North Windy News
- Thursday, August 21st - Meet the Teacher
- Monday, August 25th - First Day of School! *School starts promptly at 8:00 am. Doors open at 7:20 am.
- Monday, September 1st - Labor Day (No School)
- Wednesday, September 3rd - Coffee (& Donuts!) with the NWR Principal & Assistant Principal - 8 am in the NWR Media Center
- Tuesday, September 16th - Fall Picture Day
- Thursday, September 18th - Open House & Annual Title 1 Meeting, 5:30 - 7:00 pm
- Thursday, October 2nd - Early Dismissal (12:55 pm)
- Monday, October 13th & 14th - Optional Teacher Work Days
- Friday, October 17th - Ninja Run (More info coming soon!)
- Friday, October 31st - Early Dismissal (12:55 pm)
Dear North Windy Ridge Families,
I'm absolutely thrilled to be joining the North Windy Ridge family for what I know will be a fantastic year! Many of you might know me from my time as principal at Weaverville Elementary. My family and I live right here in Weaverville, and my commitment to our North Buncombe Schools runs deep. In fact, both my son, Hank, (a rising 6th grader at NWR!) and my daughter, Hazel (an 8th grader at NBMS), are North Buncombe students!
I've been dedicated to education since 2003, with eleven of those years spent as a school administrator. Without a doubt, my favorite part of being a principal is the privilege of being deeply embedded in a school community. Every day spent with children is exciting, unpredictable, and truly a joy. I especially love all the vibrant aspects of school life—field trips, assemblies, awards ceremonies, and the wonderful, general silliness that comes with students this age. It's also incredibly rewarding to witness our amazing teachers inspire students to find joy in learning. I can't wait to connect with all of you and get to know the North Windy Ridge community!
I'll be sending the "North Windy News" weekly on Sundays, starting August 17th. 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!
- Meet the Teacher
- Coffee with Mrs. Nichols & Mrs. Conley
- NWR Parent Advisory Council Applications (due August 8th)
- 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
Join Mrs. Nichols and Mrs. Conley in our media center for Coffee (& Donuts!) with the Principals on Wednesday, September 3rd at 8:10 am (after drop-off and morning news). We'll schedule a few of these this year, depending on participation. This is an informal gathering to meet other parents and get to know Mrs. Nichols and Mrs. Conley!
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.
Each year, every school in Buncombe County Schools hosts four Advisory Council Meetings. This year, we are reaching out in search of parents and community members who would like to serve on this team. Attached you will find an application that can be submitted to me through email or by hard copy to our school. My contact information is at the bottom of the application. Please submit applications by Friday, August 8th. * A few parents have submitted applications already, but I wanted to send one more reminder to families.
The time commitment includes a minimum of four meetings per school year. Typically, one meeting is during school hours, and the other three are after school hours. If selected, we’ll work together to find times that are convenient for the team.
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.
Don't forget that our students, staff, and visitors have access to masks all day long. We have regular 3-ply masks and KN95 masks available. Masks are available in the front office, and we have reminders at hand-sanitizing stations that you can get a mask in the front office.
If a student requests a KN95 mask, we must have parent permission since it is considered a respirator. Parents must complete the Voluntary Respirator Use Form and sign and return. Here is a link to the form. If a student requests a KN95 mask, and we do not already have the form on file, we will email it to parent/guardians for you to sign.
