North Windy News
- Thursday, August 20th - Meet the Teacher
- 8:30 - 5th Grade
- 10:30 - 6th Grade
- Monday, August 24th - First Day of School! *School starts promptly at 8:00 am. Doors open at 7:20 am.
- Friday, September 4th - 8:00 am - Coffee & Donuts with Principals & First PTO Meeting
- Monday, September 7th - Labor Day (No School)
- Tuesday, September 15th - Fall Picture Day
- Thursday, September 17th - Open House & Annual Title 1 Meeting, 5:30 - 7:00 pm
- Friday, September 25th - Early Dismissal (12:55 pm)
- Monday, October 5th & 6th - Optional Teacher Work Days (No School for Students)
- Friday, October 16th - Ninja Run (More info coming soon!)
- Friday, October 30th - Early Dismissal (12:55 pm)
Still TBD: Fall Picture day
Dear North Windy Ridge Families,
As summer winds down, a new school year is just around the corner! Whether your child is stepping into a brand-new school as a 5th grader or beginning their final school year before middle school, transitions can bring a mix of excitement, anticipation, and a few butterflies. In this newsletter, you'll find tips and resources to help your child feel confident, prepared, and ready for a successful start to the school year. Together, we can make this transition a positive one!
I'll be sending the "North Windy News" weekly on Sundays, starting August 16th. For now, I just wanted to send you a welcome message with some important information about the upcoming school year. If you're still in summer mode and not quite ready to switch gears, that's alright! I'll have some of this information repeating in future newsletters. I keep important handbook information at the bottom of every newsletter so you can easily find it when you need it.
Each week I'll send this newsletter via email and text, and I'll also send a phone call with important dates and reminders. My goal is for you to feel confident about finding information about North Windy Ridge!
- Back-to-School Checklist for PARENTS!
- Meet the Teacher
- School supplies
- Reserve the NWR Spirit Rock for your special occasion!
- Welcome to new staff
- Lunch and Breakfast are FREE this year!
- Daily Schedule
- Dress Code
- Cell Phones and Earbuds/AirPods
- Arrival and Dismissal
- Visitor Expectations & Other Safety Matters
- Contact for front office, administration and nurse (will remain at the bottom of all newsletters!)
- Be sure to follow us on Facebook!
New Staff:
Be sure to check below for pictures of new staff and teachers who will be at our school. We are excited to welcome these amazing educators to our Blackhawk Family!
I hope you find this information helpful, and I'll be sharing more as we head into the last few weeks of summer break. Thanks for all you do to support our amazing Blackhawk Leaders!
-Mary Nichols
Principal, North Windy Ridge Intermediate School
- Please fill out this Transportation Form so that we know your transportation plans for the 26-27 school year.
- Sign onto the Edulog App to track your child's bus! *Link below
- Check out the school supply lists in this email.
- Make sure you can login to Infinite Campus. If not, check out the directions below.
- Make plans to attend Meet the Teacher on August 20th.
- Mark your calendar for Open House on Thursday, September 17th.
The Buncombe County Schools Transportation Department is excited to bring our families the Edulog Parent Portal App. This smartphone app allows parents to receive specific information about their child’s school bus ride. Parents will be able to:
Access designated bus stop times and locations for their child.
Monitor real-time information about the location of their child’s school bus.
Receive notifications when the bus is getting close to the assigned bus stop.
To Download the app search for Edulog Parent Portal in the app store for Apple or Google or Scan the QR code below.
Links to Parent Portal Information
Campus Parent App
One MAJOR way you can support your child at NWR is to sign up for and monitor Infinite Campus Parent App (Campus Parent). You can help your student monitor their grades, attendance, and more.
Setting Up Your Infinite Campus Parent Portal
*If you're setting it up for the first time, try using a web browser, not the app, to set it up. THEN install the app on your device.
Visit this link for NCSIS registration.
Select Buncombe County Schools from the drop down menu.
Enter your student's ID number (they may know it as their "lunch number"), their first name, last name, and date of birth.
Follow the instructions to verify your identity.
You should instantly receive an activation key and link to complete your parent portal setup.
Once your parent portal is established, use this link to sign in anytime with your user name and password. You may also want to download the Campus Parent mobile app for iPhone and Android devices.
Ms. Mandy Brewer, Head Secretary & Bookkeeper
Ms. Brewer is here to help with all the things! She supports the school administrators, manages all things money, and is a smiling face in our front office in the mornings.
Ms. Alisha Young, Data Manager & Student Information Specialist
Ms. Young is your go-to person for anything related to your child's information and records. She enrolls, unenrolls, and keeps all the records. She can also support with attendance matters.
Ms. Leah Erwin
Ms. Erwin is our receptionist, and will help with bus questions, attendance, transportation changes, and any questions related to the school.
Please remember the following requests:
- If you need to check your child out early, please check them out BEFORE 2:15. We will not be checking students out the last 30 minutes of the day as this interrupts instruction.
- If you need to make a dismissal change for your student, please contact the front office before 1:15 pm. each day. All dismissal changes must be in writing.
- We now have a new email address for all attendance and transportation-related inquiries. You can reach us at: nwr.attendance@bcsemail.org This email address is monitored throughout the day!
- If you have an emergency transportation change at the last minute, please email & call the school to confirm the update.
North Windy Ridge School encourages students to dress in comfortable clothing that complements a positive school climate.
- Students will refrain from wearing baggy pants that fall below the waist and shirts that expose the midriff.
- No hats, hoods, bandanas or other head coverings are to be worn in the building. This includes headbands with ears or other costume-related head coverings.
- Attire should not include pajama wear.
- Shorts and skirts should be at least mid-thigh.
- Dresses, tank tops and any straps must be at least 3 fingers wide.
- Clothing must not advertise alcohol, drugs, or tobacco products or display inappropriate language or gestures. (This includes items that suggest inappropriate things as well).
- No "costume" attire, such as tails or paws.
- No bedroom slippers. Shoes should be of a type suitable for daily physical education and/or recess. Students must wear tennis shoes on days scheduled in the gym for physical education.
The state legislature has recently passed a new state law prohibiting the use of cell phones during the instructional school day (8:00 am - 2:55 pm).
What does this mean? Your child may bring a cell phone to school but it is to be powered off and not seen or used during the instructional day. This also applies to other electronic devices. Please see the language below in the BCS School Board Policy.
Policy 4318: Therefore, students are permitted to possess such devices on school property so long as the devices are not turned on, used, displayed, visible, or otherwise creating a distraction during the instructional day. Wireless communication devices include, but are not limited to, cellular phones, smartwatches, earbuds, headphones, gaming devices, paging devices, two-way radios, tablet computers, laptop computers, electronic devices with internet capability, and other similar personal electronic devices.
1st Violation: The device will be taken and returned to the student at the end of the day.
2nd Violation: Parent/Guardian will be required to pick it up after school.
3rd Violation: Student will be required to leave the phone in the office each day.
*Refusal to turn over the cell phone to a staff member could result in additional consequences.
In Conclusion: Students will not be allowed to send or receive text messages from parents throughout the day. This means that families will need to discuss plans for after school and ensure that your child knows what that plan is. Parents will need to call the office for any after school changes.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided at no cost to all students this school year!
*You can add money to your child's account for extra purchases like snacks, ice cream, or additional items from the lunch menu. Use this link to add money.
We are pleased to inform you that Buncombe County Schools will be implementing a program available to schools participating in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Programs called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).
What does this mean for you and your child(ren)?
Great news! All enrolled students at Buncombe County Schools are eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at school at no cost to your household each day of the school year. NWR Parents, there are no action steps for you to take at this time to participate in this program.
K-12 Prepayment will remain active allowing parents and guardians to place money on their students accounts to purchase a la carte items if they would like too. We look forward to serving your students during the 25-26 school year. If you have any questions about this letter, please contact us at Buncombe Schools Nutrition Office, 828 255-5932.
Participation matters! The more students who eat lunch and breakfast at our school increases the likelihood that this program will continue.
