Knight News
Parent Edition
2024 - 2025
Embedded Files
Week of May 18
Week of May 18
Key Dates
Key Dates
May 16: Spring Salsa Dance
May 17: Family Game Night
May 23: No School - All Staff PD Day
May 30: Final Rally
June 5: End of Year Trips
June 6: Last Day of School
June 6: 8th Grade Brunch at 8:15 a.m.
June 6: 8th Grade Promotion at 3:00 p.m.
Weekly Updates
Weekly Updates
LEAP Corner - Parents Take Action to Support Our Students
LEAP Corner - Parents Take Action to Support Our Students
LEAP Corner
LEAP Corner
8th Grade Washington DC Trip → Interest Form for 2026
8th Grade Washington DC Trip → Interest Form for 2026
Interested in learning more about the Washington, D.C. trip?
Karen Esparza, a longtime NCS parent and active LEAP member, is gathering interest for next year’s trip.7th grade parents:
If you are interested in having your student attend—or if you’re considering chaperoning the 2026 trip—please complete the form below:
Message From Counseling
Message From Counseling
Dear Leading Edge Parents,
I hope you're doing well! My name is Mr. Tony, and I’m the school counselor at Leading Edge Middle School. I’m excited to end another year with our amazing students and support them in their academic, emotional, and social growth.
As the school counselor, I help students with the challenges that come with middle school. My job is to provide support in the following areas:
1. Academic Support:
I help students develop good study habits, manage their time, and cope with school-related stress. I also work with teachers to keep track of students’ progress and address any concerns.
2. Emotional Support:
Middle school can be tough emotionally, and I’m here to help students who may be dealing with stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, or personal issues. My goal is to help them build resilience and learn healthy ways to manage their feelings.
3. Social Support:
I help students with social relationships, like resolving conflicts, improving communication skills, and building positive friendships. I also focus on helping them develop self-awareness and empathy, which are important for good social skills.
Confidentiality and What I Can (and Can't) Share
It's important to know that when students talk to me, I keep their information private. I follow strict rules to protect their confidentiality. However, there are some things I cannot share with families:
I cannot share details about other students. Like all school employees, I am not allowed to talk about other students or their situations, even if it relates to your child. This is to protect everyone’s privacy.
I cannot share everything a student says in a session. If a student shares something that makes me worry about their safety or the safety of others, I have to talk to parents, teachers, or other professionals to make sure they get the help they need. But if a student is simply talking about schoolwork, social situations, or personal feelings, that information stays between us, unless they want to share it.
What I can share with families:
Updates about your child's progress in school and how they're managing academics.
Information about how your child is doing emotionally or socially, especially if it's affecting their overall well-being or success at school.
Resources and advice for supporting your child at home, if needed.
What I Do Not Do:
While I’m here to support students, there are a few things that I don’t do:
I am not a therapist. If a student needs long-term therapy, I can connect families with outside resources, but I do not provide therapy myself.
I do not discipline students. I do help students with behavior issues by guiding them, but I am not responsible for giving out punishments or enforcing consequences.
I do not provide tutoring. While I can offer academic strategies and connect students with resources, I am not a tutor and cannot teach academic subjects.
Please know that I am here for both students and families. If you ever have concerns about your child’s well-being or progress, feel free to reach out. I look forward to another great year of helping our students succeed inside and outside the classroom!
Best regards,
Mr. Tony
School Counselor
Leading Edge Middle School
Help with the Dance
Help with the Dance
End of Year Dance → Donations
End of Year Dance → Donations
Date: May 16
8th Grade Information, Events, and Announcements
8th Grade Information, Events, and Announcements
8th Grade Events→ Key Times and Dates
8th Grade Events→ Key Times and Dates
Overview: This is a special time of year for our 8th graders. As they finish their last month at Leading Egde, we want to ensure that they are celebrated for their accomplishments and encouraged to extend their Leading Edge fodnatuon into high school.
All Families - Complete the acknowledgment forms!
Requirements for End of the Year Events -
Students who are currently on Academic Hold or in danger of ending the term in poor academic standing may not be eligible to participate in some of the end-of-year events. If your student is in this situation, Dr. Lokteff will be meeting with them this week and sending home an 8th Grade End-of-Year Contract. This contract acknowledges that maintaining adequate grades and completing the 8th Grade Portfolio are required to participate in:
End-of-Year Trips
Brunch
Promotion Ceremony
NCS ALL Updates
NCS ALL Updates
Special Education Family Connection Opportunity
Special Education Family Connection Opportunity
Families of students with exceptional needs are invited to attend SCOE SELPA’s Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meetings—a great way to learn, connect, and share resources with other families, educators, and agencies. All are welcome to join! Meetings are virtual and run from 10:00 am –12:00 pm and include training, discussion, and helpful updates. No registration needed—for more information, please email dmorris@scoe.net.
Dangerous Social Media Challenge
Dangerous Social Media Challenge
This week there have been reports of a very dangerous TikTok challenge encouraging students to insert conductive material, such as a paper clip or pencil lead, into the charging ports on Chromebook and iPads. Doing this can result in puncturing the lithium ion battery which will potentially release dangerous fumes and ignite a fire. This is both extremely dangerous and an abuse of school resources. Attempting to short circuit or ignite a school device would be considered arson and students will face suspension and/or expulsion from Natomas Charter School. Families will also be financially responsible for any damage and replacing the device. While we have no reports of our students engaging in this type of behavior, we are asking families to take a moment and speak to their children about the importance of safely using and taking care of all school devices.
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