Norwood News

Our community is a community of superstars! Here are some updates as we help our students reach for the stars.

Norwood Elementary provides relevant and challenging learning for all of our students. We believe all students are capable of achieving grade level standards, and provide the needed supports for each child on their learning journey. We strive for all of our superstars to reach their fullest potential in our ever-changing 21st century world.

• Monday, October 12: Picture Day
• Thursday, October 15: PTA Trunk or Treat Event at EPIC Church Parking Lot
• Friday, October 16: Schools Closed for Students
• Tuesday, October 20: PTA Meeting at 6pm in Norwood Cafeteria
• Tuesday, October 27: Norwood evening event for students and families - Academic Parent Teacher Team Night 5:00 - 7:00 pm. See more details in this newsletter.
• Tuesday, October 27: FREE community produce market at Holabird STEM
• Friday, October 30: Schools close 3 hours early. Norwood will dismiss at 12:20 pm.

📚 School Day Reminder! ⏰

Arrival Time: Students may arrive starting at 8:20 AM
🛑 Please do not drop off students before 8:20 AM — there is no supervision before that time.

Late Bell: 🔔 Rings at 8:35 AM
⏳ Students who arrive after 8:35 AM are considered late and must be signed in by an adult in the front office.

Dismissal: 🚗 3:20 PM

This year, Friday, October 30th is a half-day of school for our students. Norwood will dismiss at 12:20 pm on all half-days throughout the school year.

Attendance on Half Days –

I want to take a moment to highlight the importance of half days of school and celebrate a success we achieved together last year.

Half days are valuable instructional time that help us maintain momentum in learning and your support in ensuring strong attendance on these days makes a real difference.

Let’s keep the momentum going from last year's success with student attendance on half-days of school. To make the day extra fun, students may wear their Halloween costumes if they celebrate Halloween. Please continue to read for costume expectations, if you choose to have your child wear their costume.

Halloween –

For families whose children do not participate in Halloween, we respect your preferences. While students may dress up, please note that we will not have any Halloween-specific activities. Instead, students will engage in appropriate fall activities. If your child does not participate in Halloween and you are comfortable sharing with your child’s teacher, please send them a note.

Costume Guidelines:

• Costumes should be safe and not scary.
• No face coverings/masks, face paint, no look-alike weapons, or blood.
• Teachers will determine the appropriateness of any questionable props.
• Students should wear regular clothes under their costumes in case they wish to change during the day.

We look forward to seeing everyone in school for this half day of school!

Thank you for your continued partnership and commitment to our students’ success!

To help ensure the safety of all students, staff, and visitors during arrival and dismissal, please review the following important procedures and parking updates:

1. Parking Lot & Staff Space Updates

• Additional Staff Parking in Bus Loop: To increase additional parking availability in our visitor lot, we have created new staff parking spaces in the bus loop. These spots are marked with Reserved signs and are strictly for Norwood staff and our School Resource Officer, Officer Palmerino. Please respect all posted designations.
• More Visitor Parking: Moving staff parking to the bus loop frees up additional spaces for families to park our Visitor Lot. It may be a handful of spaces, but we know every parking space counts and any additional parking spaces can be helpful for families.

2. Morning Drop-Off Guidelines (8:20AM- 8:35 AM)

• Staff supervision begins at 8:20 AM. Students should not be dropped off before 8:20 AM unless they are directly accompanied and supervised by a parent or guardian.
• Arriving BEFORE 8:20 AM (Walking your child to the front door): You must park your vehicle. You may park in the Visitor Lot (starting at 8:15 AM) or in the adjacent church parking lot next to Norwood.
• Arriving BETWEEN 8:20 AM and 8:35 AM (Car Drop-Off Line): Pull into the Visitor Lot and drive up to a Norwood staff member. Your child can then safely exit the car and walk into school.

3. Key Traffic & Safety Reminders for arrival and dismissal

• Do Not Enter the Bus Loop: Parents should not enter the bus loop during arrival or dismissal times. The bus loop is strictly reserved for buses and authorized school operations.
• Use Sidewalks & Crosswalks: Parents and students must use designated sidewalks and crosswalks. No parent or child should walk across the grass in the front of school and walk across the bus loop to get to the front door. This is not safe and we need families to use sidewalks.
• Follow Traffic Flow: All families must adhere to traffic laws on Delvale Avenue. Please pay close attention to posted "No Parking" signs and refrain from making illegal U-turns in the middle of the road. Please wait patiently following established traffic patterns and directions from crossing guards.

We fully understand that arrival and dismissal times can feel frustrating, but with safety as our top priority, we truly need the cooperation of all families and guardians. We appreciate your partnership in helping us maintain a safe, orderly environment for our students, staff, and community.

Thank you for your continued support in keeping Norwood Elementary safe!

At our first PTA meeting, I briefly shared that we are introducing a new format for several of our family evening events this year, and I am excited to share more about what families can expect.

During my time at Norwood, many parents and guardians have asked,“ What can I do at home to help my child?” As a parent myself, I understand that question. We all want to be involved in our children’s education, but we also want to feel confident that what we are doing at home is actually helping.

This year, we will have three evening events modeled after Academic Parent-Teacher Teams (APTT), a research-based approach to family engagement that brings teachers and families together around student learning. Families learn about an important grade-level skill, see how their child is progressing, and practice simple strategies they can use at home to support continued growth. At each meeting, you’ll learn about your child’s progress, set a learning goal, and practice simple activities you can use at home. Attending each meeting helps you build on these activities and stay connected to your child’s growth throughout the year.

Save the Dates

5:00–7:00 p.m.

• October 27, 2026
• February 9, 2027
• May 18, 2027

How Will the Evening Work?

Each evening will have two parts:

1. Academic Parent-Teacher Team Classroom Session
This is the most important part of the evening. Your child’s teacher will lead the same session twice, so families may choose the time that works best:

• Session 1: 5:15–6:00 p.m.
• Session 2: 6:15–7:00 p.m.

Please plan to be in your child’s classroom at the start of the session so you receive all the information and have time to practice the at-home learning activities.

2. Family Resource Tables & Booths
Before or after your classroom session, visit resource tables throughout Norwood to get information, ask questions, and connect with members of our school team, including our School Nurse, Reading Specialist, School Counselors, and other staff.

We will also provide information about volunteering at Norwood, including how to complete the required volunteer training, current volunteer opportunities, and the training requirement for participating in field trips this school year.

Running late? No problem! If you arrive after the 5:15 session has started, visit our resource tables first, then join the 6:15 p.m. classroom session from the beginning.

Our goal is simple: when you leave Norwood that evening, we want you to know something specific you can do at home to help your child grow as a learner.

We are excited about this new approach and look forward to partnering with you throughout the year!

Families who may need holiday/winter assistance please reach out to one of the following:

Diego Ramos- School Social Worker: dramosquinteros@bcps.org

Marcy Hotchkiss- Community School Facilitator: mhotchkiss@bcps.org

Steven Andres- CARE Liason: sandresaquino@bcps.org

BCPS will celebrate Bullying Prevention Week from Monday, October 5, 2026, through Friday, October 9, 2026. During that week, we are encouraging students and staff to participate and wear a designated color for each day of the week. The color represents character traits that all people can demonstrate. Please share photos on social media using #BCPSCares.

We will be having our monthly free community produce market on Tuesday October 27th at Holabird Stem starting at 4:00pm until supplies last.

***Please bring your own bag***

Join us for our connected community event of the new school year on Tuesday October 21st from 5-6:30pm at Holabird STEM Cafeteria! Families will learn about emotional regulation superpowers and building resilience together! We hope to see you there!

Picture Day is coming up on October 12! We are excited to capture your child's smile and create lasting memories from this school year.

Please have your child come to school dressed and ready for their photo. More information regarding picture packages will be shared separately.

With each monthly newsletter you will gain access to unit overviews for math instruction at each grade level. Below are the unit overviews for unit 2 of math, available in both English and Spanish. The overviews share the main learning goals of the unit, show sample problems that students might see with instructional notes for family members, and include frequently asked questions.

Here are the current Math overviews below, both in English and Spanish for each grade level.

Kindergarten | Kinder

English | Español

Grade 1 | Grado 1

English | Español

Grade 2 | Grado 2

English | Español

Grade 3 | Grado 3

English | Español

Join us for an evening of Fall fun at the Norwood PTA Trunk or Treat!

📅 When: Thursday, October 15
🕠 Time: 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
📍 Where: EPIC Parking Lot (next to Norwood Elementary)
☔ Rain or Shine
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Open to Current Norwood Elementary Families Only

Come dressed in your favorite costume and enjoy trick-or-treating from creatively decorated trunks. This is a wonderful opportunity for NES families to celebrate the season together and make lasting memories. Costumes are encouraged!

📝 RSVP Information

The Trunk or Treat flyer will be sent home this week. If you plan on attending the event with your student, please complete the RSVP form at the bottom of the flyer and return it to school with your child.

🍬 In-School Candy Donation Contest

To help support our volunteer trunk hosts, each grade level will be collecting candy and allergy-friendly treats for the event. The grade that brings in the most donations will earn a special prize!

Your donations will help ensure that all of our Trunk or Treat participants have a fun and festive experience.

🚗 Want to Decorate a Trunk?

Interested in hosting and decorating a trunk? Click the link to decorate a trunk: Trunk or Treat- Trunk Sign Up ! We would love to have more volunteers to set up a trunk to help make this event a success.

🧁 Bake Sale

Be sure to stop by our Cash Only Bake Sale and enjoy some delicious treats!

All proceeds benefit Norwood's PTA.

❓ Questions?
Please contact the PTA at norwoodptasuperstars@gmail.com.

We can't wait to celebrate with our Norwood families. See you there! 🎃👻🍭🍬

Show your Norwood pride! ⭐ Spirit wear is available for purchase online. Click the link below to browse and order your favorite Norwood gear! Norwood Spirit Wear: Shop Norwood Spiritwear

Have you signed up to be a PTA member? 💙 If not, it’s not too late! Your membership helps support our students, teachers, and school community throughout the school year. 💙Join the Norwood PTA: Purchase your annual PTA membership online. We’d love to have you join us!

Happy Fall!

Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease is a common viral illness in children. We have recently seen an increase in cases throughout Baltimore County as often occurs in late summer and fall. Here is some information about Hand, Foot & Mouth (HFM) disease:

• It is caused by a virus.

• People infected with HFM often have tiny blisters in their mouths and on the palms of the hands and bottom of feet.

These blisters often last for 7-10 days.

Most people with HFM have very mild symptoms, but some can develop a fever.

• It’s most common among younger children.

• It is easily spread between people.

Virus can be found in feces, as well as saliva. If the blisters break, the fluid in the blisters is also infectious.

• People are most contagious at the beginning of the infection, but sometimes they can spread the infection for several weeks

. Fortunately, HFM disease is usually very mild. Children with HFM disease may attend school unless: • They have a fever of 100ºF or greater. They may return to school when the fever is gone for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine.

• They are drooling, have “uncontrollable hand to mouth” behaviors, or have draining sores that cannot be covered with a bandage.

If you or your child exhibits symptoms listed above, such as a fever (100 ºF or higher) or has unexplained blisters on the skin, please consult your health care provider.

-Nurse Chetelat and Ms. Ferro, Health Assistant

ATTENDANCE REFERENCES

Access a quick guide to better understand your students absences and codings by clicking here.

PARENT RESOURCE HUB

Access a variety of resources available to our superstar families by clicking here.

Medical & Dental Resources

Access a variety of medical and dental resources available to uninsured families by clicking the hyperlinks.

FOOD PANTRY DISTRIBUTION LIST

Access a list of food pantry distribution sites by clicking here.

BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY MONTHLY EVENTS- OCTOBER

Access the monthly calendar of events that are happening at the local library by clicking here.

Access our back to school night important Title I documents by clicking here!

If you have any questions regarding any of the information on this newsletter, please contact Diego Ramos (School Social Worker) at dramosquinteros@bcps.org, or by calling his direct line at 443-809-3743.

Website: https://norwoodes.bcps.org
Location: 1700 Delvale Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21222, USA
Phone: (443)809-7055
Twitter: @NorwoodES