North Windy News
- Monday, March 23rd
- North Buncombe Choral Showcase at Brookstone Church at 6:30.
- Tuesday, March 24th -
- Spring Holiday Meal
- District-wide Advisory Council Meeting
- Thursday, March 26th - End of 3rd Quarter Grading Period
- Friday, March 27th - *This was originally scheduled as an early dismissal, but it is now a full school day.
- Monday, March 30th - Friday, April 3rd - Mr. Moon Reading Challenge *more info to come!*
- Tuesday, March 31st - PBIS Reward (Ice Cream & Outdoor Games) - sign up to volunteer!
- Thursday, April 2nd -
- Report cards go home
- Blackhawk Brigade - Softball game at NBMS (6th Graders can pick up a permission form in the front office!)
- Friday, April 3rd -
- Silk Road - 6th Grade
- Monday, April 6th - Friday, April 10th - Spring Break
NWR After School Enrichment Weekly Schedule:
With so many interruptions in our schedule, please don't forget about our after school enrichment classes!
- Zumba - Gym on Mondays
- Soccer on Mondays
- Chess - Whitcher's West classroom on Tuesdays
- Chorus - Mrs. B's room on Tuesdays
- Crochet - Smith's East classroom on Wednesdays
- Watercolor - New conference room on Wednesdays
Dear North Windy Ridge Families,
Dear Families,
We were so honored to celebrate our very own Marilynn Whitcher at the BCS Teacher of the Year dinner and reception at Brookstone Church on Thursday night. Ms. Whitcher doesn’t just teach; she inspires! Her passion is contagious, and she shows our students every single day what it means to work hard and chase your goals. We couldn't be prouder to have her on our team!
On Friday, our math teams competed in the district competition, Elevating Math! They took part in both team and individual events, and many students earned awards for their outstanding problem-solving and thinking. We are incredibly proud of their performance!
You can see pictures & videos from events and activities at NWR on our NWR Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NorthWindyRidge
Have a great week, NWR Families!
You can read below for information about...
- Student Surveys - Information sent home to parents.
- Blackhawk Brigade - Spring Sports at NBMS
- Math Resources for Parents -
- 5th Grade Unit 5 - Decimals
- 6th Grade Unit 6 - Integers - https://im.kendallhunt.com/MS/families/1/5/index.html
- Counselor & Social Worker Newsletter
- Students with Discretionary Admission (DAR) *Important, please read
Always in Newsletter:
- Dress Code Reminder
- Cell Phone Reminder
- Get the Campus Parent App to Monitor Your Child's Grades
- Sign up for the NWR Spirit Rock! Many dates being reserved, so don't miss your special date to send a message to your NWR student!
Thank you for all the ways you support your child and our school,
Mrs. Nichols
Principal
North Windy Ridge Intermediate School
Please check out our NWR PTO website to get involved, see upcoming events/meeting dates, and contribute!
Thank You’s!
- Windy Grams! Thank you ALL for helping make the Windy Grams program a success for our students again this year! We are grateful for those who were able to volunteer!
- Cupid Crunch! Thank you to those who were able to help with this month’s staff appreciation!
Volunteer Events!
- March 31st - PBIS Rewards event with ice cream for the students! We’re looking for a few friendly volunteers to help make the day extra special by scooping and serving smilesSign Up HERE to help!
- April 27th - Stay tuned for our upcoming Spring Fundraiser to help raise funds for a Gaga-Pit mat system!
Get Involved!
- Next year’s Board positions! We are currently looking for interested individuals to be nominated for:
- President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Communications! Come join this fabulous, school centric team! Please reach out at nwrpto@gmail.com to learn more!
- Voting will happen at the May 6 PTO mtg!
2026 Meeting dates!
- April 1, 8:00 am NWR Media Center
- May 6, 8:00 am NWR Media Center
- June 3, 8:00 am NWR Media Center
Donate!
- North Windy Ridge PTO is a registered 501c(3) not-for-profit organization, so all donations are tax deductible! Contribute on line HERE!
Buncombe County Schools will be conducting student surveys to gather feedback about students’ school experiences, including academics, belonging, and relationships. The survey is brief (about 10 minutes) and responses are anonymous. The survey will take place during the week of March 31st.
Please check your child’s folder for an important form about this survey including more information and an option to have your student not participate. We hope every student will take part in this survey. However, participation in this survey – and each question within it – is optiona. You only need to return the form if you do not want your child to participate or you can email Ms. Olenick, school counselor, to let her know: Nicole.olenick@bcsemail.org Forms are due back by March 26.
I also want to remind parents about a few important rules at our school. I'll keep these in the newsletter for a few more weeks so that everyone can read these important reminders.
- If a student has a cell phone at school, it MUST be off and in a student's backpack. Students are not allowed to get their phone out, take it to the bathroom, and call parents. Students must talk to a grown-up if they are sick and need to call home. This is a safety concern. Please remind your child about this rule.
- Our dress code is always in the newsletter, but I want to remind families of a few important points below. If students choose clothes that do not meet the following expectations, we will ask them to either call home for a change of clothes or pick something out of our clothes closet.
- Students should not wear pajamas to school (the term "pajamas" has a wide range of interpretations, so it's easier to say "not pajamas."
- Please wear shirts that cover the mid-section.
- Dresses, tank tops and any straps must be at least 3 fingers wide.
Parents can make a meaningful difference in their child’s math learning by using the Illustrative Math parent resources available online (Links are below). These tools offer clear explanations of concepts students are learning, examples of strategies being taught in class, and guidance on how to talk through problems in supportive, confidence-building ways. Families can explore short overviews of each unit, see sample problems, and better understand the “why” behind today’s math approaches, helping students connect ideas rather than just memorize steps. Even spending a few minutes reviewing together can strengthen understanding, build problem-solving skills, and help students feel more successful and supported at home.
- Here's a direct link to 5th grade math units. 5th Grade will be working through Unit 5. In this unit, students use place value understanding to round, compare, order, add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals.
- Here's a direct link to 6th grade math units. 6th Grade will be working through Unit 6 which is focused on integers.
North Windy Ridge School encourages students to dress in comfortable clothing that complements a positive school climate.
- 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.
- No "costume" attire, such as tails or paws.
- Students will refrain from wearing baggy pants that fall below the waist and shirts that expose the midriff.
- 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 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.
As our students start the second nine weeks of the school year, we have another resource to help you stay connected through "Campus Parent," the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. You can view this edition of BCS Parent University to learn more and see some of the app's features in action.
In August 2025, Buncombe County Schools launched Parent University. This series of short videos is intended to enhance communication with families of things happening in classrooms across Buncombe County. Watch for additions to the Parent University library throughout the school year. Click here to access the BCS Parent University.
Campus Parent App
The end of the grading period is drawing near, so if you haven't already signed up for the Campus Parent App to see your child's grades, now's the time! Here are the directions:
Setting Up Your Infinite Campus Parent Portal
Visit this link for NCSIS registration.
Select Buncombe County Schools from the drop down menu.
Enter your student's ID number (they may know it as their "lunch number"), their first name, last name, and date of birth.
Follow the instructions to verify your identity.
You should instantly receive an activation key and link to complete your parent portal setup.
Once your parent portal is established, use this link to sign in anytime with your user name and password. You may also want to download the Campus Parent mobile app for iPhone and Android devices.
Mr. Thompson is asking for Legos! We know they're out there, buried in your closet...it's time to donate them to a good cause! Our NWR STEM students will be using these throughout the year.
Use the bar code here (or click this link) to sign up to receive direct information about volunteer opportunities through PTO! You can also keep scrolling to see how you can donate and volunteer in the coming weeks. We are so GRATEFUL for how supportive our parent community is at NWR!
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 have an 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 a last-minute emergency transportation change at the last minute, please email & call the school to confirm the update.
Please review this information with your student.
Please be reminded that our school, in accordance with the new state law, has an updated cell phone policy this year. We have talked as a school staff about this policy and it will be enforced consistently school wide. Please refer to this video on the BCS Parent University website.
- Students ARE NOT allowed to use their cell phone while in the building. The only exceptions are for students who use it for medical purposes, such as a student with diabetes who use it for blood glucose monitoring.
- The cell phone should NOT be visible while in the building, meaning it needs to be in their backpack, turned off. It should not be seen in a student's pocket or hoodie.
- If a phone is caught, or seen, in violation of this policy the phone will be taken and returned to the student at the end of the school day.
- If a student violates this policy for a second time, the phone will be taken and given to the office. The parent or guardian may pick it up there at the end of the day.
- If a student violates this policy for a third time, the student will be asked to leave the phone at home or leave it in the school office each morning before school starts.
- Refusal to turn over a cell phone can result in additional consequences. Help us out by talking with your student ahead of time about these expectations and consequences.
As for smart watches, we will not be policing each student's watch. Our thoughts are that most student's watches don't have a data plan and are connected to the data plan on their cell phone. Therefore, if a student's phone is turned off as it should be, the smart watch is just a watch. But, if we see a student texting or accessing social media on their smart watch, it will be treated as a cellular device as described above.
This is a fairly big change for our school. Please talk with your child about this before the first day of school. A phone is always available in the school office if your child has an emergency and needs to contact you. I also know this will require families and students to make plans and discuss plans before the child leaves for school since adults should not be texting students during the school day.
We are grateful for your support this year!
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.
Ms. Tara Conley, NWR Assistant Principal, will be your contact for all things Bus-related! Her email is tara.conley@bcsemail.org.
Please sign up for the EDULOG bus app below!
The Buncombe County Schools Transportation Department is excited to bring our families the Edulog Parent Portal App. This smartphone app allows parents to receive specific information about their child’s school bus ride. Parents will be able to:
Access designated bus stop times and locations for their child.
Monitor real-time information about the location of their child’s school bus.
Receive notifications when the bus is getting close to the assigned bus stop.
To Download the app search for Edulog Parent Portal in the app store for Apple or Google or Scan the QR code below.
Links to Parent Portal Information
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.
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.
