Northwood News

Dear Northwood Community,

We’re ready for a great week at Northwood!

Games with Grandparents is this evening as we celebrate Grandparents Day! We hope your child can join us and bring a special adult for an evening of fun and games.

We will also wrap up our MAP testing this week with MAP Fluency for students in Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade on Tuesday and Wednesday. Next week, during parent-teacher conferences, teachers will have an opportunity to review your child’s MAP results with you and share more about their progress and areas for continued growth. Be sure to see the information below for more details about conferences.

This week is also Attendance Awareness Week! We’ll be celebrating the important impact that good attendance has on student success with a fun dress-up theme each day. We hope you will join us in these fun simple themes to help us focus on good attendance. At Northwood, our goal is a 94% attendance rate, which means we can have no more than 18 students absent on any given day.

One of the best ways you can help your child be successful in school is by making sure they are here every day they are healthy and able to attend. Every day matters, and every day of learning counts!

We are looking forward to another great week of learning, celebrating, and growing together at Northwood! Thank you for partnering with us and for all you do each day to support your child’s success. Learning is always in season at Northwood!

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.

Sept. 23-24

Mark your calendars! Students will be released at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23, and Thursday, September 24 for Parent-Teacher Conferences.

Please be on the lookout for a sign-up from your child’s teacher if you have not already received one. This is a great opportunity to meet one-on-one with your child’s teacher, learn how they are progressing, and discuss expectations for the year.

Spirit Shop

The Northwood online Spirit Shop is now open through Sept. 16. Don't miss out on this limited opportunity to order unique Northwood gear. See all that there is to offer and place your order by scanning the QR code or clicking THIS link. Orders will be delivered about 2 weeks after the shop closes.

Family Engagement for the Week of Sept. 14-18

Tuesday, September 15 - 9:00 - 10:30 AM Adverse Childhood Experiences in Room 2

10:30 - 11:00 AM Tai Chi

Wednesday, September 16th - 9:00 - 11:-00 Conversation English in person at Vineyard Ranch Elementary, PLC room

6:00 - 7:00 PM On-line Gaming Awareness (Virtual Session)

Thursday, September 17th - 9:30 - 10:00 AM Tai Chi Walking

10:00 -11:00 AM Book Club "The Last Morning" pages 69 - 136

11:30 - 3:30 San Antonio Food Bank Distribution at LEE H. S.

Family Support Services

Community Resources

NEISD Food Distributions

Other Food Resources

Apply for Free/Reduced Lunch

Special Ed Parent Resources

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

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

Septmeber 14-18: Attendance Awareness Week

September 18: 4th grade art

September 21-25: Scholastic Book Fair

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

September 25: Bike Rodeo

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.

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