The 2023-24 School Year Is Underway!
Welcome Broncos, and Bronco Families!
We are so excited to have begun our 2023-24 school year, and it has been great to have our Broncos back in the building!
We have been working hard to prepare for this school year, and I have some exciting news to share as we open up. Here are just a few things we have been working on:
- I am extremely pleased to share that we will begin the school year with no teaching vacancies! We have hired for every position, and have some truly outstanding new teachers joining our staff- keep scrolling below to meet everyone!
- With the help of our district, the City of Walnut Creek, and our Parent Faculty Club, we have been able to hire Licensed Clinical Social Worker, (LCSW) Merritt Rollins full time, who will be supporting our students as a social work specialist.
- We have begun transformation of one of our spaces to become our Northgate Wellness Center! We will be working in the next few months on securing furniture, dividers, and materials to design a space that is both welcoming and functional for student wellness. Procedures for the Wellness Center and how it will support students will come out as we get closer to the ribbon cutting, but we are so excited to begin this work!
- There are several new murals on campus, including the face of the school, which was done in May. We also have a new scoreboard out at softball, and had roofing upgraded and refreshed all summer. Our lighting project was completed this summer as well, with new LED lighting and dimmer switches, and we have a brand new projector screen that is ceiling mounted and electric which was installed in the gym for parent nights and events.
- Every classroom is being outfitted with a Promethean Board, the latest in touch screen and annotation technology. Teachers also have full access to Go Guardian, to ensure student engagement when working on electronics, and will continue to use ParentSquare, Google Classroom and Aeries to communicate progress with families.
- We have a new school management system called Minga, that our students and staff will be using for many purposes. It will be a hall pass generator/monitoring system, A digital check in for games, dances, and events, A school culture tool to build participation and engagement, and a flex Thursday manager, where students will select where they would like to go for Thursdays during SS. We briefly trained students last week on the system, and all students should download the app to their phones from the app store.
- Next school year marks Northgate's 50th Anniversary, and we have some big plans. One that begins next month is our anniversary fundraising push - The Bronco Walk- a walkway of personalized bricks from the stadium gates around the track. Community members, alumni, and current families will be able to purchase bricks for this project, with the goal of 1.4 million dollars to be raised for stadium bathrooms and a video scoreboard. Stay tuned for your opportunity to participate!
- MDUSD has teamed up with Sandy Hook Promise for a more robust anonymous reporting system for increased school safety and student support. This, along with BARK, our Safe School Ambassadors, CARE Team, Wellness Center, School counselors, our WCPD liaison, security cameras, and our hallway pass management system have increased our student and staff safety throughout the campus.
- This year, we have a brand new sport coming to Northgate- Girls Flag Football! With Coach Lauren Lahey at the helm, we are thrilled to offer this opportunity to our female athletes, and look forward to supporting the Broncos on the field this Fall.
We are so excited about the new year, and have much more information ahead.
In the first week of school we have noticed that some reminders might be needed in order to assist everyone in a smooth and outstanding school year. Please keep reading for some important guidance for general school expectations.
- STUDENT DROP OFF: NO PARENT VEHICLES are allowed in the main parking lot to drop off students. For our 9th grade families, today you experienced how this creates a safety hazard and backed up traffic in many ways. ONLY STUDENT VEHICLES are allowed in the main lot. Parents dropping students off need to pull past the school, up to the drop off area, which is designed for ingress and egress safely. When using the drop off, please be patient, pull all the way forward before letting your student out, and leave the area as soon as your student leaves the car.
- BACK LOT BY THE POOL: This is for TEACHER PARKING only, this is not a drop off area. A period families (especially weight training and Spanish Honors) please use the drop off area. Your young, athletic teenagers can walk the rest of the way!
- STUDENT PARKING: Student drivers may park in the parking lot, or along the street where neighborhood restrictions are not in place (this is primarily Castle Rock and Hutchinson). For the school year, students parking in the lot must have a permit, and these are sold in the first month of school at this link. Parking passes are limited. Seniors have priority for the first two weeks, then Juniors, then it is open to all drivers. Cars will not be ticketed in the lot until September, and we will warn all families when passes are required.
- BIKE RACKS AND SKATEBOARDS: Bike racks are located on the blacktop just past the parking lot. We recommend all students lock up bikes and helmets to prevent loss. Skateboard lockers are located in the main office near the vice principals. Padlocks are needed for this area.
- PE UNIFORMS: Students are now changing for PE, after receiving their uniforms from PE staff and their lockers. Our PE staff will be assisting their classes with lockers as well as uniform distribution. Uniforms should be purchased on our webstore at this link. ALL 9th grade students must wear the standard issue uniform. 10th grade and up must wear school colors.
- WALK THROUGH- If your student did not complete walk through, please come early and have them come to the main office to get their schedule and lockers. Address verification for 9th grade families must be complete in order to begin classes.
- BRONCO FRIDAYS- Every Friday is Bronco Friday, when students and staff where their Northgate Gear! Our Class of 2027 just received their first Bronco t-shirt, and we hope that they will start the year strong! This past Friday, all classes were encouraged to wear Bronco gear, and points awarded- and the Class of 2025 won! The Juniors will be getting Otter Pops on Wednesday!
- THINGS TO PURCHASE: - visit the webstore here
- Yearbooks- Order it today- they are rarely available at the end of the year
- ASB Stickers- Students enter all games free with these, and they receive discounts to dances and activities.
- Department Donations- Departments and teachers rely on parent donations to purchase classroom supplies for students, rather than giving out large supply lists. This includes consumable lab supplies, art supplies, supplemental curriculum tools, and more. Suggested donations are listed on the webstore- we recommend donating to the departments that you student is a part of each year. These donations can be made throughout the year, in case families find the initial donation ask difficult this time of year. Your support is needed and so appreciated!
- PFC Ed Fund- Our PFC funds our Wellness Center, Site Technician, and so much more, and they need YOU!
- PE Uniforms- All PE students should purchase uniforms.
- DRESS CODE- Students may not wear clothing that advertise for drugs, alcohol, vape and tobacco, or weapons. They may not wear clothing that is sexually suggestive or explicit, or that is offensive.
- DOOR DASH- Students are not allowed to order food delivery to the school at any time, for safety reasons. Any door dash (or Uber eats) delivered will be held in the office until the end of the day.
Back to School Night is this week! Parents are invited to back to school night Thursday, August 24th at 6pm, beginning in the forum.
9th grade parents are invited to attend in the library at 5pm for an informational and training session, in regards to being a new high school parent. We hope to see you there!
Read on for more great information, and Welcome Back Broncos!
Website live, but under construction!
This summer, our webhost School loop, discontinued their business, and as a district, we have converted to a new system. While our school website is currently up and running, please know that it is under construction, and slow progress is being made on re-creating a wonderful school website for our community. Stay tuned! In the meantime, catch us on northgatehighschool.org or northgatebroncos.org for Athletics.
Jen Collier- Yearbook, Film, Frosh Leadership, and Gov/Econ
Jen joins us from her most recent teaching post at Ygnacio Valley High School. She has 27 years in education, and is so excited to join the Northgate community.
How would you describe your high school self?
I LOVED high school!! I was super into school spirit, active in leadership, and loved spending time with my friends. The thing that makes me shake my head… my big hair and bangs! 🤣
Why are you excited to be a Bronco?
I’m so excited to be a part of this amazing community because I truly believe that NHS is a community in the truest of senses. There is a strong sense of belonging and commitment to excellence that is evident in all that Northgate is part of.
Where did you grow up?
Concord, CA
Who is a historical figure you would like to meet?
President Theodore Roosevelt.
We are happy to have you Ms. Collier, and welcome to Northgate!
Northgate's Free Little Anti-Racist Library
On August 1st, Rise Up Against Racism, with the work of teacher Meg Honey, installed our very own Free Little Anti-Racist Library in room 22!
We are so proud of this beautiful piece, and grateful for the work of Ms. Honey and her colleagues in inclusivity, anti-racism, and culturally responsive spaces.
Check out our gallery of photos HERE!
Martinez Sea Scouts Open House
Program for Teens- Sea Scouts! Our youth members have a 65' motor yacht they maintain and cruise, they row, kayak, and more. We meet twice weekly and costs just $20 per month for membership. We're hosting an open house for all ages (families welcome) to kick-off the school year on the 26th of August from 12-3 and I think it might be a really good wellness opportunity for some kids who are looking for something outdoorsy, but don't necessarily fit into standard school sports. We also explore STEM activities centering on marine environment, engineering, building, piloting, etc.
Details are in the attached flyer and to sign up for the open house parents can visit here: http://MartinezSeaScouts.splashthat.com. At the open house we'll have opportunities for teens to go boating and explore some of our competition field events, and games and crafts for younger kids.
Northgate High School
Email: cooperk@mdusd.org
Website: northgatehighschool.org
Location: 425 Castle Rock Rd, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
Phone: 925 938-0900
Instagram: @northgatehs