Northrop Newsletter

Welcome, February!

It's hard to believe that we are almost to the end of our second trimester (which ends February

20th). That means that report cards will be coming home Friday, February 27th.

Valentine's Day is always a low key event at Northrop. We are celebrating on Thursday, February

12th, since there is no school on Friday, 2/13. Your student's classroom teacher will send specific

details about exchanging Valentine cards and the classroom celebration that day.

A few reminders:

We will continue to get some fresh air and utilize the playground as long as temperatures are 20

degrees or above. Please send your student to school with appropriate outdoor clothing, labeled

with their name. If you are in need of a coat, hat, gloves, etc., please email me at

dodeza@medinabees.org.

AM Arrival - the front lot is for BUS TRAFFIC ONLY from 8:25-8:55. Please do not pull into the

front lot to drop students off, this is a safety issue.

As a reminder, the Reagan Bridge is still closed during the winter.

Thank you so much, please let me know if you have any questions!

Mrs. Dodez

2/6 - Magic Gives Back assembly for Northrop students

2/9-2/20 - Pepperoni Roll Fundraiser

2/10 & 2/11 - Jr. Hope Squad bakesale during lunch

2/12 - Valentine's Day celebrations in classrooms

2/13 - NO SCHOOL - Inservice Day

2/16 - NO SCHOOL - Presidents Day

2/19 - PTO meeting - 6:00pm

2/20 - Trimester 2 ends

2/22 - Northrop Talent Show 2:00pm - Medina High School Middle Stage

2/23 - NO SCHOOL - Staff work day

2/23 - Board of Education meeting - 6:00pm

2/26 - February Celebration Cafe

2/27 - Report cards sent home

Earlier this year, we asked 5th graders to submit their designs to repaint the bee in our lobby. Staff voted on the designs they liked the best and then our students got to work! Bryan, Gianna, Madelynn, and Elynn worked with Mrs. Brewer during lunch and recess and the results are AMAZING! Thank you to these amazing students for beautifying our bee and thank you to Mrs. Brewer for taking the lead on this project!!

Thank you to everyone who dropped off lights to support our 3rd graders in their efforts to save the Lions! Over 1,100 strands were collected, which is truly amazing! Our 3rd graders were featured in the local paper twice during this project as well! To see the most recent article, click here.

The seventeenth annual Northrop Elementary Talent Show will be held on Sunday, February 22nd, 2026 at 2:00PM on the Middle Stage at Medina High School. Please come and join your fellow Northrop students to come to watch! Hope to see you there!

Instead of the Tri-C fundraiser, we're excited to offer a Pepperoni Roll fundraiser this year. These rolls (that come in several different flavors) are great to have on hand and easy to make for a quick snack or meal. Your student will bring home hard copies of info sheets and order forms. The school keeps $1.25 for each roll sold and this money supports our students through our PBIS/SEL initiatives (ex: PBIS Rewards, Celebration Cafe, PBIS events, etc.). Please consider participating!

Jr. Hope Squad will be hosting a bake sale during lunch times on 2/10 and 2/11. All items will be 2 for $1.00. Jr. Hope Squad will use the money raised to revitalize and fix our buddy benches for the playground to promote inclusivity and belonging. Students who want to buy items should bring their dollar bills in a ziploc bag or envelope with their name and "Jr Hope Squad Bakesale" written on it. Thanks for supporting our Jr. Hope Squad!

We continue to stock our Little Free Food Pantry, located in front of our building. Our Northrop K-Kids is asking for donations of the following, which can be sent in with students at any time:

As part of our work to support students with their social and emotional development, we teach lessons daily that cover a variety of skills. These lessons give students words to describe their feelings and strategies to use when they're feeling upset. Not only does it help the individual students when needed, but it also builds the classroom community and helps everyone understand how to handle things when they don't go as expected.

During the month of January, students reviewed the Northrop matrix, the Zones of Regulation, and learned about sharing an imagination. You can see some visuals that we used below:

Stacey Wielgus, M.A., LPSC

Eliza Northrop Elementary & Ralph E. Waite Elementary

wielguss@medinabees.org (330) 636-4607

I am at Northrop on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays each week.

As an elementary school counselor, I am committed to supporting the social and emotional needs of our students and the families of the students we serve. In addition, I am also committed to supporting our staff here at school to ensure that we are meeting the individual needs of each student during the school day. By addressing social and emotional needs as well as academics, we work together to increase learning and academic growth for each student here at Eliza Northrop and Waite Elementary Schools. As a school counselor, my typical services include small groups and/or individual meetings with students, as well as in the whole group, which is often in a classroom setting. I teach students new skills that can assist them with positive and appropriate emotional expression as well as in learning coping skills and the use of coping tools.

We have an amazing PTO here at Northrop Elementary! You can connect with them via email , or on their Facebook page. You can get involved in SO MANY WAYS. Join us at the next PTO meeting on Thursday, February 19th at 6:00pm here in the Northrop commons or virtually:

To join the video meeting, click this link: https://meet.google.com/vfq-roue-yoc To join by phone instead, dial (US) +1 781-327-5828 and enter this PIN: 818 616 221#
If asked to enter a meeting code, it is: vfqroueyoc

Medina High School Seniors are working to support children in hospitals as part of their Senior Capstone Project. Northrop will be a drop off site for donations from February 9 - March 13th. If you'd like to learn more about the work our MHS Seniors are doing or more about how this benefits children in hospitals, you can visit this site: https://sites.google.com/medinabees.org/playitforward/home

Thank you in advance for your generosity and considering a donation!

A peer model is a role model student, aged three to five, who demonstrates age-appropriate language, behavior, and social skills, and does not have special needs. Peers need to be toilet-trained by their first day of preschool.

The first step of the process is to complete and return a peer model application. All peer applications for the 2026-2027 school year will be completed electronically. After we receive the application, it will be reviewed and a Peer Screening will be scheduled for early April. Registration will take place until all openings are filled.

In late February/early March, you will receive a notification letter on whether your child has been accepted into the Helping Hands Preschool or has been placed on a wait list.

Consider attending the Medina City Schools Foundation Dueling Pianos event on Saturday, February 28th, held at Williams on the Lake. This is a fun evening filled with food, friends, entertainment, and making a difference for Medina. Come with a spouse, colleague, friend, or invite a group of friends and fill a table! (Each table seats 10 people.) Hope to see you there!

https://www.medinacityschoolsfoundation.org/event-details/dueling-pianos-fundraiser

Interested in the new ALL girls flag football program in Medina this Spring? Registration just opened and we are holding a FREE clinic for girls that are curious about it on February 1st @ Medina Rec Center from 4-5:30pm for students in 1st-6th grade.

Sign up is required using this link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd3PaFMMLXqxxbUkMwOdEyJZ668Cm50FYjsi0AlueYJ6qRXrw/viewform?usp=dialog

Office Hours: 8:00-4:00

Student Hours: 8:45-3:30

Tardy Bell: 8:55

Visit us on the web at https://www.medinabees.org/Domain/11

Principal - Amanda Dodez, dodeza@medinabees.org

School Psychologist - Kelsey Klatka, klatkak@medinabees.org

School Counselor - Stacey Wielgus, wielguss@medinabees.org

Northrop Attendance Line/Clinic - (330)636-4604

Northrop Office - (330)636-4600

• Amy Brewer - brewera@medinabees.org
• Mary Jarstfer - jarstfem@medinabees.org