Believe it or not, it is already time to start planning our schedule for next school year! While our daily routine has remained consistent for several years, recent updates to state and district instructional time standards require us to adjust how we track and deliver instructional minutes.
What This Means for Our Days
One key focus area will be our “Final 30” window. When originally designed, Final 30 was created as a flexible support block. However, new state and district reporting rules now require strict, period-by-period attendance tracking for any time counted toward official instructional hours. We are currently exploring all available options to preserve the valuable academic support provided during Final 30 while ensuring full alignment with these new guidelines.
Preserving What Works—Together
Our current schedule has played a big role in our community’s success, and as we look ahead, our primary goal is to protect and build upon those strong foundation points.
As we explore structural options—including the balance between block and stripe days and new models for Final 30—we want to partner with our students and families. Your perspectives are essential to this process.
We Want to Hear From You
Please take a few moments to complete our brief feedback form to share your thoughts on daily scheduling options and Final 30 structures.
27- 28 Bell Schedule Feedback Form
Thank you for your partnership as we work together to support our school community!
Calarri Cox
Assistant Principal, Instruction, English, World Language, Counseling and Scheduling
For the past two months, our cast and crew have worked tirelessly to bring Mary Shelley’s I Am Frankenstein to life. From constructing sets and designing costumes from the floor up to memorizing lines and building characters, every detail has been carefully cultivated. Bringing a raw story of love, loss, and heartbreak to the stage takes incredible collaboration, and by tech week, that excited, nervous energy brought us all together.
At the same time, our campus is busy with construction on Northfield’s new voter-approved auditorium and health clinic. While traffic and parking shifts take extra patience, these temporary growing pains are happening for a great reason. Our theater program has earned state-level recognition with Bobby G Award nominations and wins, and our talented students deserve a facility to match.
While the Class of 2027 won’t perform in the new building as high schoolers, we won’t miss out entirely—graduating seniors will be invited back as honored alumni to perform on that long-awaited stage once the doors open!
In the meantime, we have poured so much into making this an extraordinary show on our current stage, and we can’t wait to share it with you!
Brielle Pinther
Senior
CBS Colorado was on campus earlier this week filming two special feature packages highlighting our incredible school community. You can watch one of the stories which highlights what makes Northfield the #1 High School in Colorado.
How to watch with your family:
Let’s show the entire Denver metro area the strength of our community, even on a school holiday! Share this with friends and family, and tune in to support Coach Startzer and our athletes!
Congratulations to members of our Northfield High School Bowling Team for taking 1st Place and bringing home blue ribbons at Thursday’s Special Olympics Tournament! Our Nighthawk athletes showcased outstanding focus, skill, and sportsmanship on the lanes.
In addition to participating in Special Olympics events throughout the year, Northfield also fields an official CHSAA-sanctioned Unified Bowling team with many of the same athletes. Up next, the Unified Bowling Team is gearing up for postseason play with Regionals on Nov. 11. The top 3 teams from each region will advance to the state competition on Nov. 20th.
Way to represent Northfield—go Nighthawks!
At Northfield, our mission is to empower students through a challenging program, inspiring them to become principled citizens of the world. Under the International Baccalaureate (IB) framework, our community is guided by the IB Learner Profile—traits designed to foster empathy, collaboration, and global-mindedness.
These six staff members were nominated by colleagues and families because of their active commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of others, putting our mission into practice every day through their direct support of our students and school community.
Our MI-A students took their learning into the halls yesterday for a special trick-or-treating activity! Designed to practice everyday social language and community engagement skills, the event was a sweet success thanks to the incredible turnout from our teachers and staff.
Our students experienced firsthand the power of a supportive, inclusive community and they all went home with overflowing bags of candy and the biggest smiles!
So many staff members and teachers participated, we almost didn’t get to everyone!
Sidney Olejniczak, MI-A teacher and Special Education Team Specialist said, “So proud of our community and the support and inclusion they provide for my students!”
School photo retakes for Northfield High School are on Monday, November 2, 2026. Don’t miss out on ordering your photos!
For questions, contact MJ Thomas Photography at 970-241-2467 or visit mjthomasphoto.com.
Do you have an incoming 9th grader joining us next fall, or know a prospective family considering our school? Join us for our Prospective Student & Family Information Night on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
Attendees will have the opportunity to take student-led campus tours and visit academic classrooms. Special presentation sessions will cover key programs including IB Academic Programming, Athletics, Student Travel, Clubs & Activities, Mental Health & Counseling, and Exceptional Student Services.
Please share this event with neighbors, friends, and families exploring high school options for the upcoming school year!
As required by the state, free vision, hearing, and dental screenings will be conducted for all 9th-grade students during student advisement classes during the week of November 16. These screenings help identify issues early so students can thrive in the classroom.
Daylight Saving Time officially ends at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, so clocks ‘fall back’ an hour.
While smartphones, tablets, and computers will update automatically, don’t forget to set your manual clocks back one hour before you go to sleep on Saturday night or when you wake up Sunday morning.
The “Always Forgotten Clocks” Checklist:
Enjoy that extra 60 minutes of rest this weekend, and we’ll see everyone bright, rested, and right on time for school on Monday morning!
ECMC College Night – RSVP by Nov. 2
Translation services available; please indicate support needed on the response forms for each event.
Friendly Reminder for our Seniors:
We are excited to launch the 2026–27 Winter Sports Season! We can’t wait to see our student-athletes, coaches, and school community back in action.
NOTE: Northfield does not have Ice Hockey or Skiing which we inadvertently included in last week’s information.
Open Gym Dates & Times
For questions regarding winter sports programs, please contact coaches directly via email:
Below are the official CHSAA start dates and the required registration steps to get your athlete cleared to play.
Students will not be permitted to participate in tryouts, practices, or team activities until all steps below are fully completed and approved. Please complete these early!
Thank you for your support, and go Nighthawks! We strongly encourage families to complete these steps early to avoid delays on day one!
Below are the official CHSAA start dates and the required registration steps to get your athlete cleared to play.
The Northfield Foundation invites you to join our annual Thanksgiving Staff Appreciation tradition! Help us give back to our wonderful teachers and staff by donating a festive holiday beverage (or contributing funds so we can purchase one) for them to enjoy with their families over the holiday break.
How to Help
-Sign up or donate through the Northfield Foundation Thanksgiving Beverage Sign-Up Form
-Or make a financial contribution via Venmo to Wen-Whitaker (last digits of phone number are 9632), with NHS Thanksgiving in the memo line. Please donate money by Tuesday, Nov 17th.
Thank you for making this much-loved annual tradition a success!
Note: This event is hosted by our partners at The Northfield Foundation.
Next week is the last week to donate non-perishable goods or gift cards to the Turkey Drive. Send items with your students and ask them to drop off your donation at the Building 2 Lobby during school hours.
Families and community members in Far Northeast Denver are invited to connect directly with Denver Public Schools leadership at an upcoming regional session hosted by Board Vice President Monica Hunter.
These community sessions provide a valuable forum to discuss local school updates, ask questions about district initiatives, share feedback regarding student success, and learn more about priorities for our region.
Whether you want to learn more about district-wide planning or share your perspective on local educational needs, attendance is a great way to stay engaged in our community’s future.
RSVP for the District 4 Session
The Owl Club of Denver is seeking nominations of outstanding African American young women graduating in 2027 or 2028 for its 76th Debutante Cotillion.
Contact: Reach out to Ronald Washington at 303-525-6115 or owldebutante@gmail.com with any questions.
Operation Homefront’s 19th Annual Military Child of the Year® Awards are now open for nominations through December 1st. Anyone can nominate (teachers, friends, or siblings).
