Northlake Notes

Hello Northlake,

I hope you were all able to get outside and enjoy this beautiful day! I spent most of the day at home with the rain yesterday, but today I was able to get out and take Rudy for a good walk. We had a busy week last week with STAAR Reading and STAAR Science going on. Our kids worked so hard and I know they are ready for STAAR Math this week on Thursday! PK - 2nd grade did a great job being extra quiet around campus during testing. This is a busy time of year for sure, but also fun. We have lots of field trips to look forward to, Buddy Fun Day, graduations, etc.

A few of you may have noticed that we have a new system for visitors checking into the building and for checking students in and out of school. The district installed this new system last week and everything is done on an iPad. All visitors must have a valid ID to check into the building and to check students in and out of school.

As we begin to plan for next school year, we need your help! If you haven't done so already, please be sure you complete enrollment for your children for next year. We are almost full in a couple grade levels and I want to be sure every student will have a spot here at Northlake. Please scroll down to the all the information you need concerning enrollment. If you need assistance, let us know!

Wishing you all a great week ahead!

Ms. Kellagher

Congratulations to Sara Turner, 2nd Grade, Northlake Elementary on receiving the Richardson ISD STARS Teacher award!

Check her out at the 4:45 mark in the RISD STARS Teacher video, or if you want to see the entire parade from start to finish - see the whole thing here.

Great job, Mrs. Turner, we are ALL so very proud of you!

Speaking of stars... Northlake alumna, Riley Solomon, is STARRING in Annie Jr at the Lake Highlands High School Theater in a joint production brought to you by Lake Highlands Junior High Theater and Forest Meadow Junior High Theater.

Go see her as Annie at 7pm on Friday or Saturday, April 25-26th. Tickets are only $10 for adults, $5 for students, and kids 4 and under are FREE!

Two STAAR tests down and only one to go!

April 25 - STAAR Test Math 3-6

Please do not make appointments for students in grades 3-6 on STAAR testing days.

🎬 Students and staff had a good time at the STAAR Pep Rally on Monday watching Coach Bridges and Mr. Gulick act out the appropriate and inappropriate ways to get ready the night before, the morning of, and during the STAAR Test. Bravo to both of our actors - Coach Bridges & Mr. Gulick!! 👏

Students also "shook off" their worries to Taylor Swift's Shake it Off by dancing and shaking off the post it notes of worries they had attached to themselves. During testing days, our students worked hard and put in good effort.

For the last upcoming test, a good night's sleep the night before and a healthy breakfast are the best way to support our students. 😴 🍳 Please also pack a healthy lunch for students on testing days. 🥪 🍎

Thank you to PTA for all your support providing treats. 🥰

Due to STAAR/EOY testing, field trips, Buddy Fun Day, Career Day, and a host of other ongoing activities, as we get closer to the end of the school year, there are dates that are blacked out on the lunch calendar due to shifting school schedules and demands on staff.

The spring semester lunch dates are listed below. The bolded are upcoming/available dates.

Be sure to scroll to the end of the newsletter for lunch visitor expectations.

Spring Semester Lunch Dates:
Jan 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31
Feb 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29
Mar 1, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28
April 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 29, 30
May 1, 2, 13, 14, 15, 16

Use this link to sign up.

bit.ly/NLESpring24LunchSignUp

The district has implemented a new intercom and a new system for checking in and out as a visitor and for checking students in/out of school. Please be patient as we learn this new process together.

• Be sure to bring a valid ID each time you come to school.
• Students that arrive after 8:05 MUST have an adult sign them in. Northlake staff members may NOT do this for you, so please be sure that walkers are getting to school on time.

The city of Dallas Office of Equity and Inclusion invited Ms. Toni Jackson, 6th Grade Northlake, to speak at an Autism Acceptance Month event dedicated to embracing diversity, encouraging understanding, and supporting inclusivity for all. The goal of the event was to have speakers from The City of Dallas, The Commission on Disabilities, and partner agencies raise acceptance of autism, emphasize Dallas’ commitment to advancing accessibility for people with disabilities, as well as share local resources.

Ms. Jackson spoke to the importance of inclusive classrooms. Her niece, Flower, is a recent RISD graduate and entrepreneur with neurodiverse differences and big career goals. Ms. Jackson's speech was given at city hall and our SpED Team watched it live online. Bravo to Ms. Jackson for always advocating for inclusion and diversity. Great job!! 👏👏👏

When the bigs start STAAR testing, the littles get out of dodge. PreK took a field trip to the Audelia Library, and Kinder went to Lake Highlands Recreation Center. While the weather was not the most cooperative, they all made the best of it and had a great day! 🌈☔

Kindergarten is having fun counting down to summer by spending their last days in Kinder celebrating the alphabet. Each day, Kinder has a fun themed day to count down from A-Z until summer vacation is here. If you want to join in the fun, click the link for the ABC Countdown Calendar.

They also took some time to learn about the magic e. Magic “e'” words are words that have the letter e at the end of them to show that a short vowel sound should be changed into a long vowel sound. The fancy name for a Magic E word is a split digraph. This occurs when vowels that are split between consonants go together to make a sound.

Since STAAR tests tend to take all the fun out of the building, our littles not only went on field trips, but took trips out to our field... our garden actually. Shout out to Rachel Bennion for coming and facilitating garden lessons for our younger grade levels. Students were able to harvest and try some of the produce that was grown. And THAT'S how you get a kid to eat their vegetables... grow them! 😉

Childers Hewett Slagle PLLC, the BAR Group, ServPro, Brooke Neff BNFit, and Pat Neff & Associates are our fantastic event sponsors this year! We are so excited that we have sponsors this year for our shirts for the students. Be on the look out for the new Buddy Fun Day shirts.

We are in need of volunteers to help with Buddy Fun Day this year! There are lots of stations in the 9:00-11:00am (Pre-K, 1st, 3rd, & 5th) and 12:30-2:30pm (Kindergarten, 2nd, 4th, and 6th) time slots. Please sign up for one event during each time slot that you want to attend.

If you haven't completed a volunteer background check for this year, you must fill out a background check in order to volunteer at https://risd.voly.org/. This can take up to a week for approval, so please complete the background check no later than April 26th.

Pre - K, 1st, 3rd, and 5th Volunteer Sign-up

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F094DA4AB22A3FC1-49087941-2024

Kinder, 2nd, 4th, and 6th Volunteer Sign-up

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F094DA4AB22A3FC1-49092156-2024

Please arrive 10-15 minutes early to check-in at the NLE Office.

We look forward to seeing you on May 3rd!

Any questions, please let Courtney Shade (smallnine@yahoo.com) or Coach Bridges know.

Enrollment for the 2024-25 school year opens online Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 8:00 a.m.

Whether you’re new to RISD or returning for another year of school, parents can take advantage of convenient online enrollment using a PowerSchool registration account. Enrollment for returning students will require a “snapcode” that will be emailed to current parents on February 26.

Starting Feb. 27, enrollment for next school year will open for all current or future students in Pre-K through grade 12. Please click here for more information about the enrollment process and what documents are necessary to complete enrollment.

Contact your current (2023-24) RISD school for questions or assistance with enrollment, including help submitting necessary documents.

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 this link 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.

With the advent of spring, comes a little spring fever. Dads Club & PTA are asking volunteers to join in to provide support in the lunchroom and at recess.

If you are interested in volunteering in the lunchroom or at recess, please use this link to sign up. Be sure you have completed the background check via risd.voly.org.

Thanks, Dads (and Moms) ! We appreciate you. ❤️👨👩

If you would like to hear more about Dads Club, please reach out to Brad McCutcheon at DadsClub@NorthlakePTA.com.

We have a new opportunity to volunteer in the garden. In the weeks leading up to our drip-line install, we are needing some watering help.

This opportunity will be for one week at a time, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You would be watering the seedlings for a total of around 20 minutes. It can be done at your convenience, but you won't need to check in if you go after 3pm.

To sign up, click the link: Garden Volunteer Link

If you have any questions, please reach out to our Garden Chair, Rachel Bennion at rachelebennion@gmail.com

Reminder that no crocs or "croc-like" shoes are allowed at school. Many croc-related incidents end up in the Nurse's clinic. Please do not make us have to be the "crocs police", as this rule is part of our district Elementary Dress Code. Please be sure your students are dressed appropriately for school each day. Thank you for your help keeping all our students safe! 👟

Please be sure that children are supervised at all times whether at the Audelia Public Library or the playground next to it. There have been injuries that have happened from students playing without guardian supervision. Please remind your children that if they are walkers, they should be walking straight home from school. The librarians do not supervise students, so please do not allow your children to go to the library without an adult.

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 you 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 lorrie.ford@risd.org.

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 labeled with child's name, grade and homeroom teacher, 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.

To have your child's name added to the marquee for their birthday for just $10, please use this link to the PTA website. www.northlakepta.com/birthday-marquee

The district policy is that grades are not printed and sent home; however, you may view your child's grades on the Parent Portal in Focus. If you have not signed up for a Parent Portal Account, please see the information below.

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 grade.

web.risd.org/focus/

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. As you enter the building, 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. Thank you!

Parents are welcome to come visit during lunch to eat with their students. We ask that you sign up for a day and time using the sign-up genius. In order to keep students safe and to accommodate everyone, please read through these reminders for visiting Northlake for lunch:

• Sign up for your visit using the Sign Up Genius.
• No Siblings, due to limited space on the stage.
• You may eat lunch with your child only.
• Please do not take pictures of your child while at lunch.
• When you are finished with lunch, please check out through the office. Parents may not go back to class with their children to visit.

bit.ly/NLESpring24LunchSignUp

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.

We are so fortunate to have a wonderful PTA. They have been working so hard all year.

If you are interested in volunteering in the lunchroom or at recess, please use this link to sign up. Be sure you have completed the background check via risd.voly.org.

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, or if you would like to hear more about Dads Club, please reach out to Brad McCutcheon at DadsClub@NorthlakePTA.com.

We need your help! We are working hard to grow our PTA membership. It costs $8 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! https://www.northlakepta.com/

April 15 - STAAR Pep Rally

April 16 - STAAR Test Reading 3-6 & PreK/Kinder Field Trips
April 17 - Haiku Day
April 18 - STAAR Test Science 5
April 23 - 1st Grade Field Trip & School Bus Driver Appreciation Day
April 24 - Administrative Professionals Appreciation Day/Front Office
April 25 - STAAR Test Math 3-6 & 2nd Grade Field Trip
April 29 - AVID Site Team Meeting & Paw Prints Picnic
April 30 - Kindergarten Field Trip

May: Mental Health Awareness Month & Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage American Month

May 2 - 5th Grade Field Trip

May 3 - Buddy Fun Day

May 6-10 Teacher Appreciation Week

May 7 - 1st Grade Field Trip

May 8 - National Nurse Day

May 10 - Career Day

May 13 - Book Fair starts & AVID Site Team Meeting

May 15 - Senior Breakfast & Walk

May 16 - 7 Up Parties & 5th Grade Field Trip

May 17 - 4th Nine Weeks Assembly

May 20 - 40 Book Pieface Celebration & PBIS Team Meeting

May 21 - 6th Grade Field Trip

May 22 - 5th & 6th Graduation Rehearsal

May 23 - 5th Grade Graduation & 6th Grade Field Trip

May 24 - 6th Grade Graduation & Early Release Day/Last Day of School