Northwoods News
A Message from Principal Nixon--Week of November 2, 2020
Dear Northwoods Families,
Our first week of in-person learning went extremely well last week and we are off to another great start this week! We continue to be focused on creating and maintaining a safe, healthy environment for our students and staff. As such, we have structured our school day so that teachers have multiple opportunities to teach and reinforce health/safety protocols to our students. Our classrooms and common spaces are cleaned regularly through the school day and each evening so that we can prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses as students return to school.
I would also like to thank our Plan B families who have helped reinforce to their students the importance of following the established safety protocols at school. We truly appreciate the collective effort within our community to keep everyone safe and healthy!
Please take a few minutes to read through the updates and reminders below.
Respectfully,
Joe Nixon
Principal
Important Dates during November:
Nov. 6: International Stress Awareness Day
Nov. 9: World Adoption Day
Nov. 13: World Kindness Day
Nov. 13: National Career Development Day
Nov. 16: International Day for Tolerance
Nov. 19: National Parental Involvement Day
Nov. 21: International Survivors of Suicide Day
Nov. 21: National Adoption Day
Nov. 25: National Family Health History Day
Important School Information
Face Masks--Please ensure that your child has a properly fitting face covering before coming to school each day. We recommend that you send 2-3 clean face masks daily so that your child may change them out if/when they become soiled. As a reminder, it is very important that your child's face mask fits properly so that their nose and mouth stays covered. It may be necessary to adjust your child's face mask by tying knots in the ear loops for a better, tighter fit. For your convenience, I have linked a short instructional video below to help you ensure that your child's face mask fits properly.
Face Mask Social Story--Our students are still adjusting to wearing a face mask for 5-6 hours each day, and many of our youngest students don't fully understand why they are required to wear one at school. To help build understanding, WCPSS has created a student-friendly social story about the importance of wearing a mask. I've posted that video below for your convenience. Please feel free to use it at home when discussing health/safety protocols with your child.
Student Illnesses-- Please monitor your child for COVID-like symptoms. Students who have experienced at least one COVID-like symptom, with or without being diagnosed, or students who have siblings that are experiencing COVID-like symptoms, should not be sent to school. This puts everyone, including your child, at risk.
Common COVID Symptoms include: Fever or chills, new cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell
Yearbook Picture Information
Yearbook Pictures--I'm happy to announce that we are working on a 2020-21 yearbook! As part of this process, we have scheduled individual fall pictures for students. In collaboration with Strawbridge Studios, ALL students (VA and Plan B) will have the opportunity to sit for individual pictures on Wednesday, November 18th. We will be using similar protocols (described below) that local middle schools and high schools have successfully used to keep students safe. Please use the link below to sign your child up for a time slot.
Picture Day Procedures-- To ensure the safety of our students and their families, enhanced safety measures will be used on picture day. Strawbridge has outlined those safety measures in a short video, which I have posted below.
On picture day, parents will drop their child off at the front entrance of the school. Once students enter the building, parents will pull around to the bus loop to wait. As students enter the building, they will be escorted to the cafeteria for their picture. Once the picture process is complete, students will exit the cafeteria through the doors near the 2nd grade hallway and will exit the building at the bus loop where parents will pick them up.
Additional Picture Day Information--
- Students must pass a health screening and wear a face covering before entering the building.
- Social distancing (6ft) is required while students are on campus.
- Parents and other visitors will not be permitted in the building.
- Picture packets should be ordered online using the links in the Sign-Up. We are not collecting money (cash, checks, etc.) at school.