THE BEST

December 22 - January 5 - Winter Break

January 5 - Teacher Work Day (No School)

January 6 - First Day of the Second Semester

January 9 - All Pro Dad (7:10 - 7:40 am)

January 19 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday (No School)

The first semester of the school year has officially come to a close. We celebrated with the grade level holiday parties that were tons of fun and we ended the week in spectacular fashion with a morning of unique Explore Your Passion projects where students took part in crafts, games, tech, and art projects. And, because December is for celebrating we also had the PBIS monthly celebration and Rock Star Awards!

If you have the time, we would appreciate our families taking the Georgia CCRPI survey. The survey window just opened. We are tasked with 20% of our families taking the survey so the sooner we reach that goal, the better! As you’re able, please carve out a few minutes over the break; the survey is important as it is a component of Northwood’s overall school score from the state. Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 will take the student version of the survey during school in the new year. Northwood Elementary Family CCRPI Survey

Enjoy the next two weeks with family and friends. It makes me happy to know the time will be filled with both familiar traditions and brand-new memories! I wish everyone a very happy holiday season, be safe, enjoy the time to rest and of course, read a lot!

Happy Holiday wishes,

Heather Rucker, principal

Kindergarten Explores Holidays Around the World: This month, our kindergarten students have been traveling the globe — right from their classrooms! As part of our “Holidays Around the World” unit, students are discovering how different cultures celebrate special traditions during this festive season. Each day, they explore a new country, locate it on a map, learn about its unique customs, and create a craft that represents the holiday they studied.

We were also fortunate to have two special guests from our very own staff join the celebration.
Mrs. Kaye shared how her family celebrates Hanukkah. She taught students about the meaning of the menorah and the importance of light in this holiday. Mrs. Booth brought the traditions of Ukraine to life as she introduced students to Ukrainian holiday customs—and even taught them a traditional dance!

Our kindergarteners are enjoying this meaningful journey of learning and cultural appreciation. It has been a wonderful way to help them understand the beauty and diversity of celebrations around the world.

The 5th Graders enjoyed their time at the Teaching Museum North, on December 11. They went through four rotations: a presentation on the Tuskegee Airmen; spent time in a classroom evaluating primary sources and how they influenced the war; explored a Decade Room that took them through one of the most traumatic and turbulent decades in the history of our country; and a few classes got to explore a Courtroom that was created to mimic the Justices who helped establish precedents of law for our nation.

We had another great turnout for our monthly All Pro Dad breakfast meeting. Our community support for this long running (16 years) program is phenomenal. We feel very lucky to have such great support and hope if you haven't had an opportunity to join us yet that you'll come and see us in the new year. Many thanks also to our Northwood faculty that help every month: Mr. Konigsberg, Mr. Pearch, Mr. Bedford, Mr. Asher and Mr. Chaffer along with our PTA liaison Mr. Ryan Devlin.

Remaining meetings are:

March

April

May

Awards are one of the many ways we have to recognize and celebrate our Explorers at Northwood. Below is a link to November's award recipients. Congratulations!

Please read the attached Fulton County Schools District Health Services Viral Respiratory Illnesses Update below to help protect yourself and others from the flu, RSV, pneumonia and other respiratory illness.

Accidents happen - in the classroom, at recess, at lunch or the bathroom. When our Explorers get messy they often head to the Clinic to get cleaned up. We keep extra clothes on hand for those quick changes. We appreciate donations of all clothing sizes, and are currently in need of girls bottoms - all sizes. If you have any clothing items you'd like to contribute you can send them in with your student or drop them off at the front desk. Thank you!

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 (January 6) AVID goal is: to be the best person I can be.

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.

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.

Nutrition.fultonschools.org/MenuCalendar

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. January's date is Friday, January 30th.

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.

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.

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