Greetings Pirate Families,

The beginning of every school year marks a fresh start and a new chapter in the lives of our students, and we are delighted to have your children as part of our school community. The completion of the first week of school was filled with excitement, learning, and reconnecting with each other.

Throughout the week, our dedicated teachers have been tirelessly working to create engaging and meaningful learning experiences for our students. From introducing new concepts to reinforcing foundational knowledge and setting personal goals, our aim is to foster a love for learning that will stay with them for a lifetime. We also have been promoting The Pirate Way! ,our school wide behavior expectations for being safe, responsible, respectful and kind. As we progress through the year, we remain committed to maintaining a safe and nurturing learning environment for all students.

I extend my warmest congratulations to our entire school community for a successful start to the 23-24 academic year. Together, we will make this year a memorable one filled with learning, exploration, and achievements.

With best regards,

Mrs. Milks

PROUD Principal, Norterra Canyon School

Text YES to 68453 to receive text updates and reminders from Norterra Canyon.

We now have an online absence reporting system! You can find the link on the upper right hand side of the Norterra Canyon website or by clicking HERE.

8/11: 1:30pm Dismissal Day

8/15 & 8/16: Softball Tryouts 6:30am - 7:50am (6-8th grade)

8/15 & 8/16: Baseball Tryouts 6:45am - 7:45am (6th-8th grade)

8/18: 1:30pm Dismissal Day

8/22: 8th Grade Washington DC Trip Parent Meeting 5:30pm (Library)

8/23: PTSA Meeting 6pm (Library)

8/25: FLAGPOLE FRIDAY

Families are invited to join us the last Friday of each month for morning announcements and celebrations beginning at 8:15am. This month we will celebrate students (k-5) who demonstrated The Pirate Way! expectation of responsibility and IB students (6th-8th grade)

who demonstrated effective communication skills. We hope to see you at the Flagpole on 8/25!

• We previously communicated that Back to School forms had been sent out and unfortunately there was a glitch in the system. If you did not previously get your child(s) forms, they were emailed again on Monday, August 7th. So be sure to check your email and complete the forms asap.

• VOLUNTEER TRAINING is now available for the 23-24 school year. ALL parents wishing to volunteer on campus or attend field trips MUST attend a volunteer training (ONLY if you've never attended before). Check out the DVUSD site for information on training dates and locations: https://www.dvusd.org/Page/30646 Again, if you've previously attended training then you do not need to do it again. We LOVE our NC volunteers! Below are Norterra Canyon's training dates.

Yes, it's super fast but for families that do not already have students identified as gifted and who would like their child(ren) tested for possible gifted identification during our first free, on-campus testing window of the year, the time is now!

-Parent Registration for fall gifted testing is now active on our DV Gifted website. Registration for testing closes on August 9th. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeYic-GP2nXbp0V62UcEoIPpXZs49wxYrV3k0AJ91dECA3Ctw/viewform

-For fall testing, we use the CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) for all students testing. We can administer this test in English, Spanish or Mandarin as needed.

-We recommend waiting to test kindergarten students until winter or spring. All NC 2nd Grade students will be tested in the spring unless a parent opts out.

-Gifted identification is key to placement in 1st-5th Grade Gifted Cluster classrooms, SPARK Gifted Enrichment, Walk Up to Math (acceleration), 6-8 Advanced ELA and/or SAGE 3/4 Math in DVUSD. To learn more about our gifted program options, please visit our NC Gifted Services website: https://www.dvusd.org/Page/56021 or contact Dawn Olson, NC Gifted Services Specialist, at dawn.olson@dvusd.org

On Aug 9th, Mr. Harder will host an interest meetings for students thinking about trying out for baseball/softball. This meeting is optional, but it is a great opportunity for students to ask questions regarding tryouts and hear about the season. There are two options to attend, 7:30am or 3:10pm (transportation is not provided if your child attends the pm meeting). Meetings will take place in Mr. Harder’s room 705.

Parents of student athletes who are interested in trying out for a sport this school year should start by creating an account on (Aktivate) www.registermyathlete.com. Step by step instructions can be found HERE. Once an account is created, all forms can be accessed through the website and completed forms should be uploaded through Register My Athlete. These documents need to be completed/updated each school year.

Fall season will start with baseball and softball. All paperwork must be completed and uploaded in Register My Athlete (RMA) prior to tryouts.

*ALL athletes must have an updated physical completed prior to tryouts.

Please visit DVUSD 7th/8th Grade Athletics Page and Norterra Canyon Athletics Webpage for additional information.

For questions, please email wesley.harder@dvusd.org

We encourage EVERY family to set up a meal account for their child(ren) using EZSchoolPay.com.

BONUS: Having this available for your student reduces stress if/when he/she forgets his/her lunchbox at home.

Breakfast costs $1.50

Lunch for elementary/middle school is $2.95

Students may qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Find out more by visiting EZMealApp.com