Northwood Hills News
April 17, 2025

Northwood Hills News is the school newsletter written by campus leadership. You'll find important dates and information about upcoming activities including evening events, school-wide assessments, and RISD area events. The newsletter will go out via email on Thursdays of each week. Please ensure your email addresses and phone numbers are up-to-date in Focus so that you receive each week's updates in a timely manner.
A Note From Mrs. Smith
Hello NHE families,
Our first round of STAAR testing kicked off on Tuesday! Our students have been working hard to review all they’ve learned this year, and we’re so proud of their focus and effort. We can’t wait for them to show what they know!
Just a quick reminder:
For a secure and quiet testing environment, visitors will not be permitted on campus during STAAR testing days: April 15th, April 23rd, and April 29th. Thank you for your understanding and support.
I also hope you attended Fine Arts Night last week—it was a fantastic celebration of the many accomplishments of our NHE fine arts students and teachers! Huge thanks to Mrs. Perez, Ms. Tracy, and Mz. Medrano for putting together such a meaningful and fun event for our families.
There is no school on Friday or Monday. Enjoy the extra long weekend!
Best Regards,
Jenni Smith
Principal
Coming up @ NHE
Please be aware of the upcoming events at NHE!
April 18 & 21 - No school, Student and Staff Holiday
April 22 - School Bus Driver Appreciation Day
April 23- Administrative Professional's Day (Office Staff)
April 23 - 5th-grade STAAR Science Assessment (no visitors)
April 24- 5th grade STAAR Science Make-ups
April 24 - NHE Site-Based Decision-Making Committee Meeting 4-6
April 29- 3rd-6th grade STAAR Math Assessment (no visitors)
April 30 - 3rd-6th grade STAAR Math Make-ups
May 2 - School Lunch Hero Day (cafeteria employees)
May 5- College Colors Day
May 7 - National School Nurse's Day
May 7 - 3rd-6th grade Science MAP Assessment
May 8 - K-6th grade Reading MAP Assessment
May 9 - NHE Career Day
Carpool Reminders
For the safety of everyone at NHE, we kindly ask that you always use the designated crosswalks and carpool lanes when dropping off or picking up students. Walking between vehicles can be very dangerous, especially when accompanied by young children who may not be easily seen by drivers.
Please take a moment to review the arrival and dismissal procedures linked below and follow them closely. Your cooperation is essential in helping us maintain a safe environment for all students, staff, and families.
Thank you for helping us keep NHE safe!
Need Help with Enrollment?
Richardson ISD enrollment for the 2025-26 school year is now open online. Returning families will need a Snapcode to enroll, which was emailed to parents on Feb. 24.
RISD is offering in-person enrollment help labs in each learning community for new and returning families through the end of the school year:
Every Tuesday (Mar. 18 - May 20)
RISD Academy - 13630 Coit Road - 4-6 p.m.
Every Wednesday (Mar. 19 - May 21)
Apollo Junior High - 1600 Apollo Rd. - 4-6 p.m.
Forest Meadow Middle School - 9373 Whitehurst Drive - 4-6 p.m.
Every Thursday (Mar. 20 - May 22)
Richardson Heights ES - 101 N. Floyd Road - 4-6 p.m.
(No session on April 17)
See the full calendar with all in-person enrollment help events across RISD.
Currently-enrolled families may also contact their current school with any enrollment questions.
Capturing Kids Hearts April Focus: Finish Strong
Snow Make-Up Days
It has been announced that due to the number of banked instructional minutes in the RISD student academic calendar, the district will not need to use April 18 or April 21 as snow make up days, and both days will remain student and staff holidays.
Upcoming Assessment Dates
STAAR Dates:
April 15: STAAR RLA (grades 3-6)
April 16: Make-up STAAR RLA (grades 3-6)
April 23: STAAR Science (5th grade only)
April 24: Make-up STAAR Science (5th grade only)
April 29: STAAR Math (grades 3-6)
April 30: Make-up STAAR Math (grades 3-6)
*Please avoid scheduling any doctor's appointments or out-of-town travel on these dates. We want every student to have the opportunity to show what they can do on these important state exams.
Field Day 2025
🎉 Field Day – Friday, May 16
Get ready for a fun-filled day! Field Day is a highlight of the year, and we need volunteers to help with everything from setting up relays to handing out popsicles.
Sign up here: Field Day Volunteer Signup
Important Notes:
· Only registered volunteers will be allowed on campus during Field Day—no spectators, please.
· All volunteers must complete a background check through Voly at least two weeks in advance. If you haven’t done so already, please complete it here: RISD Voly Background Check
Thank you in advance for your support—we couldn’t do it without you!
🎉 Día de Campo – viernes 16 de mayo
¡Prepárense para un día lleno de diversión! El Día de Campo es uno de los eventos más esperados del año, y necesitamos voluntarios para ayudar con todo, desde montar carreras hasta repartir paletas.
Regístrate aquí: Registro para voluntarios – Día de Campo
Notas importantes:
· Solo se permitirá el acceso al campus a voluntarios registrados durante el Día de Campo—no se permitirán espectadores.
· Todos los voluntarios deben completar una verificación de antecedentes a través de Voly al menos dos semanas antes del evento. Si aún no la has hecho, por favor complétala aquí: Verificación de antecedentes Voly – RISD
¡Gracias de antemano por su apoyo—no podríamos hacerlo sin ustedes!
NHE Talent Show
Talent Show Information
The NHE 4th-6th grade Talent Show is May 14th, 2025! Auditions are May 6th. Students need to turn in the audition application form by May 1st.
5th and 6th grade students may apply to be a part of the NHE Talent Show Stage Crew. The application forms are due April 24th.
NHE K-3rd grade students will have the opportunity to share their talents in music class the week of May 5th - 9th. There are no forms to turn in and students will only perform for their classmates.
Please contact Anne.Tracy@risd.org or Victoria.Medrano@risd.org with any questions.
Upcoming Sixth Grade Events
Summer Opportunities
6th to 7th Grade Summer Acceleration Courses
6th Grade Families-Our 6th graders have an option to take PE or Health in the summer for a fee. Just a reminder that all students must take 1 year of PE or Athletics in 7th or 8th grade. Health is a required course in high school for graduation. The window to register for summer acceleration classes begins April 1st and ends May 2nd. Check out the Junior High Programs Acceleration section on the following site:
2025 Summer School
Parents, please check your email to see if you received an invitation to RISD summer school. This is a valuable opportunity to reinforce key concepts, improve academic skills, and ensure continued progress for the upcoming school year.
We strongly encourage you to sign your students up for summer school, as it will provide them with the support they need to succeed. Please take a moment to complete the registration process at your earliest convenience.
If you have any questions or need assistance with registration, feel free to reach out to your child's teacher or our assistant principal Mr. Bell.
School Supplies On Sale Now
Click below for more information
Future Falcons
Attention Future Falcons! We have lots of fun events coming up this Spring and would love for you to join us! Please let me know if you can attend or would like to be included on our email list! Also don't forget to follow us on Facebook at NWH Falcons & Friends!
Partners Programs
April is Autism Awareness Month
Helpful Parent Resources
- Create a Focus account – RISD provides electronic access to a student’s attendance, grades, and other information via the Focus school software system. . https://web.risd.org/focus/
- Please go to RISD Voly to fill out an application. Please make sure you select NHE as your school. This process needs to be completed every year!
All of RISD will be utilizing Talking Points for classroom communication. Please download the free app to get started communicating with your child's teacher!
You can find more information online at this link
Download SchoolCafe app – RISD’s school cafeteria payment system is called SchoolCafe. https://www.schoolcafe.com/
Download RISD Mobile Parent app – Access student information, view the latest news, receive important alerts, review 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 via the RISD Mobile Parent app.
District Links
Focus Parent Portal
Library Opt-Out Program - Elementary
SEL Opt Out 2024-2025
Lunch Visitors
Beginning next week, visitors are welcome to join their students for lunch. Here are a few reminders when planning to visit for lunch.
- Due to space in our cafeteria we are asking that parents who wish to have lunch with their child do so only once per week.
- Arrive before your child's scheduled lunchtime.
- Bring your ID to be screened at check-in. You will be given a visitor badge to wear at all times while on campus.
- Visitors should sit at the designated visitor table with their child and are not permitted to sit at the class cafeteria tables.
- Lunch visitors may eat lunch with only their child. Friends will not be permitted to join another parent for lunch.
- We request that visitors follow a no-cell phone policy to ensure student privacy and quality time with their child. Taking pictures or videos in the cafeteria that include any other students or staff is not permitted.
- When your child’s lunch period is over, visitors should exit the building from the front or office doors. Lunch visitors should NOT walk their child back to class.
- If a visitor who is not a parent or guardian comes to eat lunch with a student, we must have permission ahead of time from the parent or guardian or they will not be permitted to eat with the student.
These guidelines may need to be adjusted from time to time. Updates will be communicated as needed.
NHE Recurring Links and Information
NHE Volunteers & Visitors
Safety and security is a top priority for us. You must complete a background check yearly if you will be volunteering for ANY school activities. Please go to RISD Voly to fill out an application. Please make sure you select Northwood Hills Elementary as your school. Again, this process needs to be completed every year!
All visitors must show a government-issued ID every time you are either visiting school or volunteering and will need to have a Verkada Badge. The great thing about our new system is that you can use the QR Code from home in the morning, and your badge will be waiting for you when you arrive. Please wait to access the code until 7 am the day that it is needed so that the badge doesn't time out. This is a requirement for any activity we will have during the school day.
Before entering the building, you will need to push the doorbell. Our office staff will ask how they can help you before letting you in. This is a requirement for everyone even if our office staff knows who you are. We appreciate your support and patience with this process.
Parents and Families On Campus
With the increased need for security on all campuses, NHE will continue to use Verkada to sign in all visitors on campus. If you plan on visiting campus, please make sure to bring your driver's license to the front office to be scanned by our RAPTOR system.
During occasions when we have a big event, we will send out a QR code ahead of time for you to complete to help speed up the check-in process.
If you plan to volunteer on campus, please complete the additional background check with VOLY. It is best to complete the VOLY application as soon as possible. VOLY requests can take up to 72 hours to complete. Please call the Northwood Hills office for any help needed with completing VOLY. Sign up to volunteer at risd.voly.org
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