Northwoods News
A Message from Principal Nixon--August 22, 2022
Northwoods Families,
We are just one week away from the start of the 2022-23 school year! We are very excited to welcome students and families back on the 29th and we cannot wait to hear all the fun things they (and you) got to do over the summer!
As a reminder, please make sure you've read through the information below so that you are fully prepared for the start of the school year.
Upcoming Events:
- Tuesday, August 23rd--Class lists for Grades 1-5 will be posted.
- Wednesday, August 24th--Teachers will send welcome emails.
- Thursday, August 25th--Meet the Teacher for Grades 1-5.
- Monday, August 29th--First Day of School!!
- Monday, August 29th--Kindergarten Staggered Entry (for select students)
- Tuesday, August 30th--Kindergarten Staggered Entry (for select students)
- Wednesday, August 31st--Kindergarten Staggered Entry (for select students)
- Thursday, September 1st--Kindergarten Class Lists Posted
- Friday, September 2nd--Early Release Day (students dismissed at 1:45 PM).
- Friday, September 2nd--Kindergarten Meet the Teacher
- Monday, September 5th--Labor Day
- Thursday, September 15th--Curriculum Night
Respectfully,
Joe Nixon, Principal
2022-23 Kindergarten Information
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 29th and September 2nd. 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 on Thursday, September 1st. As a gentle reminder, I do not accept parent requests for specific teachers.
Kindergarten Meet the Teacher:
Save the date: We will hold an in-person Meet the Teacher event for kindergarten students and families on Friday, September 2nd at 10:00 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.
Grades 1-5 Information
Class Lists:
As a reminder, class lists for students in grades 1-5 will be posted tomorrow afternoon. I will send out a message once the lists are posted. 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 24th.
1st-5th Grade Meet the Teacher:
As a reminder, our Meet the Teacher event for students in grades 1-5 will be held this Thursday (August 25th) at the times noted below. Parents should plan to drop off school supplies during Meet the Teacher.
General School Information
2022-23 Bus Routes:
Bus Routes for the 2022-23 school year have been posted. You may view the list at the link below. Please DO NOT assume that your child's route number and/or bus stop are the same as last year. Additionally, parents should understand that WCPSS is facing a significant bus driver shortage and arrival/departure times may vary considerably day-to-day, especially during the first few weeks of the school year.
2022-23 School Meal Prices:
Please be advised that school meals will no longer be free for all students during the 2022-23 school year. The WCPSS Board of Education met last week and approved a plan to increase meal prices by $.025 to cover the rising costs of food and supplies. Meal prices for the 2022-23 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.
2022-23 Breakfast Cost--$1.50
2022-23 Lunch Cost--$3.00
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.
2022-23 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.
Parent Visitors at Lunch/Outside Food:
As we prepare for the beginning of the school year on Monday, August 29th, I would like to remind everyone that parents/guardians will not be permitted to eat with their child during his/her lunch time for the first 30 days of the school year. It is essential that we have this time to help students and teachers build clear, consistent expectations. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation with this matter. Additionally, as a friendly reminder, outside food from local restaurants is not permitted during parent visits.
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.
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.
Q1 Curriculum Night:
Save the date! Our first Curriculum Night of the 2022-23 school year will be held on Thursday, September 15th at the following times:
- 5:30 - 6:00 PM--3rd-5th Grade
- 6:00 - 6:30 PM--PTA General Meeting
- 6:30 - 7:00 PM--K-2nd Grade
2022-23 Early Release Days:
Six (6) Early Release Days were added to the 2022-23 school calendar. All WCPSS students will be dismissed from school two hours early on each of their designated Early Release Days. For students at Northwoods, this means that they will be dismissed at 1:45 PM. YMCA after-school care is available on Early Release days for students who are already registered for the program. Families who do not have students participating in the YMCA after-school program are responsible for making appropriate childcare arrangements in advance.
Before & After-School Care Options:
Before and after-school care will be available for students onsite at Northwoods for the 22-23 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:
Please discard your old carpool tags! New carpool tags (new design and color) will be issued to families that utilize carpool as the primary means of after-school pickup. New tags may be picked up in the cafeteria during our Meet the Teacher event on August 25th. Please remember, carpool tags are not required for families who only use carpool for morning drop-off.
School Visitors/Student Check-Out Requirements:
The safety and security of our students and staff are of utmost importance. In accordance with district recommendations as well as to maximize school safety, school staff will follow the procedures outlined below for ALL visitors, including all recognized parents and district staff members.
- All visitors will be required to ring the doorbell near the front office prior to gaining entry.
- A front office member will greet visitors, ask their name and the purpose of their visit.
- All visitors will also be required to present a valid photo ID.
- After obtaining their name and purpose, and ID, a front office team member will permit entry. If a visitor refuses to provide a name, purpose, or identification, or if the staff feels uncomfortable with the interaction, the visitor will be denied entry and access to the building.
- Upon entry, all visitors are required to sign in at the front office and will be issued a visitor's badge before being permitted to move throughout the building.
- Students will NOT be dismissed from their classroom for early dismissal until all processes and procedures noted above have been satisfied.
Carpool Procedures
Carpool Procedures (AM & PM):
To help increase traffic flow on our campus as well as to reduce traffic congestion on Chapel Hill Road during our arrival and dismissal times, our campus has been designed with two carpool lanes. If you plan to drop off or pick-up your child via carpool, we ask that you observe the following rules:
- Incoming traffic should queue in both carpool lanes (pictured below).
- Follow the Chick-fil-A (zipper merge) method of alternating vehicles (left side, right side, etc.) when merging at the designated merge point.
- Be patient and give grace. Allowing other vehicles to merge in front of you won't significantly impact your wait time.
- Have your child's car seat positioned on the passenger side of the vehicle so that we can safely screen and unload from the safety of the sidewalk.
- To help carpool run more smoothly, please make sure your child has his/her backpack, lunch, and water bottle ready so they can quickly exit the vehicle after their screening.
PTA Information
Join the PTA!
Interested in joining the PTA? Please our memberhub site:
Mel's Garden
There are lots of opportunities to help with our garden. For more information, please visit:
Volunteer with the PTA!
Interested in volunteering with the PTA! We'd love to have your help! To learn more about opportunities or to get started, Contact the PTA VP of Volunteers, at NorthwoodsMembership@gmail.com.