Northwoods News
A Message from Principal Nixon--December 6, 2021
Northwoods Families,
As we prepare to enter into the holiday season, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation for your continued support this year. As we all know, 2021 has been a wild year and it feels like we've navigated a lifetime's worth of challenges in a single year. It's with that in mind that I wish you and your families a happy, healthy, and peaceful winter break and a wonderful New Year!
Upcoming Events:
- December 13th - 17th: Spirit Week
- December 18th - January 3rd: Winter Break
- Monday, January 3rd: School Resumes
- Friday, January 14th: Q2 Ends
- Monday, January 17th: Martin Luther King Jr. Day: No School
- Tuesday, January 18th: Teacher Workday
- Tuesday, January 18th: Q3 Virtual Academy Material Distribution
- Friday, January 21st--Report Cards Sent Home
Respectfully,
Joe Nixon, Principal
Celebrations
Please join me in congratulating our 2021-22 Instructional Assistant-of-the-Year, Mrs. Lorraine Carter!! Ms. Carter is a Kindergarten Instructional Assistant and works closely with Ms. Nievinski's class. She is an amazing educator and I'm truly excited to recognize and celebrate her contributions to our school community!
Each month the Cary Chamber of Commerce and Huntington Learning Center honors a special teacher at each local school with a Teacher-of-the-Month Award. Northwoods was chosen for the month of November and I am proud to announce that Mrs. Samantha Ahern was honored this morning as our Teacher-of-the-Month Award recipient. Mrs. Ahern currently teachers second-grade in the Virtual Academy program and goes above and beyond daily to meet the needs of her students. She is an amazing teacher and an exceptional member of our school staff. Please join me in congratulating Ms. Ahern!
Welcome, Mr. Lamb!
All About Mr. Lamb:
My name is Will Lamb, and I am so excited to have been named your new assistant principal at the school board meeting last night!
For the past nine years, I have served in Durham Public Schools, as a Spanish teacher, magnet coordinator, third-grade teacher, and principal intern. For the past two school years, I have been the assistant principal at E.K. Powe Elementary School. My wife, Elizabeth, and I got married in June 2020, and she is a third-grade teacher in Durham.
I grew up in Asheboro, NC and came to the RDU area for college at UNC-Chapel Hill. My master's degree is from NC State, and I'm currently in a doctoral program there.
I have loved getting to know Joe and some of the Northwoods team over the past few weeks. There are so many incredible things happening at Northwoods, and I'm looking forward to serving alongside each of you beginning on January 3.
School Information
Kindergarten Registration is Open:
Parents of rising kindergarten students may begin registering for the 2022-23 school year. For more information, please review the Northwoods Kindergarten Registration flyer.
Spirit Week December 13th - 17th:
Next week is Spirit Week at Northwoods! Please use the link below to check out our daily themes.
Check Out Mrs. Vaughn's Media Center Website:
Mrs. Vaughn, our School Library Media Coordinator, has created a new media center website. It's a place for students and parents to go for book, technology, and digital resource needs.
Reminder--Label Winter Clothing:
As cold weather begins to settle in our area, I would like to remind you all to please label your child's clothing items. This helps us identify and return items that are dropped off in our Lost and Found. All unclaimed items will be donated to local charities when we leave for Thanksgiving break.
Requests for Temporary Placement into Virtual Academy:
Over the last few weeks, I have received many requests for a child to be temporarily placed into Virtual Academy for a variety of reasons. Please understand that, regardless of the reason or your family's unique circumstances, I am NOT permitted to move children into the Virtual Academy and all such requests will be denied.
Virtual Academy Information
Second Semester VA Updates:
The following information was presented to the WCPSS Board of Education last week and will be shared with parents in the coming days:
- The current Virtual Academy program structure and processes will remain the same for the second semester.
Principals continue to respond to individual student requests to return to in-person instruction based on staffing and seat availability at their school.
There will not be a district-wide opt-in or opt-out window for the second semester.
The Virtual Academy registration remains closed. Movement into the Virtual Academy is not permitted for current students or new WCPSS enrollees.
Q3 Material Distribution:
Virtual Academy families will have the opportunity to pick up Q3 student materials on Tuesday, January 18th from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM.
PTA News
The Northwoods PTA would like to show our teachers how much they are appreciated by starting a December Supply Drive. Please consider helping by signing up to donate classroom supplies. You can find the SignUpGenius for supply donations at:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0e4eaba62ca0f58-northwoods