Heather Gamboa, Principal
Dear Kindergarten through 5th Grade Families, As we enter the assessment season, we want to share some helpful information and tips to support your child during state and school testing. We believe assessments are one of many tools we use to help understand student growth and guide instruction. (Note-Transitional Kindergarten does not participate in these assessments.)
Why Assessments Matter Assessments such as the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) and Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) provide valuable insights into your child’s academic progress. They help us evaluate both individual achievement and the effectiveness of our instruction. In addition, we will be using this assessment data to reflect on our progress toward meeting our School Improvement Plan goals. This plan outlines key academic focus areas and targets for our school. You can view the full plan on our website under Parents/Students > Academics. Helpful Practices at Home You can play an important role in helping your child feel confident and prepared. Here are a few tips:
● Ensure Plenty of Rest: Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep before testing days.
● Eat a Healthy Breakfast: A nutritious breakfast fuels focus and concentration.
● Be On Time: Arriving on time helps reduce stress and ensures your child is settled before testing begins.
● Stay Positive: Encouragement goes a long way! Remind your child that they’ve been working hard and that tests are just one part of their learning journey.
● Minimize Absences: Try to avoid scheduling appointments or time away during testing windows.
● Talk About the Test: Ask your child how they felt about the test afterward. Let them share and decompress.
Assessment Schedule
📌 MAP Testing Schedule May 20-Grades K-2 Reading May 21-Grades 3-5 Reading May 28-Grades K-2 Math May 29-Grades 3-5 Math May 30 and June 2-Makeups
📌 SBA Testing Schedule May 6 and 7-Grades 3-5 English Language Arts May 8 and 9-Makeups May 13 and 14-Grades 3-5 Math May 15-Grade 5 Science May 16-Makeups
Please keep these dates in mind as you plan your family’s schedule. We appreciate your support in ensuring your child is set up for success. If you have any questions about the assessments or your child’s progress, feel free to contact your student’s teacher. Thank you for your continued partnership in your child’s education! Nine Mile Falls Elementary Staff
about 13 hours ago, NMFE
Congratulations to our two April Solvencia Award winners! Reece from Lakeside High School and Evelyn from Lake Spokane Elementary.
5 days ago, Jeff Baerwald
Reminder - Skate Night - brought to you by our amazing PTG
Tonight, Wednesday April 23rd from 6 pm-8 pm joined with Lake Spokane Elementary.
See you all there!!
5 days ago, NMFE
Don't forget to visit the LINC Mobile Library!
Be sure to go check it out - they have some great free materials for students and families.
11 days ago, NMFE
This is a reminder to all of our families that the Nine Mile Falls School Board will be hosting a public forum on Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 6pm in the Lakeside High School Library. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss, listen, and have an open dialogue around policy and procedure 3211 - Gender Inclusive Schools. The following zoom link is available for those unable to attend in person.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8947637729712 days ago, Jeff Baerwald
Reminder - 5th Graders Field Trip to LMS this Friday April 18th 1-2:15 for an assembly.
If you haven't please turn in your permission slip ASAP!
-Nine Mile Falls Elementary
12 days ago, NMFE
Nine Mile Falls School District families - In the April newsletter, we asked our families to respond to a one question survey about our late start days. As of today, April 15th, we have only had 43 responses. We would love your quick feedback on this one question survey. To access the survey, please click the following link:
https://forms.gle/woan8Bg1B6iyY5mU7 - THANK YOU!
13 days ago, Jeff Baerwald
Nine Mile Families - This is just a reminder that beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, April 1, 2025 through Friday, April 4, 2025 all of our Nine Mile Falls Schools will be operating early release half days to allow for parent/student/teacher conferences. Lunch will not be served during these early release half days. Our ECEAP program will not be in session this entire week. Lastly, Thursday, April 3, 2025 will not be a late start day and buses and school start times will be based on our normal Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday schedule. If you need further information about this week's schedule for your student, please do not hesitate to reach out to our schools. Thank you!
29 days ago, Jeff Baerwald
Reminder - Yearbook Forms Due!
The deadline for yearbook forms has been pushed back a few weeks and are now due April 14th.
5th Grade baby pictures are due April 1st - no joke! Please submit your child's baby pictures to the
nmfe.ptg@gmail.com
If you have any questions please reach out to the office or the PTG.
Thank you!
Nine Mile Falls Elementary
about 1 month ago, NMFE
FirstView 1.0 - This is an important message to all of our Nine Mile Families that currently use the FirstView app. Beginning on Monday, March 31, 2025 the FirstView app will go dark and the new FirstView 1.0 app will replace the old app. Please find the attached step by step guide to help you install and navigate the new app. Please note that the district code has changed - you will see that on page 2 of the step by step directions. If you have any questions or need additional support please feel free to reach out to First Student Nine Mile at 509-388-0508.
about 1 month ago, Jeff Baerwald
Good afternoon, Nine Mile Families,
Parent-teacher conferences are coming up from April 1st to April 4th. If you haven’t signed up yet, please visit
https://www.ptcfast.com/parentaccess.php.
During conference week, we will also be participating in a school-wide Spirit Week! Each day will feature a fun theme for the kids to dress up as. Let's show our Laker school spirit, we can't wait to see everybody dressed up.
Nine Mile Elementary
about 1 month ago, NMFE
Nine Mile Families - Do you need child care support during the summer months? Champions, our before and after school child care provider, is offering a summer Champ Camp for students ages 5 to 12 year old. The Champ Camp will be located at Lake Spokane Elementary School and will begin on June 16, 2025 and run through August 22, 2025. If you are interested in enrolling your child in the Champ Camp, please take a look at the attached fliers for more information.
about 1 month ago, Jeff Baerwald
Here is our new schedule for the 25-26 school year so you can start planning your trips around this schedule.
about 1 month ago, NMFE
This Thursday, March 20th, middle school registration will be going home. Mrs. Johnson, the middle school counselor, will be at Nine Mile Falls Elementary this Thursday to go over classes, the registration process, and to answer any questions our 5th graders might have. Your student will bring home their registration sheets and you can go over them together and register.
about 1 month ago, NMFE
5th Graders will have a busy end to the year! Please see the activities to help make this transition from elementary to middle school a little easier! Some of these are field trips. Permission slips will come home during conferences.
about 2 months ago, Aleesha Judd
What a busy weekend! We had two, 5th grade Nine Mile Falls Elementary Teams got to the regional Destination Imagination competition in Richland.
The Frantic Ferrets won first place in the area they competed. Way to go Frantic Ferrets!
The second team, the Komet Kameleons, took sixth place in the area they competed!
Both teams advance to the state competition. Congratulations to all of these students and a HUGE thank you to our amazing families and Aimee Spence! Way to go Lakers!
about 2 months ago, Heather Gamboa
Nine Mile Families
This morning, at approximately 10:30 a.m., the District Office was notified that a water line for the fire suppression system at Lake Spokane Elementary had burst.
In response, students and staff were promptly evacuated from the building, and our emergency plans were activated to ensure their safety. With the water needing to be shut off, we quickly coordinated transportation to relocate all Lake Spokane Elementary students to Lakeside High School. Thanks to the swift response of First Student Transportation, buses arrived promptly, and all students and staff traveled safely to Lakeside High School, where they were served lunch and remained together until either being picked up by a parent or taking their regularly scheduled bus home.
Belfor Emergency Response arrived at Lake Spokane Elementary to assess the damage, and I am pleased to share that classes will resume as scheduled at Lake Spokane Elementary on Monday, March 10th.
I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the incredible staff at Lake Spokane Elementary, our dedicated bus drivers from First Student, our hardworking Food Services team, and the staff at Lakeside High School. Your quick thinking, teamwork, and unwavering commitment to our students turned what could have been a difficult situation into a smooth and successful day.
Thank you for your ongoing support of Nine Mile Falls School District.
about 2 months ago, Jeff Baerwald
12:20
All LSE students are either being held in the gymnasium or the cafeteria at LHS. Parents may check in at the Main Foyer and sign their student(s) out. Once the parents arrive, LSE will have a staff member get your student from one of these locations.
Update 11:54 pm
All Lake Spokane Elementary Students and Staff have been moved to Lakeside High School and are in the process of having lunch. Parents are welcome to pick up their students from the LHS Gymnasium. Because this was an emergency, students will not have their backpacks, and some may not have had their coats. All students will remain indoors with their teachers until they are either picked up or bussed home at the regular time at the end of the school day.
Nine Mile Falls School District Families,
At approximately 10:30 am this morning a sprinkler line burst at Lake Spokane Elementary and students are now in the process of being evacuated from the building to Lakeside High School. The transportation department was called and buses are moving Lake Spokane Elementary students and staff to Lakeside High School where they will be fed lunch and held.
Please do not come to Lake Spokane to pick up your student, as we are in the process of evacuating. Once the students have been moved you will be able to pick up your student from Lakeside High School. All students will remain with their teachers in the LHS gymnasium.
This message will continue to be updated as we know more information.
about 2 months ago, Nine Mile Falls School District Office
Hello Laker Families,
Fun Fact: Our PTG contributes over $2,000 a year toward student supplies, along with many other great contributions to our school community!
We encourage you to consider attending the next PTG meeting on March 31st at 330 pm. Your involvement makes a big difference!
about 2 months ago, Heather Gamboa
Good Afternoon Nine Mile Families!
A reminder that Art Night is just a few days away! We are still in need of volunteers to make this event a success.
We could also still use some donations to help with the event. You can donate here or at ninemilelakers.com
Hope to see you all there to support our kids and their incredible artwork, enjoy music and take part in our silent auction with some great prizes!
2 months ago, NMFE
