Staff Newsletter Oct. 16, 2025

On the cover: Students in the Burke Elementary School choir sang "loud and proud" during their 25th Anniversary Celebration last week. To view the event, click here. To view pictures from the event, click here. 

LAST Chance - Enrollment ends Friday!

Friendly reminder — this Friday, October 17, is the final day to complete your 2026 insurance enrollment. Don’t miss out on your benefits for the upcoming year — log in and submit your selections before the deadline. 

Buddy Reading Day Wraps Up Hispanic Heritage Month

Valley Hi’s Pre-K and 4th-grade Woodchucks teamed up for a special buddy reading day to wrap up Hispanic Heritage Month! Together, they read Skeletitos by Susie Jaramillo, then used the story’s clock to practice telling time and counting in both English and Spanish. Each Pre-K student got to take home their very own copy of the book—thanks to Mrs. Grimes and the Leaders Readers Network—plus a Calavera to decorate and a “Readers are Leaders” pencil. It was the perfect way to conclude a month filled with learning about the Spanish language, family traditions, and the delicious foods of Hispanic cultures.

PowerBuddy 

Calling all teachers! Did you know that Schoology offers a teacher AI feature? Introducing PowerBuddy. Create assignments, lesson plans, passages, essential questions & MUCH MORE! Check out this link to get started. 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.

Monitoring Grade Performance

As we close out a Marking Period, it is important to monitor your struggling students. Run a “Prompted Student Failure Report” in DecisionEd to run a list of your students who earned Ds and Fs in your courses.  Additional resources are also available on the DecisionEd Support Site on the HUB.

Powerful New Features in Google Meet

Streamline your virtual meetings with these new advanced features in Google Meet:

• Breakout Rooms: Effortlessly create and manage smaller discussion groups to facilitate deeper engagement on initiatives.
• Meeting Transcripts: Ensure no key discussion point or action item is missed with detailed, searchable Google Docs of everything spoken.
• Live Translated Captions: Eliminate language barriers for multilingual professionals by providing real-time translation, ensuring full participation for every teacher.
• Automated Attendance Tracking: Save time on post-meeting tasks with reports of who attended and for how long, allowing you to focus more on content and less on logistics.
• Q&A Polls: Get instant feedback and easily manage student questions to quickly check for understanding.

Take advantage of these tools to make your virtual meetings more productive, collaborative, and accessible than ever before! Visit nisd.tech/Google for more information, and stay tuned for updates on exciting new features from Google.

With the announcement of the temporary government shutdown, NISD officials are reaching out to families potentially impacted, saying, “How can we help?”

“No child will go hungry because they don’t have money for meals,” says Dr. John Craft, NISD superintendent. “And we want to make sure that their emotional needs are met as well because I’m sure this is a scary and uncertain time for many of them.”

Click here to read entire story and see what resources are available. 

Magic Bytes

Magic School Enterprise has arrived in your MyNISD portal. Get started right away with this week's featured tool.

The Tool Recommendations Tool (TRT) is a great starting point, whether you're a brand-new user or a seasoned one. With more than 80 tools in MagicSchool, it can be tough to know where to begin. The Tool Recommendations Tool helps you find the right tool fast. Just tell it your grade level, subject, and what you're creating (examples include a 9th-grade English writing prompt, a middle school science fair rubric, or differentiated practice for elementary math). The TRT instantly suggests the best tools for your task. 

Pro tip: Click the "star" in the top right corner of any tool to save it to your personal toolbox for easy access later. 

Kudos to three NISD employees who have received state recognition recently.

• Cruz Ramirez, an art teacher at Rawlinson Middle School, is the 2025 Texas Art Education Association (TAEA) Middle School Art Educator of the Year.
• Theresa Yasger, Assistant Director of Visual Arts, is the TAEA Art Educator-Supervisor/Administrator of the Year.
• Saul Cepeda, a science teacher at Hobby Magnet Middle School, is the 2025 Outstanding Secondary Science Teacher by the Science Teachers Association of Texas (STAT). 

NISD bowlers ready to roll

The NISD High School Bowling League launched its 2025–26 season in style with a festive parade and spirited celebration. School mascots and cheerleaders brought the energy, rallying behind the teams as they gear up for another exciting year on the lanes!

Be Well, Stay Well, Big Hit!

Hundreds of NISD staff enjoyed of morning of recharging and revitalizing at the 6th annual Be Well, Stay Well: Fuel Your Fire this past weekend at Brandeis HS. Sessions ranged from Zumba and meal planning to pickleball, art projects, financial planning, and a bit of pet therapy. 

Click images to enlarge.

Perk of the Week

Open an account with RBFCU for free!

NISD employees can establish free membership with RBFCU, with no monthly maintenance fees or minimum balance requirements, and receive direct deposit two days early.

Click here to join

Grant of the Week

Texas Retirement Teachers Foundation Grant

The Texas Retired Teachers Foundation is offering the Classroom Assistance Grant to Texas public school teachers who, on a daily basis, demonstrate a commitment to public education and children through the creation of programs, events, or other learning platforms. Click here to apply or contact the Grants Dept. at 210-397-8563. Apply by Jan. 9, 2026.