North Star News
October 31, 2025
Principal's Letter
Dear North Star Community,
We’re looking forward to a very creative and fun day today! Our scholars will begin with a typical, academically rooted morning and then pivot this afternoon to connecting as a community through activities filled with fun and friendship.
On a much more serious note, I need to ask for everyone’s full cooperation in following our established dismissal rules. Duane Street has become increasingly unsafe due to some of the choices being made during pick-up. Please do not double park, block driveways or red curbs, make U-turns, or encourage your scholar(s) to cross outside the designated crosswalk areas. Unfortunately, these behaviors have been occurring more frequently, and they put our children and community at risk.
Dismissal is always a congested time, and we all share responsibility for driving and moving safely. Thank you in advance for doing your part to keep our scholars and community members safe.
As always, I am continually honored to partner with you in supporting our scholars’ growth and success. I hope your family enjoys a safe, rejuvenating, and joy-filled weekend ahead!
With gratitude,
Erin Kekos
Principal, North Star Academy
Halloween Activities
Happy Halloween! We hope you enjoy the festivities with your family. As a reminder, here's what we're doing at school today:
Elementary students (3rd - 5th grades) will have a small parade during enrichment period, starting at 2:15. Parents are welcome to attend; sign in at the front office to get a visitor sticker and then proceed to the black top. The Elementary Carnival/Dance will be 3:15-4:15. This event is just for NSA 3rd-5th students. If parents are not volunteering but would like to stay on campus, they are welcome to hang out on the blacktop or over by the playground until the event is over. The sign up to help with elementary events is here.
Middle school will host a special Halloween Dance tomorrow, 11/1. Please print, sign, and send this permission slip with your child/ren. Come dressed in your costume! We still need chaperones and helpers, please sign up here!
WE STILL NEED CHAPERONES for the middle school dance! One hour shifts available.
Site Council Meeting
Please join us at the next site council meeting on Tuesday, November 4th and 4:00 pm in the school library, or on Zoom
- Zoom ID 73825717017 | Passcode 88202088).
- Our agenda is here.
WHO DID IT??!!!
When a body is discovered in a room full of knives, an intrepid investigator must grill a lineup of wildly quirky suspects. Solve the mystery at North Star’s fall play, the madcap “Murder in the Knife Room” – a hilarious spoof of classic whodunnits starring NSA scholars as all sorts of wacky characters.
- The show runs Nov. 7-9 in the auditorium.
- Please help support the arts at North Star! Get your tickets today at nsaplay.org.
🎃 Donate Your Halloween Candy! 🍬
- Got extra or unwanted Halloween candy? Put it to good use! Drop it off in the NSA office between Monday, Nov. 3 – Friday, Nov. 7.
- Your candy donations will be packaged and featured in the upcoming NSA play, Murder in the Knives Room!
Happy Halloween! 👻
Enrichment Brochure
From chess and photography to leadership, baking, coding, and the arts, students in grades 3–8 can discover new passions and build new skills through a wide range of hands-on classes. Explore the upcoming offerings with your scholar and see all the ways to learn, create, and lead at North Star. All listings are subject to change.
NSA Movie Night/Parents Night Out!
Friday, December 12 from 5:30-8:30pm | Red Morton
Drop your kids off for a pizza and movie night while you finish holiday shopping or go out for a quiet dinner!
Our 8th graders are raising funds for their Washington DC trip and will be on site (with parent chaperones) to watch a movie (likely KPop Demon Hunters), play board games, and participate in other activities with your NSA scholars (3-7th grade) and their non-NSA siblings (1st-7th grade). Click the button below for more information and to register.
🔸Contact: Jolie at jolief@gmail.com
🔸More info here
November 1st is the Middle School Halloween Dance! It is hosted in the gym for $10 in advance and $15 at the door. There will be pizza upon admission, and popcorn and Kona Ice will cost money. Dress up in your costume and party from 6-9 PM! (Make sure that you don’t wear full face masks or bring weapons!)
We still need chaperones for the middle school dance so email Mr. Perkins at eperkins@rcsdk8.net
We also need chaperones to clean up for the elementary school dance from 4:15 to 5:00 PM. If you are interested, email Ms. Tikel ltickel@rcsdk8.net.
If students don’t purchase tickets before the dance, the parent will need to sign a permission slip at the door.
Also make sure to wear your costume to school!
On Friday, there will be no enrichment for middle school. Middle school will be doing a scavenger hunt instead
The scavenger hunt will be during non-academic time and works like this. There are skeletons around the school holding words. When a student finds all the words they make a phrase. Then they will show that phrase to a scavenger hunt leader and if they are correct they get a prize.
Read All About It!
The students in the Gryphon Gazette Enrichment have been hard at work all trimester publishing NSA's news site! Check out some of the stories on the website nsagryphons.net about news around NSA. Happy reading!
