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August 19, 2026
Say hello to the new PTO Pulse!
Welcome to the first edition of the new PTO Pulse! You’ll still receive the school’s Weekly Blast with important school updates, but PTO Pulse is now your go-to source for everything happening through the PTO.
Each week, we’ll share upcoming events, important announcements, restaurant nights, fundraising updates, volunteer opportunities, sponsor spotlights, fun trivia and games with chances to win prizes, helpful reminders, and so much more. Our goal is to keep you informed, connected, and excited about everything happening with the NRE PTO.
Upcoming events
August 19
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PTO Board Meeting
1:45 - 3:15 pm
August 21
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Back to School Carnival
5:00 - 7:00 pm
September 2
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Fun Run
September 8
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Cold Stone Teacher Scoops Night
4:00 - 7:00 pm
September 16
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PTO General Assembly Meeting
8:45 - 10:15 am
Important Announcements
🎡 Volunteers Needed for the Back-to-School Carnival
Help us kick off the school year! We’re looking for volunteers to assist with games, ticket sales, setup, and cleanup. Even one hour makes a big difference.
🍦 Cold Stone Teacher Scoop Night
Join us at Cold Stone on September 8 from 4:00-7:00pm for a fun NRE community night. Several teachers will be scooping ice cream for us and Cold Stone generously donates a portion of the proceeds back to NRE.
⚾ FREE Rockies Tickets!
The PTO now gets free Rockies tickets for select 2026 games—and they’re available to NRE families at no cost! To get a shot at tickets, make sure you're opted in to PTO text messages. When tickets are available, you’ll get a text with instructions on how to request tickets. Tickets will be given out on a first come, first served basis.
🫶 Volunteer Opportunities
NRE has a new volunteer site to see all available volunteer opportunities. Please check it out here!
The Back to School Carnival is almost here!
August 21st, 5-7 PM
Get ready for one of our favorite events of the year! Join us for an evening of games, inflatables, music, delicious food, prizes, and fun as we kick off another amazing school year together. It’s the perfect opportunity to reconnect with friends, meet new families, and celebrate our NRE community.
🙋 We also need volunteers to help make this event a success. Whether you can lend a hand for an hour or stay for the whole event, your time makes a big difference. Sign up today and help us create an unforgettable night for our students and families!
Upcoming Restaurant Nights
Local restaurants host “spirit nights” where a designated portion of the proceeds from your order will be generously donated back to NRE PTO. All you have to do is mention NRE when ordering. It’s a win-win-win: you get a night off from making dinner (or treats), local restaurants get our business, and PTO receives a donation! Stay tuned for more dates - we are adding more to the calendar all the time!
Cold Stone
Teacher Scoops Night
Tuesday, September 8
4-7 PM
Volunteer Shout-Out
Thank You, Lauren Wotherspoon!
We want to give a huge shout-out to Lauren, our amazing Back to School Carnival Chair! This year marks her second year on the committee and her first year leading this incredible event, and she continues to go above and beyond to make the carnival a fun and memorable day for our entire NRE community. From all the planning and behind-the-scenes work to making sure everything comes together, Lauren always does an amazing job!
Lauren also chaired last year’s Family Dance, and if you attended, you got to see firsthand all the time, energy, and hard work she put into making that event such a huge success. We are so grateful for everything Lauren does for NRE and the countless hours she gives to our school community. Thank you, Lauren, for all that you do!
Know someone who goes above and beyond for NRE? Whether they help at events, volunteer behind the scenes, or are always willing to lend a hand, we’d love to recognize them!
Questions With...
Ms. Nobles (1st Grade Teacher)
1. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I’ve always dreamed of becoming a teacher! I’ve always loved learning, trying new things, and exploring the world around me. My teachers made such a positive impact on me growing up, and I knew I wanted to do the same for my students.
2. What’s your favorite part of the school day?
My favorite part of the school day is our morning meeting! I love starting the day by singing our good morning song together and seeing everyone’s smiling faces. I also love our question of the day because it gives me the chance to learn more about my students, hear about their interests, and get to know their personalities!
3. What’s your favorite way to spend an evening?My favorite way to spend an evening is staying active and then relaxing at home! After school, I love going to a workout class, and then I like to take my dog, Daisy, on a walk. Once we get home, we usually snuggle together, and I love ending the night by reading a good book before bed. It’s the perfect way to unwind after a busy day!
4. If you weren’t working in education, what career would you have?
If I weren’t working in education, I would be a dance choreographer! I grew up dancing, and it is still one of my biggest passions. Putting together a dance takes a lot of time, creativity, and hard work, but seeing the final product come together is so rewarding. I love that dance is a great way to be creative, tell a story, and express emotions!
5. If you won $10 million, what would you do first?
If I won $10 million, the first thing I would do is donate a large portion of it to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I love what they stand for and the impact they make for children and their families. I also worked closely with St. Jude during college through my sorority, Delta Delta Delta, so it has a special place in my heart.
NRE staff members: Please help us keep our PTO Pulse Staff Spotlight going! We’re always looking for staff members to feature, and we’d love to highlight you. Simply click the button above and complete the short form. We’ve included lots of fun questions to choose from, so you can answer the ones that best reflect your personality!
SweetPlay
We are so grateful to SweetPlay for being a multi-time Platinum Sponsor of the NRE PTO! As a Northridge family-owned business, SweetPlay is a wonderful part of our NRE community and has also generously hosted our past Silent Auctions. We truly appreciate their continued support of our students, staff, and families. Thank you, SweetPlay, for investing in our school and helping us make a difference!
Sponsor Spotlight
Exclusive NRE Family Offer:
NRE families can enjoy [INSERT SPECIAL OFFER HERE] when you visit Sweet Play! Just mention NRE PTO when you visit to take advantage of this special offer.
nre trivia
Think you know NRE? Put your knowledge to the test with this week’s trivia question! Submit your answer using the button below. Everyone who answers correctly will be entered into a random drawing for a prize.
• The winner will be announced in the next PTO Pulse. • Entries close Saturday at 12:00 PM. • One entry per person, per week. • One winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received by the submission deadline. • To give more people an opportunity to win, previous winners may not be eligible to receive another prize during the same school year. If there are no other eligible winners, the NRE PTO reserves the right to award the prize to a previous winner. • Winners will be notified by email by the PTO Vice President with instructions on how to receive their prize.
What is our mascot?
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an antelope
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a pronghorn
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a gazelle
🎉 Congratulations to Last Week’s Trivia Winner: Susan Smith
If you’re our lucky winner, keep an eye on your inbox! The PTO Vice President will email you with all the details to claim your prize.
❓Question: Who are our PTO Co-Presidents?
✅ Correct Answer: Amber Kniser and Ryan Cito
Did you know?
Did you know the PTO is entirely volunteer-run?
Every event, fundraiser, teacher appreciation celebration, family activity, and special project is planned and organized by parent volunteers who donate their time to help make NRE an even better place for our students and staff.
Whether you have an hour to spare or want to take on a larger role, every volunteer makes a difference—and we’d love to have you join us!
Ongoing fundraisers
🛒 Earn Money for NRE by Shopping at King Soopers
King Soopers donates back to the community through their Community Rewards Program. There is no cost to families to participate and it takes 1 minute to link your King Soopers account to NRE PTO! We are really hoping to take full advantage of this great community partnership! See the very easy steps in the flier below.
Reserve the Rock to celebrate a special occasion. First, sign up for your date, then make your $20 donation to PTO through MySchoolBucks using this link. Additionally, PTO has volunteers who are willing to paint the rock for you if you’d like! Follow the steps above, then email PTOpresidentNRE@gmail.com to inquire about volunteer availability. When we find a volunteer who can paint for you, then you can make an additional $50 donation to PTO.
📦 Earn Money for NRE with Box Tops!
Did you know you can support Northridge Elementary just by buying the products you already use? Box Tops for Education is an easy way to help raise money for our school—no clipping required! Getting started is simple: Download the Box Tops for Education app. Create a free account. Search for and select Northridge Elementary as your school. Scan your grocery receipt within 14 days of your purchase. The app will automatically find eligible Box Tops products and credit earnings to NRE. Every receipt makes a difference! Those small earnings quickly add up and help fund programs, events, classroom resources, and special opportunities for our students.
Do you have piles of amazing art from your student at home and nowhere to display it!? Would you love to have it all in a beautiful and convenient book to enjoy? Plum Print has given Northridge the opportunity to support our school while we transform our children’s artwork into custom books! Not only will they donate 20% of the sale back to Northridge but they have also provided a $25 off code for us! Please take a look at the flyer below and use the code NORTHRIDGE when you place your order. This will give you $25 off your order and send 20% back to NRE!
👕 Wear Your NRE Pride!
NRE PTO is partnering with a company called “Mostly For Nerds” (MFN) to provide NRE Swag! You can now purchase tshirts, hoodies, hats, etc. MFN is also generously donating $5 per item sold back to NRE PTO. More items will be available in the future, and if you have a request for items that you’d like to see available, please let us know. Check out the online store now!
Meet the pto
The Northridge Elementary PTO is a volunteer-led organization dedicated to bringing students, staff, families, and our community together to make NRE an exceptional place to learn, grow, and connect. Through fundraising, volunteerism, family events, teacher appreciation, and community partnerships, we help create meaningful experiences and provide resources that enrich our entire school community.
