Message from the Principal

And here it is… November. Thank you to the parents and guardians who joined us for the Storybook Character Parade on Friday, October 29th. The students were so excited to share about their costumes and what book their characters were from. Thank you to all staff members for their participation and leadership in the many opportunities that were available on campus and a huge thank you to our fantastic counselors, Dr. Morgan & Mrs. Hernandez, for organizing multiple spirit days this past month!

The majority of students from all ability levels are making significant gains in their learning. I have to give a huge shout out to the teachers and staff at Menchaca who work tirelessly to provide students with high expectations and clear learning targets, including the success criteria needed to produce quality work and enough feedback to know how they are doing. I also want to give a shout out to our students who engage in instruction, work hard, set goals and work to meet those goals. The art of teaching and learning is practiced daily and in every subject. We hope that you take the time to talk to your children about the exciting things that they are learning each day. We encourage you to spend a few minutes each day asking them some of the following questions.

• What mistakes did you make today?
• What did you learn from them?
• How did you contribute to the learning today?
• What challenges did you accept today?
• What questions did you ask?
• What feedback did you receive today?
• What did you do with it?
• How did you show that you weren’t going to give up?
• How were you kind today?
• How were you safe today?
• How were you responsible today?

Obviously you probably won’t want to ask all of these questions every day, but over the course of a week I would challenge you to try and ask most of these questions. These questions are the key to what successful learners do.

Looking ahead at the month of November, we have some fun days planned, a food drive for our Southside ISD food pantry, field trips in PK-3 and PK-4, and will be continuing on our exciting journey of learning and fun here at Menchaca ECC. We will be having a fall break the week of Thanksgiving, November 22nd-26th before returning for a short 3 weeks before winter break arrives.

Menchaca has earned a reputation of academic excellence through the hard work of our students, teachers, parents, and staff.  At Menchaca we believe that it is important for our students to be connected to school through positive relationships and a strong sense of community.  I believe that every student can learn and be successful if provided the right supports and opportunities.  Our teachers and staff are committed to providing all students with an appropriate and challenging educational experience in a respectful environment that fosters learning and growth.

A crucial part of success for students is attendance.  As a parent or guardian it is essential for you to maintain an attitude that “Every Day Counts” for students to be in school and ready to learn each day.  At Menchaca, we will assist in helping parents and families understand the importance of instructional time and school attendance.

Additionally we recognize that family and community support are integral to our success.  Parents/Guardians play the most important roles in a student’s success and I invite you to collaborate with us in your students’ education. When we take the time to strategically plan, forge positive relationships, celebrate our achievements, and continue to build on our successful foundation, we can foster a learning environment where our entire Menchaca and Southside community thrives. Menchaca is a place where exceptional teaching and learning is the norm.

Dear Cardinal Parents and Guardians,

What a fantastic first five weeks we have had. It is clear that everyone was recharged and ready to start a new school year. I am so delighted that you are part of our amazing learning community. I welcome and value your positive energy and dedication to excellence in education, and I look forward to working with you and your children.

All signs point to another incredible and productive school year. Our skilled and devoted staff has been hard at work with your child(ren). Our enthusiastic office team continues to register new families, maintain transportation updates, and serve our community. Our hard working and conscientious custodians continue to thoroughly clean our school, classrooms, and more. We are indeed a joyous and caring community with the common goals of nurturing responsible, caring students, and promoting high-level learning in a safe and healthy learning environment.

Your commitment to insuring that Menchaca ECC remains a celebrated and successful school is awe-inspiring. It remains an honor and privilege to serve as your principal.  Please stop by and say hello. Together, I know we will make this school year one of growth and achievement for all our littlest cardinals.

Warmest Regards,

Principal Rebecca Herrera

Welcome spring and our scholars who have returned to face-to-face instruction!

It is our passion here at Menchaca ECC to help each one of our scholars succeed. Our goal is to provide a nurturing environment that meets the individual needs of each scholar, both academically and socially. Our professional and caring staff provides rigorous and relevant learning with a primary focus on relationships. We believe every scholar is capable of rising above any circumstances and situations in order to reach the highest level of their potential. That’s why we say Menchaca is where we are Molding Every New Cardinal into a Happy Amazing Caring Achiever. It may be spring, but we still have a lot of time before the end of the year. Families, teachers, support staff, community members, and administration all play a part in helping our scholars develop academically, socially, and emotionally. Together, we can make a positive difference. A strong partnership between home and school fosters greater success for our children. We still have 2 more months of school and we’re not stopping now! 

We look forward to continuing to see the growth in each and every one of our cardinals!

Warmly,

Rebecca Delgado-Herrera

Principal, Menchaca ECC