Parents & Guardians,

The first quarter has quickly flown by. We will wrap this quarter up on Wednesday, October 13th. Reminder there is NO school for students on October 14th & 15th. K-8 teachers will spend part of their day on Thursday working on professional development. They will be reviewing MAP data and setting goals for the winter and spring semesters. Teachers dig into the data and develop plans to improve instruction over the next several months to help students grow. Middle school teachers will also spend time reviewing the SABERS data based on the 6th-8th grade surveys completed last week. SABERS is a new social emotional screener the district is using to help support our mental health needs in the district. 

Teachers will also spend time completing first quarter report cards. Report Cards will be uploaded on Oct. 27th in the Power School Parent Portal. Reminder, for information or access to the portal go to the Northwest website under “Parents” tab and click on Power School. Here is also a link to guide you. Page 10 provides specific steps for viewing standard based grades: PowerSchool Parent Portal Guide

We had a great turn out for parent teacher conferences. We had nearly 85% turnout. Please remember teachers are always available to answer questions or clarify concerns. They may be reached via emails or phone calls. Power School is a great tool to follow grades and receive alerts. Thank you to everyone who completed the High Reliability Level 2 parent survey during conferences. These surveys are part of our continuous school improvement process. We value your opinions and thoughts as we continue to grow and provide high quality education for all. We are currently reviewing these responses to enhance and improve our schools.  

Mrs. McGowan would like to thank everyone for their support at the Scholastic Book Fair. Her goal was $3,300 worth of sales. She exceeded her goal and sold just over $3,500. She will use her portion of the funds to replace and purchase books for the library. She also had a great turnout in conjunction with the PTO Breakfast Buddies. 

PTO had a great turn out for Breakfast Buddies. It was so great to have everyone back in the building for this event after a year off. A big thank you to DQ for their support of the 1R dining night out event. They are such great supporters of our school. October has been busy with the fun night at Helgoth’s Pumpkin Patch. If you get a chance check out some of the fun photos on our 1R Facebook page. The Wreath and Poinsettia fundraiser sales are due this Wednesday, October 13. Also, a big thank you to the PTO and families for the wonderful food at Parent Teacher Conferences for the staff. It is greatly appreciated!

You may be noticing an addition to our playground over the next few weeks. Jayden Quandt, a former 1R student, will be completing his Eagle Scout Project and he is building a Gaga Ball Pit for our students to enjoy at recess time. We are super excited to start enjoying this new feature on the playground. We are very proud of Jayden and the young man he is becoming. Congratulations on achieving the rank of Eagle Scout!    

K-8 Capital Campaign Penny Wars kicked off last week across the district. The Penny Wars will be during this month concluding on October 29th. All proceeds will go directly to the  Viking Field (Athletic Complex) Renovation and Addition This complex will benefit Northwest students for years. The students were excited to see the video of the facility at the Penny War Kick Off. During the first week of the Penny Wars the K-8 students across the district raised $2,300 toward the project. We are super proud of their efforts and their support of this project they will get to use one day. 

Mrs. Callihan Parent Tech Tips: Students are online more than ever before, so teaching them how to use technology thoughtfully and responsibly is an essential part of their  social and emotional development and academic success. The graphic below contains some great tips and conversation starters to support healthy media balance.

Middle school fall sports are winding down. Congratulations to all athletes and coaches on a great fall season. The Boys Honor Choir will be kicking off on Monday, October 18. Winter Sports (GBB & Wrestling) will begin practices on October 25. 8th grade GBB will practice at 1R. 7th grade girls will be transported to Cedar Hollow for their practices. All home games will be at Cedar Hollow. Wrestlers will be bussed to Northwest for practices. More information will come from coaches as we get closer to the season. 

Weather will be changing soon. Please make sure children are dressing appropriately with coats, hats, mittens and gloves. If there is snow on the playground they must have snow pants and boots to play in it. Otherwise, they have to stay on the concrete. They need to bring a separate pair of boots for outside recess unless they are rubber or water resistant shoes.

We will utilize Power School as our mass communication delivery system this year for weather closings. Please check that your information is updated and current in Power School so you may receive important school and district information. Announcements will also be made on KOLN/KGIN 10/11 (Lincoln), KSNB Local 4, KHGI Channel 13 and KRGI Radio along with Northwest Social Media accounts. 

Our first middle school trimester will end on November 4th. Students spent the first trimester with Mrs. Felske working on STEM projects and technology.  Mr. Spiehs will join us for the 2nd trimester for Careers. Students will have the opportunity to explore careers, jobs, and opportunities for their futures.

On behalf of the staff and myself, we thank you for your continued support. If you have questions regarding your children’s education, please do not hesitate to contact the office at 385-6352.

Sincerely,

Mr. Retzlaff, Principal