Rising Kindergarten Welcome Letter
July 2022
Welcome, Kindergarten Families!
Welcome to Northwoods Elementary School! We are so excited to meet and welcome our new kindergarten students! With the start of the 2022-23 school year just a few weeks away, it's time to begin preparing your child for the upcoming transition to kindergarten. Please take a few minutes to thoroughly review the information within this newsletter. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at jnixon@wcpss.net or 919-460-3491.
In this welcome newsletter, you will find the following information:
- Invitation to Popsicles with the Principal
- Kindergarten Orientation Presentation
- Virtual Tour of Northwoods Elementary
- Bus Transportation Information
- School Meal Information
- Student Medication Information
- Staggered Entry Information
- Kindergarten Meet the Teacher Information
- NES Parent/Student Handbook
- 2022-23 Student Supply Lists
- Northwoods PTA Information for Rising Kindergarten Families
For important news and updates, please follow us on Twitter @JoeNixonNES and @NorthwoodsElem1.
With Appreciation,
Joe Nixon
Principal
Popsicles with the Principal
Wednesday, Jul 27, 2022, 05:00 PM
Northwoods Elementary Playground
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Northwoods Elementary Virtual Tour
2022-23 School Year Information
2022-23 Transportation Requests:
If you are not currently registered for transportation but would like service next school year, register for service immediately. Please only request service if you plan for your student to be a regular rider. Students who don’t ride consistently will be removed from bus rosters. To register, go to www.wcpss.net/busrider.
Bus routes for traditional calendar students will be posted online (https://www.wcpss.net/Page/174) on August 19, 2022. Once posted, families should confirm the location of their student’s bus stop. Bus stops change each year based on actual ridership.
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
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.
Kindergarten Staggered Entry:
As a reminder, 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 at the start of this week. Most families should have already received those letters. However, 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 a 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.
2022-23 NES Parent/Student Handbook:
Our parent/student handbook (linked below) contains a comprehensive list of our school-based policies and procedures. Please take several minutes to thoroughly read through the handbook to ensure that you are knowledgeable about our established policies.
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.
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.
Northwoods Elementary PTA Information
Hello, Northwoods Families!
We’d like to take a minute to explain who we are and how we can help you and your child! Our PTA is made up of parents, grandparents, guardians, and staff including our principal, Mr. Joseph Nixon. Our mission is to create the best possible learning atmosphere for our children—a goal that affects EVERY Northwoods family! The PTA is led by an executive board of parent volunteers and staff members. We hold monthly board meetings and periodic general meetings, and we welcome any level of participation that you’re able to offer, whether that’s volunteering your time or simply joining and paying your membership dues.
This year’s dues begin at just $10 for a single membership. Every member that joins the PTA will automatically be entered into our raffle contest. Some may think $10 may sound like a lot of money for one membership! But see how far it goes:
● As part of the Northwoods Elementary PTA, you’ll help provide funding for special events and services like the ones mentioned on our website at https://www.northwoodspta.com/. You’ll have a voice and a vote on our PTA plans. And you’ll join a network of dedicated parents and staff. We want to bring our school community together . . . although we focus on children, we’re a resource for parents, too!
● As part of the North Carolina and National PTAs, you’ll help fight for our children’s best interests in state and federal policymaking. Not all of us can go to Washington D.C., but our National PTA representatives can; in fact, our National PTA is our country’s oldest and largest child advocacy association. Because of National PTA, we have child labor laws, a school lunch program, and publicly funded kindergarten. State PTAs have influenced legislation on class size, gang prevention, and special needs programs, to name a few. NCPTA is currently lobbying for better funding for schools, higher salaries for teachers, and stronger parental involvement rights. When we band together, we can make big differences.
In this packet and letter, you’ll find:
1. An infographic on the impact of our work and how to stay informed throughout the year!!
2. Volunteer Opportunities. The Northwoods PTA is looking for volunteers for the 2022-23 school year. We have open Board positions in need of leaders. In addition, we have lots of events and programs which will need help! We have opportunities for everyone (parents, grandparents, caregivers, etc.), whether you work full-time, part-time, or are a stay-at-home parent.
We need your help to fill the following positions:
- Leadership Roles including President and Fundraising Team
- Cultural Arts/Yearbook
- MemberHub Administrator (membership and store website)
- Safe Routes to School, including Bike & Walk to School Days
- Staff Appreciation
- 5th Grade Activities
No experience is necessary, just a willingness to help make the 2022-23 school year fantastic! If you have any questions or need details on the positions, email northwoodsnominations@gmail.com
3. PTA Membership Enrollment Head to https://northwoods.memberhub.com/store and choose Memberships. Select the level appropriate for your household and complete the short form to pay your dues. Your membership card will be stored in Memberhub for you! It's as simple as that!
Feel free to contact us anytime with your questions or suggestions. We are here to help you. Thank you for your support, and welcome to the 2022-2023 school year!