The Blazer Beat

North Lake Family,

It was an eventful week at North Lake ECHS, and we are now officially on our Spring Break for the spring semester!

When we return, we will be 10 academic school days away from our first STAAR assessments in English I and English II. We know our students will do their best and deliver when it counts! As a reminder, please be sure your student checks their Dallas College coursework during Spring Break. Dallas College professors usually assign work or readings during breaks. It is a best practice for our students to stay ahead so that they can be fully prepared for STAAR.

Thank you to all the parents who were able to join us on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, for Coffee with the Principal in person or virtually! It was great to highlight our work with you and great to connect with each of you! I hope everyone has a great break and is able to enjoy it with family and friends. Regardless of how you spend your break time, be safe and take care of each other. We will see you again on March 23, 2026, on the beautiful North Lake ECHS campus!

Sincerely,

Adrian Hernandez

Principal

North Lake Early College High School

Twitter @AdHernandez2648

Familias de North Lake,

Fue una semana llena de acontecimientos en North Lake ECHS, ¡y ahora estamos oficialmente en nuestras vacaciones de primavera para el semestre de primavera!

Cuando regresemos, faltan 10 días académicos para nuestras primeras evaluaciones STAAR de Inglés I e Inglés II. ¡Sabemos que nuestros estudiantes darán lo mejor de sí y entregarán lo mejor cuando sea necesario! Les recordamos que deben asegurarse de que sus estudiantes revisen sus trabajos de Dallas College durante las vacaciones de primavera. Los profesores de Dallas College suelen asignar trabajos o lecturas durante los descansos. Es recomendable que nuestros estudiantes se mantengan al día para estar completamente preparados para las pruebas STAAR.

Gracias a todos los padres que nos acompañaron el martes 10 de marzo de 2026 en el Café con la Directora, ya sea en persona o virtualmente. Fue un placer destacar nuestro trabajo con ustedes y conectar con cada uno de ustedes. Espero que todos tengan un excelente descanso y puedan disfrutarlo con familiares y amigos. Independientemente de cómo pasen su tiempo libre, cuídense y cuídense unos a otros. ¡Nos veremos nuevamente el 23 de marzo de 2026 en el hermoso campus de North Lake ECHS!

Atentamente,

Adrián Hernández

Director

North Lake Early College High School

Twitter @AdHernández2648

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!

North Lake ECHS Students giving back to the community and attending the Augustana College presentation!

Have a Great Spring Break Week!

No School March 16th-20th, 2026

Students Return March 23, 2026

Save the date!

North Lake ECHS PROM! April 11th!

North Lake ECHS Social Media

Instagram:

@northlakeechs

X/Twitter: @NorthLake_ECHS

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/NLECHSDISD

Purchase your prom tickets here!

https://dallasisd.revtrak.net/hs/high-schools-j-s/north-lake-early-college-high-school/north-lake-echs-prom/#/list

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.

pdf

insert_drive_file

25_26 North Lake ECHS Family Handbook.pdf

Download

9.9 MB

Visit our Counseling website for additional resources and Information!

Parent Counseling Needs Assessment - Please complete today!

Register for an upcoming district Parent Training!

Hello families!

This time of year can feel like a bit of a marathon! Our dual credit students are juggling college-level midterms, seniors are watching their inboxes for final admissions decisions, and everyone is just a little bit ready for a nap. Before we all unplug, here are a few tips!

Finding Your "Happy" (National Happiness Day – March 20th)

It’s perfect timing that National Happiness Day falls during break this year. In a high-pressure school environment, we often focus so much on "the next step" that we forget to enjoy the current one.

We’re encouraging our students to find happiness in the small things this week:

The Power of the "Do Nothing" Day: Challenge them to spend one day without a schedule or an alarm clock.
Connecting for Real: Encourage them to swap the screen time for face-to-face time with friends or family.
A Change of Pace: Whether it’s a hike, a hobby, or just a really long nap, doing something "just because" is a great way to reset.

Quick "Before You Go" Checklist:

Dual Credit Check-In: Remind your students to check their college portals (Brightspace). College professors don't always follow our high school break schedule, so it's good to make sure no deadlines are lurking!
The "Reset" Rule: Encourage your student to leave their backpack in a corner for at least a couple of days. They’ve earned the right to unplug.

Have a safe, restful, and truly happy Spring Break. Let’s come back recharged and ready to finish this year strong!

Internship/Scholarship Opportunities

Summer Law Intern Program (Dallas Bar)

Home Depot: Path to Pro Program (18+)

Ladder Internships

Law Internship

NASA Internships

Rabbi Gerald Klein HS Internship

Dallas County

Justice of the Peace Internship

Lumiere

Summer Program Opportunity for Juniors Only

SOAR (Seeking, Observing and Achieving Results) Program

Dr. Baker 10th/11th Grade

Dr. Hart 9th/12th Grade

Hello North Lake Families!

Our ASP Updates are as follows:

Celebrations:

We have two confirmed ASP X Centre Recipients! Odalys and Bailey were both accepted into the program, and will receive a 100% need met scholarship with limited self help via the federal subsidized loan, $5000 in extracurricular funding for study abroad, internships, research, etc, and a free fly in to the Centre College admitted students day!

We had an amazing visit with our regional admissions counselor, Zach, from Augustana College! Both accepted seniors and interested juniors were able to meet Zach, and learn about all of the amazing opportunities at Augustana. Zach told me that while he is excited about meeting students across DFW while he was in town, he said that he was the most excited about visiting North Lake because of how impressed he is with our seniors! We are going to schedule a virtual college visit as well for Juniors who were STAMP testing, and I am going to see if some of our North Lake Alum at Augustana can join!

Alondra has been selected as a finalist for the Terry Scholarship at UTA! She is interviewing in early April, and if awarded the scholarship, she can attend UT Arlington fully funded!

Side note: Thank you Ms. Ferguson for letting us use your room!

Applications: 100% of our students have applied to at least 3 colleges and universities, and at least 92% have been accepted!

FAFSA: 97.4% of our students have completed their FAFSA/TASFA!

Scholarships: Our scholarship total is currently $14,444,580! Many schools have not released admissions and financial aid decisions, so this number should continue to rise as more and more schools release admissions decisions and financial aid awards!

Senior Focus this week: The DISD Superintendent Scholarship is due this Friday, so I will continue working with seniors as they complete the scholarship application. Additionally, I will focus on meeting with students to review released financial aid awards, compare college options, and help them make smart college choices.

Upcoming Events:

ASP Family Transition Camp:

When: March 28th, 9:00-3:00
Where: WT White HS (4505 Ridgeside Drive, Dallas, Texas 75244)
What is it?

Transition Camp is a drop-in event designed to support students and families as they prepare for the transition to college. Students and/or families can stop by anytime during the event to get help, ask questions, and access resources that will make the transition smoother.

Students will have access to assistance and presentations focused on finishing off the next steps for college enrollment. Support will be available for accessing college portals, understanding financial aid award letters, and getting answers to any remaining questions. UT Austin Admissions officers will also be available to provide support to admitted students!

Families can attend presentations offered at the top of each hour covering topics such as understanding financial aid, deciding which college to attend, and preparing to support their students who will be leaving Dallas. Time and space will also be available for parent Q&A.

Student & Family Sign Up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsLlH1Xvpam11kojtCnCLl-n3oDlyXFc_xp0Ai4lxj3Wz3gg/viewform

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

Seniors Only, click on the photo for product info at Levine's

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.