Northwood Elementary Connection
March Edition 2024
Hello Northwood Elementary families-
This is an exciting time of year in Northeastern Ohio. The weather is warming up and we are seeing more sun. Even though spring weather is starting to peak, students still need to dress for the cool weather. They may need their coats, hats, gloves and umbrellas for arrival, dismissal and recess.
Parents should continue to share important information with teachers, read school newsletters and messages from communication apps. Please remember to check PowerSchool for updated grades. The grading period ends March 21st.
Make sure you are following us on our Facebook page @Elyria NorthwoodElementary to stay informed of all things happening at Northwood Elementary.
Fourth Grade Music Concert
Fourth Grade Spring Concert
Elyria High School Performing Arts Center
March 7th, 2024, 6:30 PM
Mr. Evan Bescan, General Music Teacher
Vacations
if you are planning to take a vacation and your student is going to miss more than three school days, please contact the office to set up independent study. Requests need to be submitted at least one week before the start of your vacation in order for the teachers and staff to assemble students’ work. Please be advised that vacation days are deemed unexcused absences. Thank you for your cooperation and support.
Read Across America Week
The first week of March is an exciting week for us! It’s Read Across America Week! As part of this awesome celebration of Reading. We will have some fun dress-up days. We ask for your continued support in your child’s home reading. It is recommended that your child reads for 30 minutes a night. Research shows that reading benefits early childhood development and reading comprehension later in life.
Northwood Elementary School
Read Across America
Week of March 4th
Monday, March 4th – “Hats Off to Reading”
Wear a hat or crazy hair
Tuesday, March 5th – “PAWSitively Wild About Reading”
Wear animal print or a shirt with an animal
Wednesday, March 6th – "Cuddle Up and Read"
Wear pajamas or comfy clothes
Thursday, March 7th – “Reading is Magical”
Wear rainbow colors
Friday, March 8th – “Team Up and Read”
Wear sports clothing
District PAX Tools Training for Parents
News From Nurse DiFranco
March is National Nutrition Month
Tips for Families to Help Children Eat Healthy
Eat breakfast every day. Skipping breakfast can leave your child hungry, tired, and looking for less healthy foods later in the day.
Plan healthy meals and eat together as a family. Eating together at meal times helps children learn to enjoy a variety of foods.
Buy and serve more fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned). Let your child choose them at the store.
Buy fewer soft drinks and high fat/high calorie snack foods like chips, cookies, and candy. These snacks are OK once in a while, but keep healthy snack foods on hand too.
Start with small servings and let your child ask for more if he or she is still hungry. It is up to you to provide your child with healthy meals and snacks, let your child stop eating if full.
Offer your child water or low-fat milk more often than fruit juice. Fruit juice is a healthy choice but is high in calories.
Eat fast food less often. When you visit a fast food restaurant, try the healthful options offered.
Do not get discouraged if your child will not eat a new food the first time it is served. Some kids will need to have a new food served to them 7 times or more before they will eat it.
Try not to use food as a reward when encouraging kids to eat. Promising dessert to a child for eating vegetables, for example, sends the message that vegetables are less valuable than dessert.
Make healthy choices easy by putting nutritious foods where they are easy to see and keep high-calorie foods out of sight.
Healthy Snack Ideas
Fresh or frozen fruit, or fruit canned in juice or light syrup
Small amounts of dried fruits such as raisins, apple rings, or apricots
Fresh vegetables such as baby carrots, cucumber, celery, zucchini, or baby tomatoes
Reduced fat cheese or a small amount of peanut butter on whole-wheat crackers
Low-fat yogurt with fruit
Graham crackers, animal crackers, baked pretzels, or whole wheat goldfish crackers
The 5-2-1-0 Message Provides Suggestions for Building Healthy, Active Lives
Eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day.
Keep screen time (like TV, video games, computer) down to 2 hours or less per day.
Get 1 hour or more of physical activity every day.
Drink 0 sugar-sweetened drinks. Replace soda pop, sports drinks, and even 100 percent fruit juice with milk or water.
Be Supportive
Throughout any process or program that you undertake to address your child's eating habits, be supportive. Help your child set specific goals and track his or her progress. Reward successes with praise and hugs. Be positive.
Tell your child that he or she is loved, special, and important. Children's feelings about themselves are often based on how they think their parents and other caregivers feel about them. Children need compassion, understanding, and encouragement from caring adults.
Website to check out with ideas on how to save money on groceries and other ideas: https://www.myplate.gov/shopsimple
Tara DiFranco RN. BSN. ~ Northwood Nurse
Kindland Games
Northwood Elementary will be participating in the Kindland Games. Kindland is a national initiative of the Values-in-Action Foundation, a non-profit organization that is in the business of spreading positivity and kindness for 29 years. Students will be encouraged to be compassionate, empathetic and kind by NFL players. February is a great month to encourage students to be kind because Valentine's Day is February 14th and Random Acts of Kindness Week starts February 11th. Kickoff For Kindness will take place February 8th. Students across the nation will watch a video featuring NFL players encouraging students to be kind, compassionate, and empathetic.
From February 9th through May 10th, the Just Be Kind App (available in Apple and Android app stores) will track all acts of kindness posted from individuals at participating schools . The school with the most participants and with the most acts of kindness in each category at the end of the games will win the game.
First Place: $5,000
Second Place: $2,500
Third Place: $1,000
There will be winners in the following grade levels categories:
K-5
6-8
9-12
Calendar of Events
March 7th Gr. 4 Concert 6:30 @PAC
March 9th Pre-K and Kindergarten Registration for the 24-25 School year @ Ely E 9:30-12
March 19th Election Day. Northwood Campus is a polling location.
March 21st Cultural Fair 5:30
March 22nd Teacher Record's Day/No school for students
March 25th Spring Break
April 2nd School resumes
April 5th Report cards available via School Messenger
April 8th- No school/Also, total solar eclipse occurring @ 3:00 p.m.
April 11th Lorain County Spelling Bee TBD Middle School gym
April 15th Q3 Awards Assembly 9:30
April 16th Ohio State Tests begin grades 3 & 4
May 1st Interims available via School Messenger
May 6th Teacher Appreciation Week
May 31st Q4 Awards program 9:30 Middle School gym. Last day of school.
Northwood Elementary 2024 Yearbooks
Click here for order information. Order Deadline is April 5, 2024.
Elyria Schools' Text Messages and Robocalls
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.
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
3 Bs for Success at Northwood Elementary
- Be respectful
- Be responsible
- Be ready to learn
Elyria Schools Belief Statements
- Learners thrive when school is engaging and personally meaningful
- All Pioneers have a voice in decisions that affect them
- Excellence is achieved through vision, commitment and moral leadership