WAVE 2-13-26 – North Lake School District

February 13, 2026

Dr. Ackley’s Message . . .

MORNING DROP-OFF PROCEDURES

To ensure the safety of all students and keep traffic moving smoothly, please follow one of the two approved drop-off methods:

Option 1: The Quick-Drop Line (Stay in Vehicle)

This is the most efficient way to drop off your child.

Pull Forward: Drive as far forward as possible toward the front of the line. This prevents traffic backups on the main road.
Stay in Your Car: Drivers must remain in the vehicle.
Safety First: Students should exit the vehicle quickly from the passenger side only directly onto the sidewalk.

Option 2: Park & Walk

If your child needs extra time or you prefer to walk them to the entrance:

Park in Parking Lot
Escort Required: You must walk your child across the parking lot.
No “Curbside” Parking: Please do not park your car in the drop-off lane or the handicapped parking spot (unless you or a child needs access to the handicapped spot)

Important Safety Rules

To protect our students and staff, please avoid the following:

No Alternate Drop-Offs: Do not let your child out of the car in any area other than the official drop-off line.
No Double Parking: Never bypass the drop-off line to let your child out in the middle of or next to the driving lane. This is extremely dangerous.
Drive Slow: Use patience and defensive driving.

Now Hiring – Crossing Guards

7:00-7:30 a.m. & 2:15-2:45 p.m. when school is in session
Contact the office for more information

SOUNDING LIKE A BROKEN RECORD

The office continues to ask parents to please report ALL ABSENCES, TARDIES, AND PICKUP CHANGES directly to the office. Dojoing your child’s teacher is a courtesy to the teacher. Teachers will not be contacting the office for parents.

All students must go directly to the MPR if they are arriving early from parent drop off or bus service in the morning. Parents should stop by the office first if access to a specific hallway is needed.

Thank you for your cooperation.

WHAT A HOOT!

The all school owl naming contest is finished!

Drum Roll…

GOAL ACHIEVED!

Thank you to all who participated in the NLS Food Drive for the 100th Day of School. NLS collected over 1200 items which surpassed the goal of 100 items per grade level 4K-8 (1000). Donations will be delivered to the St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry located in St. Teresa Parish.

IT’S STARTING TO PILE UP!

If you are missing something, please remind your child/children to check the lost and found and come take a look when you are at school for parent teacher conferences next week.

CONSIDER BECOMING A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER

North Lake School is in need of substitute teachers.

One of the following is required:
1. A certified Wisconsin teaching license OR
2. A Bachelor’s Degree AND a Wisconsin Substitute Teacher license.
To be considered for this position, submit an electronic WECAN application.

See the flyer at the end of the Wave for more information on obtaining

a Wisconsin Substitute Teacher license.

NLS COMMUNITY PARTNER – MERTON AREA RUNNING CLUB

Track season is just around the corner. Please visit Mertonarearunning.club for registration information. There will be an open house on March 3rd from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at Performance Running Outfitters.

NORTH LAKE SCHOOL FORENSICS TEAM

The MLFA Forensics season is officially underway, and our Lakers are already making waves! At last week’s Slinger Tournament, our team rose to the challenge—bringing home 5 individual medals, 8 blue ribbons, and 2 red ribbons in a field of nearly 500 students from schools across Southeastern Wisconsin.

For our 6–8 graders, this tournament was a powerful reminder of what happens when preparation meets confidence. We saw firsthand how practice pays off as our students stepped up, found their voices, and delivered with poise in front of their peers.

The momentum continues this week as we head to Indian Community School in Franklin for a small-school tournament. Once again, we can’t wait to watch our Lakers shine—speaking boldly, presenting with purpose, and bringing their very best to the front of the room. This season is just getting started, and the future is bright!

If you are interested in becoming North Lake’s Forensics coach next season, please reach out to Dr. Ackley for more information. The students would love to have you!

ENROLLMENT ROUND UP FOR 2026-2027

The North Lake School Board has approved the open enrollment seats for the 2026-2027 school year. If you or someone you know is interested in attending North Lake School whether in district or open enrollment, we would love to hear from you! Please contact the office to get the process started and to arrange a tour.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Lake Country Kindergarten Open House for incoming 3K and 4K families: January 29 – 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Open Enrollment begins February 2nd and ends April 30th. Please click on the link Wisconsin DPI to enter your applications beginning on February 2nd.

Chinese New Year

CHINESE NEW YEAR

Arrowhead Chinese Students including NLS alumni McKenzie Wood visited 7th grade social studies and hosted interactive Chinese culture stations for the Chinese New Year. Our students enjoyed learning about the culture and about high school.

Black History Month

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

1st Grade celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy for a week, focusing on his message of peace, kindness, and love, as well as discussing words like equality and fairness. Students heard parts of his “I Have a Dream” speech and created a portrait of MLK Jr. with a speech bubble for their own dream to make the world a better place.
2nd Grade read about Ida Van Smith, teacher, pilot, and pilot instructor. Students also learned about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jackie Robinson.
3rd Grade was introduced to the Tuskegee Airmen while practicing oral fluency and using text/graphic features. They also read about young people making a difference, specifically Marley Dias (creator of #1000BlackGirlBooks and Netflix’s Bookmarks) and Jahkil Jackson (founder of “Project I Am” to aid the homeless and author on bullying/self-worth).
5th and 6th Graders celebrated Black History Month by putting a spotlight on fascinating Black men and women. People like Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Nelson Mandela, Shirley Chisholm… just to name a few. We have dedicated a section of the 5/6 hallway so that anyone passing by can learn too.
7th Grade studied Apartheid as part of the Africa curriculum.

100TH Day of School

Literacy Lights the Night

Literacy Lights the Night Photo Gallery located at the end of the Wave

Upcoming WAVE Dates

March 13

March 27

A Note from Ms. Meister...

North Lake School conferences will be held on Thursday, February 19th from 12:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. with a 30 minute teacher dinner break at 4:30 p.m. Click on the name/s below to reserve your spot. We look forward to seeing you at school.

Kindergarten: Mrs. Giesie Ms. Orendorff

1st Grade: Mrs. Tarkowski Mrs. Toczyski

2nd Grade: Mrs. Brittnacher Mr. Ray

3rd Grade: Mrs. Flannery and Ms. Kudis

4th Grade: Ms. Dankmeyer and Mrs. Richman

5th and 6th grade: Sign up with your child’s homeroom teacher**

Mrs. Andorfer Mr. Kaczor Mr. Byrne Mrs. Ruck

7th and 8th grade: Drop-In Format

Spring conferences for 7th and 8th grade will follow an open “Drop-in” format. We invite you to stop by on February 19th at your convenience to visit with the team. Drop in Conferences will take place between 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. and then again from 6:00 – 7:45 p.m. If the 7/8 teaching team identifies a specific need for a more in-depth discussion regarding your student, we will reach out to you directly via email to schedule a dedicated time that works for both parties. Times between 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. will be reserved for these conferences.

Special Education, Specials and Elective teachers: Mrs. Clauer (Phy. Ed.), Mr. Krieger (Music), Mrs. Lesch (School Counselor), Mrs. Lyons (Art), Ms. Westcott, and Mr. Wood will all be available for drop-in visits. Feel free to stop by their classroom or office.

**Grades 5-6**

If you would like to meet with teachers in addition to your child’s homeroom

teacher, please contact that teacher directly to schedule a time slot.

Counseling Corner

Hello, North Lake Families!

We have some valuable community partnerships here at North Lake. I’d like to highlight some of those groups that have benefitted students in our Guidance classes and Leadership experiences. If you have any questions about these partnerships or have an idea of another experience that could benefit our students, please reach out to me!

Addiction Resource Council:

Lessons with our 8th graders focused on Resisting The Influence of drugs and alcohol. Information is shared about different substances and how to resist pressures

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness):

Introductory lesson with our 8th graders to kick off a research project. NAMI works to give information and destigmatize mental health conditions

Women’s Center of Waukesha:

Discussion of healthy and unhealthy relationships

DECA (Oconomowoc High School):

DECA students work on leadership opportunities with interested students and give them a taste of what it would be like to be involved in DECA in high school

Nurse Beth Gatzow:

Teachers CPR to our 7th and 8th grade students

Arrowhead High School:

Student groups visit to teach our students about topics anywhere from Lunar New Year to the risks of vaping

Heritage Senior Living Center:

Leadership group members visit Heritage to do activities with the residents and we invited residents to join us at North Lake for our concert reshearsals

We are fortunate to have all of these experts willing to partner with us and help our students grow!

Please visit me at conferences if there is anything that you’d like to check in on resources or ways that I can help your child.

Take care-

Jill Lesch