November Family and Community Bulldog Bulletin

Honoring Our Heroes!

Fernandez Elementary is proud to invite our veterans and their families to join us for a special Veterans Day Celebration on Wednesday, November 11th!

We look forward to honoring the brave men and women who have served our country. ❤️🤍💙

Doors Open: 7:00 a.m.
🥐 Veterans Breakfast: 7:15 a.m. in the library
⭐ Celebration: 8:00 a.m.

Please remember that all adult visitors must have a Fast Pass or government-issued photo ID to enter the campus.

We hope you can join us as we come together to recognize and celebrate our veterans! 🇺🇸

Bulldog Veterans 
If you are planning to attend, please complete the RSVP form below so we can prepare for you and your guest(s).

We look forward to honoring you and celebrating your service and sacrifice. Thank you for all you have done for our country! ❤️🤍💙

Please RSVP here: https://forms.gle/7s8PsgcS3cvJgYLm6

Veterans Day is quickly approaching, and we need your pictures! Use the QR code here to send in pictures of the veterans in your family by Monday, November 9th. These may include active duty military as well.

Digital pictures are preferred. However, if sending in hard copies works best for you, all pictures should be copies, not originals, and should include a description of the veteran.

Thank you!

Stay connected—our counselor’s newsletter has tips, updates, and encouragement for families.

The Paw Print: Counseling Edition

Bulldog Families, It's a Week of Gratitude!

November 16–20, we're celebrating all the things that make our Fernandez community so special! 💛🖤

Join us for a fun-filled week of spirit dress-up days as we spread kindness, show appreciation, and celebrate everything we're thankful for! 🦃✨

Check out the flyer for each day's theme, and let's show our Bulldog gratitude all week long! 🐾⚾

We’re counting on our amazing families once again for another success school fundraiser! 🍫 

Support our chocolate bar fundraiser—every sale helps fund activities, resources, and celebrations for our students. Together, we can make a big impact! More info to come soon! 

We're celebrating the GOOD in our Bulldogs! Fernandez Elementary has launched our 100 Positive Phone Calls Home Challenge to recognize students who demonstrate our BARK expectations: Be Trustworthy, Act Responsibly, Respect, and Kindness and Caring!

When a student is recognized, a staff member will make a special positive phone call home to share the great news! The student will also receive a certificate to take home, and their name will be proudly displayed on our 100 Positive Phone Calls bulletin board!

Our goal is to make 100 positive phone calls and celebrate the amazing things our Bulldogs do every day. We can't wait to fill our board with Bulldog All-Stars!

Join us for a some winter family fun at Winter Fest. More info to come!

The holiday season is right around the corner, and we are excited to spread a little extra joy to our amazing Fernandez teachers and staff! Throughout December, we have some fun holiday activities planned to celebrate the wonderful people who give so much to our Bulldogs each day!

To help make these celebrations extra special, we are collecting gift card donations of any amount to use as prizes for holiday games, raffles, and festive surprises for our staff!

If your family would like to contribute, we would be incredibly grateful! Donations are completely optional, and every contribution, big or small, helps us spread a little holiday magic. If interested, please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up.

Donations: Gift cards of any amount

Drop-Off: Fernandez Front Office

Deadline: Friday, December 11

Sign Up Here

Your kindness and generosity help us show our teachers and staff just how much they are appreciated! Thank you for helping us make this holiday season a little brighter for our Bulldog staff!

Attention 5th Grade Families!

Middle school is right around the corner! Curious about NISD magnet school opportunities for your child? Join our school counselor, Ms. Quiroz, on Tuesday, December 1, at 4:30 PM at Fernandez Elementary to learn about the exciting programs and opportunities available as your child prepares for middle school!

Our campus is filled with hardworking staff members who pour their hearts into our Bulldogs. Take a moments to shine a light on the awesome things that they do or just a simple thank you to brighten their day. Click the link submit a Pawsitively Awesome Shoutout!

https://forms.gle/aCfaE2gJJxBvsztU6

The Fernandez PTA extends a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who helped make PawFest such a wonderful success! Whether you volunteered your time, donated, participated, or simply came out to enjoy the festivities, your support made a difference. We are incredibly grateful for our amazing Bulldog community and the love and generosity you continue to show our school. Together, we are making a difference for our Fernandez Bulldogs!

Our Bulldogs have been working hard to reach our daily attendance goal of 95%, and we've already celebrated some exciting attendance milestones, including Stuffy Day and Pajama Day! Over the past two weeks, we haven't reached our daily 95% attendance goal. We know our Bulldogs can turn things around! Every school day matters, and every student makes a difference. Let's work together to get back on track and keep moving toward our next reward: Board Game Time ! Thank you, Bulldog families, for helping us make every school day count.

Take a look at our daily attendance monthly rates so far this school year!

August: 94.9%

September: 93.9%

October: 93.5%

November: 90.5% (as of November 5)

26-27 Average: 93.2% 

Attendance Matters! Help your child stay on track academically by planning family vacations during scheduled school breaks whenever possible. Missing school can mean missed instruction, assignments, assessments, and opportunities to learn. Use this calendar to plan ahead and make every school day count!

Once a student has accrued 3 unexcused absences in the system, NISD will generate an Attendance Warning Notice that will be emailed to the parent/guardian. This Attendance Warning Notice is added to your child's school record. An example of what you will receive is shown here.

Reporting and Documenting Absences

When your child is absent, please submit a written note explaining the reason for the absence.  Notes may be submitted to the attendance clerk in the front office or emailed to neida.lopez@nisd.net.

Helpful Dismissal Reminders

There are two dismissal areas:  

Front Drive: ALE, ECSE, PreK, Kinder, and 1st Grade  

Back Bus Loop: 2nd thru 5th Grade

2nd through 5th grade siblings will join their younger siblings in the front pickup area. 

iDismiss Cards: Please have your card ready and clearly displayed on your rearview mirror. Families participating in parent walk-up dismissal should have the card in hand. This helps our team identify families quickly and prevents delays in your child’s dismissal. If a card is not present, you may be asked to provide identification to verify student pick-up.  If you need a new dismissal card, please stop by the front office.

Loading Zone: Please pull as far forward as possible and stop at the designated car signs so our staff can load students safely and efficiently. 

Buckling Up: If your child needs assistance buckling up, please pull completely through the loading zone to help them do so. For front-of-school dismissal, you may continue to the shaded tree area or pull safely into the parking lot.

Neighborhood Safety: Front Pickup families—including ALE, ECSE, Pre-K, Kinder, and First Grade—please be mindful of our neighbors when lining up near Lucky Draw St. and DeLeon Dr. Please do not block the cul-de-sac or driveways, park near stop signs, or make U-turns on Ridgebrook St. These actions can limit visibility and disrupt the safe flow of traffic.

Speed Limit: Please follow the posted speed limit while in the school zone and drive slowly through the car line to help keep everyone safe.

At 3:20, all remaining students are sent to the front office where parents/guardians may sign them out.   

Change of Way Home for Students: If you need to change your child’s normal dismissal routine, please call the office no later than 2:30 p.m. This is to ensure that the message reaches the teacher in time for dismissal. 

Review of Morning Arrival procedures. 

• Our doors open to students at 7:00 a.m.
• Breakfast is served from 7:00-7:40 a.m. in the cafeteria.
  • Students will go through the line. Parents may eat with their child.
• Students not eating breakfast wait in cafeteria 7:00-7:15 a.m.
  • Pre-K students report directly to the Cafeteria to wait with their class, even if they are not eating breakfast.
• At 7:15a.m., students walk to their grade level area to wait with a staff member. Parents may walk their child to their hallway during this time WITH A FAST PASS or Visitor Pass.
  • Pre-K will report directly to the Cafeteria to wait with their class, even if they are not eating breakfast.
  • ECSE SC & ALE students will report directly to their classroom.
• 1st Bell Rings at 7:40 a.m.
  • Students begin going into their classrooms to prepare for instruction.
  • Parents exit the school building.
  • Front Lobby doors close at this time and students walk to class independently.
  • Cafeteria stops serving breakfast.
  • Students eating breakfast head to class.
  • Late arrival breakfast is served at Front Lobby doors. 
• 7:45 a.m. Tardy Bell rings and classroom instruction begins with Daily Announcements
  • All visitors have exited the building.
  • Any student entering the building after this time is marked tardy.
• 9:00 a.m. Students arriving at school after this time are considered absent unless a doctor's note is provided. Student MUST be checked into the office by a parent or guardian if dropped off after 9:00 a.m.

Texas House Bill 1481, also known as the "Phone-Free Classrooms" bill, mandates that all public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools in Texas must implement policies prohibiting students from using personal communication devices, including cell phones, smartwatches, and other devices, during the school day.

All personal communication devices must be kept in backpacks and/or out of sight throughout the instructional day and placed in a designated area (cubbies). This is consistent with our current practice but now includes all communication devices. Personal communication devices include, but not limited to, cell phones, SMART watches, personal tablets, Air Pods and other technology devices. 

PTA SIGN UP LINK 

District: Northside         School: Raul B. Fernandez ES 

The Fernandez ES PTA helps support students, teachers, and staff! Joining PTA helps us provide that support. 

Some of the events they help with include:

• Field Trips
• Trunk-or-Treat
• Bulldog Day
• Student Incentives
• Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week
• and MUCH MORE!!

By joining, you can help support our school and our students! 

The safety and security of our students, staff, and families is a priority at Fernandez ES. 

Click HERE to read about the Safety Initiatives in NISD for the 2026-2027 school year and learn more about our Standard Response Protocol.

Common Response Language:
NISD will continue use of the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) that provides common language across campuses and with local law enforcement agencies in the event of a potential threat. Families should review and be familiar with the SRP language as identified on the graphic to the left.