Northwood News
September 15, 2025
Dear Northwood Families,
We had such a wonderful time at our Games with Grandparents event last week! It was so special to see our students playing, laughing, and celebrating the important role grandparents play in their lives. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make it a memorable day for our school community. A very special thank you goes to Jean Barger and her team for organizing such a successful and heartwarming event.
I am also excited to share that we have a new member of the Northwood team! Please help us welcome Lisa De La Rosa, our new Family Engagement Liaison. Lisa began with us last week and will be on campus Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Her role is to act as a bridge between home, school, and the community, ensuring that families feel supported and connected. She will be providing resources to help families and students thrive, including parent education classes, workshops on parenting and academics, connections to community services for emotional and financial needs, and mentoring opportunities. We are so glad to have her here to strengthen the partnership between families and our school.
This Thursday, we invite everyone to wear gold in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Childhood cancer touches the lives of many families, even some of our own Northwood familes and wearing gold is a simple but powerful way to show our support, raise awareness, and honor the bravery of children and families who have faced this challenge.
We are also excited to kick off our new Attendance Leaderboard, which will be shared each week in the Northwood News. The top three classes with the highest attendance rates will be recognized, and the top class will proudly receive the “Golden Unicorn” for the week. Attendance is so important for student success, and this is a fun way to celebrate our students for showing up and being part of our learning community every day.
Next week, we’ll celebrate Attendance Awareness Week with special dress-up days to make it extra fun! Each day will have a different theme to show our school spirit and remind students that every day counts. Look for the dress-up schedule in this week’s newsletter so your child can join in the fun.
Thank you for your continued support and for being such an important part of the Northwood family. Together, we are helping every child grow, learn, and succeed!
Warmly,
Mrs. Harper
Marcos Pizza Night Wed. Oct. 1
Marcos Pizza is hosting Northwood Spirit night on Oct. 1. Simply mention Northwood when ordering in-store or over the phone, or use code NES when ordering online or through the app.
Marcos will give 20% of thier proceeds back to Northwood PTA.
The Big Give
The Big Give is coming up!The official day of the Big Give is Wednesday September 17th at 6 PM thru Thursday September 18th at 6 PM. but it's not too early to help us start reaching our goal.
This day of “giving” is for our Northwood families to raise funds for a special project.
Our GOAL is $5500 to add four inclusive swings to our playground so that every child has the chance to play side by side with friends.
Any amount helps! Donate link is open now!
https://www.thebiggivesa.org/p2p/437006/northwood-elementary-school
Attendance Matters
Coming to school every day is one of the best ways for students to learn, grow friendships, and be part of our school community.
To make it fun, we’ll have special dress-up days each day of the week to celebrate the importance of being here. We can’t wait to see everyone’s school spirit as we show that every day counts!
See the graphic below for all of the details.
News from PTA
Upcoming Dates to mark on your calendar:
September 18: Wear Gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness
September 19: Hispanic Heritage Month Assembly
September 22-26: Attendance Awareness Week
September 26: Bike Rodeo
September 26: Parent Engagment Training
October 1: Marcos Pizza Spirit Night
Need the district calendar? Bookmark this link.
Get ready to pedal into fun at the upcoming bike rodeo!
The annual Northwood Bike Rodeo rolls into action on Friday, September 26 at 8:30 AM in the front parking lot. Riders should park bikes in the front of the school, and line up with their grade signs. Don’t forget—a signed permission slip is required by the morning of the event, and families can check the form for safety and skill guidelines. The top boy & girl riders in each grade will earn a spot at the Citywide Rodeo, and while riders with training wheels won’t advance, they are more than welcome to join the fun. Parents, come cheer on our cyclists and help make the morning extra special! In case of rain, the Rodeo will be rescheduled. Sign up to volunteer using our NEW Northwood PTA website here: Volunteer Link or contact Michelle Fuentes at fuentes.michellet@gmail.com with questions.
Reflections Art Competition
Northwood is part of this year's national Reflections art competition! We hope to see our students share their amazing creativity in the visual arts, photography, literature, music composition, dance choreography, film production, or in the accessible arts division. All submissions are due by October 24th!
Get more information and submit your work here: https://bit.ly/northwoodreflections2025
Elevate Your Impact: Join the PTA Today! joinPTA.org
Unlock a world of opportunities by becoming a part of our passionate PTA community.
Membership is $8.50 and your involvement is a chance to make a tangible difference in your child's education and school experience.
By joining PTA, you are showing support for your child and their education. There is no obligation to volunteer or take on additional responsibilities (unless you want to!)
Join fellow parents and educators to shape the future, advocate for quality education, and create a nurturing environment where students can thrive.
Amplify Your Voice, Forge Lasting Connections, Enrich Learning Experiences, Drive Positive Change, Shape the Future!
Join the PTA today and embark on a rewarding journey of collaboration, empowerment, and growth.
Together, we can create a brighter future for our children and build a stronger, more vibrant school community. joinPTA.org
Join Our Campus Library Advisory Committee!
We are seeking parents to serve on our Campus Library Advisory Committee, a group that convenes only in the event of a formal request to reconsider library materials. Members work with the campus librarian and campus staff to review the request and provide input as part of the district’s established collection development policy. This committee includes campus administration, faculty members, parents, and our librarian/LIEL. Selected members will be required to view a short training video. If you are interested, please submit this application by Friday, September 26th.
School Lunch
We have a wonderful cafeteria that serves breakfast and lunch daily. This year meals are provided at no charge to ALL students as part of the Community Eligibility Program. Click THIS link to watch a short video about what is included on the school breakfast or lunch tray and what items are an extra charge.
If your child wants "extras" beyond the regular school tray, you need to add money to their cafeteria account by visiting schoolcafe.com or sending in a check or cash.
Visitors to Campus
All visitors to campus will be required to present an ID and receive a visitors badge through the Raptor system in order to come into the building during the school day. This includes on the first day of school. We understand that this may not be convenient, but it is necessary in order to ensure safety.
School Absences
Our goal is for all of our students to maintain outstanding attendance (at least 95%).
The best way to learn is by being present at school and on time, ready to learn at 7:25 am every day! If your child needs to be absent due to illness, please be sure to send a note to school the day they return explaining the reason for the absence. Absences for illness and medical appointments will be excused with a written note. A student can have no more than 18 absences in order to recieve credit for the course/grade level.
Morning Drop Off 6:50 -7:20 am
- Students may be dropped off no earlier than 6:50am. There is no supervison before this time and students will not be allowed into the building.
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🤚 Passenger Side Only
For Safety, students should exit the vehicle from the passenger side only. If they are unable to exit by themselves on the passenger side, please pull into a parking spot and assist them.
- Breakfast is served from 6:50-7:20 am. Students arriving after 7:20 am will need to have breakfast at home.
- Students who arrive before 7:20 will report to the follow locations to wait for their teacher:
- Kinder - 1st grade: K/1 Hallway
- 2nd - 5th grade: Gym
- Teachers will pick up the students at 7:20 and walk them to the classroom.
- The tardy bell rings at 7:25 am, so please allow plenty of time to get to class.
- In order to ensure the safety of all of our students, we ask that parents not come into the building in the mornings. We will make sure that everyone gets to class safely.
After School Dismissal 2:45-3:00 pm
In order to ensure the safety of all our students everyone picking up a student from school at dismissal is required to present an official Northwood Dismissal Tag, whether it is by car or walk up. If you need a dismissal tag, please come to the front office and present your ID. All students will wait inside the building for dismissal which will start at 2:45 pm
Parent Pick Up will line up on the sidewalk near the marquee, with their dismissal tag and wait to be called.
Car pick up will hang their tag on their rear view mirror, line up on Rockhill and turn right into the school driveway. Wait for your child's name to be called and pull all the way forward. Please stay in your car. If you need to help your child with their buckle, please park and walk up.
🤚 Passenger Side Only
For Safety, students should enter the vehicle from the passenger side only. If they are unable to get in the passenger side please pull into a parking spot and walk up so that you can assist your child
We understand that this may take a little longer, however, we want to ensure that everyone goes homes safely. Thank you for your cooperation.
School Hours 7:25 am - 2:40 pm
Threre is a change to our school day this year. The tardy bell rings and 7:25 am and the dismissal bell rings at 2:40 pm. Please make plans to get up a few minutes earlier so that your child is in class ready to learn at 7:25 am. Students who come into the building after 7:25 am will be counted tardy and parents will need to come into the office and sign them in.
Skyward Family Access
Skyward Family Access is an important tool for all parents to stay informed with their child's education. This is where check grades, update contact information, complete forms and more. You should have received an email earlier this week to complete important beginning of the year forms. Please take some time to log in or create an account if you have not already done so. click and open the document below for full instructions. Click THIS link to login and for all the information you need.
Catherine Harper, Principal
Email: charpe5@neisd.net
Website: https://www.neisd.net/northwood
Location: 519 Pike Road, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: 210-407-5400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorthwoodNEISD
Twitter: @northwoodneisd