Northwood News

Dear Northwood Community,

I hope everyone fared well during Friday night’s storm. I know many families in our neighborhood were without power throughout the weekend, and some may still be without it—including my own family. We are grateful that Northwood is in good shape! We had only a few branches down, which our district crew came out and cleared over the weekend, and we have power at school. We are ready for a great week!

We are settling nicely into our routines and procedures, and this third week of school is an important one. We are excited to welcome families to Parent Orientation on Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m. We hope you will make plans to attend! Please see below for all the information you need.

MAP Testing Begins This Week

This week, we will begin MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) testing. These important assessments for students in grades K–5 help us understand exactly where each student is academically so that our teachers can plan instruction that meets students where they are and helps them continue to grow.

Our MAP testing schedule this week is:

Tuesday: MAP Reading – Grades 1, 3, 4, and 5
Wednesday: MAP Reading – Kindergarten and Grade 2
Thursday: MAP Science – Grades 3–5

Please help your child have a successful testing experience by making sure they get a good night’s sleep, eat a good breakfast, and arrive at school on time. We appreciate your partnership in helping our students be ready to do their best!

A Reminder About Breakfast & Being On Time

Speaking of breakfast and being on time, we want to remind everyone that the tardy bell rings at 7:25 a.m. Please plan for your child to arrive at school with enough time to enter the building and be in their classroom by 7:25.

To give students enough time to eat breakfast and get to class on time, the breakfast serving line will close at 7:15 a.m. If your child plans to eat breakfast at school, please make sure they arrive before 7:10 a.m. This will allow enough time to get breakfast and make it to class before the tardy bell.

Thank you for helping your child start each day on the right foot by arriving at school on time!

September Is a Busy Month!

September is going to be a full and exciting month at Northwood! There are lots of important dates, events, and information coming your way. Please be sure to read all the way to the end of the Northwood News so you don't miss anything!

Thank you for your continued support of our students, our staff, and Northwood Elementary. We are off to a wonderful start, and we are so excited about all that this year has in store!

Have a great week, and remember—Learning is Always in Season!

Warmly,

Mrs. Harper

Games with Grandparents

Join us on Monday, September 14 from 5:30-6:30PM in the Northwood Elementary School Cafeteria to have an evening of funt to celebrate our Grandparents. Bring your favorite game or pick one of the games we’ll have ready to play! Invite your grandparent , aunt, uncle, parent, neighbor, or family friend and get ready for a fun night of games and memories! Family Photo Opportunities and small snacks and refreshments will be available.

School Holiday

Next Monday, September 7 is a school holiday in observance of Labor Day. Enjoy the long weekend after our first three weeks of school.

Parent Orientation Sept.1

Please make plans to attend our first PTA meeting and Parent Orientation on Tuesday Sept. 1 at 6:00 pm. We will have open gym with MacArthur High School PALS during the meeting for the students, so you are free to focus your attention on learning all about what your child will be learning this year and classroom expectations. Come early at 5:30 pm to learn more about how to acess Skyward and all the features from our Family Engagement Liason, Ms. DeLaRosa. We hope to see you all there!

Family Engagement for the Week of August 31st - September 4th.

Tuesday, September 1st - Skyward Training at 5:30 PM and PTA/Parent Orientation at 6:00 PM

Thursday, September 3rd - Family Engagement Leadership Academy Orientation from 9- 11 AM.

Come and meet other moms and learn some great stuff

(Walking and Tai Chi Classes, Book Studies, all kinds of trainings to support learning at home, and much, much, more.)

Family Engagement Fall Districtwide Trainings

Family Support Services

Community Resources

NEISD Food Distributions

Other Food Resources

Apply for Free/Reduced Lunch

Special Ed Parent Resources

Looking forward to a great year.

For more information, please feel free to contact me.

Elizabeth De La Rosa, M.Ed.

edelar4@neisd.net

(210) 407-5465

Family Liaison for Northwood/Vineyard Ranch/Wilderness Oak

Northwood Elementary (Monday/Tuesday and Thursday)

News from PTA

Tuesday Sept. 1: Parent Orientation and PTA Meeting

Monday September 7: School Holiday (Labor Day)

Thursday September 10: Wear Gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness

Thursday September 10: Future Brahma Football Game (6:30 pm)

Monday September 14: Games with Grandparents (5:30 pm )

Septmeber 14-18: Attendance Awareness Week

September 23-24: Early Dismissal for Conferences (12:30 pm)

Need the district calendar? Bookmark this link.

Elevate Your Impact: Join the PTA Today!

Unlock a world of opportunities by becoming a part of our passionate PTA community.
Membership is $8.50 and your involvement is a chance to make a tangible difference in your child's education and school experience.

By joining PTA, you are showing support for your child and their education. There is no obligation to volunteer or take on additional responsibilities (unless you want to!)

Join fellow parents and educators to shape the future, advocate for quality education, and create a nurturing environment where students can thrive.

Amplify Your Voice, Forge Lasting Connections, Enrich Learning Experiences, Drive Positive Change, Shape the Future!
Join the PTA today and embark on a rewarding journey of collaboration, empowerment, and growth.

Together, we can create a brighter future for our children and build a stronger, more vibrant school community.

District Educational Improvements Council

What is the District Educational Improvement Council (DEIC)?

NEISD believes in a collaborative approach in making districtwide decisions. Through our partnership with our District Educational Improvement Council (DEIC), we review the district’s educational goals annually and develop intentional plans to support districtwide classroom instructional programs.

DEIC members include campus based professional staff, District-level professional staff, parents, business leaders and community members. The DEIC meets a minimum of four times per year.

If you are interested in applying or would like to nominate a parent in your cluster to DEIC, please complete the DEIC Parent Nomination Form 2026-2027 form and return it to your campus principal by Friday, September 4, 2026 at 4 p.m.

School Meal Information

For more information on meal payments, you can visit our School Nutrition website.

We know that access to healthy school meals directly impacts student success, so we want to work with you to remove any barriers. Our campus family specialist can offer additional assistance and connect families to food resources at our District food pantry or any of our campus food pantries.

Please reach out to the School Nutrition office at 210-356-9113 or mealapplication@neisd.net with any questions about applying for meal benefits.

Beginning in the 2026–2027 school year, Northwood is no longer eligible for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which previously allowed all students to receive free meals. Students will now be charged for lunch unless they qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

If you believe your child may qualify, please complete a Free and Reduced Meal Application:

Online: Through schoolcafe.com
Paper: Complete the form included in your child’s First Day Folder

We encourage families to apply as soon as possible so applications can be processed promptly.

Good news! Free breakfast will continue to be available to all Northwood students this school year.

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact School Nutrition at 210-356-9113 or mealapplication@neisd.net.

Morning Drop Off 6:50 -7:20 am

Students may be dropped off no earlier than 6:50am. There is no supervison before this time and students will not be allowed into the building.
Breakfast is free for all students and is served from 6:50-7:20 am. Students arriving after 7:20 am will need to have breakfast at home.
Students who arrive before 7:20 will report to the follow locations to wait for their teacher:

Kinder - 1st grade: K/1 Hallway
2nd - 5th grade: Gym

Teachers will pick up the students at 7:20 and walk them to the classroom.
The tardy bell rings at 7:25 am, so please allow plenty of time to get to class.
In order to ensure the safety of all of our students, we ask that parents not come into the building in the mornings. We will make sure that everyone gets to class safely.

After School Dismissal 2:50-3:05 pm

In order to ensure the safety of all our students everyone picking up a student from school at dismissal is required to present an official Northwood Dismissal Tag, whether it is by car or walk up. If you need a dismissal tag, please come to the front office and present your ID. All students will wait inside the building for dismissal which will start at 2:50 pm

Parent Pick Up will line up on the sidewalk near the marquee, with their dismissal tag and wait to be called.

Car pick up will hang their tag on their rear view mirror, line up on Rockhill and turn right into the school driveway. Wait for your child's name to be called and pull all the way forward. Please stay in your car. If you need to help your child with their buckle, please park and walk up.

We understand that this may take a little longer, however, we want to ensure that everyone goes homes safely. Thank you for your cooperation.

School Hours 7:25 am - 2:45 pm

Threre is a change to our school day this year. The tardy bell rings and 7:25 am and the dismissal bell rings at 2:45 pm. Please make plans to get up a few minutes earlier so that your child is in class ready to learn at 7:25 am. Students who come into the building after 7:25 am will be counted tardy and parents will need to come into the office and sign them in.

Personal Electronic Devices

The NEISD Board of Trustees adopted procedures related to HB 1481 that mandates that public schools prohibit students from using personal electronic devices, including smartphones, tablets and smartwatches during the school day.

All students are expected to have their personal electronic devices powered off and out of sight during during the school day. If you need to communciate with your child during the school day, you can message their teacher through Class Dojo or call the front office at 210-407-5400.

Visitors to Campus

All visitors to campus will be required to present an ID and receive a visitors badge through the Raptor system in order to come into the building during the school day. This includes on the first day of school. We understand that this may not be convenient, but it is necessary in order to ensure safety.

School Absences

Our goal is for all of our students to maintain outstanding attendance (at least 95%).

The best way to learn is by being present at school and on time, ready to learn at 7:25 am every day! If your child needs to be absent due to illness, please be sure to send a note to school the day they return explaining the reason for the absence. Absences for illness and medical appointments will be excused with a written note. A student can have no more than 18 absences in order to recieve credit for the course/grade level.

Northwood News