Warhawk Weekly Newsletter

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The HALLway...

Hello, Warhawks!

Congratulations to the 366 students who earned Honor Roll Recognition for the first quarter. Students - Be on the lookout for a special delivery coming soon, including a certificate!

Northwood has a tradition of honoring our Veterans. Please see all of the plans and details below for the Northwood Veterans Day of Honor on November 10, including the Honor Breakfast. Please RSVP to the breakfast HERE or on the link below - We have extended the RSVP to Wednesday, October 28.

You may have noticed that we have been emphasizing the importance and relationship between attendance and success.

When students are present in school they are able to continuously connect with their teachers, peers, classwork, and routines. This connection is crucial for their growth as a learner and student.

We understand that things happen where students have to miss and we appreciate our Northwood families working with us on making sure your student is in school as much as possible.

The Warhawk Weekly is our newsletter for families and students - your go-to source for news, celebrations, and key updates throughout the year. Please never hesitate to reach out to our main office with any questions or support you need. We are here for you! Through a strong partnership between students, families, teachers, and staff, we will create a supportive, positive environment where every Warhawk can thrive. Let’s make this year unforgettable. Together, we can truly LEVEL UP!

Bethany Hall

Northwood Principal

Save the Date

Friday, October 30: SPIRIT DAY - Tutus, Ties & Tiaras

Tuesday, November 10:

Veterans Honor Breakfast (Please RSVP Below)
Veterans Day of Honor Activities

Wednesday, November 11: No School - Veteran's Day

NMS Announcements

Check out the Daily Announcments Slidedeck for important updates and information!

Announcements Spotlight this week:

Spirit Day, Tutoring, and NMS Club Meetings

Congratulations to the 366 students who earned Q1 Honor Roll Recognition.

Critical Reading in 7th Grade Social Studies

Mrs. Wiegel’s 7th grade Social Studies students are learning about critical reading skills using local informational text. Thank you to The Woodstock Independent for your partnership with the Newspapers in Education program.

8th Grade Historians

Students in Mrs. Harnish's 7th grade Dual Language Social Studies class are working in groups to research a particular aspect of life in the North vs South in the middle of the 19th century. They are preparing a visual with the key findings which they will share with the rest of the class.

WEB (Where Everybody Belongs)

WEB Leaders stopped by 6th grade lunch on Friday. Excitement, connections, and smiles filled the room!

The MURPHY MEMO

From the AP & the Mom in Me: Homework, Priorities & the Art of Getting It Done

The Assistant Principal in me knows homework isn't really just about homework. Yes, the math problems and reading assignments matter, but the bigger lesson is learning how to manage time, prioritize responsibilities, and follow through even when you'd rather be doing literally anything else. Those are skills our kids will need long after anyone stops asking them to identify the theme of a short story.

The mom in me also knows that somehow there is always time for YouTube, hanging out with friends, finding a snack, taking a 45-minute shower, and staring into the refrigerator six separate times—but that 20-minute assignment? Suddenly, the evening is simply too packed.

Middle school is the perfect time to start shifting the responsibility to our kids. Sometimes that means choosing homework before video games. Sometimes it means starting an assignment before 9:07 p.m. Sometimes it means realizing that practice, activities, and plans with friends don't make school responsibilities disappear. Prioritizing doesn't mean giving up the things you enjoy—it means learning what needs to happen first.

And when something doesn't get done, there's another important life skill to practice: ownership. Instead of spending more energy explaining, arguing, or developing a courtroom-quality defense for why the homework wasn't completed, we want students to learn to say, “I didn't get it done. What do I need to do differently next time?” That's accountability—and it's far more valuable than the assignment itself.

From the AP in me: Help your child build routines, check their responsibilities, plan ahead, and learn that deadlines matter.

From the mom in me: I'm also working on resisting the urge to say, “If you put as much effort into doing the assignment as you just put into explaining why you couldn't do it, we'd be done by now.”

Homework won't always be fun. Neither are most responsibilities in life. But learning to manage your time, prioritize what needs to be done, and own your choices? That's homework for life.

Veterans Day of Honor

Tuesday, November 10

NMS has a strong tradition of honoring our Veterans. We are planning many different activities to show our students the importance of Veterans Day and to honor this special group of people. Over the years, NMS has incorporated many different activities for our Veterans Day of Honor.

The NMS Veterans Day of Honor will be Tuesday, November 10. This important day will be filled with many different opportunities for students to learn about the importance of honoring our Veterans, and will include the following:

Veteran's Day Honor Breakfast - NMS students and the important Veterans in their lives are invited to join us for breakfast to honor and thank them for their service to our country. The breakfast will take place before school at 7:45 am. This event will feature performances by NMS musicians, as well as food and drinks. If your student invites a Veteran to attend our breakfast, please know that they must have an ID that will be scanned for a visitor's pass. Visitor parking can be found in the front of our building and all guests should check in at our office beginning at 7:30 am. Please submit an RSVP using the link below.

Veteran's Day of Honor Lessons and Speaker: The NMS students will spend time during PRIDE the day before participating in different lessons and activities to learn about the importance of honoring our Veterans and to prepare for our many Veteran guests who will be spending the day with us. On Tuesday, we will honor our NMS Veteran staff members and a Veteran guest speaker at an assembly.

Veteran's Day of Honor Guests and Speakers: Throughout the day, our students will meet with visiting Veterans who will share their stories, answer questions in our classrooms, and provide an opportunity for our students to thank them for their service.

If any of our parents, NMS family members, or friends are interested in being a classroom speaker, please let us know by using the RSVP link for the Veteran's Day of Honor Breakfast.

Thank you for your support, and we look forward to honoring and thanking our Veterans for their service!

RSVP Date Extended to Wednesday, October 28

Veterans Day Honor Breakfast - Submit your RSVP Here

Please RSVP by Friday, October 23.

Sign up for Tutoring HERE - Week of October 26

Activity Bus

Need a ride home after a club meeting or tutoring?

Northwood has an Activity Bus at 4:30 pm on Monday - Thursday.

Students that currently receive transportation can sign up to take the activity bus home at 4:30 pm on Monday - Thursday. Please use the sign up sheet below to reserve your seat each week.

SIgn ups are required each week to ensure that you are included in the activity bus route.

Sign up for the Activity Bus HERE - Week of October 26

Handle with Care - Social Work Support

If your family is experiencing difficulties at home, we would like to provide additional support at school. We understand that you are not always able to share details and that’s okay. If your child is coming to school after a difficult night, morning, or weekend please let us know. Please leave one of us a message on our confidential voice mail or fill out our online Handle with Care form (linked below). This will let us know that your child may need extra time, patience, or help during the school day.

Handle with Care Form

School Social Workers

Lexi Arispe 815-206-4655

Tiffany Moore 815-206-4650

Patty Whalon 815-206-4656

Report Bullying and Dangerous Behavior HERE

Notes from the School Nurse

Upload Student Medical Forms HERE

Upload health-related forms (physical and medication forms, immunization records, dental and eye exam forms) to Nurse Kush. To use this method, please upload a picture or scanned PDF copy of your student's completed health documents.