Northwoods News
A Message from Principal Nixon--Week of September 8, 2020
Dear Northwoods Families,
I hope you all enjoyed the long Labor Day weekend and that you had the opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends!
As we begin the second full week of online instruction, our teachers and staff are continuing to refine their lessons and instructional delivery methods so that our students have the best online learning experience possible. Your feedback is also an important part of this process and we would like to invite you to complete a short Online Learning Feedback Survey so that we can continue making purposeful changes and improvements as we move forward.
Respectfully,
Joe Nixon
Principal
We see how hard you are working for your students and we are here to support you! Please fill out our family needs assessment (updated link below) to help us assist you in your need.
We are also meeting with students individually who need to speak with a school counselor. You can fill out our virtual mailbox form to let us know your child needs to speak with their school counselor. You can also quickly book a meeting with us at https://nescounselor.youcanbook.me/.
This month, our classroom lessons will be focusing on COPING SKILLS! Coping Skills are tools that help a person to deal with stressful situations. These may help a person face a situation, take action, and be flexible and persistent in solving problems. We are encouraging your students to discover new ways they can be problem solvers and calm their bodies. Ask your students to share some of their favorite ways to help themselves feel calm when they are stressed, worried, or frustrated as they learn new skills in class.
Thank you!
The Counseling Team
Important School Information
Istation Reading Screener--
All WCPSS elementary students will be taking the Istation Reading Assessment in the coming weeks. On Monday, September 14th, your child’s teacher will model for students how to log-in and complete the assessment. Students will need approximately 45 minutes to complete all portions of the assessment and that time will be provided during asynchronous (independent learning) blocks.
It is imperative that you do not assist your student in any way other than with the login process. The results of the assessment will guide your student’s teacher in planning appropriate, individualized, instruction to meet his/her needs. Please watch the short video below to familiarize yourself with the assessment.
Short video(s):
- Istation ISIP at Home Remote Guidance English for Parents
- Istation ISIP at Home Remote Guidance Spanish for Parents
Please watch one of the videos below to download the iStation app for your child- if you do NOT have a WCPSS Chromebook.
- Istation Download App to Personal Device ENG Wa… (Not a WCPSS Chromebook)
- Istation Download App to Personal Device SPAN W… (Not a WCPSS Chromebook)
Curbside Library Book Check-Out
We are happy to announce that our students will now have the opportunity to check out library books from the Northwoods Elementary media center each week. Please visit the NES Media Center site for information.
Positivity Project
As a reminder, we are launching a new Social/Emotional Learning (SEL) program called The Positivity Project (P2) this year. The students learned a little about P2 during the first two orientation weeks. The full program will begin on Monday, September 14th. For an overview of the program, please see the parent information letter linked below.
Student Materials
If you missed the pick-up dates for student materials, please let us know. We are happy to arrange at time for you to pick them up. If you do not have transportation, we can arrange to deliver them for you.
Immunizations/Health Forms
This is a friendly reminder that immunization records and health assessments are required for ALL kindergarten students and new students, regardless of whether they are participating in Virtual Academy or Plan B. By NC State Law, parents/guardians have the first 30 days of the school year to provide documentation of immunizations and health assessments to the school. After that point, the child may be excluded from school. The due date to submit immunization records and health assessments is October 31st. Records can be dropped off at the school during normal business hours or emailed to Marilee Davies at mdavies@wcpss.net.
PTA Information
Each year, our PTA sells business sponsorships to help fund t-shirts for ALL of our students and staff at Northwoods. The shirts have become a wonderful tradition at Northwoods, helping to foster a sense of community and school spirit…not to mention helping teachers easily identify Northwoods students during field trips! With so many of our events and traditions on hold or cancelled, we felt that the shirts would be especially important this year as a symbol of community and spirit as we work from home. If you or someone you know would like to be a business sponsor, head over to our MemberHub store. You can take a look at our smaller sponsorships levels (starting at just $50 this year) or become a PTA member for the year all in one spot!