NHES Newsletter

NHES office will be open to the community on Monday, August 11th. Plus you can call our front office (949-515-6970) or email Angie Miner, office manager (aminer@nmusd.us) / Jackie Droste, office assistant (jdroste@nmusd.us) with any questions or needs.

You should be receiving the NHES Registration Letters in the mail this week. Please read through the information carefully & be sure to log in to the Aeries Parent Portal to complete your student's registration ASAP to ensure your student is correctly placed in a classroom.

If you have any questions or concerns about registration, please contact our front office @ 949-515-6970.

Beginning this school year, all NMUSD schools will use ParentSquare as the primary communication platform to keep you informed and engaged with your student’s teacher, school, and school district. ParentSquare allows us to send important updates, announcements, and reminders directly to you via email, text, and the ParentSquare mobile app.

There is nothing you need to do, however, we strongly encourage you to download the ParentSquare mobile application. You will receive communication from teachers, school, and the school district, regardless of whether you download the ParentSquare mobile app.

ParentSquare Mobile App

1. Download the ParentSquare mobile application on iOS or Android operating systems.

2. Log in with the same email and password as your Newport-Mesa Unified School District Aeries Parent Portal account.

3. Follow the prompts to confirm your contact information.

4. Follow the prompts to confirm your child(ren) information.

Please contact NHES if corrections need to be made to your contact information or if you see anything else that needs to be updated.

Please refer to the ParentSquare flyer for more details, including options to customize when and how you receive communications. Please review additional resources and information on the NMUSD ParentSquare website.

We are excited to strengthen our school and district communications by using ParentSquare.

Due to the way students are rostered in various online programs in preparation for the start of school, you may be able to see that your student is rostered to a specific teacher/staff member.

PLEASE NOTE: teacher/class assignments are not finalized or confirmed in Aeries Parent Portal until Friday, August 15th. At this time, Classroom/Teacher Assignments are simply place holders & changing daily!

Our NHES staff puts great thought and care into class placements for our students. We consider many factors including academic strengths & needs, complementary teaching & learning styles, and social dynamics. Our goal is to set students up for a successful year. For this reason, we do not solicit requests for specific teachers or classes OR re-assign students after class placements are finalized and made viewable via Aeries Parent Portal on Friday, August 15th.

Check out the information from PTA & Foundation about their Community Welcome Event on Thursday, August 14th.

Plus follow on Instagram @nhesptafoundation

Last spring, NMUSD updated all bell schedules at each elementary school, including NHES.

Our updated bell schedule reflects slight changes to daily end times/dismissal, recess, and lunch periods. We appreciate your continued partnership as NMUSD works together with us to create the best possible learning experience for every student at Newport Heights Elementary School and in NMUSD.

Here is a copy of the updated school bell schedule: NHES Bell Schedule 2025-2026. It is also available on our school website.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• NMUSD worked towards standardizing instructional days across the district, this includes standardizing recess and lunch minutes across our elementary schools
• For all TK-6th grade students: recess = 20 minutes // lunch = 40 minutes
• Yearly instructional minutes in the classrooms have remained consistent with no increase or decrease of students' time learning in the classrooms
• School start time @ 8:00 am: students are expected to be in line, ready to begin their school day; students will begin lining up at the 7:55 am warning bell
• Dismissal times: end of the school instructional day with students being dismissed from their classrooms, please anticipate the time it takes for students to walk from their classrooms to the gates (ie. do not expect students to be at the gate, ready to leave campus before dismissal times)

School Safety continues to be at the forefront of our minds and practices at NHES. Like most NMUSD schools in our community, NHES will continue to be a closed campus before, during & after school.

Parents/guardians will be welcomed onto campus through our volunteering opportunities and for special events such as Friday Flag Decks, Back-to-School Night, Open House, performances & concerts, special presentations, PTA, Foundation & community events, and THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

For the first day of school, we will open our gates & welcome students and parents/guardians onto the campus quad and blacktop for photo opportunities, a chance to meet new families, and to see your student's new line up spot on the blacktop. Parents will say goodbye at the lines and teachers will begin the school day by walking their students to the classroom. Beginning Tuesday, August 19th, student drop-off will be at the gates on 15th Street or the front of the school; this practice promotes our continued focus on student safety and Shark PRIDE - particularly "I" for Independent.

More detailed information will be included in next week's Back-to-School newsletter.

We recognize this is an exciting time for you and your new NHES shark. You and your student may be feeling a bit anxious, too...which is natural. To support the most successful start-of-school for our youngest learners, we invite you to join us for two special events just for our TK & Kindergarten students!

MEET & GREET

After your student finds out their class/teacher at the Newport Heights Community Event, head over to the quad area to meet their new teacher from 4:00-4:30 pm! This opportunity provides students a familiar face & comfort level on the first day of school.

Since teachers will be meeting 20+ students & families, we kindly ask that you be mindful of your time with the teacher. Specific questions, daily routines, expectations, etc. will be shared at Back-to-School Night on Thursday, August 28th.

*please note: this is for TK & Kinder students only, no older siblings or former students

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

On the first day of school, you will have the opportunity to walk your student onto campus, help them find their line-up spot for their teacher - don't worry, we'll have dedicated staff & signs to help - and wait for their teacher to meet them in line at the 7:55 am bell! Beginning Tuesday, August 19th, students will be dropped at the front gates where a staff member will help them get to their lines, this will continue to be the practice throughout the school year.

There may be some big emotions and tears that first morning, but we've found that they dry up more quickly when parents separate at the line or gate rather than walking them to the classrooms...trust us!

Dismissal for TK & Kindergarten is 2:20 pm (1:05 pm on Wednesdays), all TK & Kindergarten students must be picked up at the front gate by an authorized guardian and touch base with the teacher prior to your student being released.

We encourage you to arrive for pick-up a few minutes early on the first day of school ~2:10 pm AND we invite you to take a quick peek into your student's classroom. This will give your students an opportunity to share a glimpse of their first day of school with you!

More detailed information will be shared with you next week. Specific questions, daily routines, expectations, etc. will be shared at Back-to-School Night on Thursday, August 28th.

BUT WAIT, THERES MORE...

Check out the TK & Kinder Playdates organized by our parent volunteers!

Join us on Thursday, August 28th to learn more about our NHES community culture & programs, your student's classroom & teacher, and more! Specific details & times coming soon.

*This is a parent/guardian only event, no students.

NMUSD is partnering again with Active Learning to provide after-school programming at NHES.

For more details, check out the fliers or visit their website www.activelearningusa.org.

For all your general school information needs, take a look at our NHES Handbook on our school website. You can find daily schedules, policies about absences & tardies, information about school lunches & breakfast, dress code expectations, and more!

Newport Heights Elementary remains committed to being a student-centered, academically challenging, safe and healthy, and positive place for our Sharks to live and learn each and every day by achieving great heights.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, we will be happy to assist you as best as we can!

School Office - 949-515-6970

Terri Clarke, Principal - tclarke@nmusd.us

Angie Miner, Office Manager - aminer@nmusd.us

Jackie Droste, Office Assistant - jdroste@nmusd.us

Elizabeth Aranda, School Community Facilitator - earanda@nmusd.us

#sharkpride

Go SHARKS,

Terri Clarke

Principal

Email: tclarke@nmusd.us
Website: http://newportheights.nmusd.us/
Location: 300 East 15th Street, Newport Beach, CA, USA
Phone: (949) 515-6970