Parents & Guardians,

The first quarter is done, October is done, Halloween is done and the holiday season will be upon us very soon. I am not sure where the time goes but it goes faster and faster each year. We continue to have a fantastic year at 1R! Here is what is happening in our building and a few reminders.  

 No school for students this Friday, Nov. 7th. Professional development for teachers.

Report Cards went home this past week with your child. You should have also received an email with an attachment with the report card.  If you have any questions feel free to contact your teacher or the office. 

Please welcome Mrs. Tamara Johnson on Monday, Nov. 10th as we begin our second middle school trimester. Mrs. Johnson will be teaching Spanish.  Students will begin to learn the basics of Spanish as a foreign language class. 6th grade will have Health class in the second trimester. Thank you, Ms. Broadwell for a fun filled creative first trimester in Art.

1R will hold its Veterans Day program Monday, November 10 from 8:15–8:45 a.m. in the 1R gym. Please remember, due to limited space, this event is open to Veterans and their families invited by their 1R student. We look forward to celebrating and honoring those who have served. 

Winter Reminder – We will go outside as much as possible for recess. Please make sure children are dressing appropriately as the seasons change – 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. Please put initials or names on student items as we always accumulate lost and found piles. The cost of items adds up and this would help us get items back to the rightful owners. 

We will utilize Bright Arrow 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.

Each year the State of Nebraska gives schools and districts a rating based on six tenets. This system is called AQuESST. The six tenets schools are rated on are: 1) Educational Opportunities, 2) Transitions, 3) Positive Partnerships, Relationships & Success, 4) Educator Effectiveness, 5) Student Achievement and Growth, 6) Postsecondary Career and Civic Readiness. Many factors go into these ratings, attendance, state testing, and programming are a few.  We are pleased to share that 1R received the highest rating “Excellent” for both the elementary and middle school in 2025. This is our second year in a row. I am super proud of our students and staff for their continued work and efforts to make 1R a great place!  

Middle School winter sports season is off and running. Reminder – ALL girls home basketball practices and games are played at Cedar Hollow. Please monitor and check  schedules on the 1R calendar and follow coaches’ updates.  There may be  schedule changes as we start up the season. We wish our sports teams the best of luck this winter. 

PTO will be hosting 1R Bingo Night on Friday, Nov. 14th. Order forms for Pizza Hut Personal Pans went home already. Pizza will be served at 5:30 with Bingo starting at 6:00 with lots of prizes to win. Wreaths/Greenery should be arriving before Thanksgiving. Poinsettia will be here early December. Please be looking for more information to come on pick up days and times. Families had a fun night at Helgoth’ s Pumpkin Patch.  November 11th is PTO Dining night out at Freddy’s from 5-9pm, and December 2nd will be PTO Dining night out at Runza from 5-8pm. There is no meeting in December. 

On Tuesday, December 9th Mr. Meyer will hold our 5th through 8th grade district-wide band concert beginning at 6:30pm. Our Kindergarten through 8th grade Winter Concert will be held on Thursday December 18th at Northwest High School. The concert will start at 6:30 p.m. 

We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! NO School over Thanksgiving break on November 26, 27, & 28.

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