Newsroom

The following is Northgate’s instructional plan in the event that the district has to close due to inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances.

The first day we have to close in any given school year, we will have a traditional “snow day.” Schools will be closed for in-person activities and instruction.

If we have to close for additional days in the same school year we will utilize Flexible Instruction Days (FID). A Flexible Instructional Day is a Pennsylvania Department of Education program that allows public schools to continue to deliver instruction as part of the 180-day school calendar, even if a circumstance arises that prevents delivery of instruction in the customary manner. A FID program may be online, offline, or a combination of the two.

Below you will find information about the process for FID in our district.

Elementary Flexible Instruction:
● All students will have two days of instructional materials kept at home in the event that technology is unavailable. Teachers will provide students with packets that should remain either at home or in backpacks.
● When possible, students will be sent home with technology, iPads or Chromebooks, in anticipation of a FID day.
● All students will have access and directions to one of our online learning platforms, SeeSaw or Google Classroom, depending upon the grade level.
● A Google Meet link for live instruction will be available on the online platform in the event of a FID day announcement. Students should check their online learning platform by 8:15 for information about live and asynchronous assignments.
● Four hours of live instruction will be provided by the classroom teachers during a FID day. Even if we are unable to send technology home with all students, it is important that this instruction be provided to students who are able to use a device at home. Students who are not able to access the live instruction will still have access to pencil and paper assignments that will meet the learning standards and count equally toward the class grade.
● Attendance will be taken by the homeroom teacher when students log in at 8:15. In the event that a student is not able to log on due to lack of technology or internet access, attendance will be taken through completion of the assigned work packets along with a note from the parent that the student did not have access to technology.

Secondary Flexible Instruction:
● Students should always take their school issued laptops home with them at the end of each school day, so that they have access to a laptop at home.
● Attendance will be taken by the homeroom teacher when students log in at 8:25. In the event that a student is not able to log on due to lack of technology or internet access, attendance will be taken through completion of the assigned work along with a note from the parent that the student did not have access to technology.
● Students should check their Northgate email and Google Classroom for directions and assignments from their teachers.
● Students should follow their daily schedule and attend any meetings and complete any work assigned by their teachers through email or Google Classroom.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to your student’s teacher or principal.

Students, parents and staff at Bellevue Elementary brightened the entrance to the school building with some fresh colors.

We are grateful for all the volunteers who helped paint during the evenings, as well as to T & M Hardware on Lincoln Avenue for providing ladders and supplies. 

The Northgate School District is partnering with UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh to vaccinate students and community members against COVID-19.

We will be hosting a vaccination clinic at the middle/high school 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Nov. 22.  There will be a supply of the Pediatric Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, as well as the Pfizer vaccine for children and adults above the age of 12. 

Booster doses will be available for those that meet the eligibility criteria. Eligibility criteria can be found here.

To schedule an appointment please visit: https://forms.office.com/r/WqnxCjBmPb and select “Northgate."

Click here to download a parental consent form. 

These websites help answer some frequently asked questions that parents or guardians might
have prior to their child receiving the COVID-19 vaccine:

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions

The Science Behind COVID-19 Vaccines: Parent FAQs

Click here for an informational flyer for the clinic. 

In honor of Veterans Day, the Northgate School District would like to express its gratitude to all the men and women who have served our country.

While we are unable to host our community’s veterans in our school buildings this year, our appreciation for their service and sacrifice is as strong as ever. Our teachers have led student activities to recognize our veterans throughout this week, and we hope all will take time today to reflect on their service.

The November edition of the Northgate News student newspaper is available now! 

Click here to read student coverage related to Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and pop culture.  

The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) and the Community College of Allegheny (CCAC) are partnering to offer a virtual FAFSA Completion Workshop 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 15, for our senior students. 

The FAFSA Overview Presentation via WebEx will guide students and families through a step-by-step process of filing the FAFSA and state grant application. To register for the FAFSA Overview Presentation, click here.
 
Following the presentation from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., financial aid counselors and PHEAA staff will be available to assist families one-on-one in completing the FAFSA and state grant form, via Zoom. Limited space is available so advance registration is required. To register for the One-on-One FAFSA Assistance, click here. Two time blocks are available from 6 to 7 p.m. or 7 to 8 p.m. A zoom link will be sent to registrants prior to the event.
 
For one-on-one assistance be sure to have the following information available. If you are considered a dependent student, you will need your parent’s information, too. For more information on who counts as your parent when you file the FAFSA, click here.

- Your Federal Student Aid account username and password (FSA ID). To create an FSA ID go to: https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/sign-in/landing. *For more information on how to create an FSA ID, click here.
- Social Security Number
- Driver’s license number, if you have one (optional)
- Alien registration number, if you are not a US citizen
- 2020 W-2 forms
- Records of untaxed income
- Your 2020 federal income tax return 1040 and accompanying schedules
- Your current bank statements and records of stocks, bonds, 529 plans, and other investments

Click here for a full resolution version of the workshop flyer. 

The annual Bellevue and Avalon Halloween Parade will be 10 a.m. Oct. 30!

The parade will begin at Avalon Elementary and proceed to Bayne Park. There will be same-day registration beginning 9 a.m. at the elementary school. You can also pre-register online at https://form.jotform.com/212804079698164. If you have any questions or concerns, contact Tamra at cakeiteasy25@gmail.com or call her at 412-609-8718.

What is the purpose of a child’s K-12 journey? We want to hear your thoughts!

The Northgate School District is partnering with Kidsburgh to co-host a Great Learning Conversations event 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Northgate Middle/High School.

We want to hear from parents and caregivers on what the future of education should look like, and how we can best work with families to make our district succeed.

This is a free event. To RSVP, email Laureen Dowd at laureen.dowd@northgatesd.net by Nov. 3.

This is your space to talk about the future and what’s possible. 

Kidsburgh is partnering with 11 school districts in the Pittsburgh region to host Great Learning Conversations. The series of conversations is part of the #RemakeTomorrow campaign powered by Remake Learning and is generously supported by The Grable Foundation. 

Join us in this conversation as we remake learning together for our students!

Click here for a full resolution version of the flyer.

Northgate parents and caregivers are invited to join us for an interactive workshop discussing diversity, equity and inclusion within the school community.

The event will be 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at the middle/high school cafeteria.

We would like to develop a deeper understanding of the community perspectives related to the topics of diversity, equity and inclusion. Together we will document these perspectives and use the input from the community and other Northgate stakeholder groups to set goals within our strategic plan.

We hope you can join us for an exciting evening together!

Participants can enter the school through the administrative entrance located on the driveway side of the building. If you are a parent or guardian in need of childcare, student council representatives will be providing childcare for school-age children.

The Northgate School District is partnering with Pittsburgh-based education consultant Michelle King to create more equitable and empathetic learning opportunities within its school community.

The initiative was fostered through Dr. Jeffrey Evancho, director of partnerships and equity for Northgate. King, who describes her role as a “Learning Instigator,” works throughout the region to improve diversity, equity and inclusion practices.  

“I call myself the learning instigator because I see myself as a learner first and foremost,” King said. “As a teacher and a facilitator, my job is to create opportunities for participants to learn, discover, be challenged and to express their thoughts, dreams and desires.” 

King will be working with district teachers, administrators and students to help create dynamic learning experiences and opportunities that inspire wonder and discovery for all students.  

By analyzing curriculum and classroom practices, King aims to cultivate an atmosphere that embraces conversations about diversity and inclusion. She said many school districts struggle with promoting discussion about these topics, which results in a failure to examine how young people relate to themselves and to each other around their identity. 

“My aspiration is to take away the shame and embarrassment and help people develop the practice of being in discourse when we have challenging topics, and still stay in relationship with each other,” she said.  

King has more than two decades of experience in education and has worked as part of nationwide initiatives. Locally, she works in conjunction with various agencies, including the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project, Hear Me and the Remake Learning Network.  

“I think my work is about working with communities to create spaces of thriving for everybody,” King said. “That’s the purpose of my work — to help folks align their aspirations and practices together.” 

The partnership continues Northgate’s ongoing efforts to create a welcoming environment for all students. The middle/high school recently launched its No Place for Hate campaign through the Anti-Defamation League. Other initiatives, including the district’s College in High School program, strive to offer more equitable education opportunities to all students.  

This past summer, two murals were completed in the middle/high school to celebrate and reflect the diversity and cultural history within the district, as well as show school pride. 

A diversity, equity and inclusion workshop for the Northgate parents and caregivers also has been scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at the middle/high school.    

The 2021-22 Northgate Middle/High School Yearbook is available to order online at the lowest price of the year!

There's nothing else like your school yearbook. Get your hands on the limited edition collection of our stories from the year. Share it with your friends today and hang on to it for years to come!

Click here to order!

Do you like acting, reading or public speaking? If so, you would be great on the Forensics team at Northgate!

Our first meetings will be this week at the following times:

Avalon Elementary
3:15 to 3:45 p.m. Monday,  Oct. 4

Middle School
3:15 to 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7

Bellevue Elementary
3:15 to 3:45 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8

You will be provided with more information at these meetings.  Please email Mrs. Gretchen Monahan at gretchen.monahan@northgatesd.net if you are interested in participating.

Click here for a signup sheet. 

The Northgate School District has been accepted into the League of Innovative Schools, a national coalition of forward-thinking K-12 school districts committed to improving education with the power of technology.

The initiative is organized by Digital Promise, a nonprofit organization with the mission to accelerate innovation in education and improve the opportunity to learn for all through technology and research.

Northgate was selected from a competitive national pool of applicants based on its educational leadership, innovative vision for learning, key achievements and evidence of results, and demonstrated commitment to equity and excellence.

"We are excited to be a part of this prestigious group and to have the opportunity to partner with some of the most innovative districts in the country,” Superintendent Dr. Caroline Johns said. “I am confident that the opportunity to learn from the other League districts will provide a direct benefit to the students in Northgate and our entire school community."

The League of Innovative Schools, launched at the White House under President Barack Obama within the U.S. Department of Education in 2011, accepts new members through an open application process once per year.

“Now more than ever, the League of Innovative Schools recognizes the impact that equity, access, and opportunity can have on student outcomes,” said Dewayne J. McClary, director of the national coalition. “The League strives to build a collaborative of close-knit districts that work together to eradicate the impact of inequitable practices, outdated instruction and resources, and districts working in silos. Part of our mission is to transform the systems and policies that create barriers for marginalized students.”

League members are represented by their superintendent, who commits to:

●     Attend biannual League meetings, which feature classroom visits, collaborative problem-solving, and relationship-building with peers and partners; 

●     Participate in League cohorts and challenge collaboratives on a broad range of topics relevant to the changing needs and priorities of school districts; 

●     Support Digital Promise research and provide critical feedback so it translates easily into classroom experiences and expands what we know about teaching and learning; 

●     Engage with entrepreneurs to advance EdTech product development steeped in the latest learning science and meets district needs; and 

●     Participate in the League’s professional learning community by connecting with other members online, in person, and at each other’s school districts.

Working at the intersection of education leaders, researchers, and developers, Digital Promise and the League of Innovative Schools provide an environment for superintendents and district leaders to share and learn from best practices; leverage research and participate in continuous improvement models; engage in research and development projects with peers to address education’s biggest challenges; and implement new technologies and innovations in their school systems.

The League will officially welcome new members at its fall hybrid meeting on Oct. 20-22, which will be online and in-person in Washington, D.C. 

The new members’ entrance into the League extends the network’s reach to 125 districts across 34 states and expands its cumulative impact to 3.8 million students served over time.

Acceptance into the initiative is the most recent effort for Northgate to accelerate innovation and equity within its classrooms this year. The district launched its “Community as the Classroom” program this year to build innovative health and science programming for students and teachers. Northgate also was invited to serve as a national demonstration district for the School Superintendents Association’s Learning 2025 initiative, a national commission focused on student-centered, equity-focused education. 

For more information on the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, visit: digitalpromise.org/league. 

Northgate will be administering the PSAT to 10th and 11th grade students on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 8 a.m. in the high school auditorium. The cost is $10. Checks should be made payable to Northgate School District. If you have questions or would like to register, please stop by the guidance office.

We are pleased to announce Northgate High School students Peyton Celesti and Luke Hilliard were chosen as 2021-22 Junior Rotarians! They will begin their positions on Thursday, Oct. 7 at Shannopin Country Club.