Northridge Elementary Weekly Blast

PTO In Action

King Soopers - Did you know!?

King Soopers donates back to the community through their Community Rewards Program. Through September 30th, there were 45 families enrolled in the program to direct their King Soopers Community Rewards to NRE PTO. Between January 1 and September 30, the rewards generated by those 45 families totaled over $2200!! That is FREE and EASY money for NRE! There is no cost to families to participate and it takes 1 minute to link your King Soopers account to NRE PTO! Let’s double the number of families enrolled by January 1 and really take advantage of this great community partnership! See the very easy steps in the flier below - new again with the most recent app upgrade!

Upcoming Events

Charleston Wrap: Holiday Gift & Wrapping Paper Fundraiser

New to NRE this year, a holiday gift & wrapping paper fundraiser! Check out this catalogue with several options to get you ready for the holiday season. If students choose to participate in this fundraiser, prizes will be awarded for reaching sales goals. 40% of sales come back to NRE PTO! Use Organization ID 29822 when you register! Haven’t ordered yet? Don’t worry! The deadline for the fundraiser is TODAY October 31st! There are some really great items available for purchase at very reasonable prices - consider doing some of your holiday shopping early and a portion of the proceeds will come back to NRE!

Enberg Photography Fall & Holiday Mini Sessions

Last year, Enberg Photography donated over $700 to NRE PTO! Book your fall or holiday mini session now, and know that 50% of your $100 photo mini session will come back to NRE! Book now here! They are very flexible with scheduling and very generous in their donation back to NRE - please consider booking family photos with this wonderful company!

Veterans Day Celebration Breakfast: Tuesday, November 11

Join us for a special Veteran's Day Breakfast on November 11! We invite all families to celebrate and honor our veterans with a morning of food, fun, and community. Bring your loved ones and show appreciation for those who have served. Time: 7:45 AM - 8:30 AM. Location: Gym. RSVP is required - please respond here by November 6.

Last week in Thursday folders, a “Veterans Day Brick” went home with every student. Whether you plan to attend the breakfast or not, everyone is encouraged to fill out the bricks to honor the Veterans connected with our NRE community. Please return the bricks by November 6 to be included in the “Wall of Honor”. You’ll also find the Brick flier attached here if you would like to print another one!

Calling all volunteers - we will need some help setting up for this event as well as cleaning up. Please see the volunteer opportunities here!

PTO General Assembly Meeting

All are invited to attend the next PTO General Assembly meeting on Friday, November 14th from 8:45-10:15am in the NRE Library. Share your ideas for NRE, find ways to get involved, and celebrate all that’s happening in our community. Bring some friends, free snacks!

Holiday Shop: Friday, December 5th

The PTO Holiday Shop is a fun event for kids during the school day where they get to shop for small gifts for their family/friends. Common items for sale in the past have been keychains, jewelry, candles, soaps, etc. Most items available for purchase should cost between $2-$10. Interested in being a vendor? Email PTOmemberALNRE@gmail.com for more information.

PTO Community Appreciation Event: Breakfast with Buddies

Save the date!! All NRE students are invited to bring parents, guardians, grandparents, or any special guests to Breakfast with Buddies on Tuesday, Dec 16, from 7:45–8:30 AM in the NRE Gym.This free event is our way of saying thank you for the amazing support you have given the NRE PTO this year! RSVP will be required to help plan and a link will be sent out soon!

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!

11/13/25: Fujiyama

11/14/25: Desert Donuts

11/14/25: Kona Ice 3:00-4:00 at NRE

11/20/25: Red Robin

Volunteer Opportunities

Spring Event Committees - PTO is forming committees for our spring events. If you would like to help plan the Family Bingo Night, the Family Dance, or the Auction please reach out so we can get you plugged in! PTOpresidentNRE@gmail.com

Setup & Clean up for Veterans Day Breakfast - Signup here. Volunteer needs will be on 11/10 after school from 3:30-4:30 and 11/11 from 8:30-9:00. Even if you can only stay for part of the time your help will be greatly appreciated!

Setup & Clean up for Holiday Shop - Signup here.. Volunteer needs will be on 12/4 after school from 3:30-4:30 and 12/5 from 4:30-5:30. Even if you can only stay for part of the time your help will be greatly appreciated!

Setup & Clean up for Breakfast with Buddies - Signup here. Volunteer needs will be on 12/15 after school from 3:30-4:30 and 12/16 from 8:30-9:00. Even if you can only stay for part of the time your help will be greatly appreciated!

Ongoing Fundraisers

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

Dear Northridge Families,

What a marvelous—and chilly—end to the month! This past week was filled with memorable experiences, from our 6th graders exploring the great outdoors to our school coming together in vibrant celebration.

Our 6th graders had an incredible time at Outdoor Education this week! They embraced the opportunity to push themselves just a bit out of their comfort zones, especially when navigating the zip line challenges. The trip was packed with team-building activities and problem-solving exercises that fostered resilience, cooperation, and leadership. We’re so proud of how they represented NRE and the blast they had learning and connecting in nature.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Halloween Costume Parade today! Despite the chilly start, the sidewalk was lined with smiling faces. We saw so many creative and fun costumes this year—your effort and creativity were truly amazing! The classroom parties that followed were equally impressive. I was so pleased to see the variety of engaging, planned activities in the classrooms. A huge thank you to all the parents and teachers who planned and volunteered to make the parties safe, inclusive, and fun for our students.

On a personal note, you may have noticed that I have been in and out of the school over the last two weeks or so. The decline in my father-in-law's health began the week before Fall Break, prompting me to leave that Thursday to travel to Texas to be with family. Sadly, he passed away during Fall Break, and this week we returned to Texas for his funeral and celebration of life.

I want to thank everyone at NRE for the support, grace, and patience as I navigated this loss. My leadership team and front office team truly stepped up so that I could be with my family and not worry about school operations. Thank you so much—your commitment made an incredibly difficult time manageable.

As the sun sets, I hope everyone enjoys a fun night of Trick or Treating! Please stay warm and be safe this evening!

Smiles,

Erin Lehnert

Principal, Northridge Elementary

Mental Health Resources

Below is a list of resources, should you have a concern that a loved one (or yourself) may be experiencing behavioral changes, mood swings, depression, or suicidal thoughts over the break.

Call 911 if there is an immediate threat to the child or others

• 988 - Suicide and Crisis Hotline

• Call or text “988” any time, 24/7 for free, confidential support.

• Colorado Crisis Services: 1-844-493-TALK (8255)

• Trained Crisis Counselor Hotline: (844) 493-8255 or text “TALK” to 38255

• Chat online (open from 4pm-12am daily): Click Here

• Walk-in Locations (open 24/7): Location List

• Information About Types of Services and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Colorado Crisis Services

• DCSD Mental Health Intervention website

• Mobile apps for wellness and recovery

• Let’s Talk Colorado

• iMatter (free virtual counseling sessions)

Douglas County has an anonymous reporting system available at all times. Anyone with a concern for someone’s well-being or safety can use Safe 2 Tell (1-877-542-7233) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.