NORWOOD NEWS

Our community is a community of superstars! Here are some updates as we work to bring out the best in our students and help them all reach for the stars.

Norwood Elementary provides relevant and challenging learning for all of our students. We believe all students are capable of achieving grade level standards, and provide the needed supports for each child on their learning journey. We strive for all of our superstars to reach their fullest potential in our ever-changing 21st century world.

• Monday November 18, 2024- Conference Day- Pre-K is NOT in session- KG-5th classes are in session all day
• Tuesday November 19, 2024- Conference Day- Schools closed for Elementary students (grades PK-5th)
• Wednesday November 20, 2024 & Thursday November 21, 2024: American Education Week (specific details below)
• Wednesday November 27, 2024- Schools close 3 hours early (Norwood will dismiss at 12:20pm)
• Thursday November 28, 2024- Schools closed for Thanksgiving Break
• Friday November 29, 2024- Schools closed for Thanksgiving Break

Reminder: School Hours

8:20am arrival / 8:35am late bell / 3:20pm dismissal (no drop-off prior to 8:20am as there is no supervision outside before then)

PK Schedule: AM session (8:20am - 11:05am); PM session (12:40pm - 3:20pm)

Families who may need holiday/winter assistance please reach out to one of the following:

Diego Ramos- Bilingual Family Services Liaison: dramosquinteros@bcps.org

Marcy Hotchkiss- Community School Facilitator: mhotchkiss@bcps.org

Denise Bullock- Professional School Counselor: dbullock3@bcps.org

Elizabeth Westendorf- School Social Worker: ewestendorf@bcps.org

When your child is returning from an absence, we ask that you, please, send a note

from a parent, guardian, or doctor stating the date and the reason for the absence. We ask parents to schedule medical appointments after

school when possible. Children should not miss school unless absolutely necessary. We

want our students to be successful learners and it is very important to be in school to achieve

their full learning potential. Children who arrive to school after 8:35 need to go to the office

to receive a tardy slip. Students who have a note from a court, doctor, or dentist will receive

an excused tardy, if they bring the note to the office. Again, please, try and schedule

appointments before and after school.

Parents can access their report cards electronically by signing into FOCUS (access link: https://baltimore.focusschoolsoftware.com/focus) and logging in with either a parent account or by using student BCPS credentials. The video and written instructions below are valid for either options. The video also includes a breakdown of each category rating for your understanding.

Video | Written Instructions

Conference Day is on Tuesday November 19th. Families should have received communication from their student's teacher in regards to scheduling a conference date and time. Reports cards become available online on Thursday November 14th via the focus parent portal. Please note that we encourage parent/guardians to access report cards digitally on November 14. In addition to accessing your child’s report card in the focus parent portal, parent/guardians will receive a paper version of the report card when they come to the school for their child’s conference.

With each monthly newsletter you will gain access to unit overviews for math instruction at each grade level. Below are the unit overviews for unit 3 of math, available in both English and Spanish. The overviews share the main learning goals of the unit, show sample problems that students might see with instructional notes for family members, and include frequently asked questions.

Here are the current Math overviews below, both in English and Spanish for each grade level.

Kindergarten | Kinder

English | Español

Grade 1 | Grado 1

English | Español

Grade 2 | Grado 2

English | Español

Grade 3 | Grado 3

English | Español

Check out this amazing interactive family resource for math. This provides models and examples of what students are learning in class and can be used to sharpen their skills."

Grade 3

Grade 2

Grade 1

Kindergarten

We will be having our monthly free community produce market on Tuesday November 26th at Holabird STEM Middle starting at 4:00pm until supplies last.

***Please bring your own bag***

Join us on Wednesday November 13th from 9-10:30am at our Norwood Elementary Cafe. We will be learning about the resources that Baltimore County provides for our families! Also, families have the opportunity to learn about our Parent University. We hope to see you there!

Norwood Families! We have the pleasure of inviting you and your families to our American Education Week! The schedule for visitation days is as follows:

Wednesday, 11/20/2024

• Visitation Day for KG & 1st: 9-11am

Thursday, 11/21/2024

• Visitation Day for:
• PK AM: 9-11am
• PK PM: 1:20-3:00pm
• 2nd Grade: 9-11am
• 3rd Grade: 9-11am

Light refreshments will be served in our Norwood Café from 8:35-9:00am. No parents will be permitted in the classrooms until 9:00am.

Save the time and skip the line

· Parents can stop into school anytime between November 6th and November 19th to pre-register for American Education Week. Anyone that pre-registers will have a badge pre-printed for their scheduled visit.

· Parents with pre-printed badges will be welcomed into the building after 8:35 and will be directed to head to the cafeteria after they receive their badge

· Parents must bring a government issued ID, drivers license, passport ,foreign country issued ID, etc. to pre-register and the day of visitation.

I wanted to share some important updates and reminders about safety, particularly regarding our arrival and dismissal procedures, to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible.

• Arrival Reminders
• The doors to the school open at 8:20 a.m. and arrival takes place until 8:35 a.m. for all students. If you are dropping off your child in the morning, please pay close attention to the no parking signs on Delvale Ave., as it’s unsafe and interrupts the flow of traffic when cars are parked in the no parking area. Staff are on duty starting at 8:20 a.m. to supervision both outside and within the building. Families are encouraged to use the car loop starting at 8:20 a.m. when staff is present. Staff supervision is not provided prior to 8:20 a.m. so students should not be waiting for the doors to open without adult supervision.

• Early Child Pick-up Reminders
• If it is necessary for you to pick up your child prior to the end of the school day:
1. Communication (note, email, Talking Points) should be sent to each classroom teacher which includes the date and time of pickup. Early dismissals will occur prior to 2:50 p.m. Students will not be called to the office for dismissal after 2:50 p.m. Phone calls to request an early pickup must occur prior to 2:50 p.m. The main office must be contacted.
2. When you arrive, the office will need to see photo identification before calling your child to the office for dismissal. Students will not be waiting in the office for your arrival but will be called once you arrive.
3. Please sign the dismissal log in the office and include the reason for early dismissal.

Due to the busy preparations for our school’s afternoon dismissal, we ask that you do not request your child for early dismissal after 2:50 p.m. After 2:50 p.m., all students will be dismissed at the regular dismissal time.

• Dismissal Reminder
• Please bring your ID whenever picking up your child
• For the safety of our students and families, during dismissal, only those on your child’s designated pickup list are allowed on school property

• Dismissal Changes
• If you wish for your child to leave the school with someone other than the parent/guardian, you are required to write a note/email stating the name of the person who will be coming for your child. The note should be given to your child’s teacher, who will send it to the office. Your child should be aware of the change in routine prior to coming to school. Photo identification is needed for anyone other than the parents/guardians when picking up a student. Anyone who picks up must have a form of ID, if the person is under the age of 18 we must have a photo of that child in the student file and classroom. In addition, if your child’s dismissal is different than the usual routine plan, please send a note stating the change. It is important that your child is familiar with his/her daily dismissal routine and that the routine is as consistent as possible. Please note that students may only ride the bus if they are assigned as a bus rider to that bus. These procedures ensure the safety of our students, decrease the number of classroom interruptions, and avoid any confusion. In the case of an emergency, please contact the office at 443-809-7055.

Hearing and vision screenings are scheduled to occur at our school from Monday to Wednesday on December 2-4. All students who are in their first year at BCPS will be screened. This includes all Pre-K students and any Kindergartners who were not screened last year.

If your child was absent during last year's screening they will also be screened this year.

If your student wears glasses , please make sure they wear them on the screening days.

Results of students who do not pass will be sent via U.S. mail or via students’ take-home folders along with instructions to follow-up with a health care provider for further evaluation.

Hearing and vision problems can interfere with learning if they are left untreated, so we highly encourage parents to consult with a health care provider if their child does not pass the screening.

Parents will not receive notification if their child passes the screening. If you do not want your student to be screened, or they are already under the care of an eye doctor, please notify the nurse at 443-809-6029.

Parents are encouraged to check the lost and found in the Health Suite. We have a lot of jackets and hoodies that have accumulated this fall.

As we all know, getting proper sleep is very important to help our bodies recharge in order to fight illness and be attentive during the day. Attached are some articles with good tips for parents on how to help students manage screen time and get good sleep. (see attached flyer for more details on how to help your student manage screen time).

NORWOOD ELEMENTARY CLOSING AND EARLY DISMISSAL 2024-2025 CALENDAR

Access the yearly calendar of closings and early dismissal for Norwood Elementary students by clicking here

ATTENDANCE REFERENCES

Access a quick guide to better understand your students absences and codings by clicking here.

PARENT RESOURCE HUB

Access a variety of resources available to our superstar families by clicking here.

FOOD PANTRY DISTRIBUTION LIST

Access a list of food pantry distribution sites by clicking here.

BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY MONTHLY EVENTS- NOVEMBER

Access the monthly calendar of events that are happening at the local library by clicking here.

Norwood Elementary School is a Title I community school within the Baltimore County Public School system. We are located in Dundalk, MD, and we strive for all of our superstars to reach their fullest potential in our ever-changing 21st century world.

If you have any questions regarding any of the information on this newsletter, please contact Diego Ramos (Norwood Bilingual Family Services Liaison) at dramosquinteros@bcps.org, or by calling his direct line at 443-809-1505.

Website: https://norwoodes.bcps.org
Location: 1700 Delvale Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21222, USA
Phone: 443-809-7055
Facebook: facebook.com/NorwoodES
Twitter: @NorwoodES