NT Staff Updates

Tiger Pride Starts Here!

Dear Tiger Families,

Happy September! 💙💚💛

We are excited to have our students and families back for another wonderful school year at Neval Thomas Elementary School. Our Tigers are already settling into their classrooms, building relationships, establishing routines, and getting down to the important work of learning!

As we continue through September, please review the important updates, reminders, and upcoming events below.

Thank you to our families for helping us begin the school year successfully! Your partnership makes a tremendous difference.

A few daily reminders:

• School doors open at 8:20 AM.
• Students should arrive on time and ready to learn each day.
• Families requesting an early dismissal should arrive by 2:45 PM.
• Please remember to bring a valid photo ID when entering the building, picking up a student, or escorting an ECE student to class.
• Students should continue following the Neval Thomas uniform expectations:
• Navy blue tops
• Khaki or navy bottoms

🏷️ Label, Label, Label!

Families, please be sure to label all of your child’s personal belongings with their first and last name or initials.

This includes:

• Coats and jackets
• Sweaters and hoodies
• Water bottles
• Lunch boxes
• Backpacks
• Umbrellas
• Other personal items brought to school

Neval Thomas ES does not have a Lost & Found, and the school cannot be responsible for personal items that are lost or left behind. Labeling your child’s belongings greatly increases our ability to identify the owner and return items when they are found.

Thank you for helping us keep track of our Tigers’ belongings!

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

4:30 PM – 6:30 PM

We invite all Neval Thomas families to join us for Back to School Night!

Families will have an opportunity to:

✨ Meet your child’s teacher
✨ Visit classrooms and tour our beautiful modernized school
✨ Learn about grade-level expectations
✨ Learn how to connect with your child’s ClassDojo
✨ Discuss ways to support learning at home
✨ Learn more about i-Ready and student academic goals
✨ Hear important Title I information
✨ Meet school partners and members of the Thomas ES team

✨ Grab something yummy to eat

✨ Take home a backpack full of supplies, if needed

We look forward to welcoming you!

Strong attendance is one of the most important ways families can support student success.

When students attend school consistently, they are better able to:

📚 Keep up with classroom learning
🤝 Build strong relationships with teachers and classmates
🧠 Develop positive learning habits
⭐ Reach their academic goals

Our goal is for every Tiger to be present, punctual, and prepared every day.

If your child must be absent, please communicate with the school and provide attendance documentation to the Main Office or send an email to Ms. Brown at jenine.brown@k12.dc.gov.

We are happy to continue supporting our students through the Out of School Time Programs (OSTP) Afterschool Program.

For questions or support regarding aftercare, please contact:

Ms. Brenda Jackson
Afterschool Site Lead
📞 202-553-8150
📧 brenda.jackson2@k12.dc.gov

⚠️ Afterschool Attendance Matters!

Attendance is taken daily. Please note that students picked up before 4:00 PM are considered absent from the afterschool program for that day.

Consistent participation is important so students can fully benefit from afterschool programming and so available spaces are used by students who regularly attend.

📋 Attendance Policy

Students are permitted:

• 3 unexcused absences per month
• 5 excused absences per month

Students who exceed these attendance limits may be considered for removal from the program.

If you know your child will be absent from aftercare, please notify Ms. Jackson in advance and provide any necessary documentation when your child returns to programming.

Why is this important?

Because our afterschool program may have a waitlist, regular attendance is especially important. When a student is not attending according to program requirements, they may be removed from the roster so that the available space can be offered to another student waiting to participate.

We appreciate our families helping us maintain consistent attendance and making the most of this valuable opportunity for our Tigers! 🐯

Neval Thomas ES follows the DCPS No Cell Phone Policy.

Students who bring cell phones, smart watches, or other personal electronic devices to school will turn them in to their homeroom teacher upon arrival.

Devices will be:

🔐 Stored securely during the school day
📵 Unavailable for student use during instructional time
📱 Returned before dismissal

Students participating in aftercare will have their devices transferred to the Main Office for secure storage until they are dismissed.

If you need to contact your child during the school day, please contact the school’s Main Office.

Thank you for helping us protect instructional time and minimize distractions.

Student safety is always our priority!

All families should ensure that a current Student Dismissal Authorization Form is on file.

Please notify the school whenever there is a change to your child’s regular dismissal plan.

For everyone’s safety:

• Students will only be released to authorized individuals.
• Adults picking up students must be prepared to show identification.
• Please communicate dismissal changes as early as possible.
• Teachers and the Main Office must have accurate dismissal information for every student.

Thank you for helping us keep dismissal safe and organized.

We are so excited to be back home in our newly modernized Neval Thomas Elementary School!

Our students now have access to beautiful classrooms, collaborative learning spaces, updated common areas, and other spaces designed to support teaching, learning, and our entire Tiger community.

We ask families to continue helping us teach our Tigers to respect and take pride in our new school home. 💙💚💛

Our vending machines were installed on Friday and are now available in Room 222.

Enjoy!

Funds generated from the vending machines will support staff activities through SAF funds.

If you experience any issues or have any requests regarding the vending machines, please contact Ms. Willingham.

Field trips provide students with opportunities to connect classroom learning to the world around them through hands-on experiences in:

🔬 Science and STEM
📖 Literacy
🏛️ History and Social Studies
🎨 The Arts
🌎 Real-world learning experiences

Families should watch ClassDojo, backpacks, and school communications for permission slips and information regarding upcoming trips.

Field Trips scheduled so far...

9.15.26 - SE Tennis & Learning Center (4th Grade/ILS/SLS)

10.1.26 - US Botanical Gardens (5th Grade/ILS/SLS)

10.2.26 - Cox Farms (ECE/K/ELS)

🙋🏽‍♀️ Volunteer & Chaperone Reminder

At times, parents and guardians may be invited or encouraged by the school or classroom teacher to serve as chaperones for certain field trips or school activities.

If you would like to be prepared for a future volunteer opportunity, please visit the DCPS Volunteer Page to complete the required DCPS volunteer clearance process.

Once you receive confirmation that your clearance has been completed, please provide a copy of your documentation to the Neval Thomas ES Main Office.

Please note that completing the clearance process does not guarantee participation in a field trip or school activity. Volunteer and chaperone opportunities are based on the needs of the school, the activity, and available space.

Thank you for your willingness to support our Tigers! 🐯

September is an exciting month at Thomas ES, and we are grateful for the energy, enthusiasm, and partnership our families bring to our school community.

Thank you for trusting us with your Tigers each day.

Together, we are building a school community where students feel welcomed, supported, challenged, and proud to be a Thomas Tiger!

💙💚💛 WE ARE THOMAS! 🐯

With Tiger Pride,

Jaimee Trahan
Principal

Jaime Wyche
Assistant Principal

Krystal Willingham
Manager of Strategy & Logistics

Neval Thomas Elementary School

We love celebrating our Tigers! If you are interested in celebrating your child’s birthday at school, please keep the following guidelines in mind:

• Please coordinate with your child’s teacher in advance to schedule the date and time of the celebration.
• Celebrations are encouraged to take place at the end of the school day whenever possible.
• Please confirm the total number of students in the classroom with the teacher so there are enough items for everyone to participate.
• Store-bought food items only may be brought in for classroom celebrations.
• Please do not bring any items containing peanut butter due to allergy concerns.
• Any family members attending the classroom celebration must check in with Security and present valid identification before entering the building, unless they are a minor.

Thank you for helping us keep classroom celebrations safe, inclusive, and organized for all of our Tigers! 🐯

Email: jaimee.trahan@k12.dc.gov , jaime.wyche@k12.dc.gov , krystal.willingham@k12.dc.gov
Website: wearenevalthomas.org

Instagram: @nevalthomastigers
Address: 650 Anacostia Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20019
Phone: (202) 724-4593