Northridge Elementary Weekly Blast
October 25, 2024
October 25, 2024
October Dates:
28 - 30 - 6th Grade Outdoor Ed (overnight)
November Dates:
6 - SAC Meeting 8:45am - 10:15am
8 - Veterans’ Day Celebration, Popcorn Friday
13 - DBC Meeting 4:00pm - 5:00pm
20 - PTO General Assembly (all are welcome)
25 - 29 Thanksgiving Break
Sources of Strength - The Need to Come Together
This year, we introduced Sources of Strength to our students—a program designed to help everyone build resilience, seek out strengths when facing challenges, and develop effective coping strategies. Sadly, I must share that over Fall Break, we lost a former NRE student, now a junior at MVHS. This loss is felt deeply, and it is a difficult reminder of the importance of mental health.
To feel safe, learn, and grow, we must prioritize well-being. Resources are available at the bottom of this Weekly Blast, and I encourage everyone not to hesitate to reach out for support if needed. Let’s support one another through difficult times to help bring light to our darkest days.
Please take a moment this weekend to hold close your friends and family as we remember and honor this student. Take time to forgive yourself for past mistakes, call someone and say you're sorry for you never know when it's going to be too late. Once a Pronghorn, always a Pronghorn.
All Immunizations are due by 10/30
If you have any questions, please reach out to Summer Danser, School Nurse Consultant.
Nutritional Services
We are excited to inform you that starting October 28, the school cafeteria will begin selling snacks to our 3rd to 6th Grade students ONLY! If your child would like to purchase any snacks, please ensure their MySchoolBucks account is funded appropriately.
In addition, there is a job opportunity available to work in the school cafeteria. This position is for 4 hours per day, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. If you are interested or know someone who might be, please visit the DCSD website to apply.
5th Graders will be performing at Veterans Day Celebration
We are excited to announce that our 5th graders will be performing at the Veterans Day Breakfast on November, 8 at 8:00 AM. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to honor and show appreciation for our veterans and active military personnel.
We encourage all families to attend this special event and support our young performers as they participate in this meaningful occasion.
PTO Pulse
PTO In Action
PTO In Action
Multicultural Night Raffle Winners
If you purchased a raffle ticket at Multicultural Night, please see the flier below with the winning ticket numbers. Email PTOpresidentNRE@gmail.com if you have a winning ticket!
Upcoming Events
Election Day: November 5, 2024
PTO is asking for a great voting turnout from the NRE community on November 5. Please vote! If you are not familiar yet, please review the details of 5A on the DCSD website: https://funding.dcsdk12.org/2024-bond
There are also volunteer opportunities to help spread the word on this very important ballot issue. If you’d like to help, check out the opportunities here.
Veterans Day Celebration Breakfast: Friday, November 8
Join us for a special Veteran's Day Breakfast on November 8! 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
Please RSVP by November 6 to ensure we have enough seating and food.
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. If you would like to host a booth to sell items at the Holiday Shop, please reach out to PTOsecretaryNRE@gmail.com. Booth space will be limited so please inquire soon!
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! RSVP will be required - for now just save the date!
Ongoing Impact: Year - Round Fundraisers
Pride Rock
Paint the Rock to recognize birthdays or other special occasions for $20.
Submit $20 through MySchoolBucks or by check. Happy painting!
Restaurant Nights
Pizza Hut - 11/5/2024 - Donating 20% to NRE PTO
9385 S. Colorado Blvd., #106
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
PTO will be coordinating a winter coat/boot collection event, and then in turn those coats/boots will be available for NRE families. We are looking for a few volunteers to help make this event happen. If you are interested in helping with this, please email PTOsecretaryNRE@gmail.com.
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.
If you’d like to help get the word out about the important ballot issue 5A, check out the volunteer opportunities here.
Principal Letter
Dear NRE Families,
What a wonderful first week back from Fall Break! We hope you enjoyed the break and are making the most of this extended summer-like weather. It’s been a fun and full week of learning here at school.
In Music, students have been “transitioning into their music brains” with the song I’m Alive, Alert, Awake, and Enthusiastic! Although, one student gave us a chuckle by singing, “I’m alive, alert, awake through the acid!” So if anything sounds a bit unusual coming from your child, it may just be a little miscommunication. :)
In Art, students dove into creativity with liquid watercolors, Suminagashi watercolors, shaving cream, and more, crafting beautiful and unique pieces. It was inspiring to see students exploring new materials and bringing their ideas to life. I enjoyed the oohs and aahs that happened each time a new masterpiece was created.
We also want to give a big thank you to our amazing PTO for providing dinner to staff tonight as we gear up for our Fall Festival. Staff are here for about 12 hours today, and we’re so grateful for the support and the generous discount from Mici's Handcrafted Italian! We can’t wait to see you and your families at the festival tonight!
Important Reminder: We celebrated Halloween today, and we will not be wearing costumes on 10/31.
Thank you, as always, for your partnership and support.
Enjoy the weekend!~Katie
Fall Break Shenanigans
Take a look at the shenanigans that took place while we were away on Fall Break! While the boss is away, the wildlife will play.
Halloween Parade
It was a beautiful morning to have the students parade in their costumes.
Art Fun
Students were using watercolors in water and shaving cream to create designs. It was a beautiful transformation that took place and the students were so proud of their work.
Think Tank - Items Needed
Our students in Think Tank spend time problem solving and creating some amazing projects. To help our students create innovative projects, we are requesting donations of the following materials:
- Paper towels rolls
- Toilet paper rolls
- Wrapping paper rolls
- Large cereal boxes
These items are used to build pulleys to lift pumpkins and to create robotic hands from various pieces of cardboard.
If you are able to send any of these items in with your child, it would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for your support in helping our students explore their creativity and engineering skills.
Plastic Drive
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!
One Book One District
Please join us at the One Book One District Kick Off Event this weekend! It will be an amazing event!
Winners for the ART and POETRY contests will be announced at the event!
* p.s. The school with the most attendance will win $1000 for our Library!
District News and Updates
Bond Information
Funding Needs in our School District
Did you know that the Douglas County School District has 92 schools and a $300 million backlog of capital investments that are needed in these buildings – this includes our school! Please take a couple of minutes to watch this brief video where our Superintendent explains in more detail. Learn more at https://funding.dcsdk12.org/bond-overview
Video Link: https://youtu.be/os2m5hlXYIE?feature=shared
Have You Turned in Your Ballot?
Election Day is fast approaching. Please be sure to turn in your ballot by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5. You can track the status of your ballot and find the locations of ballot boxes and other polling centers at www.DouglasVotes.com. Remind your friends, family and neighbors to turn in their ballots as well!
For FAQ, please visit https://funding.dcsdk12.org/bond-overview
Apple Awards
Nominate your 2024 Apple Award Nominee Today!! Link is LIVE!!
As of today you will find the 2024-2025 Apple Award Nomination link LIVE on your school's page on the FoundationDCS.org website. The 2024-2025 Apple Award Nomination window will be open from Monday October 1, 2024 through Sunday November 11, 2024. We invite our DCSD students, teachers, staff and community to join us in nominating their favorite teacher(s), principal, classified employee and department employee. After the Nomination window closes on November 11th we will return the list of nominees to each school for your own selection of this year's school representatives. Each school may submit one educator and one classified representative to be considered for the 2023 Apple Award!
Bus Cancellation Schedule
Bus #53
- Nov 4-8
- 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
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.
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
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.