JNE'S Friday Newsletter
Friday, December 12th
JNE's Weekly Campus Update
Principal's Message
Dear Longhorn Families,
As we head into the final week before winter break, we have a full and exciting week ahead at Neill Elementary. Our students will enjoy a variety of special activities and events that bring learning, celebration, and Longhorn fun together. Please take a moment to review the flyer below so you are aware of what’s coming up and can plan accordingly.
Upcoming Events
Monday, December 15th- HERD Event Day: HERD STEM Challenge
Wednesday, December 17th- HERD Buck Party Day
Thursday, December 18th- Popcorn and PJ Day
Thursday, December 18th- Winter Party Day
Thursday, December 18th- 3rd Grade Musical (Evening Performance)
Friday, December 19th- Last Day of First Semester/Report Cards Published to Skyward
Friday, December 19th- Early Release Day/Dismissal at 12:10pm
Thursday, January 8th- First Day of the Second Semester
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
Campus Flyers
APEX Fun Run- Fundraiser Update
🎉 Thank You, Neill Families — Apex Fun Run Impact!
Thanks to the incredible support of our Neill community, our Apex Fun Run fundraiser was a huge success! Together, our students and families raised $38,723 in school profit through 1,718 pledges, with support coming from 1,398 donors across 39 states. We are so grateful for the generosity and encouragement shown to our Longhorns.
Beyond fundraising, Apex delivered 354 leadership lessons centered on fitness, leadership, service, and goal-setting, reaching all of our students and reinforcing the values we work to build every day at Neill.
Students ran an impressive 41,220 laps — over 2,500 miles total — and many rose to the challenge of giving back, with Apex donating to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on behalf of students who reached $10 per lap.
Funds raised will directly support student enrichment programs, celebrations, HERD incentives, tutorials, and instructional resources, helping us continue to create meaningful experiences for our students.
Thank you for partnering with us, believing in our kids, and supporting the work we do together at Neill.
NEW: Enter an Absence Request in Skyward
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:
- Log in to your student’s Skyward Family Access account.
- Select your student’s profile.
- Click on the Attendance tab.
- Choose Absence Requests.
- Click the green “+ Add Absence Request” button and follow the prompts.
- 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
Premier Opportunity: Service Sentinels
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:
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Tours or partnerships with local agencies (police department, conservation sites)
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Environmental or community clean-up projects
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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!
Volunteer Opportunity – HERD Store Helpers Needed!
Our Longhorn students have been earning HERD Bucks for demonstrating Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Determination, and Excellence—and they’re so excited to spend them at the HERD Store!
We’re looking for volunteers to help stock shelves, organize items, and assist students as they shop. If you’d like to be a part of this positive experience, please sign up here:
Thank you for helping make the HERD Store a place of fun, growth, and recognition for our Longhorns!
November GT Parent Newsletter
Student Activity Calendar
Celebrating Our December Staff Birthdays! 🎂
This month, we’re celebrating the Longhorn teachers who are marking another trip around the sun in December! 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!
JNE PTO Flyers
Winter Party Volunteer Sign Up
Get ready! Winter Party volunteer signups go live on Monday, December 8th at 9 PM. Grab a spot and help us make this year’s celebration unforgettable!
Lunch Visitor Sign Up
Lunch Visitors
Neill Elementary School will be inviting parents or guardians to join their children for lunch. Only one guest per student will be allowed into the cafeteria. We strongly encourage parents to sign up only one time per week if space allows.
Due to space constraints with large grade level enrollment, as well as to ensure the safety and security of all students, staff and visitors, we will ask that lunch guest sign up to join us ahead of time. Each week in our Friday Newsletter, we will post the link to a sign up genius for the upcoming week.
Link to JNE's Lunch Visitor Sign Up Genius
JNE will be hosting lunch visitors on Monday and Tuesday. The rest of the week we have campus events that impact our lunch schedule. We look forward to hosting more lunch guests in the new year!
Please remember to bring a photo id with you to campus as this is required to be signed in to campus as a visitor.
We thank you for supporting us as our current practice is set in the interest of safety and fairness to everyone who would like to enjoy lunch with their child.
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.
JNE Reminders for First Time Lunch Guests
- 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.
District Diversity Calendar & Days of Fasting
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.
Campus Reminders
Attendance Information
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.
Become an UPLIFT Mentor for the 2025—26 School Year
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
Clinic Reminders
Clinic Reminders
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.
Birthday Treats
Birthday Treats
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.
Neill Elementary Parking Lot is a Hands- Free Zone as per Texas Transportation Code 545.425
FBISD Whole Child Health
Staff Contact Information
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)
Executive Assistant: Vickie Zellers
Victoria.Zellers@fortbendisd.gov
Registrar: Jamie Fish
Front Office Receptionist: Michelle Munoz
Michelle.Munoz@fortbendisd.gov
Counselor: Janelle Moses (Grades K, 3, 4)
Counselor: Jordan Massey (Grades 1, 2, 5)
Campus Compliance Coordinator (Special Education, 504, STAAR): Bobbi Threatt
Roberta.Threatt@fortbendisd.gov
Nurse: Vesna Scarborough
James C. Neill Elementary School
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
