JNE'S Friday Newsletter

Dear Longhorn Families,

We are so proud of our 5th grade students for the focus, determination, and effort they showed during their Science STAAR this week.

As we look ahead, we know our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students will shine on next week’s Math STAAR. Our teachers have prepared them well, and we are confident they will give their very best.

Thank you to the many families who joined us for Multicultural Night last evening. It was a beautiful celebration of our community, and we are grateful for the time, energy, and Longhorn PRIDE you brought to the event.

We appreciate your continued support as we head into another important week at Neill.

Upcoming Events

Week of April 20th- Grade 3-5 Math STAAR Testing

Tuesday, April 21st- Grade 5 Math STAAR

Wednesday, April 22nd- Grade 4 Math STAAR

Thursday, April 23rd- Grade 3 Math STAAR

Friday, April 24th- Math STAAR Make Up Day

Week of April 27th- Career Week

Wednesday, April 29th- Career Day for Grades K-2

Thursday, April 30th- Career Day for Grades 3-5

Friday, May 1st- Field Day

Friday, May 1st- Rockin Longhorn Performance at THS

As a reminder, the campus will be closed to all visitors and volunteers during STAAR testing.

To ensure a secure and quiet testing environment, the use of radios and intercoms will be significantly limited. As a result, we are not able to accommodate lunch drop-offs during the school day. Please plan for your child to bring a lunch or purchase one from the cafeteria.

Thank you for your understanding and support as we work to provide the best possible testing environment for our students.

Items in our Newsletter Include:

• Campus Flyers
  
• Lunch Visitors Announcement
  
• Campus Reminders
• Attendance Information
  
• FBISD Whole Child Health
• Fort Bend Education Foundation Announcements
• Staff Contact Information

Sincerely,

The JNE Admin Team

Dear Longhorn Community,

We want to take a moment to thank you for your support with our updated morning arrival procedures. We are pleased to share that traffic flow has tremendously improved, and we are seeing more of our Longhorns arrive to class on time with a calmer and safer start to the day.

Your cooperation in using the designated car rider lane has made a significant difference. To continue this positive momentum, please help us by keeping the following in mind:

• Avoid using cell phones while in the drop-off line so traffic can move efficiently and safely.
• Ensure students are fully ready to exit the vehicle when you reach the drop-off point.
• Please do not drop off students across the street in the neighborhood, as this creates safety concerns for pedestrians and drivers.

We would also like to extend a special thank you to our crossing guards and constables for their continued support in helping keep our students and families safe each morning.

We appreciate your partnership in creating a safe and efficient arrival process for all of our students. Thank you for helping us start each day the Longhorn way!

April & May Lunch Menu

FBISD Medication Policy

Order your Field Day Lunch and Jeremiah's Ice treats before Friday, April 17th!

We will be providing every student with a Jeremiah's Ice treat on Field Day!

Please take 2 minutes to fill out this form.

Field Day Lunch & Jeremiah's Ice Order 2026 – Fill out form

Field Day Water Drive begins Monday, April 6th!!

To keep our little Longhorns hydrated on Field Day, we are asking for water donations. If you can donate, please drop off cases of water on the cart outside the front entrance of the school during the month of April!

Dear JNE Families.

FBISD has introduced an easier and more convenient way for parents to submit student absence notes! Soon, the district will begin to limit the number of absence emails sent directly to campus attendance inboxes.

Parents and guardians can now submit absence requests directly through Skyward Family Access under their student’s profile.

To submit and upload an absence in Skyward:

1. Log in to your student’s Skyward Family Access account.
2. Select your student’s profile.
3. Click on the Attendance tab.
4. Choose Absence Requests.
5. Click the green “+ Add Absence Request” button and follow the prompts.
6. Upload your doctor’s note or parent note (if applicable).

Once your absence is submitted, the campus attendance team will review and confirm your request.

We hope this new feature makes it easier for families to ensure student attendance records are up-to-date and accurate. Thank you for your continued partnership and support!

Warm regards,

JNE Attendance Team

We are excited to offer Service Sentinels, part of the Fort Bend ISD Premier Opportunities, right here at James C. Neill Elementary! This is more than a service project—it’s a chance for our students to become true agents of change in our community.

Service Sentinels encourages students to propose community service projects that meet real needs in our community. It’s an opportunity for them to learn collaboration, compassion, and humility while putting their ideas into action.

Examples include:

• Tours or partnerships with local agencies (police department, conservation sites)

• Environmental or community clean-up projects

• Service-focused initiatives tied to student interest and local needs

Why It Matters

Service Sentinels isn’t just about “doing good”—it’s about growing as citizens, learning to see needs around us and taking initiative to make a difference. It gives students authentic roles and voice, and helps them develop leadership skills in a real-world context.

It also aligns with the district’s vision to infuse deeper experiential learning into our curriculum. It’s also a great way to fuse service with learning and deepen our culture of care at Neill.

We can’t wait to see our Longhorns shine as Service Sentinels!

This month, we’re celebrating the Longhorn teachers who are marking another trip around the sun in April! We’re so grateful for the passion, care, and dedication they bring to our students each day. Join us in wishing them a happy birthday when you see them around campus!

Lunch Times for the 2025-2026 School Year:

Kindergarten- 10:00am-10:30am

First Grade- 10:45am-11:15am

Second Grade- 11:20am-11:50am

Third Grade- 12:00pm-12:30pm

Fourth Grade- 1:15pm-1:45pm

Fifth Grade- 12:35pm-1:05pm

Dietary Restrictions through the Child Nutrition Department

The Child Nutrition Department can offer dietary accommodations for students at no extra cost for students or families when it is medically necessary. The request forms must be signed by a physician or recognized medical authority and submitted to the Child Nutrition Department by:

Fax: 281-634-1862 attn: Dietitian

OR by email: DLCNDSpecialDiet@fortbendisd.com

A new Request for Dietary Accommodations form does not need to be submitted each school year unless there are any changes.

Link to Request Form

• Lunchtime guests will be signed in to visit in the cafeteria only.
• Please be on time for lunch so that you and your student are able to enjoy the full lunch time together. Thank you for exiting the building through the front doors at the end of lunch.
• Guests can only join a student for lunch if they are an approved emergency contact in Skyward Family Access.
• Guest must have a photo ID to be allowed onto campus.
• Visitors may only bring food for their child.
• Families who need an allergy-free seat during lunch may leave a note in the comment section of the sign-up genius.
• Please exit the cafeteria at our 5-minute remaining mark to help us prepare for our next lunch and to allow students time to rejoin their class and prepare to return to their classroom.
• We will not be able to host lunch visitors during state testing or special events on campus.

Fort Bend ISD is happy to serve a community with families from all around the world. We are proud to be culturally diverse and celebrate our unique traits as a community of compassionate citizens.

We recognize that fasting practices occur throughout the calendar year. As a school community we are sensitive to and accommodate students and staff observers who express they are fasting.

If your family would like the campus to be aware of your student's wish to fast, please send an email to your child's classroom teacher so that we can be aware of any needs that may occur during an observance. Our partnership with our school community is important to us and we thank our families for their communication with the campus regarding special occasions and observances that may impact the instructional day.

Neill Elementary School recognizes the value and importance of school attendance and encourages regular attendance to help our students be successful through the school year. Please email the attendance office within five days of the student’s recorded absence explaining the reason for the absence or the absence will be marked as unexcused. You may send an email to attendancejne@fortbendisd.gov.

Fort Bend ISD is looking for mentors for the 2025—26 school year!

If you are a member of our community or part of the FBISD staff and are interested in making a meaningful impact in a student’s life, we invite you to fill out the UPLIFT Mentor Interest Form.

What to expect:

• Meet with your mentee once a week for 30-45 minutes
• Read books and provide support at elementary level
• Provide support at secondary level

Questions? collaborativecommunities@fortbendisd.gov

Clothing reminders:

• We kindly ask that all families place a change of clothes for ALL students, as well as extra shoes for little ones– soiled, torn, accidents, spills etc. happen to everyone.
• Please consider to donating gently used black girls stretch pants in various sizes especially larger;
• Please consider to donating some gently used ELASTIC waist boy gym shorts and sweat pants (now that it is winter) in larger sizes

Health Reminders:

• If your child is ill – keep them home.
• Parents please medicate or treat for allergy symptoms at home.

Contact Reminders:

• Please make sure the clinic has the most up-to-date contact information for parents, guardians and emergency contacts.
• Please add the clinic phone number to your contact list so urgent phone calls do not come up as SPAM – 281-327-3768.

Students will be allowed to celebrate their birthday at the end of the day, by bringing individually packaged store-bought food products, provided by the parent or grandparent. Treats may be distributed to classmates on or near (i.e. bring treats on Monday when the birthdate was on a weekend) the student’s birthdate.

Prior to sending any treats, we ask that you contact your child’s teacher to discuss the date you will send treats. The nutritional label must be attached to your store-bought item. A parent or guardian must bring them into the building and fill out the proper form which is submitted to FBISD’s Child Nutrition office.

Parents or grandparents of a student at Neill may provide one birthday treat per child to share with the student’s homeroom class only. This may be in the form of ONE individually wrapped edible or ONE small tangible item (such as a pencil) with the value of the individual item not to exceed $5.00.

We require single serving items, which must be pre-packaged and individually wrapped, such as mini- cupcakes, cookies, brownies, or Krispy treats.

We respectfully request no cakes, drinks, balloons, flowers, donuts, stuffed animals, or goody bags. To preserve instructional time, additional party favors ARE NOT permitted. Birthday treat time is not a “party” but a simple, quick recognition of the child’s special day.

Please keep in mind that we have several students with food allergies. For this reason, products containing peanuts or manufactured on equipment that processes peanuts are prohibited. No nuts please, due to allergies.

Principal: Margaret Murphy

Margaret.Murphy@fortbendisd.gov

Assistant Principal: Felicia Holmes (Grades K, 1st, 4th)

Felicia.Holmes@fortbendisd.gov

Assistant Principal: Natacha Isaac-Bonaventure (Grades 2, 3, 5)

Natacha.Isaac@fortbendisd.gov

Executive Assistant: Vickie Zellers

Victoria.Zellers@fortbendisd.gov

Registrar: Jamie Fish

Jamie.Fish@fortbendisd.gov

Front Office Receptionist: Michelle Munoz

Michelle.Munoz@fortbendisd.gov

Counselor: Janelle Moses (Grades 1, 3, 5)

Janelle.Moses@fortbendisd.gov

Counselor: Jordan Massey (Grades K, 2, 4)

Jordan.Massey@fortbendisd.gov

Campus Compliance Coordinator (Special Education, 504, STAAR): Bobbi Threatt

Roberta.Threatt@fortbendisd.gov

Nurse: Vesna Scarborough

Vesna.Scarborough@fortbendisd.gov

Email: margaret.murphy@fortbendisd.gov
Website: https://www.fortbendisd.com/jne
Location: 3830 Harvest Corner Drive, Richmond, TX, USA
Phone: 281-327-3760
Twitter: @JNE_Longhorns