Northgate Community Excels in Authentic Learning: In the past three weeks I have had the pleasure of attending the boys and girls water polo playoff games, two outstanding plays performed by our drama department; Proof, and Around the World in 80 Days, a girls volleyball game, a Model United Nations Conference, and a varsity football game. I came away from each event with the same unmistakable feeling; we have an immensely talented community. While we did not win every game, our students competed at high levels and represented Northgate extremely well. Our students and staff demonstrate the highest quality work in athletics, academics, cheer, dance, and performing arts. In the upcoming months, you will have many opportunities to catch concerts, athletic events, academic competitions such as Mock Trial and Mock Congress, dance recitals, and plays. I encourage you to get involved with these activities and witness the depth of our physical and intellectual talents. In this difficult economic period, the time and money invested in these events is well worth the product you will find. We are blessed with an enormously gifted staff and student body -- come see what they can do!
Internet Safety: Please join me this Tuesday, November 18th at 7:00 PM in our Theatre for a critical presentation on Internet safety. The Internet is instrumental in most aspects of education; online grades, homework, communication with teachers and between classmates are all a nightly occurrence in most homes. Unfortunately, the Internet can also be a source of great risk if users are not aware of the hazards that exist. Please join Internet Safety experts Preston Jones and Joyce Jackson as they share indispensable tips with our community towards keeping the Internet a safe experience.
First Semester Coming to a Close: The end of the first semester is rapidly approaching. While we have two months, we have three weeks off school during this time. To help your student(s) keep up with their studies while enjoying the breaks, encourage them to do a little bit of work each day to avoid a crush at the last minute Sunday evening at the end of the holiday weeks.
Staff Development Days Provide Opportunities to Improve our School: We have two staff development days remaining this school year. The next day will be Thursday, December 4, 2008. School will be dismissed at 12:35 PM. The last of these days will be Thursday, February 5, 2009. Again, school will be dismissed at 12:35 PM. We use these days to examine student data and collaborate to improve student performance.
