Welcome Back

National Fire Prevention (NFPA) Week was October 4th-10th. We would like to thank Union Fire Company (WSFD#2) for visiting Northwood last week. The students enjoyed a presentation, learning about the equipment, and going on the fire trucks. Thank you for a great experience!

Thank you Mrs. Giglio and Mrs Steele for leading us through presentations to introduce students to all the wonderful ways to be a shining star at Northwood! We kicked off our town hall meetings to introduce important PBIS language, and talk about different ways to be shining stars. There are many ways students can earn positive shout outs and rewards.

Thank you Ms. Smith for coming to Northwood and presenting students with star bus awards. These students follow the Northwood code on the bus and put safety first. Thank you for being great role models on the bus. Keep on shining!

Thank you to our transportation department for coming to Northwood and providing our students with a bus safety presentation. The students engaged in a conversation, practiced walking across the street, and practiced exiting the back of the bus. It is always good to practice how to act safely around and on a bus. Thank you again!

Congratulations to our student ambassadors of the 2026-2027 school year. We are excited for all the activities planned for the school year with your help and leadership.

Please consider donating to our West Seneca Clothes Closet.

Northwood Elementary will be hosting some sports intramurals for students in the future. In order to participate, students must have the following on file with the Health Office:

1. A current NYS physical examination form on file (valid within the past 12 months);

2. Up-to-date health history and emergency contact information;

3. Requested medical authorizations on file (e.g., asthma action plan, allergy action plan, and any corresponding medications).

Intramurals now fall under athletic activity guidelines and, therefore, every student must be medically cleared by the school nurse prior to participating in intramurals.

For more information see the district communication linked below. Prior to intramural sign-ups, expect us to verify that your child has this information on file with us.

12th - No School, Indigenous Peoples' Day

13th - PTO Meeting, 5 PM

23rd - PTO Event

November:

3rd - No School, Superintendent's Conference Day

10th - PTO Meeting, 5 PM

11th - No School, Veteran's Day

17th - Picture retakes

25th - 27th - No School, Thanksgiving Recess

For the 2026-2027, West Seneca's K-5 schools will be using a cycle schedule rather than a Monday through Friday schedule. The cycle schedule will have days represented by numbers. For example, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, and Day 5. This will allow us to keep our daily schedule on track when we have days off and will not miss their specials (Art, Music, P.E., Library). If and when we have a snow day, the calendar will adjust for the missed day. Please see the daily cycle schedule below.

Consider joining the Northwood PTO! Please check out all the events on the calendar for the year. The next PTO meeting will be on Tuesday, November 10th at 5:00 PM. We hope to see you there! Our next event of the school year will be on Friday, October 23rd.

All school breakfasts and lunches are free for the 2026-2027 school year!

Sign up to add money your child's My School Bucks account for snacks or additional lunch items through Parent Portal or here -- https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/getmain?requestAction=home

Reminders

• Safety is a top priority. ID is always required when entering the building.
  
• Please note that pets are not permitted on the property during school hours.
  
• A note is required if you allow your child to walk home from school. All notes are kept in the main office.
  
• Please keep an eye on the weather. If it's thunder or lightning, and you do not see staff outside, please use discretion when releasing your child/children from your vehicle.

Parent Drop-off and Pick-up Reminders

Just a few reminders:

• When you enter the “drop off zone,” no matter how many cars are ahead of you, please have your child ready to exit when you stop.
• Please have your child exit from the passenger side.
• If you have an assigned bus number, please consider using district transportation. This will alleviate car traffic on campus.
• Please stay in your car for arrival and dismissal to keep the line moving. Adults will supervise students walking into the building. Please consider buckling up quickly to keep the line moving.
• Parent pick-up will begin at 3:20 PM.
• If you plan on picking up your child, please send in a note to the teacher. If you have a set pick-up plan or schedule, please also communicate this by submitting a green form.
• If you walk to school or are dropped off in the morning, please use the front door entrance and avoid the bus loop.

Thank you for being so cooperative.

Parent Portal

One of the best ways to keep track of school work, schedules, assignments, grades, attendance, lunch money, etc., is the Parent Portal. Each parent may have one account, attaching multiple children/students. You must know your child's PowerSchool Access ID and Password to create an account. Please call your child's school to retrieve this information. For more information on how to access this account for your children, please click the link below.

The parent portal is a "one-stop shop" for student information. We are sharing that all report card information, transportation, and food service information will be provided through the Parent Portal.

The West Seneca Central School District PowerSchool Parent Portal can be found at https://powerschool.wscschools.org/guardian. You must know your child's PowerSchool Access ID and Password to create an account. Please get in touch with the Northwood Elementary Main Office at 677-3640 if you need this information. To create a new Parent Portal account, please follow our Parent Portal Page instructions.

Additionally, your child's teacher may be using My Power Hub to share important classroom information. This two-way communication system is linked to your Parent Portal account. Make sure you don't miss out by keeping your Parent Portal account up-to-date and active.

The district code is GPNR.

Attendance Matters!

Regular school attendance is crucial for academic success and overall development. Attending school helps students stay engaged in learning, develop good habits, and build a strong foundation for future educational and career opportunities. Please use the "Note to School" notepad if your child misses school.

Attention -- All Parent Volunteers!

To safely promote family engagement, we ask any parent/guardian interested in volunteering in our buildings to complete the "Parent Volunteer Orientation." Volunteers include, but are not limited to, classroom helpers, classroom readers, PTA volunteers, etc.

Any adult entering the building during the school day must view the entire slideshow and complete the Annual Acknowledgement Form. Upon completing the slideshow, you will find the Acknowledgment Form by clicking the icon specific to your building. This must be completed each year.

From Our School Nurse

If you have any other health-related concerns, please contact the school nurse, Mrs. Pisto at 716-677-3644 or via email at mpisto@wscschools.org.

NYS mandates that we have physical exams on file for all children in UPK/Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade. New York State also requires all students new to the district to have a physical on file. The physicals must be less than a year old. They can be mailed, dropped off, or faxed to our office (716-674-3505).

Transportation APP

The West Seneca Central School District has Apps that allow parents to track their child's bus.

**Bus 1-33 will use the First Student App-Firstview

Bus 36 and higher will use the district App Here Comes The Bus (HCTB)

**You will need your child's student ID from the parent portal and our district code, 86979.

West Seneca Central Schools Mission

"We are an educational community that encourages kindness, inspires confidence, and instills the belief that together we can achieve anything."