NHE News

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Dear NHE Families,

We want to share an update on one of the many tools we are using to support student growth at NHE. This year, we will continue to use i-Ready to provide additional instruction and practice for reading and math. Please read below for more information about i-Ready.

What Is I-Ready?

• i-Ready is an online program for Reading and Mathematics K-8 that will help your student’s teacher(s) determine your student’s needs, personalize their learning, and monitor progress throughout the school year.

• i-Ready allows your teacher(s) to meet your student exactly where they are and provides data to increase your student’s learning gains.

• i-Ready consists of two parts: Diagnostic and Personalized Instruction. Learn more about i-Ready by watching this video!

I-Ready Diagnostic:

• The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your student’s needs.

• Each item a student sees is individualized based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier questions.

• The purpose of this is not to give your student a score or grade, but instead to determine how best to support your student’s learning.

I-Ready Personalized Learning:

• i-Ready Personalized Instruction provides students with lessons based on their individual skill level and needs, so your student can learn at a pace that is just right for them.

• These lessons are fun and interactive to keep your students engaged as they learn.

• Students will work on their personalized learning plan during I-Time for about 30 minutes a week for Reading and Mathematics

If you have any questions about how your student is using iReady to reach their individual academic growth goals, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher.

Warmly,

Jenni Smith

NHE Principal

Please take a few moments to read through the NHE Family Handbook in its entirety. It’s filled with important information to help ensure a successful and smooth school year for you and your child. Your partnership and understanding of our procedures and expectations make a big difference.

• October 1: Fall Clubs Begin 3:15-4:15

• October 3: RHS Homecoming

• October 6: Fall Picture Day

• October 6: Instructional Coach's Appreciation Day

• October 6: Tutoring

• October 9: A Day of Drumming (during specials classes)

• October 9: SOAR Awards & Celebrations

• October 10-13: Fall Break

• October 15: PTA Movie Night

• October 18: Saturday School

• October 20-24 National School Bus Safety Week

• October 20: Tutoring

• October 20-24 National School Bus Safety Week

• October 27-31 Red Ribbon Week

• October 25: Saturday School

• October 27: Tutoring

• October 31: PK-2 Story Book Character Parade

This month, NHE is proud to celebrate Hispanic Heritage! Each morning, students will hear facts about Hispanic culture and learn about influential Hispanic figures who have made a lasting impact on our world. In October, we’ll continue the celebration with some fun dress-up days to honor Hispanic heritage and traditions.

We look forward to learning, celebrating, and honoring the rich contributions of Hispanic culture together!

Most months in the library we have a lesson on digital citizenship. September’s digital citizenship focus is passwords. Students learn about why we have passwords and what makes a strong password. The most important thing about passwords is that we never share them with anyone other than a trusted adult.

If you would like to follow up with your student about passwords, here is an activity to do with them:

English

Spanish

We had our first successful tutoring session this week, but we were missing some of our invited students. If your child received a tutoring invitation, please complete it and sign that you permit your child to stay after school. Bus transportation is available after tutoring is over.

If your child received a tutoring invite, please make sure they come to every session. Tutoring is required for any 4th, 5th, or 6th-grade student who did not pass one or more STAAR tests.

We are committed to closing instructional gaps and providing the supports necessary for each student to meet their growth goals.

What does it mean to Self-Direct?

Self-Direction is the ability and learned skill to cast a vision of future goals and then take intentional steps toward who, where, and what we want to be. Instead of focusing on things to control or avoid, we emphasize our responsibility to make positive choices related to our emotions, attitudes, and actions.

Why focus on Self-Direction?

• Self-Direction strengthens relationships. Self-Direction helps to grow social skills and develop meaningful, positive relationships with others.
• Self-Direction teaches personal responsibility. Learning to Self-Direct teaches students to take responsibility for their own actions.
• Self-Direction helps us to regulate emotions: Self-Direction empowers students to regulate their impulses and emotional responses to situations and circumstances in their life.

Self-Direction in Action:

• Practice goal setting and action planning. When we establish goals and develop action plans, we learn to take intentional steps to successfully achieve goals.
• Monitor and adjust. Provide students with regular feedback and opportunities to self-assess progress toward goals to make adjustments and improvements in their behaviors.
• Reflect and evaluate. Facilitate discussions and reflection to prompt students to examine what they do, think, and say against their goals and vision for their life and learning.

The referral window for GT testing will be open October 3rd-17th. Please remember that students in the following grades are universally tested, so parents do not need to complete a referral.

• 2nd grade

• 6th grade

Students in RISD may test once per academic year to determine if they qualify for gifted services. As a parent, you have the opportunity to refer your child for this testing once per year. The referral window for GT testing will be open October 3-17, 2025. Please note: RISD administers this test to all 2nd graders and 6th graders on our campus. If your child is in 2nd or 6th grade, you do not need to refer them for GT testing.

Please see this document to get an overview of RISD’s 2025-2026 GT testing timeline. More information about referring your child for testing, including the referral link, will be communicated as the referral window approaches.

Our library is the heart of the school, and volunteers help bring it to life! By volunteering, you’ll support students as they discover the joy of reading, help keep our collection organized and welcoming, and model the importance of lifelong learning. Whether it’s shelving books or sharing a friendly smile, your time makes a big difference. Volunteering in the library is also a wonderful way to be part of our school community and see firsthand the excitement of students growing as readers. You must be registered in Verkana.

To receive email reminders throughout the year: https://forms.gle/HuPJQC1KhYdQYqK59

To sign up to volunteer in September: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090449A8A829ABF85-58221416-library

Movie night is coming soon!! Remember that you must pre-purchase a meal ticket to get a hamburger from In-N-Out Burger! The last day to order a meal ticket is Wednesday, October 8th. You can purchase online using the link below or in person on either Wednesday, October 1st or Wednesday, October 8th after school. Last day to purchase meal tickets is October 8th! Can't wait to see you for this fun event!

Northwood Hills Elementary PTA - Richardson ISD, TX - Northwood Hills Elementary -> Fundraising - Fall Community Event

Do you have a neighbor with a Future Falcon or know someone who is considering elementary school options for their preschool child? If so, then please share this flyer with them! This is our annual Prospective Parent Night where parents of young children can come learn about our amazing neighborhood school from administrators, teamers and parents!

Want to volunteer at school events? There are some great volunteer opportunities coming up at NHE in October including the RHS homecoming float decorating and movie night! Please let us know if you can volunteer by filling out the form at https://forms.gle/9FKjYscuTZcTVj8w8 or emailing leana.dusek@gmail.com. Thank you for making our school great!!

Starting Tuesday, September 2 (the day after Labor Day), families are welcome to join their children for lunch! We’ve taken a little time to get our cafeteria routines in place so everyone feels comfortable and safe.

Here are a few reminders to help make your visit smooth and enjoyable:

• One visit per week, please. This helps us manage space and make sure every family has the opportunity to visit.
  
  

• Arrive on time. Plan to be here before your child’s lunch period begins.

• NHE Lunch Schedule 25-26
  
  

• Bring your photo ID. All visitors must check in at the front office and wear a visitor badge while on campus.
  
  

• Enjoy lunch at the visitor table. For safety reasons, visitors should sit at the designated visitor table with their child only. Parents may not sit in the cafeteria.
  
  

• Friends can’t join your table. We know kids love company, but we ask that you enjoy this time just with your child.
  
  

• Put phones away. To protect student privacy and keep the focus on your child, please avoid phone use, photos, or videos while in the cafeteria.
  
  

• Head out after lunch. When your child’s lunch period ends, please exit through the front office. Visitors may not walk students back to class.
  
  

• Permission for guests. If someone other than a parent/guardian plans to visit, we need written permission from the parent ahead of time.
  
  

Thank you for helping us make lunch visits a safe, positive experience for everyone. We can’t wait to see you in the cafeteria!

Dear Families,

As we prepare for the upcoming admissions process for our elementary and junior high magnet programs, we want to share important updates regarding eligibility requirements.

Before students may be considered for the magnet lottery, they must first meet basic academic, attendance, and behavior expectations. These criteria ensure that students are well-prepared to thrive in our rigorous and specialized magnet learning environments.

Please take time to encourage your child to:

• Maintain regular attendance (at least 90% or higher).

• Strive for high academic achievement by keeping an overall average of 80 or above in the core subjects—Math, Reading/Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies and avoiding course failures.

• Demonstrate positive behavior that reflects our Code of Civility by being safe, respectful, and responsible. Students with repeated discipline incidents or suspensions may not be eligible.

We are sharing these expectations early so that families and students are fully aware of the requirements well before the application window. Our goal is to prevent any student from losing access to the lottery process due to attendance, academic performance, or behavior concerns.

Finalized entry and acceptance guidelines, as well as application timelines, will be communicated soon on our district website and other district publications..

Thank you for your continued support in helping our students excel both in and out of the classroom. Together, we can ensure that every child has the opportunity to succeed and thrive in our magnet programs.

How can bond dollars be used?

- How does RISD’s move to a middle school model from a junior high model impact Bond 2025?

- Why build a standalone Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center?

- Are property taxes frozen for RISD residents over age 65?

Get the facts and see FAQs about #RISDBond2025: https://web.risd.org/home/bond2025-faq/

To help parents and community members learn more about Bond 2025 and its potential impact on their campus, Richardson ISD is holding a series of information sessions.

You are highly encouraged to attend an information session in our community to learn more. Upcoming meeting dates are below.

• Sept. 23, 6:30 p.m. – Richardson North Junior High

• Sept. 30, 6:30 p.m. – Parkhill Junior High

• Oct. 2, 6:30 p.m. – Richardson West Junior High

• Oct. 14, 6:30 p.m. – RISD Administration Building Auditorium

• Oct. 16, 6:30 p.m. – Westwood Junior High

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For more information, including a video overview and a schedule of all information sessions, please visit the official Bond 2025 website at https://web.risd.org/home/bond2025/.

All information sessions are open to the public.

Spanish interpretation services are available. To submit your request, please email Teresa Ordóñezor call 469-593-0312 with 24-hours in advance.

Before participating in volunteer opportunities in schools and district facilities, all RISD volunteers must complete a background check and an orientation through our NEW Volunteer Management System. We are using Verkada, the same program already in place for visitor management on every campus. Click here to complete your 2025-2026 Richardson ISD Volunteer Application.

🔎Create a FOCUS Account🔍

RISD provides electronic access to a student's grades, attendance, and other information via the FOCUS software system. https://web.risd.org/focus/

📱Download RISD Mobile Parent App📱

Access student information, view the latest news, receive important alerts, review an archive of parent messages sent by RISD, view school menus and lunch account balances, find your bus stop, access student schedules, assignment grades, attendance and more. https://web.risd.org/home/risd-mobile/

🚍Need a Ride to School?🚍

See bus route information and sign up for student transportation: https://web.risd.org/transportation/

🥗Download SchoolCafe App🥗

RISD’s school cafeteria payment system is called SchoolCafe. https://www.schoolcafe.com/

Jenni Smith, Principal
(469) 593-4333
jennifer.smith@risd.org
Mark Bell, Assistant Principal
(469) 593-4328
mark.bell@risd.org
Martha Menezes, Dean of Students (habla español)
(469) 593-4275
martha.menezes@risd.org
Paige Pendery Counselor
(469) 593-4332
paige.pendery@risd.org, qwendolyn.dixon@risd.org
Crystal Hunt, Nurse
(469) 593-4250
crystal.hunt@risd.org
Sadaf Ramzan, Student Data Specialist/Enrollment
(469) 593-4251
sadaf.ramzan@risd.org
Leslie Ledezma, Executive Assistant (habla español)
(469)-593-4252
leslie.ledezma@risd.org