NHES Newsletter

For those who celebrated yesterday, we hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!

• Congratulations to the cast & crew of Willy Wonka, Jr. for their SHARKtastic performance this past weekend!
• Congratulations to our Newport-Mesa Teacher Grant Winners: Mrs. Messner, Mrs. Bordelon, Mr. Richards, Mrs. Ackerman, Miss Heigis & Mrs. Lang.
• Congratulations to the students who won the raffle for Teacher of the Day!
• THANK YOU to all our teachers & staff for being so JAWSome everyday AND thank you to all the students, families & school organizations for helping celebrate our team last week...your thoughtfulness & generosity is so appreciated!!

Check out the latest Shark News Broadcast #5

Our school is participating in the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments as part of CAASPP - CA Assessment of Student Performance & Progress this month. These assessments are a key part of implementing our Common Core academic standards and preparing all students for success in college and careers.

Our 3rd-6th grade classes will be taking the assessments on the following days:

Science - 5th grade ONLY

April 21st - 23rd

Language Arts

April 28th - 30th

Math

May 12th - 14th

You are the most important partner in your student's learning process. Please do all you can to ensure that your student is not absent during the testing periods or days and arrives at school on time each morning. It is highly recommended that your student gets a good night’s sleep and has a healthy breakfast each day.

NOTE: next Thursday, May 21st is early dismissal for all students.

As we are nearing the end of the school year, please continue partnering with us in reminding your students of our school expectations and holding students accountable:

• BEHAVIOR - students are expected to use kind, respectful & appropriate language at school; students are expected to follow HFO (hands, feet & objects off others); students are expected to follow all school rules AND follow directives of all staff
• ATTENDANCE - school attendance is not optional; students are expected to arrive on time and attend school every day when well
• DRESS CODE - all undergarments should be covered; shirts/tops should cover entire mid section; shorts/bottoms should be longer than tops; shoes should be closed-toed with backs

In the service of all our students, we need parents/guardians to support these same behavior expectations and reinforce school rules at home. Together for Success at NHES!

More information can be found in our School Handbook.

In an effort to accurately plan for the 2026-2027 school year, please fill out this survey with your plans for next school year: Enrollment Plans for 2026-2027

Deadline: Friday, May 22nd

NOTE: for TK-5th grade students only, current 6th grade students do NOT need to fill out.

Class Placements

Our NHES staff puts great thought and care into class placements for our students. We consider many factors including academic strengths & needs, complementary teaching & learning styles, and social dynamics. Our goal is to set students up for a successful year. For this reason, we do not solicit or accept requests for specific teachers or classes.

Enrollment is open for all NEW student TK-6th grade for the 2026-2027 school year!

These last few weeks of our school year are filled with fun, community, and learning opportunities! Mark your calendars & stay tuned for updates:

MAY

• Awards Assembly - Friday, May 1st
• School Lunch Hero Day - Friday, May 1st
• VIP Lunch Date - Friday, May 1st
• Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week - Week of May 4th-8th
• CAASPP State Testing: 3rd-6th Grades - Weeks of April 27th + May 11th
• School Nurse Day - Wednesday, May 6th
• School Play: Willy Wonka Jr. - Friday, May 8th + Saturday, May 9th
• Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast - Friday, May 15th
• Imagination Machine Assemblies - Friday, May 15th
• Open House (early out) - Thursday, May 21st
• Teacher/Staff-for-the-Day - Friday, May 22nd
• Memorial Day: NO SCHOOL - Monday, May 25th
• School Spirit Week - May 26th-29th
• Awards Assembly & Last Flag Deck - Friday, May 29th

JUNE

• Field Day - Wednesday, June 3rd
• 6th Grade Promotion - Thursday, June 4th
• LAST DAY OF SCHOOL (regular school day) - Thursday, June 4th

Check out our monthly calendar for all the happenings at NHES!

Heights Happenings: May 2026

Here at NHES, we love celebrating our community, school spirit & positivity!

T-Shirt Tuesday

Wear positive apparel like a t-shirt with a message of kindness, gratitude, encouragement, or positivity every Tuesday

Spirit Wear Wednesday

Show your Shark PRIDE by wearing NHES spirit wear, school colors (red, blue and/or white), or shark gear

Shark House Friday

Wear your Shark House colored t-shirt on Fridays

Keep an eye out for our Spirit Wear being sold by PTA at Flag Deck!

For all your general school information needs, take a look at our NHES Handbook on our school website. You can find daily schedules, policies about absences & tardies, information about school lunches & breakfast, dress code expectations, and more!

Newport Heights Elementary remains committed to being a student-centered, academically challenging, safe and healthy, and positive place for our Sharks to live and learn each and every day by achieving great heights.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, we will be happy to assist you as best as we can!

School Office - 949-515-6970

Terri Clarke, Principal - tclarke@nmusd.us

Angie Miner, Office Manager - aminer@nmusd.us

Jackie Droste, Office Assistant - jdroste@nmusd.us

Elizabeth Aranda, School Community Facilitator - earanda@nmusd.us

#sharkpride

Go SHARKS,

Terri Clarke

Principal

Email: tclarke@nmusd.us
Website: http://newportheights.nmusd.us/
Location: 300 East 15th Street, Newport Beach, CA, USA
Phone: (949) 515-6970