In this issue:
On the cover: Read Across America Week is celebrated annually during the first week of March, coinciding with Dr. Seuss's birthday on March 2. At Glenoaks ES, students celebrated the week with a special "Read Like Wemby" Day. Students showed up ready to grow their minds just like Wemby grows his game -- with focus, dedication, and heart. Throughout the day, classrooms were filled with students reading independently, partnering with classmates, and diving into books that challenge and inspire them. Students "caught reading like Wemby" received a chance to win a Spurs shirt. Pictured are the lucky winning readers.
HELPFUL RESOURCES
Organize Your Research with NotebookLM Data Tables
We know that for teachers and staff, valuable information is rarely "neat." Whether you are reviewing scattered meeting notes, pages of curriculum standards, or multiple sources for a lesson plan, gathering that data into a usable format can be a tedious manual task.
Google has introduced a game-changing feature in NotebookLM to help: Data Tables.
What are Data Tables? NotebookLM can now take your unstructured sources, such as PDFs, Google Docs, and even meeting transcripts, and synthesize them into clean, structured tables. Once the table is created, you can even export it directly to Google Sheets for further planning or analysis.
How Teachers and Staff Can Use This:
- Curriculum Mapping: Upload your state standards and your semester plan to automatically align learning objectives and assessment criteria in a single table.
- Meeting Action Items: Turn a messy transcript from a department meeting into a clear table of tasks, categorized by the person responsible and the priority level.
- Student Study Guides: Quickly create comparison tables for students (comparing different historical figures or scientific processes), organized by key dates, figures, and outcomes.
Getting Started: When you are in a notebook within NotebookLM, look for the "Generate Data Table" option based on your uploaded sources. Reminder: NotebookLM is a great tool for all your source-based AI needs and is now available to all teachers!
CELEBRATIONS
A repeat for two NISD AcDec Teams headed to Nationals
For the second year in a row, two Northside ISD Academic Decathlon teams have achieved historic victories at the state level, securing their spots in the upcoming national competition.
Warren High School placed second at the State Finals (Large School Division) and is now advancing to the national competition in California. This marks the second time in as many years that the Warren Academic Decathlon team has advanced to the national level in the large school division.
For the sixth consecutive year, the Health Careers High School Academic Decathlon team is headed to the National Academic Decathlon competition – a record-breaking achievement that no other school, large or small, has accomplished.
In addition, the Clark High School AcDec team placed second overall in the large school division.
Clark
Health Careers
Warren
AROUND THE DISTRICT
STEAMFest has something for the whole family
Levitating off the ground with hovercraft rides. Learning to code and maneuver robots. Designing and launching rockets. Learning to scale down set designs. Practicing your suturing skills with a banana.
Those are just a few of the more than 50 science, technology, engineering, art, and math (or STEAM) activities that will be available for those attending the third annual Jay Science and Engineering Academy (JSEA) STEAM Fest held Saturday, March 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. JSEA is located on the Jay High School campus, 7611 Marbach Road.
The student-led and organized event is free and open to the public, with activities geared toward kindergarten through eighth-grade students. The activities are hands-on, self-paced, and organized by area of interest. Topics include physics, astronomy, robotics, chemistry, biology, math, fine arts, and more.
Stacking up the competition
Students from over 10 campuses, ranging in age from 6 to 12 years old, tried their hand at the annual NISD Sport Stacking Tournament.
Sport stacking offers enhanced physical skills, such as hand-eye coordination and reaction time, while also boosting cognitive abilities, teamwork, and self-confidence. Sport Stacking is one of the Physical Education Modules that rotates to all 83 elementary campuses, promoting coordination, activity, and fitness for over 44,000 students.
Students competed in individual preliminary time-stacking events and team relay events during the morning of the Sport Stacking Tournament. The individual finals were in the afternoon.
The event coordinators were Coach Jaun Juarez from Galm ES and Coach Noel Valadez from Powell ES. The campus sponsors (coaches) are all volunteers who organize student teams and practices in preparation for the event. This is truly a grassroots effort that began with two NISD Elementary Physical Education Teachers with a vision, and many NISD communities of teachers, administrators, and parents coming together in support of their exceptional stakeholders.
In the end, it came down to speed, concentration, and grit. Joslyn Garcia from Powell Elementary was awarded All-around Female (17.516), and Jase Lemus from Ross Middle School (17.509) was awarded All-around Male. Meaning they were the top two stackers in the District. Adalynn Garcia from Chumbley Elementary represented the 6 and Under Female division and won 1st place in both the 3-3-3 and 3-6-3 events.
A special shout-out to Nathan Guevara, a fifth-grade ALE student from Fields Elementary. He earned first place in the 3-3-3 Special Stackers Division and was invited to compete at the Junior Olympics in Des Moines, Iowa!
stacking
stacking
stacking
Planting seeds of reading and growing
Staff, families, and special guests gathered at Cable Elementary School on Feb. 27 to celebrate a shared love of reading and gardening during the school’s “For the Love of Reading” and “Growing Together” events.
The morning began with coffee and snacks for parents and grandparents, followed by a courtyard pep rally featuring the Cat in the Hat, Thing One and Thing Two, along with KENS 5 meteorologist Bill Taylor and colleagues.
After the rally, Garden Club students teamed up with Stephen Lucke, founder of Gardopia Gardens, to plant beans, cucumbers, and other vegetables for a summer harvest. Seeds were donated by Charley Fisher of the Urban Garden Project.
Students also decorated herb-filled flower pots, donated by Lucke, to give to their parents. The visit was part of a partnership with the San Antonio Home and Garden Show, which previously connected with the Garden Club in October through its community engagement efforts.
Nominate your Outstanding Partner of the Year
Help Northside ISD celebrate the businesses and community leaders who go above and beyond. Every nominee will receive a special gift and an invitation to our spectacular recognition event in April.
- Deadline: March 20
- Need help? Whether you’re unsure about eligibility or want tips on writing a winning nomination, the Partnerships Department is here to help.
- Contact: Call (210) 397-8599 or email norma.rabago@nisd.net.
Submit your nomination here today and let’s give our partners the spotlight they deserve!
PERK OF THE WEEK
Save on Your Spring Break Adventures!
You’ve worked hard this year, and it’s almost time to recharge. Make your Spring Break even better with discounts from our NISD partners. Click here to unlock special savings on travel and entertainment from SeaWorld San Antonio, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Tickets at Work, and more!
GRANT OF THE WEEK
Grant improves overall habits
The Oliver Foundation's goal is to encourage Texas children, families, & communities to improve students' eating and physical activity habits from Pre-K through high school. Healthy Choices Grant Level 2 offers funding $3,000-$5,000. Click here to apply or contact the Grants Dept. at 210-397-8563. Closes April 15, 2026.
UPCOMING EVENTS
spring forward
social worker
resource fair
music
nutrition
history
