https://schoolmealsapp.ksde.org/Home/welcome/D0212
We were thrilled to welcome approximately 85 Northern Valley students, along with their families, for an evening filled with games, laughter, conversation, water fun, snow cones, and plenty of Husky spirit!
A special THANK YOU to our cheerleaders for offering face painting, to all of the parents, teachers, and community members who volunteered their time, and to the Northern Valley teachers and staff who came out to spend the evening with our students and families.
This is exactly what Beyond the Backpack is all about—bringing families, our school, and our community together to support our kids and start the school year on a positive note! Thank you, Northern Valley, for showing up! Here’s to an amazing school year ahead! 💚🐾
Hi! I am Katie Grote and as I enter my 8th year at NV, I am moving to the PreK-3rd Grade Special Education position. In all, this will start my 16th year in education, one year as a para and the rest in the classroom.
I received my Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education from Kansas State University and my Masters in Special Education from Fort Hays State University.
When I’m not teaching, I’m busy going to many different sporting and music events for all the kids! This summer has been full of baseball fields and getting ready to send the oldest to college.
I am eager to get in this new position this school year!
I wanted to send you a final update now that we are officially at one of the most exciting parts of our first Beyond the Backpack project! First and foremost, I cannot thank all of you enough for your encouragement and support throughout this process. What started as an idea to help provide school supplies has turned into something much bigger, and our community's response has been incredible!!
The Final Numbers
I'm excited to share that Beyond the Backpack raised a total of $12,385! Here is a breakdown of the funds:
$6,769.41 - School supplies, classroom snacks and hygiene products
$386.72 - Back to School Night expenses
That leaves $5,228.87. Here is the plan for the remaining funds:
$1,238.50 - Beyond the Match Foundation grant programs
This represents 10% of everything raised and allows this community project to also further the charitable mission of the foundation that made it possible.
$2,000 - Northern Valley school-year reserve
This money will stay available for additional snacks, backpacks, supplies, new students or other needs that come up throughout the school year. Teachers - please reach out if you need something!!!!! Whatever is not used will go into the 2027 budget.
$1,990.37 - 2027 Beyond the Backpack
This will give us an amazing head start for next year so we aren't beginning at $0 and can continue building this program.
Combined with what we've already spent, approximately 90% of the money raised this year will remain directly invested in Beyond the Backpack and Northern Valley students. I want this program to be something our community can trust and rely on, and something that can continue year after year. Towards the end of the school year (probably in March or April) I will send an email asking you all about your needs for the next school year. I've tracked everything on a spreadsheet to help make this easy!!
An Amazing Night of Volunteers 💚
Last night we had an awesome group of volunteers came together to organize, sort and load everything for our students. A very special thank you to:
Angie Knuth, Kirsten & Shane Baird, Rachel Hays, Sierra Stabenow, Liz Woodside, Mim Tubbs, Sandra Dole, Karen Gebhard and Cathy Smith! There were A LOT of supplies, and I am so grateful for everyone who gave their time!! This morning, Sandra Dole and I will deliver supplies to the Elementary and High School. Shane and Kirsten have already taken everything over to the Junior High, and I will bring their snacks separately.
As we sorted everything, I realized I was short on a few items. Those have already been ordered! As soon as they arrive later this week, I'll deliver them to the appropriate classrooms. If you notice something missing or realize you need something, please tell me.
Tonight is Back to School Night! 🎉
I am SO excited to finally see everything come together tonight! Every student who attends will receive a little care package to help kick off the year. It will include:
Husky Pride bracelet, courtesy of The Hays Family
Water bottle encouragement sticker
Granola bar
Fidget toy
Bottled water, courtesy of Almena Market
Toothbrush, toothpaste and body wash (hopefully!)
Our hygiene supplies are scheduled to arrive, but if the package doesn't make it in time today, I'll bring those items to the school separately. Each classroom can then distribute or use them however you feel would be most helpful for your students.
I hope you all know how highly this community speaks of you. Throughout this fundraiser, I've heard over and over again how fortunate Northern Valley is to have the teachers and staff that we do. People wanted to give because they believe in our students, our school and the people caring for these kids every day. Thank you for letting the Beyond the Match Foundation take the lead on this project!!
Now let's have some fun tonight and get these kids excited for a GREAT school year! 💚🐾
My name is Judy, and I am excited to join Northern Valley School as the new school nurse. I have been a registered nurse for 23 years, caring for patients in the emergency room, obstetrics, surgery, and medical-surgical nursing. Throughout my career, I have enjoyed helping others and providing compassionate care to patients of all ages.
Although I was born in Arizona, Kansas has been home since 1987. My husband and I raised our family here, and our children are proud Northern Valley graduates. We are also blessed to have several grandchildren currently attending Northern Valley. In my free time, I enjoy camping, gardening, and reading. I look forward to getting to know the students, families, and staff, and I’m excited to be a part of the Northern Valley community while helping keep our students healthy, safe, and ready to learn.
🎒 Northern Valley Families: Open Enrollment, Back to School Night & Beyond the Backpack Updates! 💚🐾
As we get ready for another great school year, we have a few important reminders and exciting updates to share!
📚 Open Enrollment Reminder
Don't forget Open Enrollment is tomorrow and Wednesday from 8:00 AM–4:00 PM at the High School! Families will receive an information sheet detailing everything they need to know about our upcoming Beyond the Backpack Back to School Night.
🎉 Beyond the Backpack Back to School Night
📅 Monday, August 10
🕕 6:00–8:00 PM
📍 Almena Community Building
This is a FREE, come-and-go event for all Northern Valley students (PreK–12th grade) and their families! Join us for: FREE snow cones from Verd Ice Cream Truck, back-to-school photo booth, games and activities, Husky gear available for purchase from The Ink Spot, community booths and more!
🍎 Elementary Back to School Night - Meet the Teacher
📅 Friday, August 14
🕟 4:30–6:30 PM
Elementary students and their families are invited to meet their teacher, explore their classroom, and see all of their school supplies already waiting for them! Middle and high school students will receive their school supplies on the first day of school.
💚 Beyond the Backpack Update
When we shared our last update, we mentioned that families would still be responsible for providing pillows and blankets for our youngest students. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, that has changed!
Families will only need to provide:
🎒 Backpack
💧 Water Bottle
Beyond the Backpack will provide:
✅ All required school supplies
✅ Classroom snacks throughout the school year
✅ Pre-K students will receive a pillow and blanket
✅ Kindergarten students will receive a pillow
This project has grown beyond anything we imagined. Because of your generosity, we've not only been able to meet this year's needs, we've also built a strong foundation to continue growing the Beyond the Backpack initiative for years to come.
💚 Thank You to Our Amazing Donors!
We are incredibly grateful to the many families, businesses, and organizations that made this possible. Please help us thank:
• Naphtali Masonic Lodge
• Kansas Health Foundation
• Wesco Feed Transport
• Mid-America Bank
• Sierra Stabenow – Massage by Stabenow
• Nickell Concrete & Construction
• Equity Bank
• Northern Valley Booster Club
• Theraplay Learning Center
• All Creatures Vet Clinic
• Long Island Redi Mix
• The Ink Spot
• The Hut
• Edward Jones – Phillipsburg
• Edward Jones – Norton
• Mindy's Magical Playhouse
• Whitney Construction
• NWKS Cattle Company
• Shirk Dentistry
• All American Glass
• Norton Thrift Store
• MVP Electric & More
• 5 S Land & Cattle
• Madden Family Dentistry
• Almena Market
• A Step Ahead Adoption Services
• First National Bank & Trust
• Verd Ice Cream Truck
...along with the many generous families and individuals who also contributed to this project. Northern Valley isn't just a school, it's a community. Together, we've shown what can happen when neighbors, businesses, and families come together with one purpose: helping every student start the school year prepared, confident, and knowing they have an entire community cheering them on.
Thank you for making the very first Beyond the Backpack initiative such an incredible success. We can't wait to celebrate the start of another amazing school year with our Husky family! 🐾