Hello Northlake,

I hope you all enjoyed an extra hour of sleep today and enjoy a long weekend at home with your kiddo's. I know it's controversial, but I love to 'fall back' and gain an hour in my day each fall. We have a lot going on over the next few weeks at Northlake! We have picture day on Thursday and Movie Night on Friday. We are planning for Multicultural Night in a couple weeks. I was talking to one of our Dads at the carnival and we agreed that carnival is such a wonderful NLE tradition. And, he shared that our 'Multicultural Food Festival' is a close second! I would agree! Please plan on attending and bring a dish from your family culture to share! I have linked the sign up below, so we'll know how many tables to set up.

Two reminders:

• No students Monday and Tuesday! We'll see you back to school on Wednesday!
• The computer lab porch will be closed for the next two weeks. 1st and 2nd graders will enter and exit the building through the main office porch.

:) Ms. Kellagher

Please join us for our annual NLE Family Movie Night this Friday! There is no cost to come watch the movie, but PTA will be selling snacks and drinks. Please dress for the weather as we'll be outside and bring blankets/chairs to sit on. Parents must be in attendance with children and parents are in charge of monitoring their children during the movie. We'll meet behind the building this year, up on the field. You can enter the field from the teacher parking lot area.

Students will have school pictures taken on Thursday, November 7th. There are no paper order forms coming home for picture packages. All ordering can be done online, do not send any money to school. Parents should have received an email from Legacy Photos with ordering information.

We are looking for some 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. The first training for helpers will be held this Friday, November 8th at 8:15 in the cafeteria. We will video this training and it will be available for any new folks that come on board.

Our annual Multicultural Night will be held on Thursday, November 21st from 5:00-7:00. We will start in the cafeteria with some performances and then families will have an opportunity to walk through the main hallway and learn about some different cultures and traditions by playing games and sampling some delicious food! We need your help! We are asking families to bring a dish to share. This can be from your culture or simply a meal that is special to your family. PTA will provide the tasting cups and spoons, you just need to bring and serve the dish you decide to share.

PTA will be hosting a Friends-Giving Sign and Go. You can find more information on the Northlake PTA website. Please sign up online if you are interested in attending!

3rd Grade had an amazing day at the voting booths this week. They voted on Hot Cheetos vs. Original Cheetos and Oreos vs. Chocolate Chip Cookies. Each student made a voter ID card and Ms. Pullen and Ms. Baker scanned each student at the voting booth so they could cast their votes.

Kindergarten took a field trip to the pumpkin patch on Thursday! A big thank you to St. James for hosting our Pre-K and Kindergarten students this year. The kids had so much fun at the pumpkin patch and each student got to bring a pumpkin home!

Pre-K students had fun reading with their 3rd grade Buddies this week! It was a treat to see these sweet 3rd graders reading to our littles!

Ms. Sorensen did a great job organizing a successful Red Ribbon Week! The kids and teachers had fun with all the theme days. The LHHS Peer Helpers came to visit and performed a puppet show called Safety Kids. Kindergarten - 2nd grade enjoyed the show and were able to share some healthy choices and activities they enjoy outside of school.

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 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 and the Carnival Committee is planning for our annual NLE Fall Carnival later this month. Please be sure to check out their website for different ways you can help out. You can also reach out to Amanda Hinders at Preseident@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.

November 4 - No School

November 5 - No School

November 8 - NLE Movie Night - 6:00 at Northlake

November 14 - PTA Board Meeting - 6:00

November 21 - PTA Meeting and Multi-Cultural Night 5:00

November 25 - 29 - No School