Hello Northlake,

I was so happy to see so many of your at our annual Fall Carnival last week. A big thank you to Laura Arizmendi for organizing such a wonderful event! And, thanks to everyone who helped by volunteering, donating cakes, making churros, etc. Fun was had by all!

Some of you may have noticed me limping around Northlake this fall. I have been struggling with arthritis in my left knee for several years and it's time for me to get my knee taken care of. I will be having a knee replacement on November 13th. LaShon Easter will be coming to Northlake to sub for me. Fun fact, Ms. Easter and I taught together many years ago at Stults Road Elementary. She is a veteran Principal and will take good care of Northlake while I'm out on leave. I'm scheduled to return to Northlake on February 5th, but I'm hoping I'll be back sooner. I'll keep you posted!

Ms. Kellagher

We will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week this week. Please take some time this week to talk to your kids about drug awareness and drug safety.

Monday - Be RED-dy to live Drug Free - Wear as much red as possible to kick off red ribbon week.

Tuesday - Team Up Against Drugs - Wear a team jersey or team shirt today.

Wednesday - Head to Toe - I'm Drug Free - Wear crazy hair or crazy socks today.

Thursday - I 'Mustache' You to Never Do Drugs - Wear a stick on mustache or draw one on.

Friday - Northlake Pledges to Be Drug Free - Wear your spirit shirt and we will sign a pledge to be drug free today!

We will be celebrating Richardson Reads Day on Friday, October 27th! Your child may dress up as their favorite story book character on Friday. No Halloween Costumes. Characters must be from a book and we encourage your child to bring their book with them.

Wednesday, October 25th is an Early Release Day! Please be sure and let your Day Care providers know about early pick up times.

12:55 - Pre K/ECSE/Day Cares/Buses

1:00 - Walkers

1:05 - Car Riders

Parents are welocme to bring a small birthday 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 importatnt student information. Most importantly, you will have access to your child's grade.

Showcase your talents at this year's Reflections contest!

Reflections is an Art Competition where students can submit original artwork in a variety of categories: Visual Art, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, Film Production, Dance, and Special Artist (Kids with 504 submit from any of the 6 categories). The work must be completed by the student alone and be inspired by this year's theme, "I am Hopeful Because..." The deadline to submit entries is Friday November 3rd. For any questions, to request category rules, or any other assistance you may contact Gaby Sotelo holguingaby@gmail.com or visit the website https://risdpta.membershiptoolkit.com/reflections

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.

Parents are welcome to come visit duing lunch and eat with their students. We ask that you sign up for a day at time using the sign-up genius below. 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.

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 our Student Data Specialist, Ms. Martinez at melinda.martinez@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 $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 . 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.

October 25 - Early Release Day

October 26 - Paw Prints Music - 6:00

November 5 - Daylight Savings Ends

November 6 - No School

November 7 - No School

November 20 - 24 - Thanksgiving Break