Have a child who will be 4 years old by Sept. 1, 2018? Make plans to enroll him or her in pre-kindergarten to get a head start on being in a school environment and learning.

Two forms of pre-K are available at Northwest ISD, a state-assisted program and a tuition-based program. Families must meet specific requirements for enrollment in the free, state-funded program (such as economic or military requirements), while the district will use a lottery system to select children for inclusion in the tuition-based program. Both are half-day programs (7:40 to 11:20 a.m. or 11:20 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

The tuition-based program is paid in 10 monthly installments of $377.80 from August 2018 to May 2019.  Additional information about pre-K at Northwest ISD elementary schools will be available soon, with the district currently planning to open its lottery registration system on Feb. 1. 

For more information about both state-funded and tuition-based pre-K at Northwest ISD, click here. Expect additional information in the coming weeks.

As stated in yesterday's email to Northwest ISD families and staff, S.H. 114 below the F.M. 156 bridge will be closed from 8 p.m. Friday through morning rush-hour traffic Monday.

The Texas Department of Transportation informed the school district of the closure and also wanted to let families and staff know that F.M. 156 will remain open during this construction period.

S.H. 114's closure should have minimal changes to school traffic, as it begins after schools are out and ends on a district holiday. Some after-school events, such as any after-school practices and games at Northwest High School, may be affected by the closure, however.

Devon Energy presented Northwest ISD's Outdoor Learning Center with a $15,000 grant on Thursday, Jan. 11, which the facility plans to use to expand earth science offerings, particularly to early childhood students.

Amy Hollenshead, coordinator of the facility, applied for the grant with the intention of encouraging students and teachers to "get their hands dirty" to experience science firsthand, complementing book-based learning. It will fund the creation of a "soils play lab," where young students can explore and build using earth soils to develop scientific process skills.

Thanks to the grant, the OLC will allow more than 1,500 Northwest ISD kindergartners explore nature "through the lens of scientific inquiry," Ms. Hollenshead wrote. In all, about 3,400 to 4,450 young students are expected to use the new lab annually.

It's unfortunately flu season across the U.S., and North Texas is no exception. While it's important to stay on guard for the flu, it's also important to remember a cold and the flu are two different illnesses.

The flu is characterized by a high fever and often includes a headache and severe cough. Conversely, a cold is characterized by a low fever (or no fever at all), only sometimes includes a headache and the cough is usually a mild, hacking form. Other differences are that the flu includes severe aches and pains and comes with a fatigued state that can last several weeks, whereas a cold comes with slight aches and pains and mild fatigue.

If your child has a fever of 101 degrees or higher for more than 24 hours, please take him or her to your physician. Regardless of whether a child has a cold or the flu, please remember to practice proper hygiene habits, including washing hands and keeping them away from the eyes, nose and mouth area.

For more information about flu symptoms, click here.

Northwest ISD's community folder, located at www.nisdtx.org/communityfolder, provides district families with information about events and services in the area that are hosted by third parties (and not Northwest ISD). To view approved flyers of community events and services, click here.

These events include camps, sporting offerings, local business services and more. Simply click the "Approved Flyers" link (click the "+" icon on smartphones and mobile devices) to view all the current or upcoming events and services. Local organizations and businesses can also provide information on this website to offer their flyers for distribution in the community folder.