Northlake Notes

Good Evening, Northlake Fam, 👋

Hooray for another beautiful weekend! I hope you all got to get out and get some Vitamin D in the sunshine and enjoy some fresh air. I leaned hard into my mom duties this weekend, starting with a field trip to Austin and San Antonio with my daughter and her fellow 7th graders. I survived (and so did they), and I remembered why I am an elementary educator (not a middle school one). 😅 Meanwhile, my son turns 9 this Tuesday, and I can't believe how fast it's all going. It feels like it was only a little while ago that I was pregnant with him, waddling around Northlake, and now he's going into the last quarter of 3rd grade. 😮

Hug your kids every chance you get and tell them how much you love them. As, they say, our kids grow up so fast. And I can attest to that as a parent and as an educator, seeing and hearing the stories of our amazing Northlake Wildcats coming back as Lake Highlands Wildcats, sharing their successes and their growth, showing us how they have moved on to their next level of excellence.

Just 5 more school days until Spring Break! Here's to another great week at Northlake.

For all the important announcements and celebrations from this past week, read on below! 🎉

Be sure to check out the important upcoming dates at the end of the newsletter!

Hasta Mañana, 🙂

Kylee Wall

Thank you to Lindsay Chapman our PTA Paw Prints Chair and ALL the PTA parents that came to Kindergarten Round Up and fed us as well. Thank you to our Kinder Team: Ms. Schneider, Ms. Fernandez, Ms. Yau & Ms. Elizondo, Ms. Tovar, Ms. Fawkes, Ms. Sorensen, Ms. Easter & Ms. Bates for supporting us at Kindergarten Round Up. Here is the Kindergarten Round Up Slideshow.

It was a great night and such a successful event. We are looking forward to welcoming our incoming Kinder class of 24-25.🧑‍🤝‍🧑👭👬👫

Please be sure to enroll for the 24-25 school year.

Our next Paw Prints event is scheduled for April 29th @6pm.

PTA Movie Night was a smashing success! Thank you to Amanda Hinders, our PTA President, and everyone that supported with organizing the event.

Kindergarten is fast and friendly playing Gaga Ball! What a great way to learn hand/eye coordination and spend time with friends.

Ms. Fisher and Ms. Lambert started Pickleball Club this week!

The nice weather was perfect for learning the game. So, if your kid comes home and says, "Pickleball is my life now... dill with it." I would just go with that flow.

Thank you to Brent Timmerman and Dads Club for the Pickleball nets. 🏓

Parents have been coming in as Mystery Readers to share their favorite story books with Kindergarten.

Reading with our kids is a great way to spend quality time together and instill a love of books with our children. It's also a wonderful screen break and stress reliever from all the responsibilities (for adults and kids) during the day.

Let's take a cue from Kinder parents and keep reading with our kids. Even our 5th and 6th graders love a good story time!

Speaking of reading, our wonderful LITE, Mr. Aleman, will be facilitating our second Northlake Battle of the Books.

Northlake Teachers & Staff have volunteered to read a variety of story books which will be voted on by students in a bracket style competition until we have one final winner!

Thank you to our amazing PTA moms: Ms. Matthiesen, Ms. Miller, and Ms. Ring who pulled out levels and straight edges to create the most symmetrical and organized bracket system Northlake has ever seen.

Even though our 3-6 students had Interim Testing most of the week, that didn't stop our teachers from using every available minute at school for learning.

In 5th Grade, Ms. Cardwell facilitated an AVID strategy called Philosophical Chairs. This strategy is structured to create deep and meaningful conversations and encourages active listening. The format is set up like a debate. In this case, 5th grade students had to decide which side they stood on with the statement: Breaking the law is justified in certain situations. The context was the Civil War unit - a time in history when what was right wasn't necessarily what was legal, and what was legal wasn't necessarily right.

Students spent time writing their ideas regarding the statement and deciding which side of the argument to take. Students then line up facing one another and use a set of norms to debate their ideas. During the debate, if someone presents a compelling argument, students are able to also change their minds and switch sides.

5th Graders have also been working on a novel study and projects through the historical fiction book, The Seventh Most Important Thing.

Book: The Seventh Most Important Thing
Author: Shelley Pearsall

Basic plot: Arthur gets in big trouble when he throws a brick at the Junk Man. As part of his probation, he now has to work off hours doing the Junk Man’s bidding… which leads him to the List of the Seven Most Important Things.

We are so pleased to welcome two new Northlake staff members.

Ms. Latavia Taylor will be supporting Northlake as our Long Term SDS (student data specialist) Sub. I wasn't able to catch her for a picture this week, as she jumped into her duties and trainings super quickly, but I'll catch her soon.

Ms. Haley Peters is supporting our students and staff as our new Resource Push-In Aide. She is pictured to the right. Ms. Peters supports students in classrooms with social skills and helps with specific goals.

It was Mrs. Easter's birthday this past Tuesday. It was so nice to be able to celebrate her, as we are all so appreciative of how she has jumped right in to support Northlake students, staff, and community. Students wrote sweet cards, and Northlake staff showered her with treats & flowers.

Enrollment for the 2024-25 school year opens online Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 8:00 a.m.

Whether you’re new to RISD or returning for another year of school, parents can take advantage of convenient online enrollment using a PowerSchool registration account. Enrollment for returning students will require a “snapcode” that will be emailed to current parents on February 26.

Starting Feb. 27, enrollment for next school year will open for all current or future students in Pre-K through grade 12. Please click here for more information about the enrollment process and what documents are necessary to complete enrollment.

Contact your current (2023-24) RISD school for questions or assistance with enrollment, including help submitting necessary documents.

Project RightSize is RISD’s school and facility consolidation plan to support long-term student and teacher success.

• If approved, Project RightSize creates a phased-in, sustainable financial plan that aligns with RISD’s vision and beliefs, including the North Star Goal, Graduate Profile and Strategic Plan.
• The overall goal is to address budget challenges in a way that does not impact the program and services offered to students while allowing RISD to continue to provide educators with competitive compensation that attracts and retains the high quality staff necessary to continue our students' academic growth.
• RISD is committed to standing by our families and employees and supporting them through the changes and transitions in this plan.

For more information on Project Rightsize, please review the information provided at https://web.risd.org/home/project-rightsize/. It is anticipated that the RISD School Board will be voting on these recommendations at a meeting in late March.

With the advent of spring, comes a little spring fever. Dads Club & PTA are asking volunteers to join in to provide support in the lunchroom and at recess.

If you are interested in volunteering in the lunchroom or at recess, please use this link to sign up. Be sure you have completed the background check via risd.voly.org.

Thanks, Dads (and Moms) ! We appreciate you. ❤️👨👩

If you would like to hear more about Dads Club, please reach out to Brad McCutcheon at DadsClub@NorthlakePTA.com.

We have a new opportunity to volunteer in the garden. In the weeks leading up to our drip-line install, we are needing some watering help.

This opportunity will be for one week at a time, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You would be watering the seedlings for a total of around 20 minutes. It can be done at your convenience, but you won't need to check in if you go after 3pm.

To sign up, click the link: Garden Volunteer Link

If you have any questions, please reach out to our Garden Chair, Rachel Bennion at rachelebennion@gmail.com

If you would like to volunteer at Northlake Elementary, you must complete a volunteer background check EVERY new school year. Volunteering could include helping with class parties, attending field trips with your children, working in the library, helping at Field Day, or many other activities. We will not allow anyone who has not completed and passed the volunteer background check to volunteer.

Please click on this link to complete the background check. You MUST also watch the very short powerpoint at the end to complete the entire background check. Failure to watch the powerpoint will make your application incomplete and you will not be able to volunteer.

Reminder that no crocs or "croc-like" shoes are allowed at school. Many croc-related incidents end up in the Nurse's clinic. Please do not make us have to be the "crocs police", as this rule is part of our district Elementary Dress Code. Please be sure your students are dressed appropriately for school each day. Thank you for your help keeping all our students safe! 👟

Please be sure that children are supervised at all times whether at the Audelia Public Library or the playground next to it. There have been injuries that have happened from students playing without guardian supervision. Please remind your children that if they are walkers, they should be walking straight home from school. The librarians do not supervise students, so please do not allow your children to go to the library without an adult.

The school day is from 7:50-3:10.

• The building opens at 7:30.

• Breakfast is served in the classroom from 7:30-7:50.

• Your child is tardy at 7:51 and will receive a tardy pass to get to class.

• Your child is late for school after 8:05 and a parent will need to sign them in at the office.

• If your child arrives to school after 9:00 AM they are counted absent for the day.

• If you child is absent for any reason, please be sure to send a note to school on the day your child returns, letting us know the reason for the absence. Any excuse notes must be received within 3 days of returning to school in order to receive an excused absence.

If you have any questions regarding attendance, please email lorrie.ford@risd.org.

Parents are welcome to bring a small birthday treat to celebrate their child's birthday. Here are a few reminders:

• Treats must be store bought or baked (cupcakes and cookies are best). We ask for store bought so teachers can see the ingredients listed in order to be mindful of any allergies students may have.
• We do not pass out drinks, party bags or balloons.
• Parents may drop treats labeled with child's name, grade and homeroom teacher, off in the main office, and we will get them to the classroom.
• We will not call students out of class to come to the office for pictures with their treats.
• Teachers will pass treats out at the end of the day.

To have your child's name added to the marquee for their birthday for just $10, please use this link to the PTA website. www.northlakepta.com/birthday-marquee

The district policy is that grades are not printed and sent home; however, you may view your child's grades on the Parent Portal in Focus. If you have not signed up for a Parent Portal Account, please see the information below.

Please be sure to sign up for your Parent Focus Account. This will give you access to all kinds of important student information. Most importantly, you will have access to your child's grade.

web.risd.org/focus/

In the interest of safety & security, every visitor to a Richardson ISD campus must present a valid form of identification and be processed through the Raptor background check system each visit, regardless of previous checks. Please be sure that you have your valid identification with you every time you visit Northlake Elementary. Thank you for your patience and understanding as RISD works to ensure the safety of students and employees. Volunteer questions may be directed to the office of Strategy & Engagement.

Additionally, the front office staff will use the intercom system to ask visitors to identify themselves and the purpose of their visit before granting access to the office. This is part of our heightened security measures. Please be cooperative. As you enter the building, do not allow others to enter with you or to follow you through the doors as you enter or leave. Everyone who enters should ring the buzzer and speak to someone in the office before entering the school building. Thank you!

Parents are welcome to come visit during lunch to eat with their students. We ask that you sign up for a day and time using the sign-up genius. In order to keep students safe and to accommodate everyone, please read through these reminders for visiting Northlake for lunch:

• Sign up for your visit using the Sign Up Genius.
• No Siblings, due to limited space on the stage.
• You may eat lunch with your child only.
• Please do not take pictures of your child while at lunch.
• When you are finished with lunch, please check out through the office. Parents may not go back to class with their children to visit.

bit.ly/NLESpring24LunchSignUp

Parents must apply for their child/children to receive free or reduced breakfast and lunch. Last year everyone received free school breakfast but this year families must apply to receive free or reduced breakfast. The application must be completed as soon as possible to ensure that there is no interruption to their meal service. This application needs to be filled out every year. Please click on the picture or link below to get to the lunch application.

Students are welcome to pack a nutritious lunch from home or a lunch may be purchased in the school cafeteria. If your child happens to forget their lunch from home, please drop it off in the front office by 10:30 AM. This will ensure that the lunch will reach your child by their lunch time. Please refer to the RISD Child Nutrition website for menus, pricing and payment options.

We are so fortunate to have a wonderful PTA. They have been working so hard all year.

If you are interested in volunteering in the lunchroom or at recess, please use this link to sign up. Be sure you have completed the background check via risd.voly.org.

Please be sure to check out their website for different ways you can help out. You can also reach out to Amanda Hinders at President@NorthlakePTA.com for more information about PTA, or if you would like to hear more about Dads Club, please reach out to Brad McCutcheon at DadsClub@NorthlakePTA.com.

We need your help! We are working hard to grow our PTA membership. It costs $8 to join PTA and there is no time commitment needed. We always need volunteers at PTA school events such as Carnival, Multi-Cultural Night and Buddy Fun Day. But, we are flexible and you can work as much or as little as your schedule allows.

You can find more information out about our PTA on their website. Thanks in advance for supporting our school! https://www.northlakepta.com/

March - Texas History Month & National Disability Awareness Month

Mar 4-8th - Texas Public Schools Week & National Public School Breakfast Week

Mar 7th - College/Spirit Shirt Day

Mar 8th - End of 3rd Nine Weeks

Mar 10th - Daylight Savings Ends

Mar 11-15th - Spring Break

Mar 18th - Beginning of 4th Nine Weeks

Mar 21st - College/Spirit Shirt Day & 2nd Grade Field Trip

Mar 22-23rd - Hoops in the Highlands 3v3 Basketball Tournament

Mar 25-29th - Book Fair in Library

Mar 27th - I Know What to Do Day & PTA Meeting/Open House 5:30-7pm

Mar 28th - College/Spirit Shirt Day & 3rd Grade Field Trip

Mar 29th - No School (unless Snow Make up day)