Norwood News
Thursday, October 21, 2021
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.
Important Upcoming Dates
- Wednesday, October 27th: Coffee & Conversation (12-1pm)
- Friday, October 29th: Picture Day
- Friday, November 5th: End of 1st Marking Period - All BCPS Schools close 3 hrs early
- Wednesday, November 17th: Norwood Math Night (6:30 - 7:30pm)
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 (8:35am - 11:05am); PM session (12:50pm - 3:20pm)
Extracurricular Club Information for Lovers of Music & Dance
While the Art Club is currently full, Ms. Long still has open spaces for more 2nd & 3rd grade students in her Music & Movement Club! Just click on the permission form below for your preferred language. The Music and Movement Club meets Tuesdays & Thursdays from 7:45am - 8:20am through the end of May in 2022. Remember that you must wait with your child prior to being let inside the school at the club’s start time. If you have any questions, feel free to email Ms. Long at rlong@bcps.org.
Picture Day 2021 is coming
October Coffee & Conversation Information
Our next Coffee & Conversation session for parents will take place 12-1pm on Wednesday, October 27th. Our counselor, Ms. Powell, will be talking about the BCPS practice of Conscious Discipline as well as dealing with Big Emotions. Please remember that for now, these are not in-person sessions and instead are virtual meetings that you can join using your student's BCPS credentials via Google Meet with the meeting code: norwoodfamilies
Arrival & Dismissal Policies - October Update
Just a few reminders:
- Come wearing a mask everyday, and if using re-usable masks, please wash/change them frequently.
- There are no sibling dismissals. All walkers & car-riders will dismiss directly from their own classroom. If you have multiple children at the school, you need to go to the classroom exterior door of each child and pick them up one by one.
- Students in 3rd grade and who are 8 yrs old are allowed to walk home on their own with parent permission.
- Remember that there is no supervision prior to 8:20am. Please do not drop off children to wait by themselves or send walkers to arrive substantially early.
Updating Emergency Contact Info Manually
Please refer to the previous newsletters in September and early October regarding how you can create a parent account to access FOCUS independently of your child's credentials in order to update family contact information, including emergency contacts. Click here for the video that explains how to gain parent access.
To make long-term changes by hand, we will need to provide you with a printout of your child's contact information page. New contacts can be written-in within a black space (see sample below). Please provide the name of the individual who is coming to pick up your child, their phone number, and their relation to the student. Sign and date the changes, and then return the updated printout to the school. If an older sibling is being listed as an emergency contact and they do not yet have a photo ID, please either send us a picture that clearly shows their face or provide consent for us to take their picture, ideally before they first come alone to pick up their Norwood sibling.
Norwood Spirit Week 2021
Every day from Monday, October 25th through Friday, October 29th, students will have an opportunity to show their school spirit by dressing accordingly with the following themes:
- Monday 10/25: Norwood Superstar Day (wear blue, white, or something with stars)
- Tuesday 10/26: Class Color Day (pick a color with your class to wear)
- Wednesday 10/27: Sports Day (wear a jersey or your favorite sport/team shirt)
- Thursday 10/28: PJ Day (or wear something comfy day)
- Friday 10/29: Dress to Impress (picture day)
October ELA Unit Overviews for Families
Here are the unit overviews for October in reading/writing by grade level. The first newsletter of the month will focus on Math while the second newsletter of the month will cover English Language Arts (ELA). These unit overviews are useful tools for the family to look over together and help manage expectations for your child prior to starting a new unit.
Requesting an Interpreter for your Fall Parent/Teacher Conference
Fall Parent/Teacher conferences are scheduled for the end of November, but please notify the school if you feel you need an interpreter. You should have already received a sign-up sheet that asked whether you wanted to request an interpreter. Only those who want an interpreter present needed to fill out the corresponding information and return it back to us. You can also call the front office or email one of our ESOL teachers, Mrs. F, at nflanzraich@bcps.org to relay the following information:
- Student Name
- Student Grade
- Student’s Teacher
- Which parent(s) are interested in attending (e.g. mom, dad, or both)
- Language for which you are requesting an interpreter
CCBC Family Literacy ESOL Program for Winter 2022
The Family Literacy ESOL Program for non-native English speaking parents is designed to help parents learn English language skills for life, work, and to help with their child’s education. The student must have a child 0–16 years old living in the home and enrolled in a Baltimore County Public School, the Judy Center of Baltimore County or Baltimore County Head Start program.
Parents in our area interested in enrolling for this FREE course need to register in-person at one of five locations around Baltimore County. The closest registration locations, as noted in the flyer below, are the North Point Library Community Room in Dundalk or Hawthorne Elementary School Cafeteria in Middle River. Classes will be held twice a week with time slots available in the morning, afternoon, and evening.
Change of Clothing & Cold/Flu Season
Ms. Debbie, our school nurse, wants to remind families to have at least 1, if not 2, full changes of clothing available for your child at school. They can be placed in a plastic bag and kept in their locker ready to use for any emergencies. Also, do not forget to replace the change of clothing if one gets used. If your child is sent home in a spare outfit that is not yours and was provided by the school, feel free to wash it and return it to the school nurse at your convenience.
As we approach cold & flu season, children should continue to wash their hands frequently to avoid spreading any other general illnesses that tend to circulate this time of year. Ensure that your child is adequately dressed for the changing temperatures throughout the day, and if for any reason they are not feeling well, they should remain at home until they are completely symptom-free for 24 hours without relying on any medication.
About Us
If you have any questions regarding any of the information on this newsletter, please contact David Castro (Norwood School to Community Coordinator) at dcastro@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