Northwoods News
A Message from Principal Nixon--September 9, 2024
Northwoods Families,
I hope you had a wonderful weekend! It's hard to believe that we are already entering week 3 of the 2024-25 school year. The last two weeks have been wonderful, and we are looking forward to a great year ahead. As always, please take a few minutes to read through the information and updates below.
Upcoming Events:
- Tuesday, September 10th--Beginning of Grade Assessment (3rd Grade Students Only)
- Sunday, September 15th--Hispanic Heritage Month Begins
- Thursday, September 19th--Curriculum Night
- Friday, September 20th--Teacher Workday (No School)
- Wednesday, September 25th--Picture Day
- Friday, September 27th--Q1 Interims Go Home
- Saturday, September 28th--School Picnic
π Celebrations π
Greenway Ramp Project:
I'm thrilled to announce that the Town of Cary is funding a major overhaul of the stairway connector between our school campus and the greenway along Boundary Street. The scope of the project includes building a handicap accessible ramp from the greenway to the end of our walker path (near the bicycle racks), removal of the existing stairway, construction of a new, wider stairway, and erosion stabilization measures. Construction is expected to begin towards the end of October!
I would like to thank all our parent advocates for their help in keeping this project alive. Though it has taken a decade of negotiations with the school district and the Town of Cary to make it happen, I'm positive that the end result will be worth it!
General School Information
Curriculum Night:
Save the Date! Curriculum Night is September 19th from 5:30 - 7:00 PM. We will also have a PTA General Meeting from 6:00 - 6:30 in the cafeteria. During this meeting, our PTA leaders will work to approve the 2024-25 budget, spending/fundraising priorities, and ways that you can help! Please join us! Your voice matters!
Required Immunizations & Health Assessment:
State law requires that every child entering public schools in N.C. submit a Health Assessment and a record of their completed immunizations. If the school hasn't received these documents by the 30th calendar day from the first day of a child's attendance, the principal is required by law to exclude the child from school on the 31st day until such evidence has been presented by the parent or guardian.
Immunizations and health assessments for all Kindergarten students and students who are new to North Carolina must be submitted no later than Friday, September 27, 2024. If you have not already submitted those documents, please do so immediately. Documents should be submitted to our Data Manager, Crystal Hartzell at chartzell@wcpss.net or by fax at (919) 704-2270.
Parent Visitors at Lunch/Outside Food:
Beginning Monday, September 30th, parents may begin eating lunch with their child at school. All visitors will be required to show a photo ID and must sign-in at the office to obtain a visitor badge before proceeding to the cafeteria. Additionally, as a friendly reminder, outside food from local restaurants is not permitted during parent visits.
Though eating lunch with your child is a special treat, we kindly ask that you limit your visits to no more than 1-2 times per month. Additionally, when eating lunch with your child, we ask that you uphold the processes and structures we have put in place to promote student independence. When eating lunch with your child, please refrain from:
- Spoon-feeding your child
- Cleaning up your child's lunch waste
- Providing assistance or redirection to other students.
AIG Information:
Families with children in grades 3rd-5th, please take a moment to visit the AIG website.
- 3rd Grade will be screened for potential enrichment services this year using the CogAT and IOWA assessments. There is a 5-minute presentation explaining the process on the website.
- 4th-5th graders who are not already AIG identified may be nominated anytime during the school year for review by completing a nomination form on the website. Specific details about the process for 4th-5th can also be found there.
Are you a military-connected family?
In an effort to ensure that the unique needs of military-connected students are met, state law requires that schools collect information on military-connected students. The goal is to help accommodate these students by providing them with support and consistency when their parents are deployed, when they are transitioning between schools, and at other pivotal times during their academic career.
If you are a military-connected family, please:
- Download the attached fillable form.
- Complete one form for each of your children.
- Return to the school data manager who emailed this form to you.
- The deadline is Nov. 11. You may also print and return a hard copy of the form to your childβs school if you prefer.
(Form Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S26f4zx0W4Oac_1NhIfMnOd1-LuaBfvy/view)
NES Parent/Student Handbook:
Our parent/student handbook (linked below) contains a list of our school-based policies and procedures. Please take several minutes to thoroughly read through the handbook to ensure that you are knowledgeable about our established policies.
Volunteer Opportunities
Partner's Read:
We are in need of volunteers for our Partner's Read program. Please see the attached flyer for details. If interested, please contact Lorrie Sardiello at lsardiello@wcpss.net.
PTA Information
Northwoods Spirit Wear:
The Northwoods Spirit Wear store opens today, and will remain open until September 23rd. Click the button below to view and order items. Shipping to the school is free! This is the only time this fall that the spirit wear store will be available, so don't miss your chance to order!
Recess in the Garden:
Get ready for Recess in the Garden! Volunteers are sought to support the volunteer leaders for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade recesses. Volunteers will assist the children in gardening activities like weeding, watering, planting and harvesting. Check in at the front desk before heading to the garden. Opportunity exists for K, 1, and 5th grades as well. Reach out to Carol Clark, Garden Coordinator at 830-708-7817 if you are interested in these grade levels.
Wednesdays 2nd and 3rd grades 12:15-1:45
Recess in the Garden Volunteers: Wednesday : 2nd-3rd Recess in the Garden (signupgenius.com)
Fridays 4th grade 1:30-2:15
Recess in the Garden Volunteers: 4th Grade Recess in the Garden (signupgenius.com)
Join the PTA!
Interested in joining the PTA? Please our memberhub site:
Mel's Garden
There are lots of opportunities to help with our garden. For more information, please visit:
Volunteer with the PTA!
Interested in volunteering with the PTA! We'd love to have your help! To learn more about opportunities or to get started, Contact the PTA VP of Volunteers, at NorthwoodsMembership@gmail.com.