Hello Northlake,

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend and took advantage of the sunshine. We had a little Fake Fall for week or so and now the heat has returned. I took advantage and had one more fun pool day with friends. I also got to watch some great college football and went on a couple good walks with Rudy! It was so good to see so many of you at our PTA Meeting and Meet the Teacher on Thursday evening. The teachers and students have been working hard and I know your kids were happy to show you around their classrooms. Parents, be on the lookout for a spirit shirt order form that will come home with your child on Thursday. You will fill out the bottom portion of the form with your child's name and t-shirt size and return that form with $2 cash. Teachers will collect that money and give it to PTA and they will be sending home shirts next week. Elementary night at LHHS is on October 10th. Your child will get into the game for free with their Northlake spirit shirt. So be sure to order one! We will only be selling one shirt per student at this discounted price. Once again, we are so lucky to have a generous community member who donated funds to offset the cost of our student spirit shirts this year. Don't forget Wednesday is our first early release day. Please let your day care provider, babysitters, etc. know that we will dismiss 2 hours early on Wednesday, 9/18.

Ms. Kellagher

Wednesday, September 18th will be our first Early Release Day. These days allow teachers some extended planning time and Professional Development opportunities throughout the year. Please make plans for early dismissal on Wednesday.

1:00 - Pre-K/ECSE/SDC/ Bus and Daycares

1:05 - Walkers

1:10 - K-5 Carpool

We have our first Paw Prints night tomorrow! If you have a 4 year old that will be coming to Northlake for Kindergarten next year then this is the group for you! Paw Prints meet at Northlake about 5-6 times during the year. This is a great way for our future Wildcats to get used to the campus, meet some of our teachers and make new friends. Tomorrow is P.E. Night. Coach Bridges and Coach Manhkong will be here and ready to have some fun!

When: Monday, 9/16 at 6:00 PM

Where: Northlake Elementary - GYM (come to the main office entrance)

Who: Any 4 year old that will be coming to NLE for Kindergarten (and a parent)

Why: To meet new friends and have some fun!

You guys have been doing a great job in the carpool line. We really appreciate your patience as we work to get all the kiddo's in and out of school safely and in a timely manner. Here are a few reminders:

• Please stay in your car at all times. Do not park in the carpool line.
• We will help get younger children in and out of their cars.
• Pre K/ECSE/SDC pick up begins at 3:00. If you have older students and are in the pick-up line too early, we will send you around to get in the carpool line at 3:10. Kindergarten - 5th grade car riders are dismissed at 3:10.
• There is no left hand turn on Ravensway at the end of the carpool line.
• There is no left hand turn on Church from Ravensway.

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.

September 16 - Paw Prints go to PE - 6:00 PM

September 18 - Early Release Day - Dismissal at 1:00

September 20 - The NED Show

September 27 - Doughnuts with Grown-ups - 7:15 AM on the playground