Hello Northlake,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I was busy yesterday and got all my errands done before the rain moved in! Today was perfect day to hunker down and stay inside. I made some soup and some cookies. Another little fun fact about me is that I love to bake. My sweet mom was a wonderful baker. Not such a great cook, but she had the magic touch for baking almost anything. Her bread, cinnamon rolls, pies and cookies were second to none. Growing up, she made all of our bread. We didn't have much extra, so making homemade was more economical. Once in a while I would ask for a loaf of store bought bread from the grocery so I could have a sandwich at lunch that looked like my friends and she would always say no, we have bread at home already. Of course later, I grew to appreciate this labor of love and her baking each week for our family. I come from a big family and during the holidays, we baked a lot. One of my favorite treats were always cut out cookies. We would make hundreds each Christmas. Rolling and cutting out the dough, baking and decorating. I still make them each year and they are always delicious. We're having a Holiday Potluck tomorrow for the staff, so cut out cookies are coming for ya Northlake staff!

We have a busy couple weeks coming up before winter break. Here are a few highlights...

Friday, December 13th

Pajama and Mystery Reader Day

Students may wear school appropriate PJs to school today. Non-classroom teachers will be dropping by to share a favoirte story with classes throughout the day. If you are interested in being a Mystery Reader this year, please let your child's teacher know.

Thursday, December 19th

2nd Nine Weeks Assemblies (1:15 K-2 and 2:00 3-6)

We like to celebrate our students each nine weeks at the end of the quarter. Due to time restrictions, some recognitions allow students to stand briefly at their spots to be recognized. These students do not come to the stage. These awards include A Honor Roll, A/B Honor Roll, Perfect Attendance, Self Managers and AVID Ambassadors. For other awards, we invite students to come up to the stage to receive a certificate. Some of these include Super Wildcat Winners (Character Traits), Special Wildcat (Specials Award), and Specific Academic Awards (Most Growth). In the past we have invited parents to attend if their child receives an award that they come to the stage and receive. This allows us to manage the number of people that are in the cafeteria at one time. I have heard from a few parents that would like to attend the assembly if their child is recognized in any way. Moving forward, If your child is receiving any type of recognition, teachers will let you know and you are welcome to attend. Please know that not all students are recognized, some are asked to stand in their spot to be recognized and some are invited to the stage to be celebrated. With additional parents attending, there will be limited seating available and some parents may need to stand. I will include more information about logistics next week, but wanted to give you a heads up with the day and times.

Friday, December 20th

Winter Parties and Early Release Day

Teachers are working with Homeroom parents to plan their Winter Parties. These will be held at different times throughout the day due to a condensed specials schedule and early release. If you are volunteering, please remember you need to be approved in Voly and no siblings may attend while you are helping in the classroom.

See you all tomorrow!

Ms. Kellagher

We’re thrilled to highlight our incredible AVID Student Ambassadors this year! These students are not only committed to their own academic success but are also passionate about supporting their peers to reach their fullest potential. As AVID Ambassadors, they act as student leaders within the AVID program, helping to foster a culture of college and career readiness, growth, and perseverance. Whether greeting guests, promoting AVID strategies, or assisting in school-wide initiatives, these ambassadors are dedicated and committed! We’re proud of their leadership and excited to see the impact they’ll make as we enter the new year!

Mr. Aleman hosted a fun trivia game show on Friday morning. Mr. Aleman created a twenty question Kahoot and each class was able to participate on a live Webex. The top three classes were awarded some delicious doughnuts! It was such a fun morning!

I was lucky enough to visit 4th grade during a lab where students were learning about conductors and insulators. They were having so much fun. Students collaborated, worked together as a team and were so engaged. These kids are so smart. Ask your 4th grader about this, they'll be able to tell you all about it!

Limited Edition came to perform on Friday! This is always a highlight and it was such a treat to see two Northlake Alumni in the group. I'm so proud of Lyla Wagener and Lily Schwartzkopf...they are rocking it in Middle School and did an amazing job Friday.

Ms. Gillespie and her kiddo's are learning and growing each day.

Thanks to everyone who attended our General PTA Meeting on November 21st! During our meeting, Amanda Hinders shared some great information, including links to volunteer for upcoming events and activities. There is also a link to the Amazon wish list for our Golden Ticket Store. Please click on the link below to access the agenda from our meeting. You will find all the information you need here! Feel free to contact Amanda Hinders for further information at President@NorthlakePTA.com.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qj6He1f7VzVJvsdBqHth-JzEmypYZhAtw8lLeagLMmE/edit?usp=sharing_eil&ts=673f4cf1

We are looking for parent volunteers to help monitor students during lunch in the cafeteria. If you have some time or flexibility in your schedule please consider giving an hour or so each week. I am attaching a sign-up link below. Once we have our group of volunteers together, Mrs. Walker will host a training, so we can go over campus expectations with you. Consistency is key and we want to be sure you have the tools you need to help things run smoothly in the cafeteria.

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 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.

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 grades. We will not send a home paper copy of your child's report card. So, please be sure to sign up for an account soon!

The Golden Ticket store is opening this week! A huge thank you to all who have donated items for the store and to those of you helped get the store set up and organized. It looks great and I know our kids will have the best time shopping this week. If you have any questions about how to help, please reach out to Anita Sorenson at anita.sorensen@risd.org.

The district has updated the Elementary Dress Code. Please be sure your students are dressed appropriately for school each day. Please let me know if you have any questions.

We will are ready for lunch visitors! Please be sure to read through the following rules in order to keep the cafeteria running smooth and safe.

• No siblings, due to limited space on the stage.
• You may eat with your child only.
• Please do not take any pictures while visiting for lunch.
• When you are finished with lunch, please check out through the main office. Parents may not go back to class with their children to visit.

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 your 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 our Student Data Specialist, Mrs. Logan at pam.logan@risd.org.

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 the link below 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.

We are so fortunate to have a wonderful PTA. They have been working so hard already this year! PTA has helped with school supplies, spirit wear, Back to School Night, Reflections, etc. Our Garden Committee is planning Phase II of our NLE Garden. 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.

We need your help! We are working hard to grow our PTA membership. It costs $10 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!

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.

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 and patient as we all get used to these new measures. As you enter the building, please 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.

December 9th - Paw Prints Library Night - 6:00 PM

December 13th - Pajama Day

December 20th - Classroom Holiday Parties and Early Release Day

December 23rd - January 6th - Winter Break

January 7th - Return to from Winter Break