October 2, 2025 Staff Newsletter

On the cover: Students in Beth Wells' fifth-grade class at Elrod Elementary School are learning about the early colonists and did some classroom role-playing and hands-on activities. As witnessed by the picture, the level of student engagement was high as they brought history to life. 

Cody Elementary School's Disney-themed STREAM Night was a magical evening full of wonder, creativity, and hands-on discovery! Families came together to explore science, technology, reading, engineering, art, and math through enchanting activities that truly brought the magic of learning to life. The goal of STREAM Night is to build parent, school, and community involvement and engagement, and this special night showed just how powerful that connection can be. 

They also brought incredible experiences to the campus —SeaWorld shared live animals, the Science Guys of San Antonio wowed families, and partners like the San Antonio Water System, CPS Energy, and NISD Magnet Schools added even more excitement and learning to the evening. 

Tech Checks - Preparing for Testing

Testing season is approaching, and as we get closer, it's essential to ensure your students and their devices are ready to go. Your campus may schedule a tech check 2-3 weeks before any testing window to ensure adequate time for repairs and device swaps.

During these checks, teachers will be asked to lead students in a simple inspection. Your campus will communicate the specific plan if applicable, and you may be asked to:

• Check for visible damage alongside your students.
• Ask students about any issues they have been experiencing with their devices.
• Verify the operating system version, as it is necessary for successful online testing.

Students whose devices are damaged or not working properly should follow their campus's process for reporting damages or lost devices to their Technology Support Specialist. Your partnership in this proactive effort helps ensure a successful and uninterrupted testing environment for all students. Thank you for your support! For more information and resources, visit nisd.tech/techchecks. 

New Google Features are Here!

We are excited to announce a wave of new features and updates that have been rolled out to your Google Workspace core applications, effective last Friday. These enhancements are designed to simplify your digital tasks, boost collaboration, and increase efficiency across familiar tools like Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Calendar. To get the full details on these updates—including key changes to conditional notifications, new sharing controls, and interface improvements—please visit our website at nisd.tech/Google.

End of Cycle 1 in Schoology

With the grading period ending soon, there are several timely items.

• Course Linking and Combining will be available in Schoology from Oct 13 - 17. Procedures for Linking and Combining can be found here.
• Cycle 2 Courses are accessible to teachers
• Use Bulk Edit to review assignment categories, due dates, marking period, and sync status in Schoology Gradebook. Directions for Using Bulk Edit can be found here.

This resource is also available on the Schoology Support site, accessible through the HUB - Instructional Systems Support. For a listing of previous Schoology articles, click here.

Carlos Coon employee receives special recognition

Margarita Llamas, Family and Community Liaison at Carlos Coon ES, was named Runner-Up for the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE) Creative Impact Award. 

“I am very passionate about my role as a family liaison and feel grateful for the opportunity to support and connect with families each day," Llamas said. "This acknowledgment motivates me to continue growing and giving my best to the work I love.”

Video of the Week: 
Stories of Northside @ Pease Middle School

Stories of Northside takes a spin of the wheel and visits Pease Middle School to see what amazing things are happening on that campus. Reporter David Norris focuses on the band, which has grown from 101 students to close to 300. Watch this week’s video to see why the Pease band is opening up a whole new world for students through the magic of music. 

Perk of the Week

Plan a fun fall visit to SeaWorld

It’s a great time to visit Sea World to enjoy Halloween Spooktacular or Howl-O-Scream. Get your discounted ticket here.

Grant of the Week

NISD Museum Association Grant

The Northside School Museum Association created the NISD School Museum Association Campus Assistance Grant to help dedicated educators in the district offset out-of-pocket expenses for classroom projects and resources. The grant awards two educators with $300 each. Click here to apply and view eligibility or call the Grants Dept. at 210-397-8563. The deadline to apply is October 23.

Click graphics to enlarge.