Hello Northlake,

I hope this message finds you well and enjoying a great start to Thanksgiving Break. We've had a busy few weeks at school and I know I'm looking forward to some rest and time with family this week. I'd love to take a minute to express how thankful I am for this amazing community. We just celebrated Multicultural Night this past week and it's truly one of my favorite Northlake events. It was so wonderful to see so many families that have been a part of Northlake for the past several years with me and also great to meet some new families. It's always a treat when former NLE students come back to visit. Some kiddo's that came to visit are in middle school or high school and one special guy who has graduated and has nieces and nephews at Northlake still comes back to check in during school wide events. Northlake truly is a special place and it's because of the people...all of you, your wonderful kiddo's and our amazing teachers.

Just a reminder, there is no school next week! I wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving and I'll see you all back to school on Monday, December 2nd.

Ms. Kellagher

We did a fun activity at our last staff meeting. Everyone taped a piece of paper on their back and we all walked around the library and wrote something that we are grateful for about each person. We got to as many folks as we could in about 10 minutes and it's always amazing what some kind words can do for your soul. Ms. Williams took this activity back to her class and her second graders had lots of nice things to say about one another.

A big thank you to Lara Carey, the Inclusion Team, and PTA for planning an amazing Multicultural Night! The performances were wonderful and the food was delicious.

We had a great time on Friday for Richardson Reads Day. Several classes had Mystery Readers visit and share a favorite story. Students and teachers were able to dress up as their favorite book characters and we had a school wide reading time at the end of the day. This was a great way to wrap up a successful book fair week.

We had a couple Thanksgiving Parades right here at Northlake on Friday! Mrs. Burr had her annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade where students learn about skyscrapers in New York City then work together to build their own city street with legos. Then, each student creates their own balloon for the parade and each balloon is powered by an Ozobot! Third grade also learned about the Macy's parade and students created their own balloons and paraded around the building. Fun was had by all!

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.

I am working with PTA to prepare for our annual December to Remember calendar for the NLE staff. I always build a calendar with some fun activity or theme for each day of December. Some days are more for teachers and some days are for kids too! PTA will be providing a breakfast for our staff one morning in December. They will also be giving each staff member a gift card. We are asking each family to donate a gift card or two to help ensure each staff member receives at least one gift card.

Here's how you can help:

• All gift cards should be for $10.
• Favorite places include White Rock Coffee, Starbucks, Jersey Mikes, Chick-fil-A, McDonalds, Target, Walmart, and Amazon.
• All gift cards should be brought to the front office and placed in the PTA gift card box.
• Do not write any teacher or student names on the gift cards.
• We will be collecting gift cards between now and December 6th.

The annual UIL A+ Competition is on the horizon. Ms. Fisher is our Northlake Facilitator and Rivka Altman has offered to help organize and coach. The UIL competition is an academic competition that takes place on March 1, 2025 at JJ Pearce and is an all day event . Each school that participates is limited to 3 students per category. Two years ago NLE participated in multiple categories and last year we only sent one team of 3 students to the Number Sense Competition. We are open to competing in up to 3 categories this year, Number Sense, plus two other categories, but if we have enough kids and parents volunteer coaches we can enter into more.

So what’s next? Please see link below if you would want to volunteer to coach or sign up your child. The link tells you what grades are eligible and what the completion entails. Please email Ms. Fisher (sarah.fisher@risd.org) if you are interested in coaching a team and if your child is interested in joining a team. We already have a Math Sense Team with 1 open spot left. The commitment will likely be 4 days after school for an hour in the weeks between Jan 27 - Feb 24 (once a week practice). There is material for all the coaches , so it won’t be anything you need to create. It is really just for getting the kids comfortable with the rules and practicing the events.

We can have teams up to 5 for practicing so we have alternate participants in the event of a kiddo getting sick, having a schedule conflict, etc. We know this competition occurs during the sports season, so please check your schedules before you commit to a team.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1s-21Wpl40jlwHBtFgt7JfIz23fGeMWj7E9EKCK0ivmk/edit

https://www.uiltexas.org/aplus

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 coming soon! This is one of my favorite Northlake traditions. As we begin preparing to set up the The Golden Ticket Store, we need your help! If you have any new or gently used items that you think would be a great item for the store, please be sure to bring them to the front office. Many of you have been so generous in the past and have donated new items as well. The best selling items include any games, dolls or toys. Soccer balls and basketballs are a favorite too. I always use this as an opportunity to regift some items that I may not have used over the past year or don't need. I also take advantage of some Black Friday deals and get a few new toys or games. We appreciate any donation to our Golden Ticket Store. The more gifts we have, the more golden tickets we can give to our kids. 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 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 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.

November 25 - 29 - No School

December 2 - Return to school from Thanksgiving Break