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Weekly Newsletter

WEEKLY NEWS - WELCOME BACK!

SCHOOL SUPPLIES 2026 - 2027

The 2026-2027 school supply list can be found here or on our website at www.northpolk.org.

NEW STAFF

  • Mrs. Maria Anderson - 6th grade Science & 6th grade Social Studies
  • Ms. Kasey Hurt - Special Education Teacher
  • Mrs. Anna Sindt - Special Education Teacher
  • Mrs. Danelle Williamson - Paraeducator
  • Ms. Shelby Bartleman - Paraeducator
  • Ms. LeeAnne Lavigne  - Paraeducator

SCHOOL REMINDERS

  • First day of school is Monday, August 24th, 2026
  • School Hours: 8:25am – 3:25pm
  • STUDENTS SHOULD NOT ARRIVE BEFORE 8:00am
  • Students should be picked up by 3:35pm 

ABSENCE/DISMISSAL CHANGES

New this year: If your student will be late to school, absent for the day, or leaving school early, please notify the school by emailing msattendance@northpolk.org or calling 515-984-3400, ext. 2200.

Please be sure to contact the school as soon as possible regarding any attendance or dismissal changes.

SMILE! IT’S PICTURE DAY!

School pictures at North Polk Middle School will be held on Thursday, August 27th.

Please visit the following website to order pictures: mylifetouch.com. Order before midnight on picture day to get free shipping. Picture ID: EVTD8QSXW 

6th – 8th GRADE BACK TO SCHOOL AT NPMS – WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19th

On Wednesday, August 19th from 4:00pm - 7:00pm we will be having our Back to School Open House. 

To help reduce hallway congestion and ensure staff availability, we’ve designated times by grade level:

  • 6th Grade: 4:00–5:30 PM
  • 7th & 8th Grade: 5:30–7:00 PM

If those times don’t work for your schedule, you’re welcome to attend anytime during the 4:00–7:00 PM window.

This event is a great opportunity for students to pick up their class schedules, drop off school supplies, and tour the building to locate their classrooms and academic lockers. Teachers will be available in their classrooms throughout the evening and will also be walking the halls to assist families and answer questions. Families can also drop off medications along with required medical forms for our school nurse in the middle school office. We ask that all families enter through the Main Entrance (Door #1) or the SE Activity Doors (#7), then proceed to the cafeteria.

STUDENT SCHEDULES

Schedules will be available on Monday, August 17th.  Please note that schedules may continue to change.  The most up-to-date schedules will be provided at our Back to School Open House. For questions regarding your student’s schedule, please contact Kelly Delagardelle at kelly.delagardelle@northpolk.org or Anne Sloan at anne.sloan@northpolk.org.  

ADD/DROP BAND OR CHOIR

If your student would like to add/drop band and/or chorus for the first trimester, parents or guardians will need to email a school counselor expressing your student’s desire to do so. This email must be received BY FRIDAY, AUGUST 28th at the end of the day. NO changes will be allowed after this date for the first trimester. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Kelly Delagardelle at kelly.delagardelle@northpolk.org or Anne Sloan at anne.sloan@northpolk.org. 

CROSSWALK K-12: STUDENT TRANSPORTATION PORTAL

To view your student’s bus route information for the 2026–2027 school year, please log in to your United GPS account. Beginning this school year, bus route information will no longer be available through the Infinite Campus Portal. Instead, you will access your student’s route information through your United GPS account. For more information about accessing and using the portal, please follow this link. For all transportation questions, please contact our Director of Transportation, Marcy Hanigan at marcy.hanigan@northpolk.org.

Student IDs will be distributed on the first day of school. The Student ID will also serve as your student’s bus transportation badge.

STUDENT DROP OFF REMINDER

If you plan to drop off your student before the start of the academic school day, please follow the designated entrances by grade level:

  • 6th grade: Students should be dropped off in the 6th Grade Wing parking lot 
  • 7th and 8th grade: Students may use one of the following entrances:
    • Main Entrance (Door #1)
    • North Activity Entrance (Door #3)
    • South Activity Entrance (Door #7)

 Important: Students should not be dropped off before 8:00 AM. Click here for a map of the drop-off locations.

ARRIVING LATE/LEAVING EARLY

If your student will be arriving late to school, please have them enter through the Main Entrance (Door #1) located on the north side of the building. These doors remain locked during the school day—students will need to ring the doorbell for access.

Upon entering, students must check in at the office to sign in for the day.

If your student needs to leave early, they must sign out in the office before exiting the building.

7th GRADE PARENT ACTIVITY MEETING – WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19th

On Wednesday, August 19th from 6:00pm - 6:30pm there will be a meeting for 7th grade parents and new to the district families who will have a student participating in middle school activities for the ‘26-’27 school year. This meeting will be held in gym #1. Topics to be discussed will include Bound, eligibility, shuttle bus schedules, chain of communication, cancellation protocols, etc. Attendance is strongly encouraged if this is your first student playing organized sports at North Polk. If you have previously had a student participate in North Polk Middle School activities, and have already attended a meeting like this, attendance is not needed. If you have any questions please contact Ryan Eberly at ryan.eberly@northpolk.org or Becky Clark at becky.clark@northpolk.org

NPMS ACTIVITIES

North Polk partners with BOUND, a full-scale athletic, activities, and facilities management system. All students in grades 7-12 this year who are participating in activities must register through BOUND. 

Click here to register and learn more. Please note: This process does not replace regular school registration.

Important notes: 

  • Returning families do not need to create a new Bound account.
  • New families or those registering a student for the first time must create a family account.

As part of the Bound registration process, families must complete the following for students participating in activities:

  • Code of Conduct 
  • Concussion Acknowledgement
  • Upload a current physical (physicals are valid for 13 months)

Students will not be able to practice/participate until all forms have been completed. 

Practice will begin the first day of school starting at 3:25pm for those 7th/8th grade students that are participating in fall activities. Shuttles will be available leaving Alleman at 5:30pm. The shuttle schedule can be found here. For any questions regarding Bound or Middle School Activities, please contact Ryan Eberly at ryan.eberly@northpolk.org or Becky Clark at becky.clark@northpolk.org. 

8th GRADE PARTICIPATION IN VARSITY ATHLETICS

As was discussed at the July Regular School Board meeting, with the new law that allows for 8th grade student-athletes to participate in high school activities, the linked 8th grade participation in varsity athletics flow chart is what the district is planning on using to guide the process for making individual decisions. Please contact Zach Summers, NP Activities Director, with any questions. 

MS FALL STRENGTH AND SPEED CAMP

The North Polk Athletic Boosters are offering a middle school Strength and Speed class before school during the fall and spring semesters. The cost will be $60 for 8 sessions and will include a t-shirt. Your student will go to one session a week on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday starting the week of September 8th and running through the end of October. Once we have numbers, we will communicate which day your student should come to school.

The camp will include a dynamic warm up, mobility, speed/agility work, low level plyometrics, core development, body weight exercises and learning proper fundamental strength training techniques with weights.

We ask that if your student is taking Athletic Performance with Mr. Bird or Weights with Mr. Larson as exploratories this Fall, please wait until the Spring semesters to sign up for this training.

Time - 7:00-7:55 AM

Location - MS Gym 1 and MS Weight Room

Cost - $60

6th Grade Boys - Tuesday

6th Grade Girls - Wednesday

7th and 8th Grade Boys and Girls - Thursday

NUTRITION DEPARTMENT NEWS

All lunch and breakfast menus can be found on the website. Breakfast will be served at each building every day. Join us for more protein-packed breakfast items. We are rolling out a new breakfast bake at all grade levels. Start the day off with friends and breakfast for a successful day in the classroom.

Meal prices for the upcoming school year:

  • Breakfast
    • Grades TK-5 $2.55; Grades 6-8 $2.60;Grades 9-12 $2.65; Adult $2.65
  • Lunch
    • Grades TK-5 $3.80; Grades 6-8 $3.90; Grades 9-12 $4.00; Adult $5.14
  • Milk: $.60
  • Extra Entree-Breakfast $2.20; Lunch $2.70

Free and reduced forms are available for families on the school website and in individual school buildings. For further information  please contact Anita Miller at anita.miller@northpolk.org.

INFINITE CAMPUS - STRIPE

  • The district has transitioned to a new vendor for Infinite Campus online payments, as our previous payment vendor is being discontinued.
  • As part of this update, Infinite Campus requires all saved payment methods to be cleared and any recurring payments to be ended. This means families who have a saved card or bank account, or recurring payments set up, will need to re-enter that information the next time they make an online payment.
  • This only affects saved payment information. Student records, registrations, fees, and payment history are not impacted. 

SAVE THE DATE - 6th GRADE PARENT NIGHT

On Monday, August 31st from 6:00pm - 7:30pm we will be having an orientation night for all 6th grade parents/guardians. There will be a small presentation by Mr. Richards and Mr. Wolf, time to hear from your student’s teachers, learn about middle school expectations, and much more. Please be watching for more information to come!

TEXTBOOK RENTAL FEES AND CLASS DUES

All 2026-2027 Class Dues and Book Rentals are due at this time.  Payments can be made online through Infinite Campus or dropped off at the middle school office.  

Grades 6-8: $60 Book Rental

Grades 6-8: $5 Class Dues

STUDENTS ILL OR INJURED AT SCHOOL

A student who becomes ill or injured at school must notify a teacher or other staff member and then visit the school nurse as soon as possible. STUDENTS SHOULD NOT CONTACT FAMILIES ON THEIR OWN. In the case of serious illness or injury, the school nurse will attempt to notify the parents/guardians according to the information on Infinite Campus. If the student is too ill or injured to remain in school, the student will be released to a parent/guardian. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in a range of behavior consequences. 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR FAMILIES OF STUDENTS ENTERING 7th GRADE IN THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR

All students entering 7th grade are required to have an updated Tdap vaccine and a meningitis vaccine (or an exemption form on file at school.) If you are unsure about your students' most up to date vaccinations, please reach out to your family doctor. If you do not have health insurance or have a doctor, please call the Polk County Health Dept. at (515) 286-3798. Your child can qualify for the Vaccines for Children Program and can receive the vaccines at little cost.  If you have additional questions, please contact the middle school nurse, Angie McGough, RN BSN at 515-984-3400 ext 2202 or angie.mcgough@northpolk.org.

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

For the latest community events, please visit Community Events & Activities.