Jan. 29, 2026 Staff Newsletter

On the cover: These Wernli Elementary School Wildcats are celebrating the 101st day of school as paws-itively cute Dalmatians! 

Chief Richard Palomo, the new Chief of Police in Northside ISD, is already making his mark with several new initiatives, including a swearing-in and pinning ceremony held this week, along with the debut of the NISD Police Department Honor Guard. 

Seven new police officers were sworn in, and two officers received their promotional badges in a formal ceremony, a first for NISD. Family members were included in this special ceremony, and many outside agencies and district officials attended. 

“This is the beginning of a new era in Northside ISD,” Chief Richard Palomo said. “When I came in three weeks ago, I told these police officers that we were going to make Northside ISD the premier school ISD Police Department in the State – and that starts today.” 

“I am big on networking and removing barriers to communications,” he said. “So, moving forward, you will see more collaboration, communication, transparency, and community engagement.”

NOTE: The NISD Police Department has committed to take "the plunge" on Feb. 21 at Boerne Lake alongside other local law enforcement agencies in support of Special Olympics. If you would like to support our police officers in their chilly efforts, click here.   Thank you for your continued support of our officers and for helping to support our local Special Olympians. 

Elementary students across the District celebrated the 100th day of school in a variety of ways, including parades, posters, dress-up, and various activities using the number 100. Parents and community members cheered the students on as the students acknowledged 100 days of learning, growing, and developing a lifelong love of learning. 

StudyMate in Schoology

Studymate is an easy, fun tool for creating study materials such as flashcards, quizzes, and learning games. Both students and teachers can create these materials using eleven different games and learning activities. Teacher and student directions can be found here.  Check out this quick video on how it works. Visit the Schoology Support Site on the HUB - Instructional Systems Support for more information. For a listing of previous Schoology articles, click here.

Set expiration dates for Shared Drives

We have some great news for those who use Shared Drives to collaborate! Google has just released a highly-requested feature that makes managing temporary access much easier and more secure.

Previously, setting "expiring access" was mostly limited to your personal "My Drive." Now, you can bring that same level of security to your collaborative Shared Drives.

What’s new?

• File expirations: When sharing a specific file within a Shared Drive, you can now set an expiration date for collaborators right in the sharing dialog. Once the date hits, access is automatically revoked—no manual cleanup required!
• Folder expirations (viewer role): You can now set expiration dates for folders in a Shared Drive for the Viewer role. This is perfect for giving someone temporary "read-only" access to a project folder.
• Reverting access (not removing it): Google has updated how expirations work to be more predictable. If a user has "Viewer" access to a main folder but you give them temporary "Editor" access to a file inside it, they won't lose access entirely when the timer runs out. Instead, they will simply revert to their original "Viewer" status.

Pro-Tip: Use this for short-term projects or when sharing resources with colleagues outside of your immediate department to keep our digital environment clean and secure!

San Antonio’s top academic competitors showcased their knowledge at the Regional Academic Decathlon meets on January 23. Thirteen NISD high schools participated across three regional competitions, each engaging with this year’s theme, “The Roaring Twenties.”

For a list of team results and state qualifiers, click here. 

Nineteen-fifty was a pivotal year marked by the start of the Korean War, the debut of the Peanuts comic strip, and most importantly, the beginning of Northside High School (now Marshall High School). 

Staff, students, alumni, and former administrators gathered for a 75th Anniversary Celebration. A highlight of the event was a student performance highlighting all the construction the campus has undergone and is currently undergoing. Five former principals attended the celebration. 

AAEF Classroom Grants

The Association of American Educators Foundation (AAEF) Classroom Grant (up to $500) can be used for a variety of projects and materials, including, but not limited to, books, software, calculators, math manipulatives, art supplies, audio-visual equipment, and lab materials. Click here to apply or contact the Grants Department at 210-397-8563. Applications close on March 1, 2026

Rev up your Friday! 

Join Andretti Indoor Karting & Games for their 2026 Educator Open House on Friday, Feb. 6, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Show your school ID to receive one complimentary hour of unlimited arcade play per educator. While you’re there, sample delicious food from their award-winning banquet menu (while supplies last) and explore unique field trip and event ideas for your students. Click here to RSVP and for more information.

Click on images to enlarge!