NHES Newsletter

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

• Congratulations to our 3rd-6th graders who completed their ELA & Math state testing last week!
• 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!!

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.

Science – 5th Grade ONLY

May 13th - 14th

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.

We want to make families aware of a concerning TikTok trend circulating among students that encourages tampering with school-issued Chromebooks - specifically by inserting metal objects or pencil lead into the charging port. This behavior can cause serious damage to the device, poses a risk of electric shock, and creates potential safety hazards for students and staff.

Please take a moment to remind your student about safe & responsible use of electronic devices, and reinforce that school technology is a learning tool, not a toy. Intentional damage may result in disciplinary action and replacement costs.

We appreciate your support in keeping our students safe and our technology functioning properly for learning.

In an effort to accurately plan for the 2025-2026 school year, please fill out this survey with your plans for next school year: Enrollment Plans for 2025-2026

Deadline: Friday, May 23rd

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

Please see the message that was sent via email to NHES families last week:

Dear NHES Families,

In preparation for the 2025-2026 school year, we want to inform you of some changes to the instructional bell schedule.

Our updated school schedule reflects slight changes to daily end times/dismissal, recess, and lunch periods. Please note this schedule update will begin next school year, 2025-2026.

We appreciate your continued partnership as NMUSD works together with us to create the best possible learning experience for every student at Newport Heights Elementary School and in NMUSD.

Here is a copy of the updated school bell schedule: NHES Bell Schedule 2025-2026. It will soon be available on our school webpage.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• NMUSD is working towards standardizing instructional days across the district, this includes standardizing recess and lunch minutes across our elementary schools
• recess = 20 minutes // lunch = 40 minutes
• yearly instructional minutes in the classrooms have remained consistent, no increase or decrease of students' time learning in the classrooms

Reminder: early dismissal NEXT Thursday @ 1:15 pm TK-3rd // 1:20 pm 4th-6th

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

MAY

• CAASPP State Testing: 5th Grade Science - Week of May 12th
• Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast - Friday, May 16th
• Open House (early dismissal) - Thursday, May 22nd
• Teacher/Staff-for-the-Day - Friday, May 23rd
• ted-ED Club Showcase - Friday, May 23rd
• Memorial Day: NO SCHOOL - Monday, May 26th
• School Spirit Week - May 27th-30th
• ELPAC Testing: 3rd-6th Grades (EL students) - Tuesday, May 27th-Wednesday, May 28th
• Awards Assembly & Last Flag Deck - Friday, May 30th

JUNE

• Field Day - Wednesday, June 4th
• 6th Grade Promotion - Thursday, June 5th
• LAST DAY OF SCHOOL (regular school day/regular dismissal time) - Thursday, June 5th

State Testing for 5th grade only

Tuesday

T-shirt Tuesday

Wednesday

Spirit Wear Wednesday

Friday

Shark House Friday

Flag Deck @ 8:00 am

Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast in MPR after Flag Deck

UPCOMING

Open House - 5/22

Teacher & Staff of the Day - 5/23

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

Heights Happenings: May 2025

Enrollment is open for all NEW student TK-6th grade for the 2025-2026 school year!

*not for currently enrolled students - registration for returning students is in August

*scholarships available

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 + Shark House gear being sold by PTA!

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