The Mustang Memo
SES Parent Newsletter Oct. 5th- Oct. 9th, 2026
Dr. Nelson's Mustang Message
Mustang Families,
Get ready for some Homecoming excitement on October 9th! Be on the lookout for CCHS cheerleaders and football players during morning drop-off as they help us kick off the day with Knight spirit! They’ll also be visiting classrooms to read with our Mustangs and help us celebrate CCHS Homecoming. We can’t wait to welcome them to Shawboro!
* Reminder:
Free and Reduced Meal Applications must be completed each school year. The grace period for students who qualified last year is expiring soon. If your family has not yet completed an application for the 2026–2027 school year, please submit one as soon as possible to prevent meal charges from being added to your child’s account. Even if your child qualified last year, a new application is required each year.
Dr. Greta Nelson
Principal
This Week at Shawboro
Tuesday, October 6th: National Instructional Coach Day
Happy National Instructional Coach Day to our amazing instructional coach, Lynetti Warden! We are so thankful for the guidance, encouragement, and support she provides to our teachers each day. Her dedication to helping others grow has a lasting impact on both our staff and our Mustangs. Thank you, Lynetti, for all you do to make SES stronger!
Thursday, October 8th: Awareness Day: Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Friday, October 9th: Spirit day- Wear Red and Black for CCHS Homecoming!
🏈 It’s Homecoming Week for our Currituck County High School Knights! Shawboro Mustangs, let’s show our support by wearing RED & BLACK on Friday, October 9th! We are proud to cheer on our Knights and celebrate CCHS Homecoming together. Mustangs now, future Knights!
Awareness Days & School Spirit Days
What is the difference?
An Awareness Day is meant to bring attention to and increase understanding of a medical condition, disability, or important cause that impacts our Mustang families. On these days, we simply encourage everyone to wear the designated color shirt to show support.
A Spirit Day is a fun school celebration where creativity is encouraged—students and staff can go all out with themed clothing, accessories, and school spirit!
Annual Holiday Card Design
Currituck County Schools is excited to announce our 2026 Holiday Card Design Contest
Four final designs will be selected, one from each grade category (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12/13), to be featured on the 2026 district holiday cards.
Please use the links below to view the contest details and guidelines. Each school will also share contest information with its staff and students.
The last day to submit contest entries at each school is November 2nd.
We look forward to seeing our students showcase their artistic talents and share their incredible creativity!
On the Horizon
October
October is National Principals Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Rett Syndrome Awareness Month, and ADHD Awareness Month.
11th National School Lunch Week
13th Awareness day: Wear PURPLE for Rett Syndrome Awareness Month
15th Fall Picture Day
15th State Earthquake Drills
16th End of 1st Quarter
16th Kindergarten Nursery Rhyme Day
18th National School Bus Safety Week
19th Staff Work Day
21st Third Grade Field Trip
21st Awareness day: Wear ORANGE for ADHD Awareness Month & Unity Day
23rd Kindergarten Field Trip
23rd Report Cards
26th-30th Red Ribbon Week
27th World Occupational Therapy Day
Last Week's Attendance Data
K-8 AIG District Parent Newsletter
Community Event Announcment
Trend Data & Performance Highlights
Art Contest NC Farm to School
North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
We are excited to share the NC Farm to School contest, which will select student artists who will be featured in the 2027-28 NC Farm to School Calendar. The theme for this year’s contest is “North Carolina Agriculture”. The contest is open to public school students in grades K-5 to create artwork featuring agriculture grown, raised, caught, or made in our state.
Deadline for entry is Friday, December 11, 2026. Winners will be announced in March 2027. Winners and their teachers will be recognized during an awards reception at the Got to Be NC Festival in May 2027.
Contest information can be found here.
You can find the winners, finalists, and honorable mentions from last year’s contest on the NC Farm to School website:
To find out more about agriculture in North Carolina, visit the NC Ag Statistics website
Information Updates: Double Checking Consent
Re: Please read to keep your child from being excluded from the school yearbook!
When you completed this year's Annual Information Update, IF you answered “No” to the following
question:
“Do you grant permission for your student’s directory information to be shared?”
You will receive a letter home to confirm what you intended to select.
We want to make sure you understand what that answer means, because it affects more than most
families expect. “Directory information” includes things like your student’s name, photograph, and participation in school activities. By answering “No,” you have told the district not to share
any of that information without your written permission.
In practice, this means your student may be left out of:
• The school or district yearbook (photos and name captions)
• Honor roll, academic, or achievement recognitions shared with local media or posted publicly
• Athletic and activity rosters, game or event programs, and team photos
• Graduation programs and printed commencement materials
• School or district website and social media posts that name or picture your student
If this is what you intended, no action is needed — your student’s information will continue to be
protected from these uses. Your “No” answer will remain in effect for this school year unless you
notify us in writing that you want to change it.
If this is not what you intended, please use the form sent home to notify the school.
School Meals
Free & Reduced Meal Application Reminder
Free and Reduced Meal Applications must be completed each school year. The grace period for students who qualified last year is expiring soon. If your family has not yet completed an application for the 2026–2027 school year, please submit one as soon as possible to prevent meal charges from being added to your child’s account. Even if your child qualified last year, a new application is required each year.
Sign-up for an Online Meal Account
Families can now set up and prepay student meal accounts online using LINQ Connect. Register with LINQ Connect to conveniently manage and monitor meal accounts throughout the school year. It’s quick, easy, & free to sign-up!
- Pay balances and add money to meal accounts online from anywhere and at any time
- Link multiple student accounts
- Track payments and purchases
- Receive important confirmations and notifications
- Submit free and reduced meal applications (does not require an account)
Free and Reduced Meal Applications are Now Available
Free and reduced-price meal applications are also available online—apply today!
School Meal Applications Can Help...
- Household meal applications can help families with eligibility for free and reduced-price school meals, fee waivers on college applications and admission tests, and discounts on utilities, internet access, and school fees.
- It helps school districts with academic and enrichment funding, discounts on technology and internet access, and resources for classrooms, educators, and students.
Submit one application per family to potentially qualify for free or reduced meals. Families must complete a new application every school year.
District Resources
ParentGuidance.org Newsletter: Facts About Bullying
ParentGuidance.org Mental Health Series
Attendance Matters
Make Every Day Count
Currituck County Schools kicked off Attendance Awareness Month! Regular attendance plays an important role in helping students stay connected, engaged, and successful throughout the school year.
To help families plan ahead, we’ve created a 2026–2027 Calendar Quick Reference Guide featuring scheduled early release days, teacher workdays, and holidays throughout the school year.
When possible, planning appointments, vacations, and other activities around instructional days is a great way to support consistent attendance and help students make the most of every opportunity to learn, connect, and grow.
Save this guide for easy reference throughout the year. It is also available on our website.
Celebrating Mustang Moments
We want to highlight the achievements of our Mustangs! Feel free to send us individual or group highlights of achievements our students.
Morning Bell 7:25am
Can Students Be Dropped Off Early?
No, students may not be dropped off at school prior to 7:25 a.m. Please keep your child in your vehicle until the morning arrival bell rings at 7:25 a.m.
If you arrive early and choose to wait near the front entrance, a parent or guardian must park and remain with the student until the doors open. Students may not be dropped off or left unattended at the front doors to wait for the arrival bell.
Tardy Bell 7:40am
Starting The Year off Right!
Visitors- Please have ID ready
As we welcome our students and families back to school, please be reminded that all front office staff will request photo ID for campus access.
To help maintain a safe and secure school environment, we kindly ask all visitors to follow these steps:
📌Please use the Main Entrance.
📌Have a valid photo ID ready and be prepared to share the purpose of your visit.
📌Once buzzed into the building, all visitors must report directly to the Main Office first before going anywhere else in the building.
📌Visitors approved to move beyond the Main Office must wear a visitor badge/sticker at all times.
Please Note: If multiple families arrive at the same time, each visitor must present an ID and state their purpose for visiting before being granted entry.
Our highest priority is always to provide a safe environment for our students and staff. We appreciate your partnership in keeping our schools safe and welcoming for everyone!
Dismissal- Please have pick-up card ready
📌As you enter the gym, please have your student pick up card ready to make dismissal a fast and smooth process.
📌If you have additional business in the building, you will need to exit the gym and walk to the front office to sign in.
Behavior Expectations
As we begin the school year, we also ask for your partnership in helping our Mustangs start strong each day. Please take a few moments at home to remind your child about the importance of following school expectations, making good choices, showing respect to others, and being ready to learn. When school and home work together to reinforce these expectations, we create the positive, productive learning environment that all of our Mustangs deserve. Thank you for doing your part to help make this a successful year!
Transportation
Contact The School
Yearbooks
Yearbooks are on sale now! Reserve your yearbook today to prevent missing the deadline!
Visit shop.memorybook.com
Our school code is: 139089M
The cost is $25.00
Important Reminders- School
Mustang Procedures
🛡️ Safety First: Visitor Check-In
The safety of our students and staff is always our top priority. Thank you for helping us keep Shawboro Elementary safe by following our visitor procedures.
📍 All Visitors
✅ Enter through the Main Entrance only.
✅ Have your valid photo ID ready.
✅ Be prepared to share the purpose of your visit.
✅ After being buzzed in, report directly to the Main Office before going anywhere else in the building.
✅ If approved to enter the building, please wear your visitor badge at all times.
Please Note: If several visitors arrive at once, each person must present an ID and state the reason for their visit before entering.
🚗 Morning Drop-Off
Drop-off begins at 7:25 a.m.
- Please keep students in your vehicle until 7:25 a.m.
- Students should exit only in the designated drop-off lane.
- Please do not drop students off in the parking lot.
Need to park?
Park in a designated parking space and walk your child to the staff member at the crosswalk.
🤒 Feeling Sick?
Please help keep everyone healthy by following district illness guidelines before sending your child to school.
Questions about symptoms or returning to school?
💙 Contact Nurse Tatem for assistance.
🔒 A Quick Safety Reminder
Our office staff will continue asking visitors to:
✔️ Show a photo ID
✔️ State the purpose of their visit
These simple steps help us maintain a safe and secure learning environment for every Mustang.
Thank you for your patience, cooperation, and partnership in keeping Shawboro Elementary a safe place for all students. 💙🐴
Stay Connected
Shawboro Elementary School- Home of the Mustangs
Website: https://ses.currituck.k12.nc.us/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShawboroES
This message was sent via Facebook, Class Dojo and through Infinite Campus alerts.
Please visit Class dojo or the Shawboro Facebook page for all visual Flyers.
