Northwoods News
A Message from Principal Nixon--Week of August 24, 2020
Dear Northwoods Families,
We had a wonderful first week of school! As of last Friday, 99% of our students have attended one or more live sessions with their teacher(s), which is a remarkable feat! We know this wouldn't have been possible without your involvement and continued support at home. We truly appreciate all you do to help keep your kids connected and engaged!
Additionally, I would like to thank all of the parents who donated paper grocery bags over the last few days. With your help, we collected over 800 bags! Thank you!!
Please take a few minutes to read through the information below. As always, please feel free to reach out to me at jnixon@wcpss.net if you have questions.
Respectfully,
Joe Nixon
Principal
We hope you are getting settled into this new school year! We want to bring your attention to a form we have created for your students. This form will inform us that your child wants to speak with a counselor. Once you or your student fills out the form, we will be able to follow up and support you in the areas of skill-building such as problem solving, coping skills, social skills, mindfulness, and more.
We also ask that you fill out a Family Check-In questionnaire. This form will help us support you and will be a space for you to share any additional needs your family may have at this time with regards to devices or family changes.
Thank you!
The Counseling Team
Important School Information
Student Orientation
As a reminder, today begins Week 2 of student/family orientation. The main focus for the first two weeks of the school year will be on Social/Emotional Learning, meet & greet opportunities, and expectation setting. Please click on the link below to view the orientation schedule.
Northwoods Online Learning Schedule
Using guidance and expectations from the WCPSS Academics Department, we have created a comprehensive online learning schedule for grades K-5. The schedule is linked below for your convenience. Your child's teacher will share more specific information about his/her daily schedule during Meet the Teacher later this week. Because all students will start the school year online, they will follow the same schedule regardless of whether the are participating in Virtual Academy or Plan B. The Northwoods Online Learning Schedule will take effect on Monday, August 21st.
Student Information Survey--Please complete this short student information survey for each registered child you have at Northwoods. The contact information from this survey will replace our traditional "Student Locator Cards".
Student Materials Pick-up
This is a friendly reminder that we will be conducting curbside pick-ups for student materials this Wednesday through Friday. Specific information about dates and times is posted below. When picking up materials, please use the carpool lane and stay in your vehicle. We will not be allowing parents or visitors into the building. Instead, a staff member will deliver the materials to your car.
Assessments
We have received many questions from parents about assessments for the 2020-21 school year. Please know that, as of today, the North Carolina General Assembly has not taken any action to cancel or modify existing state testing requirements. As of now, all state assessments (BOG, EOG, Istation, etc.) that have historically been conducted are still required. However, we will not be conducting any assessments until we have a better understanding of how those assessments can be administered in an online learning environment. Currently, there is no timeline for when formal state-wide assessments may begin.
Immunizations/Health Forms
This is a friendly reminder that immunization records and health assessments are required for ALL kindergarten students and new students, regardless of whether they are participating in Virtual Academy or Plan B. By NC State Law, parents/guardians have the first 30 days of the school year to provide documentation of immunizations and health assessments to the school. After that point, the child may be excluded from school. The due date to submit immunization records and health assessments is October 31st. Records can be dropped off at the school during normal business hours or emailed to Marilee Davies at mdavies@wcpss.net.
Parent/Student Tutorial--This is a comprehensive document that contains step-by-step instructions and video tutorials for accessing common Google Apps that students will use during online learning. Please save this link for future use.
Student Device Needs
Please make sure that your child has access to a laptop or Chromebook for online learning purposes. It is highly recommended that each child in a family has access their own device so that we can avoid conflicts with scheduling. If your child is in need of a device or hotspot for internet service, please contact our Media Center Coordinator, Renee Vaughn, at rvaughn@wcpss.net. When making requests, please provide Ms. Vaughn with your name, child's name, phone number, and email address so that we can submit a request on your behalf.
Device Distribution
Device distribution began last week. To ensure proper social distancing, the district is distributing devices to one grade level per day starting with high school students. Unfortunately, this means that our elementary students will have a longer wait that we initially anticipated. If you submitted a request for a Chromebook and/or hotspot, we ask for your continued patience. The district will notify you three days before your scheduled pick-up date. Families may pick up their device at any of the following locations:
- Apex High
- Enloe High
- Knightdale High
- Leesville Road High
- South Garner High
Distribution Centers will operate with the following hours:
- Monday, Tuesday, Friday - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Wednesday and Thursday - 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Saturdays - 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
All devices will be inspected and tested before being distributed. Help Desk members will be on hand to answer questions, repair or replace devices that aren’t working, help families log into their devices and address any problems with a previously distributed device.
Translation services will be available.