Nathan Twining News

December 1, 2023

Dear Nathan Twining Families,

I am thrilled to welcome both our new students and families as well as our returning Thunderbirds to another exciting school year! For those who may not know me, I am Chad Kurtyka, your principal here at Nathan Twining. I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you and working together to ensure a year filled with learning, growth, and development.

A little about me: I’m definitely a family man and really cherish the time we spend together. My wife, Jeni, and I have three wonderful kids—Eli (18), Pippi (12), and Luna (9). We love spending time outside, whether it’s riding bikes, golfing, hiking, or cheering on car races at River Cities Speedway.

As we kick off this school year, I encourage you to take a moment to review the newsletter. It contains important information about our new start and end times, pick-up and drop-off locations, Twining Gear, and much more. Our staff is committed to supporting every child socially, emotionally, and academically, and I’m confident that together, we can make this a fantastic year.

Let’s have a great year, SOAR Thunderbirds!

Sincerely,

Chad Kurtyka
Principal

Nathan Twining

Twining Mission Statement: The mission of Twining Elementary/Middle School is to provide a safe and caring environment that allows students to achieve academic excellence and become responsible citizens.

Welcome to Nathan F. Twining School, home of the Thunderbirds! Nathan Twining School is both an Elementary and Middle School consisting of grades K-8.

We are located on the Grand Forks AFB which is fourteen miles west of Grand Forks. As a staff, we are proud to serve the children of the parents who defend our daily freedom. In the eyes of each child, everyday, we are reminded of the scarifies that our families make to ensure the free country in which we live. On behalf of our staff, a heartfelt welcome to our school!

School Hours

Breakfast : 7:40am- 8:15 am

1st Bell: 8:15 am

Tardy Bell: 8:20 am

Dismissal: 3:03 pm

Monday, August 19th-Football and Volley @ 3pm
Monday, August 26th- Open house from 3:30pm-5:30pm
Tuesday, August 27th- First day of school starting @ 8:20 am and dismissed at 3:03 pm
Monday, September 2nd- No School
Monday, September 16th- Picture Day
Tuesday, September 17th- Flu shots starting @ 12:45 pm
Wednesday, September 18th- Early out at 1pm

Attendance Line:
Add this number into your phone contacts!
701-746-2313
Please utilize our attendance line to leave us messages about your children being out of school.

Website: Please refer to our website for school information. https://twining.gfschools.org/

School Supply List: https://app.teacherlists.com/schools/48672-nathan-twining-elementary-middle-school

Early Dismissal Wednesdays:
Once again we will have 1:00 dismissal on select Wednesdays. Please refer to the district calendar for these Wednesdays.

Seesaw:
Calls do not ring into the classroom during school hours to minimize interruptions. Messages for students can be left on the teacher’s voicemail. However, Seesaw will be the best form of communication with classroom teachers. Seesaw sign up communication will be provided by your student's teacher.

Device Protection Plan: The Device Protection Plan is optional device insurance and available to families that wish to protect themselves from damage expenses for their student’s district-issued iPad or Chromebook. The Device Protection Plan covers 100% of all accidental damage, fire, flood, natural disasters, power surge, and vandalism to your child’s district-issued iPad or Chromebook with a $0 deductible. The Device Protection Plan will provide coverage on school grounds, at home, on the bus, and anywhere your child may travel.

Device Protection Plan costs $20 per student/device ($10 per device for students qualifying for free/reducedmeal status). Device Protection Plan can be paid for through MySchoolBucks (when logged in to MySchoolBucks, select “School Store” – and then “Browse All Items”) or in your school office. The deadline to sign up and pay for Device Protection Plan is October 18. For the full disclosure please see your email or call the school office.

MySchoolBucks makes it easy to stay connected to students and parents for any of your school payments.
Create yourself an account at myschoolbucks.com to pay for a variety of school related items such as after school program fees, chromebook cases, and much more!

Parent Support:

parentsupport@myschoolbucks.com

855.832.5226