JNE'S Friday Newsletter
October 3, 2025
JNE's Weekly Campus Update
Principal's Message
Dear Longhorn Families,
Next week wraps up the first grading period, and we are so proud of the effort, learning, and teamwork our Longhorns have shown these past weeks. Their energy in the classroom and excitement for learning are what make Neill such a special place.
We’re looking forward to celebrating together on Friday with a special Astros assembly, sponsored by our PTO. Students are encouraged to wear Astros gear or orange and blue to show their spirit—it’s a great way to finish the week on a high note!
Families, don’t forget to RSVP for our upcoming Neon Nights event! This evening is designed especially for Neill Elementary students and their families, along with our staff. We’re looking forward to a fun and memorable night together — be sure to reserve your spot so you don’t miss out!
Upcoming Events
Monday, October 6th- Wear Blue for World Day of Bullying Prevention
Tuesday, October 7th- 1st Grade Service Sentinel Program with the Fire Station
Wednesday, October 8th- HERD Day (Wear your HERD Colors)
Thursday, October 9th- Festive Thursday (Wear colors, clothing and fun items representing your culture)
Friday, October 10th- Astros Assembly (Wear Astros gear)
Friday, October 10th- JNE PTO's Neon nights on Friday 10/10 from 5-8pm
Week of October 14th through October 20th- October Break
Tuesday, October 21st- Students return/ First Day of School for the Second Nine Weeks
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
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!
COMING SOON!
Week of October 27th
Destination Imagination Parent Information
From our Club Sponsor, Maria Relingado:
My name is Maria Relingado, and I am excited to serve as the campus sponsor for our Destination Imagination club.
We recently held our Virtual Parent Information Night. If you were able to attend, thank you for taking the time to join us. If you weren’t able to make it, no worries. I’ve attached the slideshow for you to review at your earliest convenience.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at any time at maria.relingado@fortbendisd.gov.
We are also looking for parents who are interested in volunteering as Team Managers. If this is something you’d like to be a part of, please let me know — your support would be greatly appreciated! I have attached a DI Parent Acknowledgement Form and a Volunteer Parent Supporter Behavior Contract.
Lastly, if your child would like to move forward with joining Destination Imagination, please fill out the attached club parent permission slip and email it back to me or send it in with your child tomorrow.
I’m looking forward to a fun and creative year filled with problem-solving, teamwork, and imagination. Thank you for helping us make this an incredible experience for our students!
Fort Bend ISD is currently engaged in a long-range boundary planning process to relieve overutilization in some areas of the district and to balance enrollment across the district.
As we prepare for upcoming changes to school boundaries, we want to provide information to help our families understand the need for this process and to seek feedback, not on the attendance boundary changes themselves, but on how we can best support students, families, and staff during upcoming boundary changes and school consolidations.
Join us to learn more about the planning process.
**Boundary scenarios will not be shared at these meetings.
Date: Tuesday, October 7
Time: 6-7 p.m.
Location: Kempner High School,14777 Voss Rd., Sugar Land, TX 77498
Date: Wednesday, October 8
Time: 6-7 p.m.
Location: Elkins High School, 7007 Knights Ct., Missouri City, TX 77459
Date: Thursday, October 9
Time: 6-7 p.m.
Location: Progressive High School,1555 Independence Blvd., Missouri City, TX 77489
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!
October GT Parent Newsletter
October EB Parent Newsletter
Student Activity Calendar
Celebrating Our October Staff Birthdays! 🎂
This month, we’re celebrating the Longhorn teachers who are marking another trip around the sun in October! 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
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
We will not host first grade lunch visitors on Tuesday due to schedule changes with their onsite 'field trip' with the Pecan Grove Fire Department. We will not host visitors on Friday due to schedule changes with our assembly and our set up for the PTO's Neon Nights Event.
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
Fort Bend Education Foundation Announcements
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

