The Blazer Beat

North Lake Family,

I want to wish you all a restful three-day weekend and to remember the contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Whether you plan on volunteering or resting, remember that the day is about the vision of creating a brighter future for all people.

This week, I saw one of our core values in action, integrity. On Thursday, during our morning walk to say good morning to our students, Seniors, Eddie, Joseph, and Jeremy, found me to turn in a wallet they had found in A Building. The owner of the wallet was a student here on our campus and was relieved to see that all the belongings in the wallet were still there. For many, this would have been a difficult decision to turn in a wallet with valuables, but our Seniors demonstrated integrity by doing the right thing and turning it in. I praised them for their character and am thankful our North Lake ECHS community consistently looks after each other.

As a reminder, when we return from the holiday weekend, Dallas College classes begin on January 20, 2026. All students should check their Dallas College Workday portal to view their syllabus and college room assignments. This is critical for our students who will be taking courses with Dallas College professors and not our NLECHS staff. Thank you for making North Lake ECHS an amazing community!

Sincerely,

Adrian Hernandez

Principal

North Lake Early College High School

Twitter @AdHernandez2648

Familias de North Lake,

Les deseo a todos un fin de semana largo y reparador, y les invito a recordar las contribuciones del Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ya sea que planeen ser voluntarios o descansar, recuerden que este día conmemora la visión de crear un futuro mejor para todos.

Esta semana, fui testigo de uno de nuestros valores fundamentales en acción: la integridad. El jueves, durante nuestro paseo matutino para saludar a nuestros estudiantes, los alumnos de último año, Eddie, Joseph y Jeremy, me encontraron para entregarme una billetera que habían encontrado en el Edificio A. El dueño de la billetera era un estudiante de nuestro campus y se alegró mucho al ver que todas sus pertenencias seguían allí. Para muchos, habría sido una decisión difícil devolver una billetera con objetos de valor, pero nuestros estudiantes de último año demostraron integridad al hacer lo correcto y entregarla. Los felicité por su buen carácter y me siento agradecido de que nuestra comunidad de North Lake ECHS se cuide mutuamente de forma constante.

Como recordatorio, al regresar del fin de semana festivo, las clases de Dallas College comienzan el 20 de enero de 2026. Todos los estudiantes deben consultar su portal de Dallas College Workday para ver sus programas de estudio y la asignación de aulas. Esto es fundamental para los estudiantes que tomarán cursos con profesores de Dallas College y no con el personal de NLECHS. ¡Gracias por hacer de North Lake ECHS una comunidad increíble!

Atentamente,

Adrián Hernández

Director

North Lake Early College High School

Twitter @AdHernández2648

Thank you to the families that participated in our SBDM Meeting on 1/8/26

To access fresh food and local programs near you, go to WIC https://texaswic.org/, FoodFinder https://foodfinder.us/, or the North Texas Food Bank https://msg.care/8G8kq

Congratulation to founding staff member, Mrs. Alex Locker! Mrs. Locker is our Algebra II teacher, Student Ambassador, and Destination Imagination Sponsor. She is an amazing part of the North Lake ECHS family and we are fortunate to have her! She will represent North Lake ECHS and hopefully move on to be a finalist for District Teacher of the Year!

Ms. Tierra King, is an aspiring math teacher who serves the North Lake ECHS community as our Teacher Assistant. She is always willing to help in any areas needed and has been a major factor in our students being able to pass TSIA2 Math. Congratulations!

We have earned out first trip to UIL State! Julissa T. and Westin C. will be headed to Austin to complete in debate! Congratulations to the entire team and their advisor, Mr. Osegueda! SAT Prep with Mr. Matney in full effect! Freshmen working on their English I essays in L Hallway. Mariachis at bus lane and Love Bombs are coming soon!

January 19 - January 23, 2026

Monday, January 19, 2026 - Holiday - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Tuesday, January 20, 2026 - B Day - First Day of Dallas College Classes

Virtual Mock Trial Scrimmage for Mock Trial Members

Wednesday, January 21, 2026 - A Day - Campus Uniform Day

Open House 4pm - 7pm

Thursday, January 22, 2026 - B Day - College Career Military Readiness Day

Wear your gear!

Friday, January 23, 2026 - A Day - North Lake ECHS Spirit Day!

Tutoring starts back on January 27th!

North Lake ECHS Social Media

Instagram:

@northlakeechs

X/Twitter: @NorthLake_ECHS

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/NLECHSDISD

Password resets will be handled by the student themselves (via calling tech support at (972) 925 - 5630) or by the classroom teacher they are with at the time. Instructions for resetting passwords can be found linked here which is also at the bottom of this Student password document.

Laptop repairs: Please familiarize yourself with the NEW process here students are asked to follow for laptop repairs, notifications, and pick-up. The blue wagon mentioned in the process is located in the front office in front of Mr. Matney’s workspace.

Please look over these videos to support you with TSIA ELAR and Math!

IMPORTANT! PLEASE REVIEW ROUTES.

Please review the routes below, a live link is also available. If you encounter any issues, please contact transportation first. 972-925-4287. Remember, buses can run behind schedule due to increased traffic.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OuunwjN-sbEmHSFSN-Q6HG7WeMZGaOoPL0jACIWJ7xU/edit?gid=1532365375#gid=1532365375

This link also provides information on tracking your bus.

Tutoring buses arrive between 5:30 pm and 6 pm. Please make sure you have joined the North Lake Tutoring Buses Remind nlechbus so you are notified of your bus’s arrival.

We have created a family handbook that answers many of the questions you may have for the 2025-2026 school year. Please click on the link below to access the handbook.

Visit our Counseling website for additional resources and Information!

Parent Counseling Needs Assessment - Please complete today!

Register for an upcoming district Parent Training!

Counselor’s Corner: Dual Credit Classes Begin January 20

Dual credit college classes will officially begin on January 20. As students prepare for the start of their courses, we strongly encourage parents to take a few minutes to sit down with their student and log into both Brightspace and Workday together.

By reviewing the course schedule, syllabus, and expectations as a team, parents can better understand the pace, workload, grading policies, and key deadlines for each class. This is especially important because dual credit courses follow college-level expectations, which can feel very different from traditional high school classes.

Benefits for parents:

• Gain a clear picture of course demands and important dates
  
  

• Help students plan their time and balance school responsibilities
  
  

• Catch potential issues early (missing materials, technology access, deadlines)
  
  

• Provide better support and accountability throughout the semester
  
  

Starting the semester informed and organized sets students up for success and helps families work together to support college readiness. If you have questions or need support don't hesitate to contact your grade level counselor.

Internship/Scholarship Opportunities

UNT Dallas College of Law (9th-12th)

UT Southwestern Psychiatry HS Internship

Home Depot: Path to Pro Program (18+)

Ladder Internships

Law Internship

Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program

NASA Internships

Rabbi Gerald Klein HS Internship

Dallas County

Please enjoy the December issue of the Blazer News!

Hello North Lake Families!

I hope everyone had a great first week back! The second semester has started and our seniors are still going strong! Before we get into updates for this week I would like to start with some celebrations:

• Ammaar was selected as a semifinalist for the Jefferson Scholarship with the University of Virginia! He had his interview on Saturday, and we are waiting to hear back about next steps. Way to go Ammaar! Ammaar is the FIRST student from North Lake selected as a semifinalist.
• Paris received her Davidson financial aid award! Davidson will be giving Paris $95,595 per year, and her out of pocket cost including tuition, fees, room, board, and books will be $0 per year. Additionally they will be providing her with a new laptop!
• Emmanuel had his Posse Scholar Celebration on Friday! I was honored to be invited by him to attend and I was so proud seeing him receive recognition for all of his hard work and accomplishments. With the full financial aid package Emmanuel will be able to attend Cornell College for $0 out of pocket!
• A group of our seniors went on a campus tour of UNT last week! One of our former students currently attending UNT (Julian) provided transportation for them. Students received an official tour of the school. It was incredible seeing one of our alums giving back to the school and helping to make individualized campus visits accessible for our students.
• Some of our Alums came back to visit last week! Diosselyn is attending UT Austin on a fully funded scholarship, and Kaylynn A. is attending Bentley University on a 100% need met scholarship! Both students are absolutely thriving at their schools, and it is all because of their preparation from the amazing teachers and staff here at North Lake.

Here are our ASP updates for this week:

Applications: 98% of our students have applied to multiple four year universities, and at least 55.8 % have been accepted!

FAFSA: 82% of our students have completed their FAFSA! The FAFSA priority deadline for Texas is this Thursday, January 15th. My priority this week will be to complete the FAFSA for the remaining students who have not yet completed it. At this point all eligible students have completed the student section of the FAFSA, and we are just waiting for the parents to complete their section. A letter was sent home to families on last week explaining the importance of the FAFSA, and contained instructions for completing it, and my contact information in case they need help. I will continue to reach out to families individually this week.

Scholarships: While I am still adding up all of the scholarship awards I have received from students, we are at approximately $3 million dollars in merit based scholarships! Keep in mind that this total does NOT include need based aid, and it specifically consists of merit based scholarships! Additionally, our students are still hard at work on other scholarships: I am adding up scholarship totals with current need based aid this week, so I will keep you updated!

Thank you all for your continued support!

Beginning on the first day of school (August 12, 2025), all students will be expected to adhere to the the North Lake Early College dress code and uniform policy.

Wednesday will be "Uniform Day" On Uniform Wednesdays, students are required to wear their ECHS uniform shirt, black slacks, khaki slacks or a skirt (no shorter than “finger-tip length” with arms in normal position, i.e., arms hanging naturally, as student is standing straight and upright).

Senior Only Uniform of grey slacks or Grey/Blue plaid skirt with the North Lake ECHS uniform shirt or Senior Shirt!

North Lake ECHS Uniform can be purchased at Levine's two locations or via their website https://levinesstores.com/collections/north-lake-early-college-high-school.

Students will be required to follow the North Lake Dress Code on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Please see the image below which outlines the do's and don'ts.

All students will be required to have clear or mesh backpacks for the 25/26 school year, small personal non clear bags are allowed. Dallas ISD will provide all students with one free clear back from the school year. I would recommend the mesh bag as they are more durable for the year. If you require a backpack, you can pick up at open house or first day of school

Mesh/Clear Backpack examples - https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mesh+backpack&crid=21Z8OKVNB5ZZY&sprefix=Mesh+Bac%2Caps%2C144&ref=nb_sb_ss_pltr-data-refreshed_1_8

Please review the bell schedule for the 2025-2026 school year. If changes occur due to testing or special events, parents and students will be notified ASAP.

The building is open from 7:15am - 4:15pm. Classes are from 8:00 am - 3:20pm. Note that tutoring will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30pm - 4:45pm.

Remind Codes

Class of 2026

text @nlechs26 to the number 81010

Class of 2027

text @nlclass-27 to the number 81010

Class of 2028

text @nlech28 to the number 81010

Class of 2029

text @nlechs 2029 to the number 81010

NLECHS Parents

text @nleparents to the number 81010

North Lake ECHS Tutoring Buses

text @nlechsbus to the number 81010