THE BEST
Building Excellence Successfully Together
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November 21, 2025
CALENDAR DATES
November 24 - 28 - Thanksgiving Holiday Break (No School)
December 4 - Chorus Concert
December 12 - All Pro Dad
December 16 - Winter Class Parties: Grades K and 3
December 17 - Winter Class Parties: Grades 1, 5 and Program Classes
December 18 - Winter Class Parties: Grades 2 and 4
December 19 - Reading is a Gift Day
December 22 - January 5 - Winter Break
KEY NEWS FOR EXPLORER FAMILIES
This was another wonderful, active learning-filled week.
Our School Governance Council (SGC) meeting on Wednesday morning celebrated the implementation of ideas in our focus on literacy initiatives on our campus. Updates on the Beanstack challenges, the STAR Readers Club, and CAREing Paws were highlighted during the meeting. The team reiterated the importance of literacy and how it impacts improved vocabulary, creativity, and confidence. During the upcoming break, it’s the perfect time for families to visit the library and pick fun books to read (or listen to) as you travel or prepare meals. Reading together builds strong bonds and creates lifelong memories.
On Thursday, Sadie, our CAREing Paws reading therapy dog, was on campus to visit the students and celebrate the grade level Beanstack winners. Looking at the photos below, you’ll be able to tell that pictures really do tell a thousand words - the love and excitement was real!
Centered around this season of thoughtfulness and giving, Northwood collected 32 crates to be donated to NFCC (All Pro Dad), and over 85 boxes of cereal to be donated to the Haynes Bridge Food Pantry (Centennial Cluster Cereal Box Drive)!
Runoff Election Notice: We just received word that our campus will be used as a polling place on Tuesday, December 2, for the municipal general run-off elections. The election booths will be set up in the atrium, and security will be on site for the day. Voters will enter through the front door, cast their vote in the atrium, and then depart. Students’ arrival and dismissal times and process will remain the same, however, carpool may run a bit slower.
I hope the upcoming week with friends and family is restful, enjoyable, and memorable!
Truly thankful,
Heather Rucker
Principal
FOURTH GRADE EXPLORERS
Fourth graders have been discovering new things about our solar system! We have looked at a variety of models, even on a large scale in the hallway, that gave us information about the planets. Each model had some strengths and some limitations to what it could teach us. Students have asked great questions and gained a better understanding of space.
FIFTH GRADE EXPLORERS
Fifth Graders had to construct an argument supported by scientific evidence to identify surface features as being caused by constructive and/or destructive processes through weathering, erosion, and impact of organisms. They enjoyed this thought-provoking, hands-on project.
ALL PRO DAD: NOVEMBER BREAKFAST AND FOOD DRIVE
November has been a record-breaking month for our All Pro Dad program here at Northwood. One hundred and nine families joined us on November 14, for our breakfast, which was a monthly record. The APD ‘Food Drive’ was a tremendous success and we smashed our previous record by collecting 32 boxes of supplies for North Fulton Charities. Many thanks to those that donated supplies and that volunteered their time helping collecting them in morning carpool line.
NORTHWOOD MONTHLY AWARDS - OCTOBER
Awards are one of the many ways we have to recognize and celebrate our Explorers at Northwood. Please click the attachment below to see October's award recipients.
Congratulations!
AVID GOAL OF THE WEEK
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 (December 1) AVID goal is: My goal is to keep myself clean and germ-free, and to cover my mouth when I sneeze/cough.
YOUR FEEDBACK IS NEEDED: 2027-2028 FCS CALENDAR
The Fulton County School District Calendar Committee and School Board are seeking feedback as they are in the process of developing the 2027-28 calendar. Please click the following link to comment or add your thoughts. Thanks! https://tejoin.com/scroll/843851784
CAFETERIA NEWS
NEW CAFETERIA PRINCIPAL ACCOUNT FUND
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.
MENU CALENDAR
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.
MISSING SOMETHING?
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. December's date is Friday, December 19.
HAVE YOU JOINED THE PARENT PORTAL?
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.
NORTH FULTON COMMUNITY CHARITIES TOY DRIVE
🎁 Northwood Toy Drive – Starts Monday, Nov 10!
Let’s help brighten the holidays for local families!
The Northwood PTA is collecting new, unwrapped toys for children of all ages to support North Fulton Community Charities.
🗓️ Donation Window: Nov 10–Dec 12
📍 Drop-off: Marked bins in the school lobby
Let’s come together to spread kindness and cheer this season! 💛
YEARBOOKS ARE ON SALE NOW!
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.
COMMUNITY AND CLUSTER NEWS
CENTENNIAL KNIGHTS PLAYERS INVITIATION TO SEE JUNIE B. PRODUCTION
My name is Autumn Dalburg, and I am president of the International Thespian Society at Centennial High School. I’m reaching out to invite your students to see our production of "Junie B. in Jingle Bells Batman Smells.”
This one-act play runs less than an hour and is a TYA (theatre for young audiences) performance, meaning it is geared towards your students' age groups! We’ve put on this show, and our goal is to have those it caters to fill our audience! We would love to enrich your students and provide parents with an activity to entertain their kids.
Junie B. will be shown at Centennial in our black box theatre on December 11th and 12th, at 6 pm, and at 2 pm on December 13th. Ticket prices are reduced for K-5 students, so we’d love to see as many of yours as possible!
Thanks,
Autumn Dalburg
ABOUT US
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