Letter from Sylvia Theissen, PTA President

I hope everyone had a blessed holiday season with family and friends. I also hope everyone is off to a wonderful 2013. The PTA is already busy getting ready for the many activities planned for the remainder of the year. Many volunteers are needed to run these events, so please consider volunteering your time. Upcoming events include, Student and Staff Birthday Celebration, Winter Ball, Election of the PTA Nominating Committee, Used Book Sale, Book Fair, and much more. Look for articles, in this newsletter, regarding some of the listed events. Isnt our School Directory great? Thanks to Trudy Mencky, Suzanne Wofford, and their fabulous volunteers. Thank you to all who purchased Ads in this years directory, your support makes all the difference. The holiday season is a time of year when there are many opportunities to serve/volunteer. Just want to remind students to get those volunteer hours logged!!! With a minimum of 50 hours, students can receive the Bronze level President's Volunteer Service Award. The log form can be found in the body of this newsletter. Students will be recognized at a PVSA breakfast in May and at the End Of Year Awards Ceremony. PLEASE JOIN US... at our next General PTA Meeting to be held on February 12th, at 6:30pm in the Cafeteria. The PTA Nominating Committee will be elected and Reflection Winners will be recognized.
General PTA Meetings and Proposed Programs for School Year

2nd Tuesday of the Month, 6:30pm (Months designated in Bylaws) February 12Reflection April 9UIL Recognition

Save the Date!

Friday February 15 Dance Theme: Masquerade Time: 6-8 pm, all grades See pg 7 for details!

Sylvia Theissen Tejeda Middle School PTA President

PRINCIPAL SHELTONS NOTES

Dear Parents: I am pleased to announce that we just received the following announcement: We are delighted to officially confirm to you and your entire staff that Tejeda Middle School has been selected as a 2013 Texas School to Watch. The assessment team was very impressed with the degree to which your school has fulfilled the criteria of the program. We look forward to working with the school in the future as you continue your journey of school improvement. A national announcement of the schools selected as Schools to Watch across the United States will be made in April 2013. We are excited to earn this title, but we know that it is our job to assure that we do all that we can every day to work with the students at our school. It is our partnership with the parents, our fabulous staff, but most importantly, our amazing students who continue to propel this school to greater heights. Please take note of the dates below: April 2nd - 7th grade Writing Day 1 and 8th grade Math April 3rd - 7th grade Writing Day 2 and 8th grade Reading April 23rd - 6th and 7th grade Math April 24th - 6th and 7th grade Reading and 8th grade Science April 25th - 8th grade Social Studies May 6th - Algebra EOC Please plan ahead to assure that your child is present on these days. These are the days of our STAAR testing for this year. We are in the midst of planning for next year. We are preparing to receive choice cards. They are due on February 6, but they can be turned in as early as February 4. Next year brings the exciting venture of offering some high school credits in middle school. Please be aware that we will have some limitations on the number of seats that will be available for those courses. Make sure that your student is ready to embark on the challenge of these courses. They have many years ahead to accomplish their goals. We may have to determine some of our seating availability by a time stamp and or a drawing. With that being said, we will do everything we can to assure that each student receives their choice of classes. The spring brings The History Faire & Cultural Fest and our Tejeda Beautification weekend. Please mark your calendars for March 23 for our beautification and April 6 for History Faire. Please continue to keep me aware of any concerns that you may have and thanks for all that you do to keep Tejeda among the best.

Brenda Shelton Principal

Nominating Committee News

The PTA needs volunteers to be on the Nominating Committee to fill positions for the 2013/2014 school year. The Nominating Committee consists of five members. Two alternates are also needed in the event an elected member in unable to serve. The Nomination Committee's responsibilities are:

Solicit suggestions for nominees from the membership Select one nominee for each officer position Contact the prospective nominees while meeting Treat all candidates in a fair and consistent manner Fill out the Nominating Committee Report to be presented at the April general meeting Committee Chairman is to read the report at the April general meeting

The committee only meets twice! If you are interested in being on the committee, please come to the PTA general meeting on February 12th at 6:30 pm. All committee members will be elected by the members at the PTA meeting. See you at the meeting! - Amianne Snethkamp, Parliamentarian

Faculty Appreciation Luncheon

Faculty Appreciation Luncheon is coming up on March 8. If you would like to donate bake goods for our wonderful faculty, please drop them off by 10:00 a.m., March 8 in the office. If you have any questions please contact Gina Fontenot at 210-241-3083. Thank you in advance.
- Gina Fontenot
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Battle of Flowers Parade Tickets on Sale !

Are you interested in going to the Fiesta Parades? For the 2nd year, Young Historians Club has a bank of 375 seats for the Battle of Flowers Parade (Friday, April 26 at 12:45 PM) and the Fiesta Flambeau Parade (Saturday, April 27 at 7:45PM). The Johnson High School Band will be marching in the Battle of Flowers Parade on Friday. There will be 3 rows of seating (125 chairs per row), located at the intersection of Navarro and East Commerce. Click on this link for a map of the area to see the location of our seats and a map of the current available seats:

http://www.neisd.net/tejeda/fiesta/fiesta.html.
TICKETS WILL GO ON SALE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23. Starting on Jan. 23rd at the earliest, please email me if you are interested in purchasing tickets for $10 each. PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IN YOUR EMAIL: YOUR NAME, CONTACT INFORMATION, NAME OF PARADE & NUMBER OF TICKETS. At that time, I will secure seats for you. I will send you a confirmation email, including when your tickets will be available for pick-up in the main office at Tejeda. Once you receive your confirmation email, you will need to see Irene Cantu, bookkeeper, in the main school office to pay for and pick up your tickets, as soon as possible. We will accept ONLY CASH or MONEY ORDERS for tickets, NO checks or credit cards. Due to high demand for tickets, we will only be able to hold them for you for 2 business days after your confirmation email has been sent. After that, we will release them to be sold to others. The tickets will also be listed on the Fiesta web page, for sale to the public in late January, but we wanted to offer them to our Tejeda family first. They will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Thank you for your support of Young Historians and Happy Fiesta! -Christi Baumann, cbauma@neisd.net

Tejeda Seating

11th Annual Used Book Sale!

The Tejeda PTA will participate in this event again this year. But we need your help! We are collecting used books, DVDs and CDs in your childs English class. We will begin the collection in March but we wanted to give you a heads up so that you can begin saving those used books, DVDs and CDs for us. We can take hardback and paperback books of all types (just no old textbooks). More details about collection will be sent in the next newsletter and will be eblasted by Mrs. Shelton. Save the Date!! The 2013 NEISD Council of PTAs Used Book Sale will be held: Friday, April 5 10:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Saturday, April 6 10:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Sunday, April 7 11:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.** Sunday is Bag Day! Purchase a bag and fill it to the top. $15.00 for the 1st bag, $10.00 each additional Littleton Gym at the Blossom Athletic Center Jones Maltsberger and Starcrest 12002 Jones Maltsberger 78216 Paperbacks..50 Hardbacks$1.00 DVDs/CDs$1.00 Cash and credit cards accepted! No checks please. All proceeds from the sale will support PTAs and the students throughout the North East Independent School District.

Dance, Friday, February 15, 2013

The theme is Masquerade Ball! Here are some of the important details:

The dance is all grades and it is 6pm-8pm Coat/bag check will be available Dress code is semi-formal; no shorts, please! Strapless dresses are okay for the girls Boys may wear jeans and tennis shoes, but must have a collared shirt Tejeda students only Tickets will be pre-sold the week before during lunches. If students pay at the door, they will not have the meal deal option. They will only be able to buy a dance wristband. IF THEY LOSE THEIR WRISTBAND, THEY MUST PURCHASE ANOTHER ONE. NO FREE REPLACEMENTS.

PRICES: Presale Dance wristband and meal deal ticket..$10.00 The meal deal includes: 2 slices of pizza Drink Chips or candy Additional concessions will be available for $1.00 (including 1 slice of pizza) Presale Dance wristband only$7.00 **Friday at the door.$8.00

Dont forget to visit the Tejeda PTA page on Facebook!

Our most recent post included information about Tejeda selected as a 2013 School to Watch! Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/TejedaPTA .

"Share the Warmth & Tejeda Giving Tree"

Dear Tejeda families and faculty, Thank you so much to all the Tejeda families and Tejeda faculty who donated coats and shoes for the "Share the Warmth" drive this past December. The drive was a great success and El Dorado was truly touched. We were able to provide 20 families children with coats and shoes plus more! Also, many thanks to those who participated in the Tejeda Giving Tree Project that made students in our own community have a brighter holiday season. We truly appreciate everyone's support. Sincerely, Melissa Ling and Kendra Barnes Special Projects, Tejeda PTA

Visit Tejeda PTA on Facebook for more photos (posted December 18, 2012)

Dear Tejeda Parent, Recognition Ads are a great way to thank, congratulate, and praise your child for a great year. Purchase a Recognition Ad in the Tejeda Middle School yearbook to show your child how much they mean to you. Hurry ads will only be on sale online at yearbookforever.com until March 21, 2013 and there are limited quantities ! You can purchase the size of the ad you want, upload a message and pictures. Yearbook staff will take care of the rest! Recognition Ad prices: Full page (up to 5-7 photos) Half page (4-5 photos) Quarter page (1-2 photos)

$300.00 $150.00 $75.00

Dont forget these are the days you will want your Timberwolf to remember forever. Buy their Recognition Ad and yearbook today! If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Hick by email at chicks@neisd.net or Ms. Stroud by email at mstrou@neisd.net. Respectfully, Clair Hicks and Mikel Stroud Yearbook Advisors

Spelling Bee Winner by Ana Valdez

Tejeda's 2013 Annual Spelling Bee was held in the school library on January 16. All students that participated did a fabulous job. What great spellers Tejeda has! Our winner was seventh grader, Haydn Rich. She has the opportunity to compete in the city wide spelling bee on March 9, 2013 at Trinity University's Laurie Auditorium. Congratulations and Good luck!

WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students) is an innovative program of the National Center for Fathering focusing on the prevention of violence in our nations schools by using the positive influence of fathers and father-figures for a two-fold purpose: 1) to provide an unobtrusive presence in the schools, and 2) to be a positive and active role-model for students at their school. WATCH D.O.G.S. was founded by Jim Moore, a concerned father who chose to take action in response to a 1998 middle-school shooting in Jonesboro, AR. WATCH D.O.G.S. serves to inspire and equip men to be the involved fathers, grandfathers and father-figures their students need. For more information, visit the WATCH D.O.G.S. website at www.fathers.com/watchdogs.

WOLF CREDO
RESPECT THE ELDERS TEACH THE YOUNG COOPERATE WITH THE PACK PLAY WHEN YOU CAN HUNT WHEN YOU MUST REST IN BETWEEN SHARE YOUR AFFECTIONS VOICE YOUR FEELINGS LEAVE YOUR MARK

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Presidents Volunteer Service Award

The Presidents Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) is issued by the Presidents Council on Service and Civic Participation on behalf of the President of the United States. It is given to recognize the best in American spirit, and to encourage all Americans to improve their communities through volunteer service and civic participation. The Award is given to individuals that have demonstrated outstanding volunteer service and civic participation over the course of a 12-month period. For Tejeda students, the PVSA time period is April 15, 2012 to April 14, 2013. All hours must to be turned in by April 15th to allow enough time to review and certify service hours and to order awards.

HOW TO LOG YOUR HOURS

Please log your service hours on the Tejeda Middle School PVSA Log (which can be found on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/tejedapta or on Scribd. IMPORTANT For any project that accrues more than 20 hours of service, please have the supervisor of the project issue a signed letter/certificate and attach to your log. The PVSA collection time for your service hours is April 15, 2012 April 14, 2013. Any service done during this time period can be logged. The PVSA log must be turned into the front office by April 15, 2013. The student and parent must sign the log to certify that the hours are accurate.

There are three levels of awards BRONZE you have at least 50 service hours SILVER you have 75-99 service hours GOLD you have 100 or more service hours. The award includes a certificate and a letter from the President. Students who receive a Presidents Volunteer Service Award will be recognized at the end of May. If you have any questions, please contact Sylvia Theissen, Tejeda Middle School PTA President at Sylvia.theissen@gmail.com

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The Texas PTA is holding the annual One World Challenge. This year the theme is Plug-In to Nature. Students are encouraged to create a solution that would fit within this theme. There are three areas students can submit their solutions to the environmental challenge: Visual Arts:

No larger than 24 x 30 in size, and no thicker than Must give a clear message that promotes the solution to the current challenge Must be the work of one student and can be a drawing, painting, photograph, collage or computer generated piece. Essays must be non-fiction and based on facts related to the current challenge. Handwritten or typed on 8.5 x 11 paper, not to exceed 1000 words. Entries must be the work of one student.

Essay:

PSA:

May be submitted by a student or group of students. Audio must be 25-30 seconds long. Video must be 55-60 seconds long. Must include the tag line This message brought to you by Texas PTA and the One World Challenge within the length of the PSA. Submit on a CD or DVD.

More information and complete guidelines can be found on http://www.txpta.org/ programs/environmental-awareness/ Forms and guidelines can be found in the front office or the Library beginning February 1, 2013. You may contact Christy_murphey@me.com for more information. Due Date for all entries: March 18, 2013

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PTA Links
NEISD Council of PTAs
http://www.necouncilpta.com/

State PTA
http://www.txpta.org/

National PTA
http://www.pta.org/

Texas PTA Newsletter

The Winter 2012 edition of The Voice is available online. Get your copy from the Texas PTA website: http://www.txpta.org/about-texas-pta/voice/ Great articles inside such as: Consider a Memorial or Honorarium for the Holidays, Film Addresses the Dangers of Food Allergies, Getting a Handle on Stress, 10 Safety Lessons Every Kid Should Learn and much more!

Under the Dome provides information on Texas PTA Legislative News and Events. Currently there is information on how our Legislators in Austin are handling:

EDUCATION FINANCE TRIAL SCHOOL CHOICE VOUCHERS STATE BUDGET AND THE RAINY DAY FUND
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STAAR Questions?
Having a lot of questions about the new STAAR tests, you will find many resources, as well as a comprehensive question and answer document, at the Texas Education Agency website.
Link: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/staar/

Please visit the NEISD's STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) website for a basic overview of STAAR which specifies who will be taking this new statewide test in the coming school years. http://www.neisd.net/staar/index.html The website will be updated as more information from TEA becomes available.

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A Reminder From Attendance

Please send a note with your student when he/she is absent. A student has 2 days to turn in a Parent or Dr.s. note to receive credit for that absence. Thank you!

Message from the Main Office

by Marsha Stiles

The Tejeda main office would like to share a few procedural tips for making your visits to our campus a pleasant experience. When the need arises, and your presence is required at Tejeda, you will need to do the following: 1. No matter the reason for the visit, you are required to stop at the main office first to sign in. 2. If you are only there to drop something off for your child, or to pick up a sick child from the clinic, you must sign in at the main office counter and take the yellow laminated pass found in the pocket of the sign in binder. 3. If you need to go anywhere else in the building, you will need to be signed in through the Raptor system. Your driver's license is required for this procedure. Once the license has been scanned during your first visit, you will only need to tell us your name for any subsequent visits. However, you will always need to show your DL to sign your student out at the clinic and/or the attendance window. 4. It is extremely important that during the morning hours of 7:30-8:30 a.m. you understand that the front parking lot is closed for buses only. The same applies to the afternoon pick up from 2:50-3:45 p.m. If you arrive to pick up a student at 2:45 p.m. and park in the front parking lot, please do not park anywhere in the circle drive. The middle section of the parking lot is the recommended place to park. Parking in any other space may result in your vehicle being blocked in by the school buses. Please also be aware that if this happens, we are not allowed to ask the buses to move. 5. We will soon have a new Raptor system set up near the student drop off/pick up area in the event you enter the building from the back parking lot during the early morning times. Those badges will be printed from the ISS room/ C142.

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Counselors Corner
Cyber bullying

by Shawnda Christopher

Cyber bullying occurs when someone sends hurtful messages by cell phone or online. It can take many forms, such as writing rude comments, spreading rumors, or posting embarrassing pictures. Your child can discourage cyber bullying in many ways. They should give personal information like email address or cell phone numbers to good friends only. If a nasty email or text message is received, the student should not respond. Explain that by replying only gives the other person the satisfaction of having upset him/her. The best thing to do is simply log off or turn off the cell phone. If you can block this person, that would be ideal. Let your youngster know he/she should tell an adult if they experience cyber bullying. You can report problems that continue to your Internet provider, the school, or even the police.
MONEY MATTERS As of November 1, 2004, North East ISD has established the following policy for accepting checks and collecting bad checks: For a check to be an acceptable form of payment, it must include your current and accurate name, address, telephone number, drivers license number and state. In the event your check is returned for non-payment, the face value may be recovered electronically along with a state allowed recovery fee. In the event your check is returned for non-payment, checks will no longer be an acceptable form of payment for the remainder of the school year.

- Irene Cantu, Bookkeeper

COOPERATE WITH THE PACK

Have you noticed the icon on the bottom left side of the Tejeda web page? Cooperate with the Pack is another way to report bullying issues at Tejeda. In addition to the Bully Box, located outside the library, students can now click on the link, type in their issue or concern and press send. The emails will be checked 3 times throughout the school day. Urgent issues or concerns should be reported to proper authorities immediately or to campus administrators.

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T-Wolves Against Bullies (T.A.B.)

by TAB Sponsors

Tejeda Clubs

T-wolves Against Bullies supported the North East McKinney Holiday Drive by donating clothing and hygienic items to benefit homeless children and youth. Parents, students, and faculty/staff at Tejeda Middle School donated items such as gloves, socks, clothing, and personal toiletries. A certificate of appreciation was presented to TAB members for their participation in the McKinney Homeless Project. Thank you to all families and staff who helped to make the project a success. TAB was able to collect over 4 boxes of items. TAB members are pictured below along with some of the items donated.

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T-Wolves Against Bullies (T.A.B.)

by TAB Sponsors

T-Wolves Against Bullies (TAB) was featured in the San Antonio Express News over the holiday break. The article focused on proper smartphone etiquette and highlighted the efforts of TAB as they tweeted positive actions that are occurring on campus through their Twitter page @PAWsitiveLeader and Instagram site. 8th grader, Stephen Jalifi, and his mother were interviewed regarding their views and experiences with social media websites. The full article can be read online at: http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/ article/Teaching-kids-what-NOT-to-post-in-smartphone-age-4128876.php .

TAB is also working on a project titled Be PAWsitive- Anti Bullying Program through the website Donors Choose, an online charity that allows anyone to make donations to school projects in America. The club is asking for anti-bullying posters and booklets on how to prevent bullying. Donors can give as little as $1 to support the project of their choice and the donations are tax-deductible. TAB is halfway to completing their project and the link can be found here: http://www.donorschoose.org/project/be-pawsitive-anti -bullying-program/921515/

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GREEN thumbs in Action by Kristen Guerra

Tejeda Middle Schools GREEN club was awarded four raised garden beds and an assortment of seeds through the online charity, DonorsChoose.org. Two donors, Michelle Robinson and SONIC Drive-In, provided $545 to fund the project. The members of GREEN club are going to assemble the garden beds and plant various vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Through this project, the students can study photosynthesis and tropism first hand. GREEN club looks forward to the plants that they will grow and are hoping to be able to provide fruits, vegetables, and herbs for the cafeteria to use!

Box Top Bonus Incentive

by Marilu Ramey

HEB will be running the 60 BONUS BOX TOPS incentive from January 23 - February 5. If you buy 10 box top items within one shopping trip, you will receive a printed coupon for 60 box tops! Each box top brings Tejeda 10 cents! The science department collects box tops all year and welcomes any amounts! Thank you for your support!

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PAW it Forward - by Susan Blucher

The Tejeda GET FIT club is busy doing random acts of kindness for the community. They are calling it PAW It Forward, since they are Tejeda Timberwolves trying to pay it forward. On Dec. 22nd, the first day of Winter Break, the GET FIT club went into the Encino Park neighborhood and raked leaves at four different homes as a random act of kindness. The homeowners receiving some help included a retired couple, a retired Colonel, a widow, and the academic dean of Tejeda Middle School. GET FIT club members are doing activities that promote wellness and getting fit while doing a kind gesture for someone else. The GET FIT Club members met club sponsor, Susie Blucher, at school on Saturday morning and worked for two hours raking. By the time they finished, they bagged up about 36 bags of leaves. This once a month activity is awesome to do and it makes you feel good when you can do something for others, says sponsor Susie Blucher. The GET FIT Club meets every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month on the track at Tejeda at 7:30 am before school. They run or walk the track and get pumped up before school. Exercise increases brain cells so they can also be better learners. The Johnson High School Cross Country team often comes and works out with them as the Johnson students also mentor the middle schoolers. The GET FIT club also sponsors an annual Tryathlon which will be held on April 20th, 2013. Tejeda students team up with an adult, teacher, parents, or older sibling, and participates in a 100m swim (at Golds Gym), a 5 mile bike (throughout Encino Park neighborhood) , and a 1 mile run on campus ending at Tejedas beautiful History Hill. If you are interested in participating or learning more about the Tryathlon, contact Susie Blucher at sbluch@neisd.net .

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2012-2013 UIL Practice Schedule

Number Sense Mondays 7:35-8:10 in room A115, Ms. Kissinger & Mrs. Bodet 6th Grade Math Mondays 3:30-4:15 in room A214, Mr. Garza 7th & 8th Grade Math Mondays 3:30-4:15 in A016, Mrs. Crocker Maps, Charts, & Graphs Tuesdays 7:35-8:10 in room A218, Mr. James Spelling Tuesdays 3:30-4:15 in B127, Mrs. E. Castellanos Calculator - Wednesdays 3:30-4:15 in room B128, Mrs. Bodet Science Thursdays -7:35-8:10 in room B135, Mrs. J. Castellanos Dictionary Skills Thursdays 3:30-4:15 in room A010, Mrs. Jacobs Social Studies Fridays 7:35-8:10 in room A212, Mrs. Guenther

Important UIL Academic Meet Dates

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, October 27th - MESAC Meet @ Tejeda December 1st - UIL Practice Meet @ Garner February 2nd - UIL Practice Meet @ Tejeda March 23rd - UIL District Championship Meet @ Bush

- Lynn Bodet, UIL Coordinator sbodet@neisd.net

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And in Debate News

This past December, 15 students competed in the two-day district-wide Fall Debate tournament at Lopez Middle School. This years Lincoln-Douglas Debate resolution was: Resolved: Individuals have a moral obligation to assist people in need. On January 10th and 11th, Tejeda hosted the UIL LD Debate. The top three debaters from each NEISD middle school were able to compete. Tejedas top debaters were 8th graders Colin McKay and Hunter Jackson and 6th grader Mikayla Nasis. These dedicated debaters served Tejeda well. Colin McKay took 3rd place in the district and Hunter Jackson took 5th place. Way to go Tejeda Debaters! We are very proud of you! Ms. Stroud would like to thank the families of the following students who donated desserts, drinks and snacks for the hospitality room: Matthew Carlson, Crete Hwang, Grace Holland, Grant Huguenin, Colin McKay, Mikayla Nasis, Zach Parker, Sunaina Rasamallu, Cassie Williams, Omar Shamaa, and Max Sierra. Ms. Stroud would also like to thank one of our paraprofessionals, Teri Vivian, for her drink donations and giving of her time to serve food to our judges, as well at Mrs. Bodet our UIL Coordinator, Assistant Principals Mrs. Shore and Mr. Brown, our Academic Dean Mrs. Jones, and Principal Mrs. Shelton, for their continued support of the Tejeda Debate program.

And in Speech News

Ms. Kelly would like to congratulate the following theatre arts students for placing at the Fall Speech Tournament in December. 1st in Poetry Nick Granderson 1st in Dramatic Interp. Dylan Gonzales, Diana Jones 2nd in Dramatic Interp. Janeth Juarez 4th in Dramatic Interp. Preston Perez, Logan Marks, Bethany Brown 1st in Humorous Interp. Holly Furlow, Nicole Fang 2nd in Humorous Interp. Preston Perez, Elizabeth Irwin, Dominique Whitson 3rd in Humorous Interp. Gilliah Bode 4th in Humorous Interp. Aiden Valdez, Steven Jalifi, Joe Donoghue, Rory Gaudette, Brandon DeBlanc 1st in Prose Dylan Gonzales 2nd in Prose Gabi Prigmore, Preston Perez 3rd in Prose Bethany Brown, Zach Thill 4th in Prose Kate Esqueda, Madison Earp, Emma Cantu, Joey Mazzocco, Nick Granderson, Reilly Hanson, Kat Hogan Thank you to all the parents who volunteered their time to judging! Thank you to the continued support of Tejeda administration and teachers of the theatre arts program.

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The UIL Speech Tournament by Mikel Stroud

This past December at the Fall Speech tournament, numerous students participated in several events, including Impromptu, Modern Oratory, and Oral Reading. The top 6 students in each category competed in the UIL Speech tournament on January 22, 2013 at Nimitz Middle School. These dedicated performers gave their all, earning Tejeda points for UIL towards the Middle School Cup. Impromptu Speaking: Seventh graders Kaylee Honeycutt placed 6th and eighth grader Colin McKay placed 3rd. Modern Oratory: Sixth grader Mikayla Nasis placed 2nd while in competition with 7th grade, and eighth graders Colin McKay placed 3rd, Cassie Williams placed 5th, and Ian Xia placed 6th. Oral Reading: Sixth grader Kate Esqueda placed 4th and eighth grader Preston Perez placed 6th.

Sport Schedule

Basketball Schedule can be found at: http://www.neisd.net/tejeda/athletics/athletic_schedules/BBSchedule2012.pdf

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Tejeda Wins Multiple awards for Yearbook

Tejeda Middle School recently added a few new awards to their name. First time yearbook advisers Clair Hicks and Mikel Stroud are proud to announce that they have received three outstanding awards for their 2011-2012 Legacy yearbook. The Columbia Scholastic Press Association recognized Tejedas yearbook as a Silver Medalist award winner. The National Scholastic Press Association, judging in several categories, gave the Legacy a First Class ranking with Two Marks of Distinction in Coverage and Photography. Most recently, the American Scholastic Press Association awarded their efforts with a First Place award. The 2012 Legacy was made up of six sections. Staff and advisors chose to create a new section titled Service and Leadership. T-Wolf staffers felt strongly about highlighting the ambitious service projects and leadership organizations that help set our school apart from others. Students also voted to have a doodle graphic theme where each page would have a graphic design, featuring spaces where students, themselves, can doodle and record their personal experiences. As a teacher, I see doodling throughout my student work and thought it would be a fun endeavor to incorporate that into their yearbook, admits Stroud. Even the yearbook itself, receives doodles from friends signing goodbyes, thank yous and silly jokes. Last year, we actually encouraged the doodles, the mustaches, and the memories, because it aided in keeping with the theme and flow of the book. We found our first year to be both challenging and rewarding, stated Hicks. We had no idea how close our group of 25 eighth graders would become when the year began. Mrs. Hicks and Ms. Stroud would like to thank the staff of 2011-2012 for their hard work and commitment to making this book. We achieved success in feeling like a family, working together, playing together, and most importantly, reaching our goals together, said Stroud.

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ROBOTICS Club Receives Donation

Robotics Club Sponsors recently requested a LEGO Mindstorms robot from DonorsChoose.org. This website allows teachers to request items directly and donations are made to projects based on donor choice. The following information is from www.donorschoose.org, DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on our site, and [donors] can give any amount to the project that most inspires [them].

Within thirty minutes of the project being live, the project was fully funded by the Cheves family from California! The LEGO Mindstorms robot was shipped and delivered this week to the excitement of our robotics members. Students wrote thank you notes to send to the Cheves family who donated over $370.
By Robotics Sponsors

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Dietitians Diary February 2013

Katie Mahoney, M.S., R.D., L.D. Nutrition Education / Wellness Coordinator School Nutrition Services

Fueling Up for Success!

February is American Heart Month! Did you know that our hearts beat about 100,000 times each day? That adds up to about 35,000,000 times (thats 35 million) per year and

2,500,000,000 (thats 2.5 billion) times in an average lifetime! We often take our heart for granted and forget about how hard it works to keep us going. To get an idea of how hard your heart works, find a tennis ball and give it a good, hard squeeze - thats about the same amount of force that your heart uses to pump blood throughout the body with each heartbeat. With our increasing dependence on convenience foods like frozen foods, prepackaged products, and fast food meals, it is important to focus on heart health and make healthy changes to our diets. Convenience foods are often high in sodium and unhealthy fats - nutrients which can be harmful to our hearts. Sodium, saturated fat and trans fat can eventually lead to high blood pressure, clogged arteries, and possibly a heart attack or stroke. This month, take the time to talk to your family about choosing more nutritious foods that can improve your hearts health.

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Tejeda PTA Membership

Hello again! We want ALL families to Get Connected to Tejeda PTA this year. Did you know that joining PTA does NOT require you to volunteer for countless hours? Being a member of PTA simply means you are supporting your school and your child - connecting families and schools is what we're all about. Plus, you are eligible for lots of great discounts from places like Six Flags, La Quinta, Dell (and more) after you activate your card! You can join PTA on the form on page 30 of this newsletter or contact Cindy Zagrzecki. Join PTA today and GET CONNECTED! Thanks, Cindy Zagrzecki 2012-2013 Membership Chair CindyZ@marykay.com

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Its that time of year again! Everyone is back in school, and our PTA membership drive is in full swing! Lets show our support and JOIN PTA!

TEJEDA PTA MEMBERSHIP FORM

If you would like to become a member and no longer have your welcome packet information, please fill out this form and return it with your membership fee in an envelope marked PTA MEMBERSHIP to your childs teacher. Thank you! Name:_________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________ Phone No:_______________________ Email:_____________________________ Childs Name:____________________ Advisory Teacher/Grade_______________ Joining as: _____Parent _____Teacher/staff ____Relative ____Community member Membership: $6.50 per member $4.25 per life member Please make checks to : Tejeda Middle School PTA

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February 2013
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu 1
Progress Reports February 1 Progress Reports
Boys Bball tourney

Fri 2

Sat

Groundhog Day
UIL Practice Meet UIL One Act Play Practice Boys Bball tourney

6
Course sheets due to Counseling Boys Tennis Girls Basketball vs Alamo Heights

7
Girls Tennis

8
Theatre play 630p

10

11

12 General PTA Mtg and Recognition of Reflections Winners 630p 19

Girls Basketball vs IKE Astronomy Nights

13 Ash Wednesday
Girls Basketball vs Lopez

14 Valentines Day

15

16

6-8pm

17

18 Student Holiday Presidents Day

20
Boys Tennis Girls Tennis

21
Girls Bball tourney Track Parent mtg 630p

22
Student Bdays Girls Bball tourney MS One Act Play at IKE

23
Girls Bball tourney

24

25
PTA Newsletter submission deadline

26

27

Early Release Early Release

Choir Concert 630p

28 Early Release
Boys Tennis Girls Tennis

31