Northridge Elementary Weekly Blast

Apr 15 - SAC Meeting

Apr 17 - Parents' Night Out - Auction

Apr 24 - No School -Teacher Professional Development Day

Apr 27 - No School - Teacher Comp Day

Apr 30 - Wellness Night

• Please avoid making appointments that require student absences during the testing window.

• For more information about state mandated assessments, please visit the NRE website: NRE State Mandated Assessments

• 25-26 State Assessment Excusal Form Walkthrough Parent/Guardian

On Tuesday March 3rd, many of our 4th graders will be taking the National Assessment of Academic Progress (NAEP) assessment in either math or reading. For more information about this assessment please visit: Colorado Department of Education - NAEP.

Please join us to discuss the proposed boundary changes.

Our Health Room is looking for donations of gently used sweatpants, leggings, and hoodies in various sizes for both boys and girls.

Accidents, spills, and mud happen—having these items on hand helps our students get back to class quickly and comfortably. If you have any outgrown items at home that are still in good condition, please consider dropping them off at the front office. Thank you for helping us keep our students warm and dry!

March 27, 2026

Dear Northridge Families,

In the coming weeks, our staff will begin the intentional process of building our class rosters for the 2026-2027 school year. We recognize that class placement is a deeply personal and sometimes emotional milestone for both students and parents. Please be assured that we approach this task with the utmost respect and integrity, keeping our students’ needs at the heart of every decision.

Our primary goal is to create balanced, heterogeneous learning communities that promote success for every child. To achieve this, we carefully consider several key factors:

• Academic grouping and learning styles

• Special needs and required accommodations

• Social, emotional, and behavioral dynamics

• Gender balance

• Parental input

While our staff provides expert insight into individual student needs, we also value your unique perspective as a parent. We invite you to share thoughts regarding your child’s specific learning environment. Please note that while we do not accept requests for specific teachers, we do want to hear about the considerations that will help us find the best fit for your child.

If you would like to provide input, please submit your request using this form no later than Friday, April 10, 2026.

Thank you for your trust and partnership as we begin this important work.

Sincerely,

Erin Lehnert

Principal, Northridge Elementary

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our brand-new Volunteer Coordination Website! We know your time is precious, so we’ve created a "one-stop-shop" designed to make supporting our school simpler than ever.

Whether you have an hour to spare or want to lead a major event, this platform allows you to:

• Browse at a Glance: See all upcoming opportunities across the entire school in one organized list.

• One-Click Sign-Up: No more digging through old emails or paper flyers; just click, claim your spot, and you're set!

Our community is powered by the incredible energy of our families. We invite you to head over to the new site today to see how you can help make Northridge Elementary an even better place for our students!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-launch-party-for-tovas-sweet-solution-by-melissa-taylor-tickets-1983274348966?aff=oddtdtcreator

We are excited to announce that we will be hosting a Wellness Night for students and families on April 30th from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. This event aims to promote self-care, emotional well-being, and healthy habits in a fun and interactive way. Throughout the evening, we’ll have various stations and activities focused on mindfulness, relaxation, healthy habits, and emotional support. It’s a great opportunity to learn new ways to support mental and physical health as a family.

We are looking for parent and community volunteers who would like to host a booth or activity during the event. If you have a skill, hobby, or area of expertise related to wellness—whether it’s art, yoga, nutrition, or mindfulness—we’d love for you to share it with our school community!

If you're interested in volunteering or have ideas for a booth, please reach out to Halie Snider at hsnider@dcsdk12.org. We look forward to working together to make this a memorable and valuable event for all!

Potential Booth Ideas Include:

• Mindfulness and Relaxation Stations
• Crafts/DIY projects (e.g., calming jars, positive affirmation cards)
• Movement and Active Play Stations (e.g., yoga, dance breaks)
• Nutrition and Healthy Snacks
• Mental Health and Self-Care Education
• Creative Expression (e.g., art or music stations)

PTO In Action

PTO In Action

New PTO Board Members Needed!

PTO is searching for some NRE parents who are interested in serving the community as a PTO Board Member for the 26/27 school year. PTO Board Members serve from May to May. We are still in need of 1 new Co-Communications Officer, 2 new Co-Vice Presidents and 1 new Co-Treasurer. Please email PTOpresidentNRE@gmail.com if you are interested in learning about the opportunities! It’s a great way to get involved at NRE!

iPad or other Tablet Donation Request

PTO is looking for an older iPad or tablet to use at events when we need to collect credit card payments. If you have one at home that you’re no longer using, please consider donating it to the PTO If you’re willing to donate, please email PTOpresidentNRE@gmail.com.

“Treasure Box” Donations

PTO is willing to help you clean out your toy bins! We are collecting small toy items to restock our prize “Treasure Box”. Think of small toys your kids might get as prizes from Chuck-E-Cheese, birthday party favors, valentines, etc. Items might include: rubber duckys, bouncy balls, fidgets, unused stickers or temporary tattoos, unused pencils/erasers, slinkies, etc. If you’ve got some items you’d like to recycle, please donate them to PTO! It is a win-win, you have less clutter in your house and PTO saves money by not needing to buy new prizes! (Although, we can’t promise you that those prizes won’t end up back at your house at some point!) Drop off your items at the office anytime. Thank you!

Upcoming Events

FREE Rockies Tickets!

The PTO now gets free Rockies tickets for select 2026 games—and they’re available to NRE families at no cost! To get a shot at tickets, make sure you're opted in to PTO text messages. When tickets are available, you’ll get a text with instructions on how to request tickets. Tickets will be given out on a first come, first served basis. Not signed up yet? It only takes 10 seconds— click here.

We have given away 111 tickets to the NRE community so far for games in April! Don’t miss out on the chance to score tickets for games in May - opt in to text messages today! Tickets for April 21 are still available if you are interested!

Plus, PTO texts keep you in the loop with all the important reminders and updates. Stay connected and don’t miss out!

Silent Auction

The annual PTO Silent Auction is now open and will run until 8pm at the SweetPlay Family Night Out on April 17th. Get ready to place your bids… there are some amazing items up for grabs! Check out the auction site now and start your bidding!

SweetPlay Family Night Out

Mark your Calendars in SHARPIE and HIGHLIGHTER for the SweetPlay Northridge Night combined with our annual Silent Auction Event on Friday April 17th from 5-8:30pm.

Once again SweetPlay (formerly Candeeland!) is closing to the public this year so the whole place will be reserved for Northridge Families. A buffet dinner is included with admission, along with open play, organized games and tons of fun with friends. Visit the in person portion of the silent auction (also available online) hosted in our double party room, and bid on exciting items.

Watch for flyers coming home in Thursday folders this week, more information around the school in the coming weeks, and visit this link for all details and to register for the event.

Restaurant Nights

Local restaurants host “spirit nights” where a designated portion of the proceeds from your order will be generously donated back to NRE PTO. All you have to do is mention NRE when ordering. It’s a win-win-win: you get a night off from making dinner (or treats), local restaurants get our business, and PTO receives a donation. Stay tuned for more dates - we are adding more to the calendar all the time!

4/14/26: Freddy's

4/28/26: Panda Express

5/7/26: Red Robin

5/19/26: Mici Italian

5/28/26: Mod Pizza (all day), McDonald's (11am - 2pm), Kona Ice (10am-12pm)

Volunteer Opportunities

NRE has a new volunteer site to see all available volunteer opportunities. Please check it out here! Specifically, you can find information about the following volunteer needs we have:

• Fun Run Chairperson or Committee Member - Our largest fundraiser of the year—critical to PTO funding. Systems are already in place, making this an easy baton to take!

• Breakfast with Buddies - Pick up the donuts, coffee, or breakfast tacos. Help us set up on May 7 after school. Help us clean up.

• Restaurant Nights Chairperson - Setup restaurant nights for the summer and all of next school year. You can do this any time it works for you!

Ongoing Fundraisers

Celebrate Your Artist!

Do you have piles of amazing art from your student at home and nowhere to display it!? Would you love to have it all in a beautiful and convenient book to enjoy? Plum Print has given Northridge the opportunity to support our school while we transform our children’s artwork into custom books! Not only will they donate 20% of the sale back to Northridge but they have also provided a $25 off code for us! Please take a look at the flyer below and use the code NORTHRIDGE when you place your order. This will give you $25 off your order and send 20% back to NRE!

NRE SWAG!!

NRE PTO is partnering with a company called “Mostly For Nerds” (MFN) to provide NRE Swag! You can now purchase tshirts, hoodies, hats, etc. MFN is also generously donating $5 per item sold back to NRE PTO. More items will be available in the future, and if you have a request for items that you’d like to see available, please let us know. Check out the online store now!

Paint the Rock - Reserve the Rock to celebrate a special occasion. First sign up for your date here, then make your $20 donation to PTO through MySchoolBucks.

Additionally, PTO has volunteers who are willing to paint the rock for you if you’d like! Follow the steps above, then email PTOpresidentNRE@gmail.com to inquire about volunteer availability. When we find a volunteer who can paint for you, then you can make an additional $50 donation to PTO.

King Soopers - Did you know!?

King Soopers donates back to the community through their Community Rewards Program. There is no cost to families to participate and it takes 1 minute to link your King Soopers account to NRE PTO! We are really hoping to take full advantage of this great community partnership! See the very easy steps in the flier below.

Dear Northridge Families,

I apologize I didn’t get the Weekly Blast out last week. I traveled to Texas to spend time with my family and just didn’t get it done. Thank you for your understanding.

There is a lot going on these last few weeks of school. Here are a few of the updates.

Your Voice Matters: Parent Survey Update

As of 3:30 PM today, we have received 11 completed parent surveys. I want to sincerely thank those who have already taken the time to share their thoughts.

I review this data personally to help me grow as a leader, identify areas where we can improve our school, and guide our decision-making for the upcoming year. Your input is truly the compass for our progress. Please know that you do not have to answer every question to submit the survey—any feedback you are willing to provide is valuable to me.

Click Here to Take the 2026 Parent Survey

Important: Proposed Boundary Changes

We have some significant updates regarding proposed boundary changes that will directly impact Northridge Elementary. It is vital that our families are informed about these potential shifts. There are two ways to get this information:

• SAC Meeting (Wednesday, April 15): We will host guest speakers Jackie Millet, Chief Operating Officer and Shavon Caldwell, District Planning Manager. They will present the proposed changes in detail. You can join us in person or virtually.

• Community Meeting (Monday, April 13 & 15): If you cannot attend our SAC meeting, there are two district-wide community meetings scheduled. Monday, April 13th from 5:30 PM–7:00 PM at Roxborough Intermediate School and Wednesday, April 15th virtually (no link available at this time).

I highly recommend attending one of these sessions to ensure you are fully aware of how these changes may affect your family and our school community.

CMAS Testing: Round One Complete!

We have officially wrapped up our first full week of CMAS testing, and I am so incredibly proud of the hard work and stamina our students have shown. A huge congratulations goes out to our 6th graders, who have officially completed their testing! Looking ahead to next week, our 3rd and 4th graders will be tackling the Math portion of the assessment, while our 5th graders will be busy with both Math and Science units. We see the kids giving their absolute best effort, and we couldn't be more impressed with their "can-do" attitudes.

A huge thank you to our parents for ensuring students arrive on time and for scheduling outside appointments around our testing windows. Your efforts allow us to begin our sessions promptly and minimize disruptions. It truly helps more than you know!

Silent Auction and A Night Out at Sweetplay

If you haven’t already, please mark your calendars and sign up for one of the most exciting nights our PTO hosts, the Silent Auction and Night Out at SweetPlay! It’s happening Friday, April 17, from 5:00–8:30 PM. This is always such a fun night. It’s great to see the kids running around playing with their friends while parents get a chance to hang out in the restaurant area and catch up. The silent auction gets a bit competitive as friends try to outbid each other in the last seconds. All in good fun and for a good cause! Our PTO has worked hard to gather some great donations and amazing prizes. I hope to see you there! See the flyer in the PTO section of the blast for more information!

On a Personal Note

After traveling last weekend, I am looking forward to a quiet weekend. I love watching golf and this weekend is the Masters, so I am excited to tune in. I am sure there will be a trip to Costco and a dinner out as well. These slower, relaxing weekends are the best!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend as well doing what makes you happy. I look forward to another great week next week!

Smiles,

Erin

Looking for fun, engaging, unplugged summer activities for your child this summer? Consider Stone Canyon's Summer Camp programs! Join us for a summer of fun, adventure, and friendship. Find registration links and more information here: https://www.stonecanyonedge.org/summercamp

Located in Larkspur, we offer week-long Overnight Camps for 9-15-year-old campers and 3-day Day Camps (including transportation to/from camp out of Castle Rock) for 6-9-year-old campers.

How to Receive Emergency Messages from DCSD

Log into the Infinite Campus Parent Portal and click on the “person” icon in the top right-hand corner of the page. Navigate to “Contact Preferences” and review your contact information. If you see an incorrect phone number or email, please update it in Infinite Campus, or contact the registrar at your child’s school to request an update.