Northwest News
Mr. Smith's Newsletter for the Northwest Community
Sunday, September 5, 2021
No School Monday, September 6 and Tuesday, September 7
Extra-Curricular Activities Begin this Week!
Our extracurricular activities begin this Wednesday, September 8th. Please see our current list of activities here. This list is updated daily. If you have any questions about a specific club, please email the staff sponsor.
Our free dinner program will begin on September 13th.
Activity busses will run on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 4:30. We have two routes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and one on Wednesdays. Students taking the activity bus should exit at the main entrance.
Bus 1 (Tuesday and Thursday)
Clopper Mill ES (Eligible Riders Only)
Clopper Road and Festival Way
Clopper Road and Steeple Road
Germantown Elementary
Kings Crossing Blvd. and Cornflower
Kingsview MS
McNair ES
Schaffer Road
Wisteria Drive and Circle Gate Drive
Bus 2 (Tuesdays and Thursdays)
Berryville Road
Black Rock Road
Brown Station ES
Clopper Road and Longdraft Road
Darnestown Road and Ancient Oaks Drive
Diamond ES
Quince Orchard Road and Purchase Street
River Road
Seneca Road (Route 112)
Sioux Lane and Dosh Drive
Springmeadows Drive
West Side Drive
Wednesdays (One Bus Only)
Germantown ES
Kings Crossing Blvd. and Cornflower Road
McNair ES
Wisteria Drive and Circle Gate Drive
Clopper Road and Longdraft Road
Diamond Elementary School
Quince Orchard Road and Purchase Street
Seneca Road (Route 112)
Route 28 & Jones Lane (RSO)
All students staying for an extracurricular activity should check in and wait for sponsors in the cafeteria. Students will be required to complete a google form for attendance. Students will remain in the cafeteria until sponsors arrive to escort students to meeting location.
If you have questions about extracurricular activities or activity busses, please contact Danielle Abdelsalam @ Danielle_M_Abdelsalam@mcpsmd.org.
NWHS Parent Handbook/Back to School Night Presentation
If you have specific questions regarding anything related to your student's respective classes, you can reach out to their teacher directly.
Important Reminders!
- We have installed additional water filling stations throughout the building and water fountains are back in working order. Because of these provisions, students are encouraged to bring water bottles every day so they are able to drink water throughout the day.
- All students have been and still have the ability to receive an MCPS-issued Chromebook to be used for all school-related work. Students are reminded to bring these chromebooks back and forth from home, daily so they can use them for these purposes.
- Personal laptops, ipads, chromebooks and other devices are not allowed. If a student chooses to bring their own device to school, all risk is assumed by the owner and the school will not be responsible for any lost, stolen or damaged incurred.
- Study Hours in the Media Center have returned! Beginning this Wednesday, September 8 and every Wednesday throughout the year, students have access to the media center from 4:30 to 8:00. While students cannot check out resources or chromebooks during this time, they are able to meet with peers to work on tasks or in study groups with support from a few Northwest staff members. Students also have access to the Media Center desktops and printers at this time but are highly encouraged to use their own chromebooks.
PSAT/SAT Day October 13, 2021
Hello Northwest families! We will be offering the following exams on October 13th to our students:
- PSAT9 (9th grade students)
- PSAT (10th and 11th grade students)
- SAT (12th Grade Students)
The PSAT9 is an exam to help prepare 9th grade students for the PSAT and SAT. The fee will be $14 dollars for 9th grade students who would like to take this exam. 10th and 11th grade students will have the opportunity to take the PSAT on October 13th. This test is free of charge for all those students. 11th grade students will have the opportunity to earn a national merit scholarship. 12th grade students have the opportunity to take the SAT on October 13th. If you did not take the SAT in the spring you will be able to take the SAT for free. If you want to retake the SAT from the spring the fee will be $55. Please check in with your counselor to check if you qualify for a fee waiver. There is a survey below for 9th and 12 grade students interested in taking either the PSAT9 or SAT. Please complete all of the information if you are interested.
Stopping the Spread of COVID...at Home
As we return to school, we continue to rely on our families and each individual to screen themselves daily for symptoms. To help us avoid quarantine, we are asking that you please continue to screen your children at home and if they have even one symptom of COVID-19, or are awaiting COVID test results, please do not send them to school.
This is particularly important as if your child has any of the following single symptoms they will be sent home and not be able to return to school until they have a negative test, alternate diagnosis, or complete a full 10-day quarantine. During that period of time, all other students who have been in their close contact will have to be in a temporary quarantine while the other families wait on the outcome of that testing for your child. This could be potentially disruptive to your children and families moving in and out of quarantine and to avoid it takes all of us working together. It is a collective responsibility that we exercise extreme caution and be conservative in our approach.
The single symptoms that the health room staff screen for and will result in quarantine are cough, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, fever ≥100.4°, sore throat, severe Headache, diarrhea or vomiting. Please do not send your children to school with any of these symptoms. This is essential for us to continue to remain in school without quarantine.
Athletics Schedule for the Week of Monday, September 6 - Sunday, September 12
REMINDER: School Day Arrival/Dismissal Procedures/Reminders
If students are arriving by car, they must be dropped off at the lower gym lobby entrance until 7:45am. After 7:45 am, car riders must be dropped off at the upper main entrance. Students who walk to school may arrive at the main entrance or the gym lobby. All buses will drop students off at the upper main entrance. Please note that these procedures are the same for dismissal in the afternoon.
Families, please remember to adhere to the speed limit on Richter Farm Road. Additionally, please do not let students out of your vehicles on Richter Farm Road. We want everyone to arrive to school safely.
REMINDER: COVID-19/Quarantine Guidance
Isolation:
An individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 and is sick (level of symptoms could be varied).
Separates sick people with a contagious disease from those who are not sick
Existing student absence policy for excused absences and illness would apply for making up missed work.
Quarantine:
A individual who was in direct contact ( with a COVID-19 positive person and is in quarantine.
Most typically is not sick and available for learning experiences.
Separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick.
How will my child receive instruction while on quarantine?
Students will use the materials and assignments posted in the course Canvas page and have access to their course instructor at the time they are available each day. Staff for each course will review course materials and provide targeted explanations for the assignments and other support for learning/work completion.
Click here to see when your student’s teachers will be available for instructional support. The quarantine instructional support schedule is to be used only for students who are in a Health Department determined quarantine and not expected to be used for other student illnesses or absence.
REMINDER: 2021-2022 Lunch Expectations
The Northwest HS lunch plan for the 2021-2022 school year aims to maximize available seating options to reduce density at lunch in shared spaces. Students are required to follow the mask compliance when not eating, but socializing. Students may eat lunch:
In a school hallway
In a classroom under staff supervision
In the center school courtyard (weather permitting)
In the stadium in the bleachers or on the track - but not on the grass field (weather permitting)
If students have any questions about our school lunch plan, please contact the Northwest HS main office at (240)740-7100.
REMINDER: Division of Food and Nutrition Services Frequently Asked Questions
Will Students need their ID/Pin Numbers for breakfast or Lunch?
• No, the cafeteria will not need the student name or ID numbers for meals.
How much will breakfast/lunch cost?
• All meals are provided at no charge to all students.
• All students will be offered breakfast, lunch, snack, and supper meals.
Where will the students eat their meals?
• Schools may utilize their cafeterias, classrooms, or outside spaces.
How will snack/supper meals be distributed?
• School Based Supervisors and/or Field Managers will work with the schools to determine best practices.
o Based on Google pre-orders: Snack/Supper meals may be delivered to each class door for pickup.
o Grab ‘n go at central location for pick up (no pre-orders).
How will students and staff purchase a la carte items?
• ID numbers will be required for a la carte purchases. A la carte sales will resume on a school by school basis as they adjust to new reopening meal service.
What will be on the menu for back to school?
• The menu will be our traditional hot meals.
How will students with allergies/special needs be handled?
• The health tech or nurse will provide the manager with the information for each student that needs accommodation.
• Through the line service will be as usual. Meals delivered to a class will need to be separated or tagged for the student.
Northwest Class Spirit!
It's a long-standing tradition at Northwest for each grade to wear their assigned CLASS COLOR on Pep Rally days! Each class sits in a designated section at the rallies so make an impact for YOUR CLASS by wearing your grade level color and make your presence known! Although participation with wearing class colors is optional, we hope you will join in the FUN!
The grade level colors are as follows:
Freshmen (Grade 9): YELLOW
Sophomores (Grade 10): GREEN
Juniors (Grade 11): RED
Seniors (Grade 12): BLUE
You can wear any clothing and/or accessories in your assigned color as long as you adhere to the school dress code. You can opt to wear clothing that you already own in your grade level color, you can purchase a shirt from the PTSA/Booster Club website for $4: http://www.nwhsptsa.org/shop (available sizes and quantities are limited), or you can purchase a T-shirt in your color at Michael's or Joanne's (the cost is usually around $4) and personalize with fabric markers or paint pens! The possibilities are endless to show your #JagPride!
Class of 2025 (9th Grade): Yellow
Class of 2024 (10th Grade): Green
Class of 2023 (11th Grade): Red
Class of 2022 (12th Grade): Blue
Northwest High School
Email: Scott_E_Smith@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://northwestjags.org
Location: 13501 Richter Farm Road, Germantown, MD, USA
Phone: (240)740-7100
Twitter: @NorthwestJags