Director’s Notes May 31, 2019

And there goes May…

Pics of our seniors

Check out the senior’s pics on my blog site! Nesadirector.edublogs.org
Most of the seniors came out to celebrate their journey from high school to college and the excitement was palpable!

 

I would like to introduce the NESA community to our new Creative Writing Teacher!

Mrs. Charney will be starting with us in the fall and we couldn’t be more excited. She has both a passion for teaching kids and a huge passion for creative writing.

Amie Charney has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of California Riverside PD, and a BA in Literature and Writing, with a minor in theater, from California State University SM. She has been teaching high school AP English, AP Seminar, American Literature and World Literature for the past seven years, most recently at the International School of the Americas. She also teaches creative writing fiction workshops for adult writers. Amie is a published author and has short stories and poetry published in literary journals as well as a chapbook. Her first full length novel is due for publication in the Summer of 2020. Amie studied fiction at UCR as her main discipline, but also screenwriting, playwriting, and poetry. This year, she won the San Antonio Writers Guild Award for fiction, and most recently appeared at the Tobin Center in Listen to Your Mother, a staged reading of original work. Amie is originally from Seattle, Washington, and is a proud Marine Corps wife (her husband, Michael, just retired). She is mom to Lauren, a sophomore at Texas A&M, and Alex a junior at NESA.

 

Announcements:

JR Class Rank

Information about Junior class rank over the summer will be sent out in the LEE Principal newsletter next week so current Junior parents keep an eye out for that info!

Summer School Registration Deadlines

Thursday, June 13th:

High School Summer School (online only)

There will be no on-site or late registration at the summer school campuses.

Chinese Summer Camp

For Incoming 9th Grade at LEE and ISA (JUNE 10-13, 2019 from 8:00AM- 4:00PM)
Camp Location: ISA
Cost to students: free, the students will bring their own lunch from Monday to Wednesday, Thursday we will have lunch at a Chinese restaurant after the San Antonio Museum of Art visit.

Overview of the program: The Chinese Summer Camp provides the immersive learning experiences for the students from our filter schools (Nimitz, Jackson, and ISA admitted freshmen for the school year 2019-2020.
The camp provides our students with a unique opportunity to have a first-hand experience of Chinese language and culture. Students study Chinese each day in the morning and engage in a range of fun activities in the afternoon. The last day of camp we will go to San Antonio Museum of Art (Asian Wing), and we will go to a local Chinese restaurant to have Chinese food.

For questions on the Chinese Summer Camp Contact Information via email preferred: xxu@neisd.net
Xueling Xu

Writer’s Camp

Check out the flyer from UTSA .
SPR19 Writers Camp Flyer(1)-1nvz2h6

 NESA Summer Camp

Our multi-major summer camp is meant for 6-9th graders and should be a lot of fun! More information and registration is available at http://www.tinyurl.com/nesasummercamp2019

 

One more school week to go. I know everyone is checking grades and attendance. Last chance for Saturday school is this Saturday. Please contact me or come see me if you need anything!

 

Sarah Pagona

Director of the North East School of the Arts

Director’s Notes May 24, 2019

Well we just wrapped up our last five day week of this school year.  Monday is a holiday, and school gets out on a Thursday this year, which means we have two four day weeks left! That’s 8 days left of school.

Please please please take this time to check your student’s grades (students take this time to check your own grades!). It’s getting down to the wire and I am seeing some failing grades.

And of course we are not done yet with all our fun!

Banquet is Sunday from 6-11 at the Hyatt Hill Country.

Freshman voice recital Tuesday at 7.

Senior voice recital Wednesday at 7.

Senior exams start on Thursday the 30th. Exams for everyone else start on Tuesday.

Banquet Info:

Banquet tickets are still on sale through midnight Saturday night on the pARTners website. Banquet is open to ALL NESA students and their families. For more info see the pARtners site https://www.nesapartners.net/banquet

 

Expectations and guidelines for NESA Banquet 2019 (My note to students)

Banquet is almost here! This is a very exciting and fun evening, but also could be a time of great temptation to make bad decisions. In order to keep everyone safe we are asking that you understand and abide by the following guidelines:

-All school rules apply to banquet. This includes but is not limited to rules about tobacco (including vape pens/juuls), drugs, alcohol, weapons, and inappropriate conduct. Consequences for violations of these rules are the same as if they happened at school and can be life-changingly serious.

-This is NOT a public event. Everyone must have a ticket to attend and any persons who are not allowed on the school campus are also not allowed at the banquet. Again, the banquet is an extension of school as it is a school event.

– New security measures for banquet are being taken, including the presence of police officers, and the distribution of wristbands upon entry.

– Purses and bags will be checked upon entry by NESA staff and police for the safety and security of everyone attending.

-There will be no ins and outs allowed at the event.  If you have left something in your car, you will not be allowed to retrieve it and return. The same is true if you have procured a nearby hotel room. You will not be allowed in and out of the event. Period.

There is an outside area that students will be allowed into, but it will not be the lawn connecting to the parking lots. It is a contained and controlled area connected to the banquet hall.

Thank you for your adherence to these rules and for meeting the high expectations we have of you as NESA students!

 

Have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend!

Till next week,

Sarah Pagona, Director of the North East School of the Arts

Director’s Notes Friday May 10th

Whew! STAAR testing is done for a while, AP testing is half over and we have something like 18 school days left. But we still have so much fun to come!

In the upcoming week:

This Monday a select few of our VAs will be honored by the NEISD school board!

Tuesday we have 800 Lb Film Festival! Join us for just $8. Tickets can be bought online at www.seatyourself.biz/nesa or at the door. It promises a full night of entertainment! Popcorn, candy and sodas will be for sale.

Saturday the 18th is auditions and we do need volunteers still. Student sign up sheet is on the NESA office door but some parents help is also welcomed!

Saturday the 18th at 7 pm is also our Creative Writing show- Growth, which includes our Senior showcase and a selection of underclassmen pieces as well. The show is free and will be a lot of fun! Our Writers are so talented!

Banquet T-shirt orders for this year’s commemorative banquet shirt are now being taken. Order forms can be found in the NESA office or attached to this message. Order forms are also going home with students.

There was a question about graduation tickets- and so I thought I would update everyone. Graduation is first come first serve seating, no tickets are distributed, and there is no limit to the guests you bring.

Happy Day to all the Moms out there! I hope the whole weekend is restful and full of love!

 

Sarah Pagona, Director of the North East School of the Arts

Director’s Notes 5/3/19

Happy Friday! You have two more days to catch Peter and the Starcatcher! It’s a zany, fun play and we hope you will join us!

Easy fundraiser- you can do this one!

Five Guys and Kendra Scott give back Fundraiser for pARTners is May 8th. Just come eat a burger and NESA gets money. There isn’t a easier fundraiser!

Literary Magazine order-

CW Lit Mag pre-order closes on May 20th. Money and forms can be dropped off at NESA office or with your favorite creative writer!

Audition volunteers needed!

Volunteers are needed for auditions May 18th. We need parent and student help! If you are interested contact your student’s director or Mrs. Pagona!

Testing this week

EOC Testing is this week. Algebra I is Monday, Bio I is Tuesday, and US History is Wednesday. Please make sure your student is well rested and ready to rock those exams!

AP tests also start this week, so keep those on your radar as well.

NESA Banquet Deadlines-

SENIORS! You MUST submit your bios by 5/8/19 or your bio will not be in the banquet program. You can do so by visiting www.nesapartners.net. You can also buy tickets there! Tickets are $40.

Upcoming calendar

Tuesday, May 7th pARTners election meeting

Tuesday, May 14th 800 LB Film Festival

Saturday, May 18th Creative Writing show

Monday, May 20th Senior Dance receital

Thursday, May 23rd Literary Magazine Release party

Thursday, May 23rd  Instrumental Music show

Sunday, May 26th NESA Banquet

Angst film

Tuesday May 21st at 6 pm in the PERC here on the campus of LEE HS there is an opportunity to screen a documentary called Angst. It is about teen anxiety and I have heard it’s awesome and certainly relevant.  Angst flier-y2r8n4

Have a great weekend! Stay Dry!

 

Sarah Pagona, NESA Director