Northridge Elementary Weekly Blast

November Dates:

11 - Rescheduled Veterans Day Celebration (see new RSVP Link)

13 - DBC Meeting 4:00pm - 5:00pm

15 - Reschedule Popcorn Friday

20 - PTO General Assembly (all are welcome)

25 - 29 Thanksgiving Break

December Dates:

4 - PTO Executive Board Meeting
6 - Holiday Shop
11 - SAC Meeting
13 - Breakfast with Buddies
19 - DAC Meeting (Wilcox Board Room)

Please check in at the front office with Campus Security, Kirk Kelsey, and remember to wear your visitor sticker throughout your visit. Thank you for helping keep our school safe!

If you are a parent/guardian requesting a paper version of the CMAS assessment - please email Vicki Askey vmaskey@dcsdk12.org by December 2, 2024.

To excuse your student from CMAS testing please complete this form:

State Assessment Excusal Form Walkthrough Parent/Guardian

Additional details and forms are posted on the NRE website.

https://nre.dcsdk12.org/state_mandated_testing

PTO In Action

Pride Rock Painting Service

For an extra fee, PTO will find a volunteer to paint Pride Rock for you on the day(s) you have it reserved! If this service would be helpful to you or your family, please book Pride Rock and then send an email to PTOpresidentNRE@gmail.com to inquire about volunteer availability for the rock painting service.

Upcoming Events

Winter Coat/Boot Drive

Northridge is hosting a coat drive and swap! Donate old winter items and pick up something new to you in the front lobby through December 6th! All left over items will be donated to a nonprofit in need! Let’s keep our community warm this winter!

PTO General Assembly Meeting: November 20th 8:45am – 10:15 am

ALL are invited to attend the next PTO General Assembly Meeting in the NRE Library. Learn about PTO and how we support our school community. Bring a friend! Free snacks!

Holiday Shop: Friday, December 6

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. All interested vendors will need to fill out the Vendor Application. Applications will be accepted through Monday, November 18 or until space is sold out, whichever is sooner. If approved as a vendor, you will be notified by email.

Breakfast with Buddies - Friday, December 13th 7:45-8:30am

As an expression of gratitude for everything the NRE community does to support PTO, we’re excited to invite all families and staff to our special Breakfast with Buddies event on Friday, December 13th! Let’s celebrate our amazing community with a delicious breakfast and quality time together. Bring your appetite and your smiles, and let’s make this morning a memorable one! We can’t wait to see you there! Please click here to RSVP by Friday, December 6.

Ongoing Impact: Year - Round Fundraisers

Pride Rock

Paint the Rock to recognize birthdays or other special occasions for $20.

• To make a reservation, you must FIRST signup here

• Submit $20 through MySchoolBucks or by check. Happy painting!

Restaurant Nights - Add to your calendar!

• Fujiyama Sushi & Hibachi - 11/14/2024 - Donating 15% to NRE PTO

• The Basketball Social House - 11/22/2024 - Donating 10% to NRE PTO

• The 3v3 courts will be open for NRE families from 3:00-10:00pm. Come out for a fun family Friday evening!

Stay Connected

Sign Up for Text Message Reminders

• Opt in to receive text message reminders about NRE events and happenings. Scan the QR in the flier below to sign up!

Volunteer Opportunities

• Paint the Rock - Some families have expressed interest in paying an additional fee to have some help to paint the rock on days they reserve it. PTO is seeking volunteers to provide this rock painting service on various days throughout the year. Funds collected through this extra fee will help support NRE PTO. If you are interested in helping with this, please reach out to PTOtreasurerNRE@gmail.com.

Thank you to everyone who joined our SAC meeting, both in person and virtually, on our delayed start Wednesday morning. We appreciate your commitment to NRE and your ideas for future meetings.

If you missed the meeting or would like to review the links shared, please see the information below. Topics include the CAGT Conference, Unified Improvement Plan (required for CDE), Growth and Decline in Highlands, and Weather in DCSD.

11/6/24 Agenda, Google Slides, Zoom Recording

We also got to see our new Multicultural Night video produced by Simon Emge. See below!

Dear NRE Families,

Who would have thought we’d get two snow days in a row! For those who drove on Wednesday morning with the 90-minute delay, the roads were a challenge. I’m grateful for our dedicated staff who made it in to teach, supervise recess and lunch, and even help with all the snow shoveling! A special thank you to Mr. Jeff, Mr. Kirk, and Mrs. Lehnert for their extra efforts in clearing the sidewalks for students and staff with me.

The annual Apple Awards nominations are here, and the last day to nominate an NRE staff member is this Sunday. Our staff truly appreciates the kind words, and those nominated move forward in the process, with the chance for one certified and one classified member to attend the Apple Awards ceremony in the spring. Each nominee receives your words with a certificate, which means so much to us. Please consider nominating a staff member or two this weekend. Click HERE to nominate!

Thank you to our PTO, who has been working hard to reschedule our Veterans Day celebration. We’re sorry if the weather shift affected your plans, but safety is our top priority, and we anticipated the second snow day. PTO has been making plans to hold the event on Monday, and we hope to see you there. If you plan to attend, please RSVP so we can prepare food accordingly!

Enjoy the second snow day, have fun building snow sculptures, and stay warm! Looking forward to seeing everyone on Monday!

~Katie

🌴😎--------> ⛄🎿

Good thing I have an English Mastiff otherwise we might have lost her in the snow 😂

Nominate your 2024 Apple Award Nominee Today!! Link is LIVE!!

Nominate your 2024 Apple Award Nominee Today!! Time is running out!

The 2024-2025 Apple Award Nomination window will be open until Sunday November 10, 2024. Please join us in nominating your favorite teacher(s), principal, classified employee and department employee. Click HERE to nominate!

Thank you to our Watch Dog Dads for spending time with kids and have extra presence on campus.

Thank you all for celebrating our One Book One District book this year! Whale Fall, by Melissa Stewart. Hope you and your kids had a great week! We learned a lot about whale falls and brought in a lot of toiletries for families in need right here in Highlands Ranch. Thank you to everyone who participated and donated!

Thank you also to our NRE Student Council who organized and promoted our Spirit Week!

If you are interested in reading our One Book One District book, but English might not be your first language, we have some translations that might help! Our own Ms. Lien translated the Chinese version!

Whale Fall, by Melissa Stewart

Translated Readings

• Spanish

• Russian

• Chinese

• English with subtitles

Northridge is keeping plastic film out of landfills with Ridwell this fall! To participate in this limited-time recycling drive, bring plastic film (ziptop bags, grocery bags, bubble wrap, and lots more) to school on Monday, November 11, 2024 and Ridwell will make sure it stays out of landfills. It’ll be turned into new decking materials instead! Start collecting plastic film at home now so you have a bunch for the drive.

Curious about at-home recycling pickup from Ridwell? They collect hundreds of common household items you can’t recycle curbside, like plastic food packaging, lightbulbs, clothes, Styrofoam, and more. If you sign up for a household membership by December 15, you’ll also help earn pickup of the school’s plastic film all spring (when 10 new members sign up) and a field trip to the Ridwell warehouse (when 20 new members sign up).

Visit https://get.ridwell.com/prognhorns for more information—and make sure you sign up through that page so your membership counts toward rewards for the school!

November 7, 2024

Dear DCSD Community,

We hope you are staying warm on this snowy Thursday!

I am beyond thrilled to let you know that ballot initiative 5A (a $490 million bond) passed - with 60 percent of the vote! We are incredibly thankful to the voters of Douglas County for understanding our need to care for our buildings and provide our students and staff with comfortable learning environments.

Please take a couple of minutes to watch this brief thank you video from myself and DCSD Board President Christy Williams.

Funding from the bond will help us:

• Update and equip aging schools and facilities.

• Create additional Career and Technical Education pathways, including for our students with special education needs.

• Construct two new elementary schools in rapidly growing neighborhoods (one in RidgeGate and one in Sterling Ranch).

• Build an expansion at Sierra Middle School.

• Begin Phase 2 of the Legacy Campus

• Provide safety and security updates at all schools.

Click here to view the full bond plan. Click here to see how your school will benefit.

It’s truly incredible to see our community investing in our school district via last year’s Mill Levy Override and this year’s Bond initiative. This partnership, trust and support is incredible!

I am so grateful to our Board of Education for their leadership and their unwavering support for our district! They really paved the way for an amazing effort to fund our schools through their unanimous support. We are also very grateful to the Invest in DCSD campaign, made up of a diverse group of people coming together to advocate for one goal - creating the brightest futures possible for the children in our community!

Thank you to the school and district leaders, teachers and staff for the countless hours spent volunteering to spread the word about 5A. We have especially loved seeing the many videos from our principals. And a special shout out to my amazing cabinet team, who have been out knocking on doors for three years in a row (our community is really getting to know us!).

Our staff and our community have people from all types of backgrounds who have differing viewpoints and opinions, which makes Douglas County such an incredible place to work and live. I am so inspired by our community’s ability to come together for our students. It is such a privilege to lead this amazing school district - today and every day.

Thank you for all that you do for the students of DCSD!! YOU are the reason we continue to be the best school district in Colorado and one of the best in the country!

Erin Kane

Superintendent

Douglas County School District

Bus #53

• Dec 16-20
• Feb 3-7
• Mar 10-14
• Apr 21-25

Bus #58

• Dec 2-6
  
• Jan 21-24
• Feb 24-28
• Apr 7-11
• May 12-16

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.

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.