Northwoods News

Disclaimer: You are receiving this newsletter because you have a student(s) enrolled at Northwoods Elementary for the 2024-25 school year. If you have moved or have accepted a seat at a private or charter school, please let our Data Manager know immediately at chartzell@wcpss.net.

Northwoods Families,

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer! As you know, we are moving quickly towards the start of the 2024-25 school year. Over the last few weeks, we have been carefully planning our beginning-of-year events for students and families, and I'm excited to share that information with you.

Within this newsletter you will find information that is separated into four main categories:

1. Kindergarten Information--Please read if you have a rising kindergarten student.
2. Grades 1-5 Information--Please read if you have a child(ren) in grades 1-5.
3. General School Information--Information that everyone should read.
4. PTA Information--We want/need parent volunteers! Please read through the various ways you can get involved to support our school.

Additionally, please mark your calendars for the following events:

Upcoming Events:

• Saturday, August 17th--Campus Beautification Day
• Wednesday, August 21st--Class Lists for Grades 1-5 Posted
• Thursday, August 22nd--Teachers Will Send Welcome Emails
• Friday, August 23th--Meet the Teacher for Grades 1-5
• Tuesday, August 27th--First Day of School!!
• Tuesday, August 27th--Kindergarten Staggered Entry (for select students)
• Wednesday, August 28th--Kindergarten Staggered Entry (for select students)
• Thursday, August 29th--Kindergarten Class Lists Posted
• Friday, August 30th--Kindergarten Meet the Teacher
• Monday, September 2nd--Labor Day

Respectfully,

Joe Nixon, Principal

Kindergarten Staggered Entry:

All kindergarten students will participate in staggered entry. This means they will only attend school on one day during the first week of school between August 27th and August 30th. Your child's assigned date for staggered entry was included in a staggered entry information letter, which was mailed out last week. If you did not receive a letter, please contact the school and we will help identify your child's assigned date.

Kindergarten Class Lists:

Class lists for Kindergarten will not be finalized until we have completed Staggered Entry. Lists will be posted near the front office doors by 12:00 PM on Thursday, August 29th. As a gentle reminder, I do not accept parent requests for specific teachers.

Kindergarten Meet the Teacher:

Our Meet the Teacher event for kindergarten students and families will be held on Thursday, August 30th from 10:00 - 10:45 AM. Please bring your child's school supplies during Meet the Teacher.

Vaccination/Health Forms:

Per state law, we are required to collect vaccination records and student health forms for each kindergarten student. Student vaccine records and health forms are due no later than the first day of school. Forms may be scanned and emailed to Crystal Hartzell at chartzell@wcpss.net, or they can be dropped off directly at the school.

Class Lists:

1st-5th grade class lists will be finalized by Wednesday, August 21st and lists will be posted near the front doors of the school and at the bus loop doors by 12:00 PM on the 21st. Families may park and review the lists at that time. Be advised: I do not accept requests for specific teachers. Once published, class lists are considered final and I will not accept requests for changes. Classroom teachers will send a welcome email to each family on his/her classroom roster on August 22nd.

1st-5th Grade Meet the Teacher:

Open House/Meet the Teacher for students in 1st-5th grade will be held on Friday, August 23rd. Times are listed below.

• 9:30 - 10:15 AM--Last Names A-L

• 10:45 - 11:30AM --Last Names M-Z

School Supplies:

Supply lists for the 2024-25 school year are posted below. Student supplies should be brought to school during your family's designated Meet the Teacher date/time.

2024-25 Transportation Requests:

If you are not currently registered for transportation but would like service for the 2024-25 school year, register for service immediately. Please only request service if you plan for your student to be a regular bus rider. Students who don’t ride consistently will be removed from bus rosters. To register, go to www.wcpss.net/busrider.

Bus routes for traditional calendar students will be posted online (https://www.wcpss.net/Page/174) on August 16th. Once posted, families should confirm the location of their student’s bus stop. Bus stops change each year based on actual ridership.

Notice--Bus Driver Shortage:

Please be advised: WCPSS is continuing to face a significant shortage of bus drivers, which is already creating delays in morning and afternoon service for students and families across the district. These delays will likely get worse as traditional-calendar students resume school in August. As such, families are encouraged to provide their own transportation this school year if they are able to do so. If you would like to provide your own transportation this school year, please visit wcpss.net/declinebus and complete the form to decline bus service as soon as possible, preferably by Friday, July 19th.

2024-25 School Meal Prices:

Meal prices for the 2024-25 school are noted below. If your family is in need of meal assistance, I strongly encourage you to complete and submit an application for Free/Reduced Cost Meals. Applications will be mailed out to all WCPSS families in the coming weeks and will also be available during our Meet the Teacher event at the start of the year.

• Breakfast Cost--$1.75
• Lunch Cost--$3.50

Pre-Pay for Meals Online:

The easiest way to pay for school meals is to create an online account at www.MySchoolBucks.com. Please remember, you will need your child's student ID number to register. Once registered, parents may load money, set spending limits, and set-up auto-loading so that your child never runs out of lunch money.

Free/Reduced Price Meal Application:

Families in need of meal assistance must reapply every school year if they are interested in receiving meal benefits. Applications may be submitted online at https://www.wcpss.net/Page/1849. Paper copies are also available at the school.

Student Medications:

Please remember that students cannot receive medication (prescription or over-the-counter) at school without a signed 1702 form. The 1702 form is linked below and must be signed by a licensed medical doctor before being submitted to the school.

• Form 1702--Parent's Request and Physician's Order Form for Medication

All prescription medication must be in original packaging with a pharmacy label. OTC medications must be in the original packaging and labeled with the student's name. Medications may be dropped off at school at our Meet the Teacher event in August.

Before & After-School Care Options:

Before and after-school care will be available for students onsite at Northwoods for the 24-25 school year. The before-school program will be managed by Northwoods staff as it has been in the past. The after-school care program will be managed onsite by the Taylor Family YMCA. Applications and registration information for the before and after-school care programs can be found on our website at: https://www.wcpss.net/domain/11295.

Carpool Tags:

Families that were issued carpool tags last year may continue to use those same numbers. New backpack tags for carpool riders will be issued and affixed to student backpacks on the first day of school. If you need replacement placards for your vehicles, you may request them during our Meet the Teacher Event. New families who will be utilizing carpool as their main transportation method may also request a carpool number during Meet the Teacher.

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.

Save the Date--Campus Clean-Up:

We need your help! Please join us for our fall Campus Clean-Up event on Saturday, August 17th from 9:00AM - 12:00 PM. We will have mulch to spread, flowers to plant, weeds to pull, and litter to clean up to ensure that our campus is clean and ready for our students' return. If possible, please bring a wheelbarrow to help with mulch. In the event of rain, we will move the event to August 24th.