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Northrop Newsletter
October 2023
Dear Northrop Families,
Fall is here! Our routines are well-established and students are learning so much already! With fall comes lots of exciting events, including picture day and our Halloween Parade. There is lots of important info about these events in the newsletter, so please take a minute to read it carefully!
A few important reminders:
Please remember that the TARDY BELL RINGS at 8:55 AM each day. Tardies can add up quickly against attendance thresholds, so please be sure to be at school ON TIME.
Third graders ONLY will be taking their fall state AIR ELA tests on October 24th and 25th.
Unity Day will be Wednesday, October 19, 2022. We'd like to encourage everyone to wear ORANGE on that day to promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. We are Northrop Proud!
We'll be having our first classroom parties of the year coming up for Halloween on October 31st. Food will be present at those celebrations. In an effort to keep all of our students safe, we ask that if the classroom teacher has asked you to send in snacks for a classroom celebration, please visit the Snack Safely website to get information on food allergens and options for keeping our students safe during their classroom parties. As a reminder, we do not allow edible birthday treats in classrooms anymore.
Our goal is to make all students feel safe, comfortable, and welcome at school! We continue to find ways to improve with this, so you will notice that our school events this year will be geared towards the whole family. Our goal is to create inclusivity in our events and be sure that no children feel excluded, and we recognize that family dynamics are ever-changing. Rather than "father/daughter and mother/son" events, which can exclude many of our students, we're working to create fun opportunities for the whole family! Thank you in advance for your support with this as we continue with our goal of every student, every day!
Mrs. Dodez
Picture Day - Tuesday, October 3rd
Picture day will be on Tuesday, October 3rd with Ripcho Photography. ALL STUDENTS will get their picture taken. There are 2 options to order: you can place an order online or use the paper order form that was sent home with your student. You can order online anytime beginning now through 48 hours AFTER picture day is over.
Mark Your Calendars!
October 2nd - Bond & Levy Info session - Claggett Cafeteria, 6pm
October 3rd - Picture Day
October 12th - Virtual Parent/Teacher Conferences (night 1/2)
October 13th - NO SCHOOL - Inservice Day
October 18th - Unity Day - Wear Orange to promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion
October 19th - Virtual Parent/Teacher Conferences (night 2/2)
October 20th - PTO Fall Hayride (see flyer below)
October 31st - Halloween Parades
November 6th - PTO Read-A-Thon begins - Bedtime & Books at Northrop from 6-7pm
November 9th - Veterans Day Assembly (see below)
November 17th - Trimester 1 report cards sent home
Halloween Parades for Preschool and Kindergarten-5
Students in PRESCHOOL: The parade will be held on Tuesday October 31st. AM classes will parade at 9:15 and PM classes will parade at 1:00. Please remember that parking along the curbs is not permitted. All parents are welcome to come for this quick Halloween parade. The students will exit the front doors in a single file line and do a big “loop” around the front parking lot, head towards the flagpole, down the car rider sidewalk and in through the east lot doors. *SINCE STUDENTS WILL PARADE THROUGH THE FRONT PARKING LOT, THE FRONT ENTRANCE WILL BE BLOCKED OFF AT ABOUT 9:00 AM and 12:50 PM.*. There should not be any fake weapons sent in with costumes. Please keep costumes simple - no face painting, etc. Students will return to their classrooms after the parade to have a small treat and to enjoy a special activity or two with their classmates and teachers. Dismissal will be at the normal time.
Students in Kindergarten through 5th grade: The parade will be held on Tuesday, October 31st and begins at 2:30 PM. Please remember that parking along the curbs is not permitted. All parents are welcome to come for our quick Halloween parade that begins promptly at 2:30. The students (starting with 5th grade) will exit the front doors in a single file line and do a big “loop” around the front parking lot, head towards the flagpole, down the car rider sidewalk and in through the east lot doors. *SINCE STUDENTS WILL PARADE THROUGH THE FRONT PARKING LOT, THE FRONT ENTRANCE WILL BE BLOCKED OFF AT ABOUT 2:15 PM.* Please remember that children are NOT to wear their costumes to school. There should not be any fake weapons sent in with costumes. Please keep costumes simple - no face painting, etc. Students will return to their classrooms after the parade to have a small treat and to enjoy a special activity with their classmates and teacher. Dismissal will be at the normal time.
Northrop Proud Moments from September
5th Grade Celebration Cafe
4th & 3rd Grade Celebration Cafe
2nd Grade Celebration Cafe
Homecoming Spirit Week and Parade Fun!
PTO Culver's Night
Veterans Day
We are happy to be able to invite our veterans back to the building to honor them and thank them for their service. Our assembly will be held on Thursday, November 9th at 9:30 AM.
We continue to limit visitors to the building, so only veterans and a family member (if necessary) will be permitted in the building for the assembly (no additional outside guests). All visitors will come in through the front doors and sign in. We will record the presentation and send a video so that all families can enjoy.
Please complete the form below for your family NO LATER THAN OCTOBER 20th (only 1 Google form per family). Thank you for your help in making this a special recognition!
Bond & Levy Info
School Safety
We continue to be committed to safety at school. Exterior doors remain locked at all times as do classroom doors when students are in the building. Anyone coming to sign a student out must wait in the vestibule and must show an I.D. Only adults who are added into Final Forms as a student contact are permitted to pick up a student.
COVID FAQs
Do kids have to stay home if someone in the family has COVID?
In general kids can come to school as long as they are feeling well unless they have tested positive for COVID. If a student tests positive for COVID, they have to stay home 5 days from symptom onset (symptom onset is day 0). On Day 6, as long as the student is feeling well, and has been fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication, they may return to school.
Are masks required days 6-10?
No, they are recommended and encouraged. Per the CDC, individuals should wear a well-fitting mask if they have symptoms of COVID-19, if they had a positive SARS-CoV-2 test in the past 10 days, or if they had recent exposure to someone with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Electronic Devices - Student Discipline Code
As cell phones and smart watches continue to grow in popularity, we like to remind parents of the expectations for these devices during the school day. From the student discipline code:
RULE 4 - ELECTRONIC DEVICES
● Electronic devices such as (laser pointers, video cameras, cameras, etc.) are prohibited in school.
● Cell phones, smartwatches, electronic devices such as (Ipods, MP3 players, Ipads, Nooks, Kindles, Gizmos, etc) and any video game devices must be turned off and in the student’s book bag during school hours.
Please make sure to have a conversation with your student about this expectation so that everyone is on the same page in regards to these devices!
What is "WIN" Time?
New at Northrop this year is "WIN" time. WIN stands for "what I need" and is a 30 minute block of time, 4 days each week, in every grade level. This time will primarily focus on reading skills and will give teachers and students the opportunity to work in skill-based groups. Students will work in groups with students who have similar strengths and needs in the area of reading and will be with students from other homerooms in their grade level as well. In addition to the homeroom teachers running groups, we'll have additional support from our reading intervention teachers, Mrs. Morgan and Mrs. Yedlick, and even some of our intervention specialists. The goal of providing all of this support is to allow for smaller group sizes and to have the ability to really meet each student's needs. We are excited to have this as a part of our school this year!
Counselor Corner with Mrs. Wielgus
Stacey Wielgus, M.A., LPSC
Eliza Northrop Elementary & Garfield Elementary
wielguss@medinabees.org (330) 636-4607
As an elementary school counselor, I am committed to supporting the social and emotional needs of our students and the families of the students we serve. In addition, I am also committed to supporting our staff here at school to ensure that we are meeting the individual needs of each student during the school day. By addressing social and emotional needs as well as academics, we work together to increase learning and academic growth for each student here at Eliza Northrop and Garfield Elementary Schools. As a school counselor, my typical services include small groups and/or individual meetings with students, as well as in the whole group, which is often in a classroom setting. I teach students new skills that can assist them with positive and appropriate emotional expression as well as in learning coping skills and the use of coping tools.
PBIS
In 2015, Ohio PBIS Network first recognized schools that were model examples of effective PBIS implementation. Eliza Northrop Elementary applied and earned the GOLD level for the 2022-2023 school year, which is the highest level of PBIS recognition that a school can earn! We'll be honored at the 2023 Ohio PBIS Showcase in January.
PTO News
Join the next PTO Meeting on Thursday, October 5th at 7pm! There are 2 ways to join:
- Come to the Northrop cafeteria (enter through the main doors in the front of the building)
- Join via Zoom - email elizanorthroppto@gmail.com for the link
Fall Family Fun at the Chalet - October 20th
Join our PTO for some fall family fun at the Chalet on October 20th from 6-9pm.
Tickets for the Hayride are limited, and can be purchased here.
There are lots of ways you can volunteer to help with this event! Please click here to sign up!
Read-A-Thon Corporate Sponsorship Opportunity
The Northrop Read-A-Thon is fast approaching! Through generous support of the Read-A-Thon the last two years the PTO was able to purchase some new playground equipment that will be installed soon. As part of our Read-A-Thon we have an exciting opportunity for local businesses. If you own, know, or manage a business, please consider sponsoring our Read-A-Thon. Thousands of people will know you are supporting literacy at our school while bringing traffic to your site through both digital and optional printed content. Several different levels of sponsorship are available, but spots are limited. Email ElizaNorthropPTO@gmail.com for more information. Save the date for a family fun evening to kick off the Read-A-Thon on November 6th.