News and events

April, 3 2023

At Northdale, we regularly work with students to remind them of the importance of using social media and technology responsibly. Now, more than ever, students have access to an enormous amount of information and constant access to communication tools. Being responsible with the use of these tools allows them to have access to things they find important and at the same time being safe. We encourage you to talk with your students about their use of their phones and other technology in order to continue to help them use it responsibly. We work to remind them that things they post or say on-line live forever and can have consequences if not used responsibly. Please continue to have these important discussions at home and let us know how we can best support those conversations.

This month, on April 25th and 26th, we will administer the reading and math MCAs to the entire school and 8th grade students will take the Science MCA on April 28th/ More information will follow, but it is important that students get enough rest and eat a good breakfast those days in order to perform at their best. The MCA provides a look at how well students are measuring up against state standards and is a focus of a lot of the work we do each day. We will also host our last parent conference on Thursday, April 27th. More information will follow soon on that as well.

Jeff Leach

April Calendar

7 - No School

25 - Reading MCA

26 - Math MCA

27 - Spring Conferences 3:30 - 7:40

The Student Council will be hosting a Toy Drive during the month of April again this year called Andrew's Bravery Box. This will be a contest between homerooms again.

Hospital Stays are hard but.....

Andrews Bravery box helps by providing physical incentives and rewards to children of all ages during their visits to the hospital. Children are more cooperative and willing to allow the staff to perform their normal day to day tasks like flushing his IV, administering medications, and remaining calm through imaging procedures. Every child endures a hospital stay differently. We hope to help families and staff by providing incentives and rewards for any child regardless of the fears they are being asked to walk through. We currently have 17 Bravery Boxes throughout the Twin Cities located in several different hospitals and clinics. Currently our boxes can be found within the Children’s Minnesota Hospital and Clinic System and the University of MN Masonic Children’s Hospital Discovery Clinic.

We welcome donations of new toys that are in their original packaging. Many children will be visiting the Bravery Box multiple times during their hospital visit. Smaller items are best because they fit into our bravery boxes and having several small rewards is more useful than providing single use larger items. We will also accept larger toys to be used for birthdays and holidays The best toys for the bravery box are those that the children in your life would enjoy.

National Volunteer Appreciation Week is April 16-22, 2023. This week provides an opportunity for us to celebrate, recognize, and thank volunteers here at NMS for their valuable contributions. Volunteers are a vital part of Northdale and we thank you for your dedication and the support you provide to our school, students, staff and community.

Volunteers make a difference here at NMS. Many of the programs and events that we offer at NMS would not be possible without volunteer support. Whether you gave the gift of time, or a donation to support an event here at NMS - we are grateful! Volunteers have given over 1000 hours of time given so far this school year! Thank you for giving back to your community and for everything you do for our students and staff at Northdale.

It is never too late to sign up to be a volunteer at NMS. A volunteer application for Northdale and a background check release form for this year school year must be completed prior to signing up for volunteer opportunities. Our current volunteer opportunities can be viewed here.

Thank you,

Sara Evans

NMS Volunteer Coordinator

Northdale Community Ed Spring Athletics and Activities are starting soon. Register online or pick up a registration form outside the Community Education Office.

Viking Gaming Club - Meets on Mondays after school, starting April 3

Viking Service Club/Youth for Change - Meets on Mondays after school, starting April 3

Young Engineers ROBOTICS & STEM Program - Entertaining Machines - Meets on Tuesday evenings, starting April 4

Young Engineers ROBOTICS & STEM Program - Newton's Machines - Meets on Tuesday evenings, starting May 2

Chess - Meets on Wednesdays after school, starting April 5

Dungeons & Dragons Club - Meets on Thursdays after school, starting April 6

Babysitting - Sunday, April 16

Girls NFL Flag Football - Meets Tuesdays and Thursdays after school, starting April 25

Boys Track - Meets Monday - Thursday after school, starting April 24

Girls Track - Meets Monday - Thursday after school, starting April 24

Boys Tennis - Meets Monday - Thursday after school, starting April 24

Ultimate Frisbee - Meets Mondays and Wednesdays after school, starting April 24

Baseball - Meets Monday - Thursday, starting April 24

Boys Volleyball - Meets Tuesdays and Thursdays after school, starting April 25

Virtual Parent Meeting for families celebrating Ramadan. NMS Staff invite you to attend a virtual meeting on Wednesday, April 6 at 5:30 pm to collaborate on supporting Muslim students during Ramadan. We will review prayer, fasting, and academic accommodations. Your feedback and suggestions are wanted and appreciated!

Join us: Google Meeting Link

Rebecca Augustine, M.Ed.

Licensed School Counselor

she/her why it matters

School Counselor

6th Grade

Sixth Grade Art - Double Stuf Oreos

Sixth grade art students will be participating in an enrichment activity during class that concentrates on positive and negative space. Students will use Oreo Double Stuf cookies as their canvas and toothpicks as their carving tool. Donations of Oreos and toothpicks have been requested to make this activity possible. Sign up to donate an item. Donations are needed by April 17, but can be sent in any time prior to the event.

Craft and Cookies Donations

Northdale hosts an event called Craft & Cookies on April 20 & 21. 8th grade WEB students are paired up with an elementary student to be a mentor and to make crafts and enjoy a cookie. We are looking for donations of bakery or store bought cookies to make the event special. Cookies need to be at school by noon on April 19th. Sign up to donate.

Staff Appreciation Week Donations
Northdale will be celebrating Staff Appreciation Week May 1-5. We are looking for donations of snack items and beverages and gift cards. Two staff members will be drawn each day to win the gift cards. Sign up to donate items to celebrate the staff at NMS. Thank you for supporting the staff at NMS.