THE BEST
Building Excellence Successfully Together
{click translate at the top of the newsletter to view in multiple languages}
November 14, 2025
CALENDAR DATES
November 19 - Vision Screening (Grades 1, 3, 5 only)
November 19 - PTA Dining for Dollars - Marlow's Tavern
November 24 - 28 - Thanksgiving Holiday Break (No School)
December 4 - Chorus Concert
December 12 - All Pro Dad
December 19 - Reading is a Gift Day
December 22 - January 5 - Winter Break
KEY NEWS FOR EXPLORER FAMILIES
Through the chilly start and perfect fall weather finish, this week was WONDERFUL! The Veterans Day performance by the third graders was a wonderful way to honor our United States Veterans and learn more about the importance of the day.
It was delightful to see our families come together to enjoy our annual Thanksgiving Feast. Thank you to our cafeteria staff for the hours of prep that goes into the feast days. The week ended with the All Pro Dad meeting and culmination of the canned food drive. The All Pro Dad meeting had great attendance this morning! Next week we’ll have the totals for the number of boxes collected for NFCC. Thank you to Mr. Chaffer, Mr. Asher, Mr. Devlin and the APD team who coordinated the food drive and helped out at carpool this week! The support from our Northwood community is greatly appreciated. We are still collecting cereal boxes through next Friday to donate to the Haynes Bridge food pantry.
Fulton County is accepting feedback on the school year 2027-28 calendar. See the Thought Exchange link in the section below to review and add your comments to the survey. The district calendar committee wants input from families regarding the calendar before they present it to the school board.
Another AMAZING highlight from this week was that on Thursday morning Northwood was presented with the Beanstack traveling trophy! Earning the trophy means that Northwood students had the highest participation for Fulton County elementary schools at 99.66%! Our Explorers are LOVE to read and are showing that love in Beanstack.
With gratitude,
Heather Q. Rucker, principal
KINDERGARTEN EXPLORERS
Kindergarten Thanksgiving Celebration: Kindergarten students have been busy preparing for our school’s Thanksgiving Feast! They worked hard creating festive decorations, including colorful turkeys, pumpkins, and turkey legs to brighten each table. Students also made their very own hats to wear during their classroom performances. They practiced their songs with enthusiasm, and all of their hard work paid off when they saw the smiles on their families’ faces. After performing, everyone enjoyed a delicious feast together in the cafeteria — a perfect way to celebrate gratitude and togetherness!
FIRST GRADE EXPLORERS
First grade had so much fun using their amazing reading and speaking skills to perform a skit for their families before our Thanksgiving Feast. It was great for first grade to learn about the importance of working together and being appreciative of each other.
YOUR FEEDBACK IS NEEDED: 2027-2028 FCS CALENDAR
The Fulton County School District Calendar Committee and School Board are seeking feedback as they are in the process of developing the 2027-28 calendar. Please click the following link to comment or add your thoughts. Thanks! https://tejoin.com/scroll/843851784
AVID GOAL OF THE WEEK
Northwood is proud to be an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) school. AVID Elementary equips students with the foundational skills and mindset needed for future success. Our staff is focused on enhancing instructional consistency, fostering a college and career readiness mindset, increasing student engagement and building organizational and study skills.
As part of this, each week Northwood will be focused on one goal as a school. Be sure to ask your child about it!
Next week’s AVID goal is: My goal is to say, "Excuse me," if someone bumps into me, even if it was not my fault.
CAFETERIA NEWS
HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT: LUNCH REMINDERS
Lunch Visitors: Visitors are welcome to purchase school lunch. Visitors should not carry lunch purchased from outside vendors. Please sign in at the front desk and wear a visitor badge. Please wait in the atrium for your child to arrive for lunch. Tables in a designated area (The Parent Cafe) are set up to accommodate visitors at lunch. The school staff will direct guests and students to that area. Unless you have pre-arranged to return to your child's room to read or work, please say your goodbyes in the cafeteria. Parents should only go to and from the cafeteria. Also, please note, there are no lunch visitors during special event days like the Fun Run, Field Day, etc. We encourage nutritious lunches; therefore, sodas, canned drinks, fast food, candy, energy drinks, etc. are discouraged.
Lunch Cart: If your child forgets his/her lunch, you may drop it off to the school no later than 10:15 am. Items dropped off before 10:15 am will be placed on a cart and will be brought to the cafeteria for student pick-up during their lunch time.
We appreciate your consideration!
FROM FCS: SNAP FAMILIES MAY QUALIFY FOR FREE OR REDUCED-PRICE SCHOOL MEALS
If a household is experiencing food insecurity due to the government shutdown or changes to SNAP benefits, please remember that families may qualify for Free or Reduced-Price School Meals. Families may qualify in several ways:
- If you receive SNAP or TANF, your child automatically qualifies for free meals, but you must apply.
- You may also qualify based on household income, check the eligibility chart online, but you must apply.
- Applications are quick, confidential, and most are processed within just a few days.
NEW CAFETERIA PRINCIPAL ACCOUNT FUND
This year, with the new lunch system, our school community has the capability to create a Cafeteria Principal Account Fund. This account would be used to fulfill any meal costs for students that reach an account balance of zero. We often have families and extended family members that ask if or how they can pay off lunch balances or support our students in this way, now the process of doing so is easy!
Should you be interested in adding to the Cafeteria Principal Account Fund, just send a check or cash to school in an envelope to Ms. Cristhal Austin, our cafeteria manager in training, and notate that the funds go to the Principal Fund. Please reach out to Ms. Austin, austinc4@fultonschools.org, if you have any questions.
MENU CALENDAR
The Fulton County School Nutrition Program is dedicated to serving all students nutritious, safe and customer acceptable meals in support of academic achievement. Click the link below to see what thery are serving up today.
MISSING SOMETHING?
Parents, please encourage your students to check regularly for lost items in the Lost and Found. Please mark all student belongings clearly with the child's name so that it can be identified. Unclaimed items are donated to local charities after the last school day of every month. November's date is Friday, November 21st.
HAVE YOU JOINED THE PARENT PORTAL?
The Infinite Campus Parent Portal provides quick and easy access to information for all enrolled students in their household. Find grades, attendance, assignments, schedules, ID numbers, school announcements and more. If you haven't already joined, please do so today as Fulton County Schools is transitioning to managing everything via the portal.
For more information, access the Parent Portal Booklet for Infinite Campus here.
NORTH FULTON COMMUNITY CHARITIES TOY DRIVE
🎁 Northwood Toy Drive – Starts Monday, Nov 10!
Let’s help brighten the holidays for local families!
The Northwood PTA is collecting new, unwrapped toys for children of all ages to support North Fulton Community Charities.
🗓️ Donation Window: Nov 10–Dec 12
📍 Drop-off: Marked bins in the school lobby
Let’s come together to spread kindness and cheer this season! 💛
DINING FOR DOLLARS: MARLOW'S TAVERN
The Dining for Dollars crew is back with an opportunity to send a percentage of every purchase back to Northwood! Kick back and let Marlow's do the work! As always, we thank you for being a part of the Northwood community.
WHERE: Marlow's Tavern, 3719 Old Alabama Road, bldg 200, John’s Creek, GA 30022
TIME: Wednesday, November 19th, 4 pm - close
DON'T FORGET TO MENTION NORTHWOOD!
MAKE YOUR HOME SHINE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON ✨
Northwood families — skip the ladders and tangled lights this year! Olympic Exteriors is offering professional holiday light installation with custom designs, safe installation, and takedown + storage included.
📅 Book your lights between Oct 3 – Nov 15 and a percentage of every project will be donated back to the Northwood PTA! 🎄💙
👉 Reserve your spot here: olympicext.com/holiday-lights-northwood
YEARBOOKS ARE ON SALE NOW!
It’s time to pre-order your 2025-2026 Northwood Yearbook—celebrating our 30th anniversary with this year’s theme: REWIND! Reserve your copy now for just $36 before the price goes up on January 1st.
Click here to order: yearbookordercenter.com/job/26362 — and don’t forget, 5th grade families can purchase a dedication ad to honor their student!
Questions? Email us at Yearbook@northwoodpta.com.
COMMUNITY AND CLUSTER NEWS
ABOUT US
Michelle Levine, Assistant Principal
Together We SHINE!
Email: NorthwoodAttendance@fultonschools.org
Website: https://northwood.fultonschools.org/
Location: 10200 Wooten Road, Roswell, GA, USA
Phone: 470-254-6390
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorthwoodElementaryPTA/
Twitter: @FCS_NWES or @NWES_Principal