Northwood Elementary Connection
August 11, 2023
Hello Northwood Elementary Families
I hope you are having an enjoyable and relaxing summer. We are looking forward to a year filled with wonderful learning experiences and building strong connections with our students and families. This year Northwood Elementary has two co-principals. Ms. Joy Jones will join Ms. Roscoe leading Northwood Elementary. Ms. Jones is bringing with her a wealth of experience and knowledge. Ms. Jones is also co-principal at Ely Elementary. You can read more about Ms. Joy Jones in a later section of the newsletter.
Important information:
- School hours 9:10-3:10 (Doors open at 8:55 for students). Please do not drop students off prior to 8:45.
- Car riders are dropped off/picked up in the car rider line at the Abbe Rd. side of the campus. Please do not drop students off in the parking lot. This is a safety concern.
- Students line up out front during arrival by grade level. Car riders are picked up outside in the car rider line. Students will be lined up by grade level. Staff will call students names using visible car rider tags on cars' rear view mirrors. Color coded car rider tags will be handed out at Open House. Parents should remain in their cars.
- Adhere to the Northwood Campus traffic pattern. It is a best to utilize the car rider line for drop off and pickup. It circles the building. Please practice safe driving and bring your patience.
- Make sure you are following us on our Facebook page @Elyria NorthwoodElementary to stay informed of all things happening at Northwood Elementary.
Miranda Roscoe
Co-Principal Northwood Elementary
Elyria School District
Message from Co-Principal Joy Jones
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I hope this message finds you well. It is with great pleasure and excitement that I introduce myself as the new Co-Principal at Northwood Elementary. My name is Joy Jones, and I am truly honored to be joining this wonderful school community.
I bring with me 27 years in the district experiences from elementary to high school age scholars, believing that no true learning occurs without significant relationships and I am committed to fostering an environment where each child's potential is nurtured, their achievements celebrated, and their growth supported.
Collaboration between home and school is crucial for the success of our students, and I am dedicated to open communication and partnership with each of you. Your insights, involvement, and feedback are invaluable as we work together to create a thriving educational experience for our students.
I look forward to meeting each of you in the coming weeks and getting to know the Northwood Elementary family better. If you have any questions, or thoughts, or simply want to say hello, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at jonesjoy@elyriaschools.org and 440-284-8082.
Here's to a fantastic upcoming school year filled with learning, growth, and memorable moments. Thank you for your warm welcome, and I'm excited to embark on this journey together.
Warm regards,
Joy Jones, Co-Principal Northwood Elementary
Important Dates for August
August
17- Open House 5:30- 6:30 p.m.
21- First day for students with last name A-G only (last names beginning H-Z DO NOT attend today)
22- First day for students with last name H-O only (last names beginning A-G and P-Z DO NOT attend today)
23-First day for students with last name P-Z only (last names beginning A-O DO NOT attend today)
24- First full day for all students
Note from School Nurse Tara DiFranco
As we begin a new school year, I would like to remind parents of some important issues that need to be addressed that will help us, help keep your children healthy and IN school. Please read this letter completely and please contact me if you have further questions.
IMMUNIZATIONS Requirements
All students must meet state immunization requirements in order to attend school. The goal of these Ohio Department of Health (ODH) requirements is to reduce and eliminate vaccine-preventable diseases among Ohio's children, adolescents and adults. Be aware that immunization requirements often change from year-to-year, so please be sure to check with your child’s pediatrician. Please be sure your child is up to date on all immunizations and PROVIDE their up to date record to avoid exclusion (especially all kindergarteners, new students and 7th graders). This year’s exclusion date is September 15, 2022. Your child’s healthcare provider can help you determine if he/she needs further immunizations.
VISION AND HEARING SCREENINGS
Vision and hearing screenings will be done for all students in KG, 1st, 3rd and 5th grades, and any student new to the district OR if a student is referred by a teacher. 7th graders are required to only have their vision screened. If your child is screened, you will only be notified of results if your child fails one or both screenings. A referral will be sent home for your child to follow up with a physician for a more thorough and complete examination.
STUDENT HEALTH HISTORY and LIFE-THREATENING CONDITIONS
Please carefully complete the Student Emergency and health information through the Infosnap portal as soon as possible if you haven’t already. This helps us identify students who may have a life-threatening condition, such as a severe allergy to bee stings or peanuts, severe asthma, seizures, diabetes, etc. If your child has a life-threatening condition (defined as “a health condition that will put a child in danger of death during the school day if a medication or treatment order and a nursing plan are not in place”), please contact me so we can discuss a plan to keep your child safe at school. A nursing Emergency Care Plan (ECP) must be provided by the child’s healthcare provider and/or developed by the District Nurse, in consultation with you, and based on the LHP’s instructions.
MEDICATION AT SCHOOL
When a child requires medication, in most cases this can be given at home, outside the regular school hours. However, if your child must receive prescription medication in order to be in school, you will need to provide a “Medication Administration Record”, completed by a licensed healthcare provider (LHP) or physician, AND signed/dated by both the parent and the LHP (licensed health professional). The MAR and OTC medication forms can be found on the Elyria City Schools website under the Student Services Department. The direct link is https://www.elyriaschools.org/departments/pupil_services/student_health_and_wellness/documents
· All prescription medication require a Medication Administration Record signed by a LHP and a parent/guardian.
· All over the counter (OTC) medication, requires a MAR or a Parent Request for OTC Medication
· For ALL medications, THE PARENT or LEGAL GUARDIAN, must bring the medication to the school in the original pharmacy-labeled bottle; do not send with your child. Ask your pharmacist to supply you with a special bottle for school use.
· If a student is permitted by you and the LHP to self-carry or self-administer medication (applies only to inhalers or epi-pens and certain diabetes medications), this should be indicated by the LHP on the Medication Administration
form. You MUST have a 2nd epi-pen in the school clinic. We recommend a 2nd inhaler to be left in the clinic also to serve as a “back-up” in case your student forgets to bring it or loses their medication.
· All medication must be picked-up by a parent/guardian at the end of the school year. Medication not retrieved will be destroyed at the end of the year.
SCHOOL CLINIC
The nurse and health aide are responsible for the clinics in Northwood Elementary and Northwood Middle Schools. One of the most important things we can ask of you this year is to keep your sick children at home until they are well. If your child becomes ill while at school, we will call you to come pick him/her up.
Please always be sure the school has current phone numbers for you and other emergency contact persons.
Guidelines for Keeping Students Home from School
Children are in close contact with one another at school. If parents keep their children home at the first signs of illness, it will help us prevent the spread of that illness to other children in the classroom. The following are some guidelines to help you decide when to keep your ill child home from school. These are the guidelines and symptoms we look for at school to determine when to send children home from school.
· Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea – may return to school if NO vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours
· Earache, ear drainage
· Sore throat
· Persistent cough
· Runny nose if the discharge is yellow or green
· Oral temperature over 100 degrees. Temperature should remain normal for 24 hours before the child returns to school.
· Headache or stomach ache in combination with other symptoms (i.e., cough or sore throat)
· Unidentified rash or Communicable skin rash. Child may return to school following proper treatment.
· Pinkeye (conjunctivitis) in one or both eyes. The whites of the eyes will appear pink or red, and feel painful and itchy. There may be yellow, green or white matter in or around the eye or lashes.
Healthy children learn better. Please keep in mind the basics of healthy living as you teach your child good life-long health habits:
What you can do as a parent to boost your child’s immune system:
· Be sure they get plenty of rest each night.
· Encourage healthy foods: Offer lots of fruits and vegetables and whole-grains; limit junk foods such as sweets and chips; have regular mealtimes; encourage water for thirst instead of soda pop or juice.
· Be sure your children get DAILY exercise out in the fresh air whenever possible.
· Avoid exposing your child to second-hand smoking, either in the house or in the car.
· Teach your children to keep their bodies and hair clean (daily showers/shampoo),use deodorant as needed, to brush their teeth twice a day, and to wash their hands often.
Bus Transportation
First Student Bus Information
Transportation Contact number – (440)284-8030
Firstview Bus information
First Student offers a live tracking app called FirstView that makes it easy for parents to follow the progress of their student's bus before and after school. This is helpful to allow you to see your child’s bus and in the event of a delay you could get the information quickly.
You can sign up here:
https://www.elyriaschools.org/departments/operations/transportation
Lunch Application Link
You may apply online
for free/reduced lunch. Please complete this form as soon as possible.
A breakfast will be available to all students at no cost this year
Elyria Schools Informational Text Messages
Have you opted in to receive text messages from Elyria Schools?
If you haven't already, please take a moment to sign up to receive automatic text messages from Elyria Schools.
This is a valuable tool in an emergency or when there's important, time-sensitive information to share.
The service is free and opting in is easy. Parents or guardians simply need to send a text message of “Y” or “Yes” to our district's short code number at 67587.
Just as simple, you can opt out at any time by replying to one of our messages with “Stop.”
The text feature and the robocall system are tied directly a student's contact information that is on file with your child's school. Please make sure this information is kept up-to-date to ensure you continue receiving calls or texts from Elyria Schools.