The Weekly Update #3-15

Steele Nation!

Happy Saturday Everyone! It was an amazing Fall semester at Steele ECHS and I am so proud of all our students and staff. Our students finished Steele Strong in their academic courses and we had a lot of engagement and fun on campus. During December, we had our Roanoke Holiday Parade, Family Night In, Permanent Flux Rock Concert, Door Decoration contest, Holiday Dress contest, Spirit Dress Up days, Grade Level Socials, NISD National Technical Honor Society celebration, DECA Mock Competition, StuCo Social, Fun Day Friday Pep Rally, and so much more!

Our Spring semester dual credit courses don't start until Tuesday, January 20th. This will give students 8 school days to get ahead on their high school courses and prepare for dual credit classes. Reminder, there is No School on Monday, January 19th, this is a student and staff holiday. The Fall semester Report Card goes out Thursday, January 8th. Published transcripts go out in HAC on Friday, January 23rd.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, and Happy New Year to all of Steele Nation! I hope you unplug, relax, recharge, and spend lots of great times with family and friends! We'll see you again next year in 2026!

This will be the final Steele Newsletter until Sunday, January 11, 2026

We Are Steele!

Todd Rogers, Steele ECHS Principal

Congratulations to Steele science teacher, Rhoda Hahn, on receiving the NISD SHINE award.

Northwest ISD recognized four outstanding educators with the Students Honoring Inspiring NISD Educators (SHINE) Awards after being nominated by their students.

Rhoda Hahn from Steele Early College High School, was surprised with cheers, balloons and special gifts from EECU and Nothing Bundt Cakes. Mrs. Hahn was selected after receiving multiple student nominations.

The SHINE Awards celebrate exceptional teachers who go above and beyond for their students. Several educators will be honored after each nine-week grading period this school year, encouraging students to recognize the teachers who inspire and make a lasting impact in their classrooms. We Are Steele!

A huge shoutout to Cesalee Flores, she is an outstanding member of the Steele Yearbook staff. Each week, she works hard to select pictures for our Steele Newsletter. Thank you so much Cesalee for all that you do. You are awesome! Go Steele Stallions!

Our Steele NHS hosted our annual Steele Family Night In. We had over 100 families attend this fantastic event. Thank you to all the families that came out and made it such a fabulous night. A huge shoutout to our National Honor Society (NHS) students for all their leadership and hard work. The night was full of holiday games, hot chocolate, music, and lots of fun.

Our Steele rock band, Permanent Flux, held their 2025 Winter Concert with a 16 song set. We had a packed house for an incredible show. Thank you to everyone who came out for an awesome concert! Great Job Stallions!

Congratulations to our Steele Guest Educator of the Fall semester, Theresa Embrey! Thank you for all that you do for Steele Nation! We Are Steele!

We had our Holiday Outfit contest and the school spirit was awesome! Everyone looked great! Congratulations to contest winners: First Place - Mr. Dominic, Second Place - Mikal Zrodlowski, and Third Place - Mrs. Flanagin. We Are Steele!

Wow! Our Holiday Spirit Week Dress Up days was a huge success! Our Steele students and staff had a great time with our four spirit days: Anything But a Backpack, Santa's Squad, White Lie, and Ugly Sweater/Holiday Outfit. What a great way to end the Fall semester. We Are Steele!

Stallions of the Month - December

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 December Stallions of the Month!

Congratulations to the Class of 2027 (Juniors) on winning the Fall Semester Fun Day Friday Tournament! It was an incredible Fall tournament and everyone had a great time. A huge shoutout to our Fun Day Friday student leaders, Hayden Rogers and Abigail Aguirre. They always do such a great job! We Are Steele!

Abilene Christian University is a hub of rigorous academic excellence and devoted community. Through residential and online undergraduate and graduate programs, we equip students for lives of service leadership, empowering them through exceptional teaching that unlocks the power of their curiosity and prepares them to create the solutions that will address the opportunities of today and tomorrow.

Abilene Christian University (ACU) Video

Financial Aid and Scholarships

For Northwest ISD students, winter break will last from Friday, December 19, through Tuesday, January 6. We look forward to seeing our students on Wednesday, January 7th! Have a great holiday season! We'll see you next year! 🤣

Hey Stallions! DECA has just launched their Nothing Bundt Cakes Fundraiser! Bundtlets are $7 each and can be purchased through SchoolCash.

The first pre-order date is open until January 23, 2026. Any bundtlets purchased after this date will be added to the second pre-sale deadline. All orders can be picked up on Thursday, February 5th, 2026 in Mr. Escarsega's room (414). Sales are only open to Steele students and staff.

Scan the QR Code or order yours now at: tinyurl.com/DECAbundtcake

Catch up on our Steele PTSA news from the Fall semester, written by Steele Junior, Aspynne Greenwood. Way to go Aspynne! We Are Steele!

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. We'll continue to take project ideas over the holiday break. The link will close on Tuesday, January 6th.

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!

As we continue through a period of the school year where inclement weather affecting the school day becomes more possible, we'd like to remind families of our procedures for inclement weather and potential school closings.

One of the most important aspects of this process is that if no announcement is made, schools are operating on their regular schedules. When possible, Northwest ISD will attempt to communicate any school closure due to inclement conditions the day before school, though the district's goal is to make a decision no later than 5 a.m. If schools close, communication would arrive in a variety of methods, such as through ParentSquare, a phone call, social media and the district website.

District leaders and transportation drivers personally drive roads across all major areas of Northwest ISD to monitor conditions, as safe roadways are the most important aspect of inclement weather decisions. Additionally, district leaders meet with regional weather-response services for their guidance. To reiterate, if no announcement is made, schools will proceed on their regular schedules. Plan for school unless you hear otherwise directly from the district, as we will directly let you know of any change to normal operations.

For more information about inclement weather and school closings procedures, please read these frequently asked questions.

The storage of guns is vital to safety, especially during the holiday season. Texas law now requires schools to distribute information about gun safety, as firearms are the leading cause of suicide in Texas. Restricting access to guns is critical in reducing acts of violence, whether as self-harm or towards others. Acts of mass violence and interpersonal violence often end in suicide. For information about safe gun storage, view this website.

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.