Northwest ISD

Did you know? ✨ Gene Pike Middle School is named after Gene Pike, a former district principal across all levels – elementary, junior high school and high school. He later became director of secondary services and was well known for his sense of humor and his commitment to students.

Recently, three generations of the Pike family – Gene Pike's wife, daughter and granddaughter – had the opportunity to tour the school's new building!

Additional photos: bit.ly/3MfHPEf

Kay Granger Elementary's new Wranglers - teachers and students alike - were welcomed into their new houses at an assembly Friday morning! 🎉✨ This program helps build character, relationships and school spirit.

Students spun a giant wheel to discover if they would join Amistad, Altruismo, Isibindi or Reveur, and teachers' houses were revealed with the popping confetti-filled balloons! 🎈🎊

Additional photos: bit.ly/4dJUg7

Ms. Juneau’s fifth graders at Samuel Beck Elementary never knew input-output tables and algebraic expressions could be so exciting! 🤯📝🤩

During a game of "Not Carrot Sticks," students used clues with math-rich vocabulary to solve how many mystery objects were in a container.

The room was filled with critical thinking conversation, laughs and cheers in the first edition of our new series, Inside the Classroom!

📰 Story: bit.ly/4e0Z0VN
📸 Photos: bit.ly/3yPVoHn

Northwest ISD joins school districts across Tarrant County in opposing the Tarrant Appraisal District’s reappraisal plan that could drastically defund public schools. We encourage TAD to work with school districts, as Tarrant County schools face cuts to programs and staffing as a result of the plan. Read a joint letter from school district leaders at www.nisdtx.org/tadplan.

🐆📚📣 The Jaguars were roaring loud at Justin Elementary School this morning as they held a pep rally to kick off their "Level Up: Jaguars are STAR Readers" campaign!

Led by librarian Sarah Jones and the Northwest High School cheerleaders, the JES staff got creative as they explained the school's goal to collectively read for one million minutes this year.

If they reach the goal, Dr. Stephen Garretson, JES principal, will be on the hook for a "reward" the students will vote on. Stay tuned to see if they reach the goal, and if Dr. G will be kissing a pig, taped to a wall or involved in any other fun shenanigans!

📸 Photos: bit.ly/3MpWgpa

📆 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫: Monday, September 2 is a student and staff holiday. There is no school, and all district offices will be closed. Classes resume Tuesday, September 3. 🏫📚✏️

🔗 Check out our academic calendar: https://bit.ly/3T7heNq

Four Northwest ISD FFA students secured top honors at state and two are headed to FFA National Convention in October! 🎉👏🏻💫

• Cole Bolton, a sophomore at Eaton High School, earned the Texas FFA Star Greenhand in Agribusiness.

• Rylie Copeland, a senior at Eaton High School, secured the state title in Turf Grass Management Proficiency at the Texas FFA State Convention.

• Montgomery Lankford, a 2024 graduate of Northwest High School, was named the Texas State FFA Proficiency winner in Beef Production Placement. He also achieved Lone Star finalist status for all placement proficiencies and will compete at the National FFA Convention in October.

• Peyton White, a junior at Byron Nelson High School, was selected for the National FFA Chorus. Out of approximately 400 applicants, she was one of just 50 chosen for this honor. She will perform with the choir at the National FFA Convention in October.

The students also were recognized at the NISD School Board Meeting on Monday. Congratulations to these students and good luck at nationals! 🙌🎉

From DECA to HOSA, men's volleyball to rodeo and everything between, lots of clubs made an appearance this week at VR Eaton High School's second annual Club Fair!

During their lunch periods, students could browse information tables from more than 20 clubs, helping them find ways to follow their passions while connecting with their campus.

More photos: bit.ly/3Xfi0dv

☀️🎓 The James M. Steele Early College High School Class of 2025 came together for their Senior Sunrise this morning!

To all NISD seniors, enjoy every moment of this awesome year... it will be time for those Senior Sunsets before you know it!

More photos: bit.ly/4fZvPEc

Are you ready for some volleyball?!? 🏐🏆

The NISD Volleyball Classic began today with 32 of the area's best teams competing, including all three NISD comprehensive high schools hosting matches on their campuses. Matches continue on Friday and Saturday with plenty of chances to check out the action!

Photos: bit.ly/3SW6QIf
Full schedule: bit.ly/3AJpFrG

Have you applied for the free and reduced-cost meal program? 🍎🍕🎒 Did you know being part of this program offers many more benefits than just free meals?

Students who qualify for the program in NISD could be eligible for:
- Weekend snack packs
- Assistance with summer camp fees
- Free school supplies and backpack at NISD Back-to-School Fair
- NISD's Angel Tree program
- Discounts on Advanced Placement exam fees
- SAT and ACT fee waivers
- Much more

Read more: bit.ly/3XcG0xV
Apply online here: bit.ly/46YpRQc

Congratulations! 🎉

Welcome back, Northwest ISD students! 🎒✨🎉

Our hallways and classrooms are buzzing with energy and enthusiasm as students returned to classes today. Here’s to a fantastic school year ahead! 🚀📚

📸 | Full photo album: bit.ly/firstday2024

To offset a lack of state action to address school funding, Northwest ISD has called a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election for this fall. If approved, the nearly $16 million in funding generated from the 3-cent tax rate increase, all of which would be exempt from state recapture, would be used to prevent cuts to student programs and continue to retain and attract top staff. Learn more at www.nisdtx.org/vatre.

🎉 Excitement is in the air at Northwest ISD! Our elementary students had a blast meeting their teachers, while our high school communities and their families enjoyed pep rally-style Meet the Mascot events.

📚 Tomorrow is the big day—first day of classes! We can’t wait to welcome our students back and fill our hallways with laughter, chatter and lots of learning. See you soon! 🏫✨

📸 | Full photo album: bit.ly/3WK8RbF

🎉 Exciting news from Northwest ISD's Athletic Department! We're thrilled to announce the Hall of Honor Class of 2024! 🏅 This prestigious honor celebrates the amazing student-athletes, coaches, and supporters who have made a huge impact on our school programs. ⭐️🙌

Read more: bit.ly/3AxRUte

Attention families of NISD bus riders - please download the SMART Tag Parent App today! 🚌📲

Beginning this school year, the app will take the place of last year's Parent Portal and will be required in order to utilize the features of your student's SMART Tag.

With the SMART Tag Parent App, families will receive push notifications when their student boards and gets off the bus, alerts about the bus’s proximity to home or school, and real-time tracking of the bus’s location.

More information/app download links: bit.ly/3WIAB0j

Byron Nelson High School has been recognized as a 2023-24 PLTW Distinguished High School for the NISD CTE Biomedical Sciences Academy! 🏆🩺✨

This recognition signifies that the academy is empowering students to thrive in an evolving world and the program is achieving exemplary results. Way to go, Biomed Academy!

Read more: bit.ly/4dw3K5A

All NISD families have the ability to personalize when and how they receive communication from teachers, schools and the district in ParentSquare!

After accessing their account, families can select whether to receive notifications immediately or as a digest, which sends an evening recap of all notifications for the day.

Get the ParentSquare app now so you can stay informed all year long!

iOS App - apple.co/3OV99K8
Android App - bit.ly/44789XA

Sixth place in the whole WORLD!! 🌎🎉

Join us in congratulating Preston Nnadi, a James M. Steele Early College High School student who recently placed sixth at the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) World Championship!

Preston won the U.S. National Championship in June, then competed against students from across the world in July. He was the highest finishing North American in his Microsoft PowerPoint competition.

Read more: bit.ly/3AffpqV

NISD has created a new student group, the Advanced Academics Ambassadors! 📚🗣️

These 40 students from Byron Nelson High School, VR Eaton High School and Northwest High School will serve as “the face” of Advanced Academics in NISD. They will share about their experiences in Advanced Placement, OnRamps, dual credit, and honors courses with fellow students and staff.

Along the way, ambassadors develop networking, public speaking and leadership skills, accrue volunteer hours and build friendships across NISD campuses.

Read more: bit.ly/3yyiB0A

Sending a huge THANK YOU to all of the students who made this week's staff Convocation special! All student performers this year were from Northwest High School, including the Texan cheerleaders, Sidekicks, drumline, student emcees and video crew.

These students are incredibly talented, and we can't wait to celebrate all of their success this year and beyond!

Additional photos: bit.ly/2024convocation

Northwest ISD is ready for it! 🎉

District staff dressed the part and brought tons of energy to the UNT Coliseum for our NISD Eras Tour Convocation! Staff celebrated 75 years of NISD while officially kicking off our 2024-25 school year!

We can't wait to welcome our students next week! 🎒✏️🍎

📸| Full Photo Album: bit.ly/2024convocation

WOW!! Students and families got their first look inside Gene Pike Middle School's new campus yesterday at 8th grade Panther Camp!

The Panthers got their schedules, toured the building to find classes and families learned lots of great information about the upcoming school year. 6th and 7th grade Panther Camps will held today and tomorrow, then we can't wait to welcome all of our students to all campuses in ONE WEEK! See you on August 14th!

Additional photos: bit.ly/3WzSfmU

Some of our youngest learners got their first look at their new schools today! 📚✨

All NISD elementary campuses (Haslet Elementary School pictured here) held Pre-K/Kindergarten Camps with fun activities for students and lots of great information for parents.

Remember, school starts in just 12 days! We can't wait to welcome all of our amazing students to campus on Wednesday, August 14.

More photos: bit.ly/3AhRPK8

Northwest ISD welcomed over 250 guest educators at GE Summer Academy! These incredible people are an integral part of our district, and we appreciate all that they do for our students and teachers every day!

At GE Summer Academy, they learned from NISD educators about special education, instructional technology and got to ask experienced guest educators questions.

Do you want to serve your community as a guest educator? No degree is required, free training is provided and hours are flexible. Apply now at www.nisdtx.org/guesteducators.

Additional photos: bit.ly/3SA0f5Z

Beginning this school year, Northwest ISD will implement new cellphone standards for students that prohibit the personal use of devices during class time. These new standards balance the importance of distraction-free classroom learning with the need of cellphones during emergencies.

Read more: bit.ly/4dbb5rp

🎶 "The sun will come out tomorrow." 🎶

Then, the next day is the opening of Annie Jr. at VR Eaton High School! Get your tickets now for one of this weekend's three shows and be there when little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts.

This show features students in grades 5-12 from throughout NISD. The talented cast and crew have worked hard over the last month as part of a Summer Musical Theater Intensive, and you will not want to miss this show!

Tickets: bit.ly/4c5MK56
More photos: bit.ly/3LJMEFo

School districts across Texas have adopted deficit budgets following a lack of funding from the state. To combat the ongoing School Funding Crisis, many districts have increased class sizes and eliminated student programs to decrease these deficits.