THE BEST

February 9 - All Pro Dad

February 19 - Presidents' Day (No School)

February 20 - Professional Development Day (Students Off)

February 20 - FCS Board Meeting

February 29 - Hardship Transfer Deadline

March 11 - Teacher Work Day (Students Off)

March 12 - Professional Development Day (Students Off)

March 21 - FCS Board Meeting

Today was a wonderful day at Northwood! We got to start the day by seeing so many of our youngest Explorers come to school to celebrate the 100th Day of School! They came with t-shirts, posters, and some even aged overnight coming with grey hair, reading glasses, cardigans, and suspenders. As an added bonus, the fifth graders had the opportunity to read with their kindergarten buddies, too.

We also were able to announce our three Teacher of the Year finalists on Explorervision this morning. Congratulations to first grade teacher, Katie Piper, IRR teacher Anne Kiely, and 4th grade teacher, Meaghan Clymore! The final winner will be announced in the coming weeks.

Enjoy the weekend ~ find time to read : )

With gratitude,

Heather Rucker

Fourth grade students are learning about light and sound! Within this unit, students have participated in many active experiments. They explored reflection and refraction using materials such as flashlights, mirrors, tin foil, and prisms. Students also tested the difference between pitch and volume by using boomwhackers! This hands-on science unit is super fun and informative!

5th Grade Field Trip - Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Thanks to funding from FCS the fifth-grade students were invited to attend a performance by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center. 'Herstory' is a concert celebrating female composers and female historical figures who paved the way. From voting rights to civil rights to science discovery, audiences explore the stories of key female figures such as Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Jane Goodall, and Mae Carol Jemison. The concert integrated social studies standards and music standards and took us on an interactive and musical journey through time.

Every year, Northwood students participate in a collaborative art piece that celebrates African Americans. The artwork is displayed in the Roswell City Hall Rotunda during Black History Month. This year, 2nd - 5th grade students learned about Ruby Bridges and created a portrait based on her iconic photo and quote, "Don't follow the path. Go where there is no path and start a trail." Please see the flyer below in the Cluster Program News section for more details.

Fulton County Schools has replaced the Raptor system with CheckMate to make the visitor check in and out process easier and more efficient. CheckMate is the same system that we are currently using for students. Visitors will use the kiosk to the left with the large monitor; and student check in and out will remain on the laptop to the right.

All visitors will simply need to scan their driver's license and the system will print a visitor sticker to be worn at all times inside the building. When leaving, please make sure to scan the sticker to officially check out.

Volunteers

All Volunteers will need to re-register here. - even if you registered at the beginning of the school year. Volunteers will not have to register again until May 31, 2026.

Dear Parents or Guardians,

As we approach Valentine’s Day, it is important to ensure that all homemade candy, desserts, baked goods, or other edible items are not to be sold or distributed during school hours, and that appropriate store-bought items are delivered to the administration. Please know that taking this measure will help us maintain a safe environment for all students with allergies, etc. You can help us protect your student(s) by requesting that they not eat anything given to them by another person, anything that they have not brought from your home or anything not in its original sealed package.Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping all of our students safe at school!

PARTICIPATE REMOTE LEARNING DAY REQUEST

Participate Remote Learning Day Request

Students may request up to 5 remote learning days per semester and receive attendance credit for being present through remote participation. To receive participated remote credit, students must follow the participated remote directions outlined below.

• Notification of PR Day must be made prior to the start of the instructional day to teacher(s). Students should make all requests for remote learning days one school day prior to the requested date when possible.
• Remote learning days cannot be requested on summative evaluation days.
• All work must be submitted within 2 days of the return from the remote learning days.
• The absence will be marked Unexcused in IC until this form is completed and turned in to the Assistant Principal. Once the teacher has signed that the assignment is complete and hands this form into the office, the absence will change to PR (Participate Remote).

PRE-APPROVED ABSENCE FORM

Pre-Approved Absence Request Form

Students may request Pre-Approved Absences for family events and special family circumstances. Consideration for Pre-Approved Absences will be based on the following criteria.

• Pre-Approved Absence Request Form is received 5 days prior to planned absence.
• Attendance review indicates student is not at-risk of chronic absenteeism. Please note that students with 17 or more absences per year fall within the chronic absenteeism attendance band. Even though they are pre-approved, these absences count towards the 17.
• Academic review of classes shows student is on-track with work completion.

Please visit the Northwood ES website here for more details about the forms.

Hardship Transfer applications are available beginning January 1, for parents who wish to apply for a 2024-2025 hardship transfer or to renew a current hardship to another Fulton elementary, middle or high school. Parents will use an online form to enter and submit their information. Get more info and access the application here.

Parents, please encourage your students to check regularly for lost items in the Lost and Found. Please mark all student belongings clearly with the child’s name so that it can be identified. Unclaimed items are donated to local charities after the last school day of every month. January’s date is Wednesday, January 31st.

Your child will be recognized at school on his/her birthday, with an announcement on Explorervision and a special birthday pencil. Please do not send cake, cupcakes, balloons, party favors, or party invitations to school as these will not be distributed. If you would like to celebrate your child’s birthday at school you may purchase ice cream from our cafeteria for your child’s class.

• Please email your Explorer’s teacher to find out how many students are in their class.
• Email our Cafeteria Manger, Bethany Lopez, at Lopezb3@fultonschools.org to place your order at least TWO FULL WEEKS IN ADVANCE of your Explorer’s birthday.
• Ice cream is still $1 each for birthdays. The simplest way to handle the cost is to have money on your Explorers account via the MyPaymentsPlus app.

For the entire month of January, juicy, farm fresh tomatoes served at lunch are part of Fulton County’s School Nutrition Harvest of the Month Program. These locally grown tomatoes are heading straight from a family farm to your plate. Because it’s grown closer to home it helps support our local farmers and takes less fuel to get it to our café. Not only are these locally grown tomatoes good for the environment, but also, tomatoes are great for your body, being an excellent source of vitamin A! Did you know: Georgia is a top product of fresh market tomatoes?! Botanically, the tomato is a fruit, but in cooking it is considered a vegetable. Try the freshly harvested tomatoes in your signature side salads this January!

Deadline to pre-order: April 15th

Cost: $43

Order here: https://www.balfour.com/georgia/roswell/northwood-elementary-school

Have a 5th Grader? You can also purchase a 5th grade Yearbook Dedication Ad by January 20th. The Ad must be designed/submitted on your Balfour account by February 1st. Only one dedication per 5th grader!

Questions? Email Yearbook@NorthwoodPTA.com

The Infinite Campus Parent Portal provides quick and easy access to information for all enrolled students in their household. Find grades, attendance, assignments, schedules, ID numbers, school announcements and more. If you haven't already joined, please do so today as Fulton County Schools is transitioning to managing everything via the portal.

For more information, access the Parent Portal Booklet for Infinite Campus here.

Heather Q. Rucker, Principal

Michelle Levine, Assistant Principal

Together We SHINE!

Email: NorthwoodAttendance@fultonschools.org
Website: https://www.fultonschools.org/northwoodes
Location: 10200 Wooten Road, Roswell, GA, USA
Phone: 470-254-6390
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorthwoodElementaryPTA/
Twitter: @FCS_NWES