THE BEST
Building Excellence Successfully Together
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September 26, 2025
CALENDAR DATES
September 30 - PTA Dining for Dollars, From the Earth
October 2- PTA Fall Mornings, Last Name A - M
October 3 - PTA Fall Mornings, Last Name N - Z
October 3 - PTA Family Fun Night
October 9 - PTA Dining for Dollars, Voodoo Pub
October 10 - All Pro Dad
October 13-17 - Fall Break (No School)
October 21 - Boosterthon Kickoff
October 30 - Fun Run
October 31 - Character Parade
KEY NEWS FOR EXPLORER FAMILIES
Another great week at Northwood has come to a close. Many of our fifth graders enjoyed two days in Blue Ridge. As you can imagine it takes A LOT to organize the overnight trip; thank you to the 11 staff members and 10 dads who chaperoned this year. It was also Apple Day in kindergarten today, the day was sweet in so many ways!
Kindness Awareness Month kicks off at Northwood next week! Mrs. Weeks, our school counselor, has planned color themed days this month, starting with Kindness is Cool (wear yellow) on October 1st. See the info below for the other theme days.
Our wonderful cafeteria manager, Ms. Lopez, has a great work opportunity outside of Fulton County so Northwood will be in a transition period in our cafeteria. Please be patient, the FCS Nutrition Team is already on the hunt for our next manager. If you need to reach the café for any reason, please email Ms. Juana Moore at moorejr@fultonschools.org. She is a regional supervisor and will be here in the interim.
With gratitude,
Heather Q. Rucker, principal
FOURTH GRADE EXPLORERS
FIFTH GRADE EXPLORERS
Fifth Grade has been learning all about Place Value and the Base Ten Systems. To bring a hands-on real-world element they worked together to count thousands of beans. They quickly learned they had to develop and use efficient counting strategies to count a large collection of objects, recognizing that a digit in one place value represents ten times what it represents in the place to the right.
JOIN BEANSTACK: NEW READING PLATFORM
We recently introduced Beanstack to all students as a way to make reading more engaging and rewarding!
With Beanstack, students can:
✅ Join school-wide reading challenges
✅ Log their reading minutes
✅ Write book reviews
✅ Earn badges and build a reading streak
Parents can support by downloading the Beanstack app so students can log their reading at home. It’s also available through ClassLink for easy access at school or home.
Click the picture below for video log in instructions.
NORTHWOOD HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Throughout October, Northwood students in grades 1–5 will participate in the Fit Georgia physical fitness assessment during Health and Physical Education classes. This state-developed program evaluates key components of physical health, including healthy body ranges, aerobic capacity, flexibility, muscular strength, and muscular endurance. It aligns with Georgia standards and replaces the previous fitness testing platform.
Students will complete the following assessments: the 15m PACER for aerobic capacity, push-ups for upper body strength and endurance, curl-ups for abdominal strength and endurance, the back-saver sit and reach for flexibility, and height/weight measurements for healthy body range.
For more information, visit https://fitgeorgia.gadoe.org/About/
ART TO REMEMBER
Northwood is participating in a creative fundraiser with Art to Remember that allows you to purchase keepsake products customized with your child's art. There are over 60 products and many are less than $20. These make great gifts and a percentage of every purchase goes right back to the Northwood art program. CLICK HERE and search for your child's artwork. Then, have fun shopping! Thank you for supporting art class at Northwood!
HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHTS: EARLY CHECKOUT PROCEDURES
The school day ends at 2:20 pm. Please avoid early checkouts as instruction goes on until 2:15 pm. If your child must be checked out early, please do so before 2:00 pm. After 2:00 pm, students will be sent using normal dismissal procedures so as not to interfere with the school-wide dismissal process. We appreciate your cooperation and consideration.
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 look people in the eye when listening and speaking.
CAFETERIA NEWS
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. Bethany Lopez, Cafeteria Manager and notate that the funds go to the Principal Fund. Please reach out to Ms. Lopez lopezb3@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. September's date is Tuesday, September 30th.
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.
VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION
Looking to volunteer? All volunteers will need to complete the Fulton County Schools online registration process. For more information and to begin the process, please click the link below.
COME JOIN US FOR FAMILY FUN NIGHT AT NORTHWOOD
📅 Friday, October 3 | ⏰ 6–8 PM | 📍 Northwood Bus Loop
It’s going to be a great night for the whole family with games, crafts, vendors, music, and even an inflatable corn maze… all completely free, thanks to our awesome PTA! 🙌 Plus, be sure to check out the delicious food, beautiful flowers, and gifts that will be available for purchase. 🌭🍕🍦💐
We can’t wait to kick off fall with our Northwood families so come out for a night of fun, laughter, and community spirit! 💙✨
FAMILY FUN NIGHT: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Our much-anticipated Family Fun Night is on Friday, October 3rd, and we need your help to make it a success!
We’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to lend a hand and help create an unforgettable evening for our students and families. Whether it’s setting up, running games, or helping with cleanup, every role makes a difference.
📝 Sign up to volunteer through Membership Toolkit:
https://northwoodpta.membershiptoolkit.com/volunteer/158354
Thank you for sharing your time and energy—it’s going to be an amazing night, and we couldn’t do it without you!
DINING FOR DOLLARS: FROM THE EARTH AND VOODOO PUB
The Dining for Dollars crew is back with two opportunities to send a percentage of every purchase back to Northwood! Kick back and let From the Earth and Voodoo Pub do the work! As always, we thank you for being a part of the Northwood community.
Where: From the Earth, 1570 Holcomb Bridge Road, Roswell, GA 30076
Date: Tuesday, Sept 30th
Time: 3-10pm
Where: Voodoo Pub, 1010 Mansell Rd, Suite 180, Roswell, GA 30076
Date: Thursday, October 9th
Time: 4:30-9pm
Please be sure to mention Northwood when checking out!
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
ATLANTA GLADIATORS HAT TRICK FOR READING
Hitting the books is your ticket to watching the Gladiators hit the ice!
How it works: Read 3 books, fill out the information by clicking the link below , and get your free ticket to a Glads game! After filling out the form you will receive an email with a link and a code to claim your child's free ticket.
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