall semester Blood Drive. It was a huge success! We are only a few members away from reaching our PTA membership goal for the year. If you have not joined our Steele PTA, I hope you will consider joining. We appreciate all your help and support! Click HERE to join the Steele PTA.

We have a lot of amazing teachers at Steele ECHS. I hope you will take a moment to nominate one of our teachers for Steele Exemplar Educator of the year. See below for more details and information. We have our delicious Thanksgiving dinner coming up this Friday. See below for more information about our Thanksgiving dinner.

Last Friday afternoon, we had a power outage in the area around Steele ECHS. I am so proud of our amazing Steele students and staff. They did a great job and everything on campus kept going as normal. We have the best students and staff in the whole universe!

Two reminders: 1) Don't forget about our Lost-n-Found table located in our Cafe. The table is starting to get full, remind your student to check the table to make sure they have not lost anything. 2) This Friday is the last day to take grades for the second progress report. Students need to make the most of this week and Power Hour tutorials. The second progress report will go out on Monday, December 1st. We are encouraging all students to take care of all grades before the Thanksgiving break. Lets make this a fantastic week.

We Are Steele!

Todd Rogers, Steele ECHS Principal

Stallions of the Month - November

Stallion of the Month is a new school-wide recognition program that celebrates two standout students from each grade level every month. Advisory teachers select students who exemplify what it means to be a Steele Stallion. This spotlight students who go above and beyond—whether through academics, behavior, leadership, kindness, or just general Stallion spirit. Each Stallion of the Month get's recognized on the Steele bulletin board, social media, certificate, coupon for the POD, and they get to select three items from the Stallion of the Month Cart.

Congratulations to our November Stallions of the Month!

Olive Farrar, Ivan Birori, Jourden Martinez, Ava Lindgren, Victoria Saldivar, David Fleming, Poppy Miller, and Orlando Roque! Great Job! We are so proud of you!

Veteran's Day Program - A huge Thank You to Mr. Jackson for being our guest speaker for our Steele Veteran's Day Program. He always has such an inspiring and positive message for everyone. Thank You to all our veterans and active duty service men and women for all that you have done for our country!

The end of October, our DECA students participated in the Roanoke Trick or Treat festivities on Main Street. Great Job DECA!

Last week our Steele Bible Club had their annual potluck with a guest speaker. It was a great event with over 80 students attending.

You never know when you'll see Mr. Stueart out in a neighborhood Trick or Treating! 😄

Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) is a public university in Nacogdoches, Texas, known for its small class sizes and strong traditions like receiving an axe handle at orientation. It offers over 120 areas of study across six colleges, including popular programs in Liberal Arts, Business, and Forestry. The university recently joined the University of Texas System and is a residential campus with over 200 clubs and organizations, Division I athletics, and a focus on hands-on learning experiences.

• Location: Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas, located in the Piney Woods of East Texas.
• Academics: Offers over 120 areas of study, including 80 bachelor's degrees and numerous graduate programs, with programs ranging from Liberal Arts and Business to STEM, Forestry, and Sound Recording Technology.
• Learning environment: Emphasizes hands-on learning, mentorship, and small class sizes.
• Newest member of a system: SFA officially joined the University of Texas System in May 2023.
• Campus: A scenic, 421-acre campus with lush gardens and modern facilities like the STEM building atrium.

Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) Video

SFA University Website

Campus Tours & Visit SFA

Financial Aid and Scholarships

Have a great Thanksgiving break! All Northwest ISD schools will be closed November 24 to 28 for the holiday. Schools will reopen and classes will resume on their regular schedules Monday, December 1.

This Friday, November 21st during Power Hour, we have our Steele Thanksgiving Dinner in the Cafe. See below for details. It's always a delicious and scrumdiddlyumptious dinner.

We have outstanding educators at Steele ECHS and we are so proud of all our teachers! Is there a teacher at Steele you would like to nominate as our Steele Exemplar Educator of the Year? Complete the attached nomination form and submit it to Mrs. Flanagin (kimberly.flanagin@nisdtx.org) in the front office before Friday, December 5th.

Our Steele National Honor Society (NHS) will host their annual Steele Family Night In on Friday, December 12th from 5:30 pm till 7:30 pm. This is a wonderful evening and event for families to enjoy holiday games, cookie decorating, hot chocolate, holiday movies, and more.

At 7:30 pm, the Steele rock band, Permanent Flux, will perform their fall semester rock concert in the Steele Cafe.

Holiday Candy Grams go on sale from December 1st - December 12th.

Steele Students,

NISD Expo 2026 is coming up on Feb. 26 at Northwest High School. Are you interested in presenting at Expo 2026?

Our Steele Instructional Technologist, Kristy Butler, is happy to help, including meeting with students during morning tutorials, Power Hour, or during advisory to work on their projects. Projects do not need to be 100% complete by the application deadline (December 18), just the process/idea started.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Butler (kristen.butler@nisdtx.org). She is excited to partner with you! Apply today!

The attachment below is our Steele Fall Semester Exam Schedule.

Students in grades 9-12 are not allowed to take any exams early and/or before their scheduled class period. If a student is absent from an exam, they will need to take the exam between January 7 through January 9. All semester exams need to be completed by January 9.

More than 1,900 students are on this year’s Virtual Angel Tree, and they need our community’s support! The Angel Tree allows community members to select an anonymous child to support this holiday season to ensure they have gifts.

Each year, Northwest ISD opens its Virtual Angel Tree to ensure every child has during the holiday season. Community members can visit angeltree.nisdtx.org in the coming days to select a student – or multiple students – to provide gifts. A suggested $150 price point exists for each child.

Additionally, community members are invited to volunteer for the Angel Tree program, helping sort and organize gifts and deliveries.

Angel Tree Website and Angel Tree Volunteer Form

Since April 2025, Steele Stallions have volunteered over 6,000 hours. Wow! That is amazing! We have around 160 students volunteering and making a positive difference in the community. Students can submit their volunteer hours in x2VOL.

We would love for all Steele students to be apart of our Green Cord program, so you can volunteer and give back to the community. All Steele students have an account in x2VOL and we would love for you to join our program of giving back. If you would like to know more about the Green Cord program or x2VOL, you can do two things, 1) check out the attachment below, and/or, 2) see Mrs. Allen in room 310-B.

The Power of Giving Back – Volunteering is a wonderful and rewarding experience that allows us to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Giving back to the community builds connection, strengthens character, and reminds us that we all have the power to create change. When we serve others, we grow together, making our community even stronger.

All Juniors received their PSAT scores in November, now what do I do?

Juniors – You are taking the School Day SAT at Steele ECHS on Wednesday, March 11th, 2026. Mark your calendar now. You need to use your October PSAT scores to help you prepare for your March SAT. Don’t wait, make a plan, work the plan, and start preparing now!

Juniors should use their PSAT scores to identify areas for improvement and then use those insights to create a targeted SAT study plan, focusing on specific knowledge and skills. They can also use online resources, like the official digital SAT prep on Khan Academy and full-length practice tests in the Bluebook app, to supplement their studies and prepare for the format of the SAT. And you can use Mastery Prep to prepare for your SAT.

What to do with your PSAT scores

• Analyze your score report: Dig into your score report to pinpoint specific areas of weakness. The College Board's score report can show you the number and types of questions you missed.
• Use the Skills Insight Tool: Plug your score information into the Skills Insight Tool on the College Board website to read more about the skills associated with your scores and understand your performance in different content domains.

How to use scores to prepare for the SAT

• Create a study plan: Use the information from your score report to build a study plan. Focus on the specific skills and knowledge areas where you need to improve.
• Use Official SAT Prep on Khan Academy: The College Board offers free, personalized prep on Khan Academy, linked directly to your PSAT scores.
• Take official practice tests: Use the Bluebook app to take full-length practice tests. Reviewing the results of these tests will help you understand what your practice scores mean and where you can still improve.

The University of Oklahoma’s High School Leadership Conference (HSLC) application is now open. HSLC is a three-day leadership experience for high school juniors designed to Equip, Empower, and Inspire students to grow as leaders and explore what leadership looks like at the next level. Since 1998, HSLC has welcomed more than 5,000 students from across the United States, each leaving with lessons that shaped their schools, peers, and futures! Click here to view the HSLC presentation slides and here to view the promo video. Dates: February 20–22, 2026

The conference will take place on February 20-22, 2026, on the OU campus in Norman, Oklahoma, and the application is open now through January 19th!​

If you have any questions regarding the application, please feel free to contact us at hslc@ou.edu.

Location: University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
Cost: $200 (scholarships available, full or partial)

Note: Students do not need to be interested in attending OU to apply! Click here to apply. Click here to express interest.

The City of Roanoke invites you to join us for our annual Hometown Holiday street festival and parade on Saturday, December 6th from Noon–8:00 PM!

Steele ECHS students will be in the Roanoke Parade of Lights. Come out and enjoy the holiday spirit while cheering for Steele ECHS. Click HERE for more information and details.

This beloved event draws over 12,000 visitors to Historic Downtown Roanoke for a day full of holiday cheer, including:

🎅 Visits with Santa
🛷 Wagon rides and a snow hill
🎶 Live holiday music and entertainment
🎇 A spectacular drone show
🎄 And plenty of family-friendly attractions for all ages!

The Steele ECHS PTSA will hold their next PTSA General Virtual Meeting on Tuesday, December 2nd at 6:30 pm. For more information and the Zoom link, go to the Steele PTSA Facebook page.

Northwest ISD invites students, families and staff to provide their input on proposed calendar options for the 2026-2027 school year. Feedback can be submitted at www.nisdtx.org/calendarinput and will be accepted through 5 p.m. Friday, November 21.

Both calendars feature a similar structure with the same start date on August 12 and the same dates for Thanksgiving, winter and spring breaks. One version features an earlier last day of school, however, while the other option includes a mini fall break in October with a later last day of school.

We are so proud of the amazing work our Steele ECHS PTSA is doing to support Steele Nation! Below is notification from the Texas state PTA recognizing our Steele chapter. We'd like to send a huge Thank You to our Steele PTSA Executive Board for all their leadership! We Are Steele!

Congratulations! 🎉 James M Steele Early College High School PTSA 2236492 has officially met all the requirements to earn Good Standing status for 2025–2026 under the Local PTA Standards of Continuing Affiliation.

This is an accomplishment worth celebrating! At your next meeting, take a moment to recognize your leaders and share this achievement with your members. Not only are you making a difference for students and staff on your campus every day, but your PTA is also demonstrating excellence in leadership and the business of PTA.

I am so proud of the work James M Steele Early College High School PTSA is doing. Thank you for your dedication and for everything you do to make every child’s potential a reality.

Seniors – You are doing a great job of applying to colleges!!! Please use the instructions below to request transcripts.

Transcript Request/Graduation Verification

Northwest Independent School District has partnered with ScribOrder to offer a convenient and secure way to request transcripts, enrollment histories and education verifications online.

Click Here - https://www.nisdtx.org/students-families/records-management/transcript-request

If you need your TCC college transcripts, you can request them online through TCC.

You can order an official TCC PDF e-transcript or paper transcript online. PDF e-transcripts or paper transcripts can be sent to any college or university, or to any individual or third party, via email or postal mail.

Click HERE - https://www.tccd.edu/services/district-admissions-records-office/transcripts/

Sheneka Davis, Counselor

Steele Early College High School

sdavis01@nisdtx.org

During the school year, every Wednesday is "Where Are You Going Wednesday". All students and staff are encouraged to wear a college/university, military, and/or trade school shirt to school. This supports our campus culture of preparing and focused on post-secondary after high school. What school or military are you going to be representing? We Are Steele!

In compliance with state law, Northwest ISD has implemented a new personal device policy for students. This new policy prohibits students from using personal communications devices at any point during the school day, including lunch and passing periods. Examples of prohibited devices include smartphones, smartwatches, wireless earbuds and more.

Click HERE to see information and details about the Northwest ISD communication about Cell Phones.

See the two attachments below for additional NISD information and details.

• Students can not access their cell phone from 8:15 am - 3:40 pm.
• Cell phones must stay turned off in the backpack.
• Parents can still email their child using the student's NISD email address.
• During Power Hour every day (11:15 am - 12:30 pm), students are at lunch, tutorials, clubs, and more. If you need to pick your child up during Power Hour, please make sure your child knows what time to be in the front office to meet you.