Hello Northlake,

Well, it finally feels like Fall may be here to stay and I am loving this cooler weather! As most of you know, I was scheduled to have knee surgery tomorrow. However, there has been a change of plans. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling well last week and tested positive for RSV. My doctors felt that surgery at this time was not an option, due to the respiratory infection. My surgery has been rescheduled for January 8th. I'm feeling much better and am not contagious, so I'll be at school tomorrow and am happy to return to school and finish out the semester strong. I'm happy to say that Ms. Easter, the Principal substitute that will be covering my leave, will be here through the month of December to support NLE. I'm excited for her to get to know our staff, students and parents. If you see her around, please give her a warm Northlake welcome. She will stay at Northlake through my leave in January and February.

We have had a busy few weeks at Northlake with a few field trips, a librarian visit, Richardson Reads Day and Red Ribbon Week.

Wishing you all a great week ahead,

Ms. Kellagher

We are currently looking for individuals who are interested in being a part of the Northlake Site-Based Decision Making Committee. This committee will come together a few times during the year to make effective planning decisions for the campus, get community feedback, improve the communication between school and community, and collaborate on campus goals. We are looking for 2 parents, 2 community members and 2 business representatives who are interested in serving on the committee for the 2023-2024 school year. Meetings may be held in person or via web-ex and we will seek feedback from members regarding a time that is best for the majority of the members. If you are interested, please email me at mary.kellagher@risd.org. Once you have expressed interest, I will be sure we have a balanced representation for our SBDMC and will reach out with further information soon. Thanks for your consideration.

Calling all Northlake Families,

We are looking for YOU to showcase and share your culture through food and to be featured at our 2023 Northlake Multicultural Night on Thursday, November 30th.

All food donors will be provided with a table and a country placard to showcase your dish. PTA will provide the eating utensils and plates/trays.

Please prepare enough for 50-100 tastes of your dish. A taste would be a small 2-3 oz spoonful, about the amount of a 1/4 cup, or about a 1-2 bite portion (think the food samples they let us try at grocery stores).

Thank you! We are so excited to try all the delicious dishes from the many cultures of Northlake Elementary. Your participation is what makes this event such a great experience!

Over the past few weeks your kiddo's have been earning lots of Wildcat Bucks. When students are on task and doing a great job, teachers recognize them and give Wildcat Bucks. Ms. Sorensen and Ms. Gainey have open the Wildcat Store a few mornings each week for students to spend their Wildcat Bucks and purchase a treat.

When we return from Thanksgiving Break, students showing exemplary behavior will be able to earn a GOLDEN ticket! This is such a fun time of year for our kiddo's. They love shopping at the Golden Ticket store.

As some of you may know, the LHHS football team won their game Friday night and are advancing in the state playoffs. We have handful of Northlake Alumni on the team this year, including three great seniors, Miron Magee, Deonte Dean and Chima Njoku. These boys came to visit Northlake a few weeks ago and it was so good to see them on campus again. If you have a few minutes, please go online and vote for Deonte Dean for Texas Offensive Player of the Week.

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.

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.

November 16 - PTA Board Meeting

November 20 - 24 - Thanksgiving Break

November 30 - PTA Meeting and Multicultural Night

December 21 - Early Release Day

December 22 - January 8 - Winter Break