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Principal's Message

November 2024

Dear Families,

As we settle into the heart of the school year, I want to take a moment to share all that we’ve accomplished together so far. It has been wonderful to see our students learning, growing, and making great progress already!

Academic Progress
We started the year strong, using our fall diagnostic assessments to guide our teaching. Last year, our students showed impressive growth and high performance on their iReady diagnostic tests, and we are excited to keep building on that success. With this data, we’re able to adjust our teaching to support each student’s needs.

Success Block for Small Group Learning
We’ve continued with our Success Block model, which has been a huge success since we introduced it last year. During Success Block, an extra adult joins each classroom, and students rotate between small-group instruction and independent learning time. This setup allows us to meet students at their level and help them move forward in their learning.

Positive Behavior and Support (PBIS)
Our PBIS program helps us build positive behavior expectations, which we reinforce with encouragement and support. When students meet expectations, we celebrate their efforts with SOARING OWLS and popsicles with the Principal. When they need guidance, we provide it via reflection activities and coashing. We are so lucky to have both a classified educator, Chloe Schwartz and a new K-3 SEL teacher, Phuong Tran, to support our children with behavior and social emotional management  .PBIS helps create a positive school environment where all students feel supported.

Family and Community Events
A huge thank you to Becky Ardillo and Kate Gilham for a fabulous October 31! Our recent Fall Festival was a big success, allowing students to learn, celebrate, and have fun!  Thank you to all of our volunteers who supported the classroom at our fall festivities. We’ve also held two “Grown-Up Recesses” so far this year, which were well attended. If you can, please join us at the monthly recesses; they’re a great way to understand your child’s social world, and your child will love seeing you there—even if they don’t always show it!

Parent-Teacher Conferences and Progress Reports
This month, we’ll be sharing fall progress reports and holding parent-teacher conferences. This is an important time for us to discuss your child’s strengths and areas for growth. If you haven’t already, please schedule your conference time. We look forward to connecting with you!

Parent Advisory Committee and PTA Events
Our first Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting is coming up on Friday, November 8. This is a great opportunity to connect and share ideas, and I look forward to seeing many of you there. Our PTA is also planning some exciting events this month, including Bingo Night on November ____. To make these events happen, we rely on volunteers, so please consider signing up if you’re able!

Northwood Instagram Account:
In an effort to connect families to all of the fabulous work going on at Northwood, the school has created an Instagram account.  Please follow us to see the learning, connection and joy of our fabulous elementary school! Instagram: @northwood.elementary.owls

We love working with your amazing children each day. They are bright, funny, and growing so much, and it’s a privilege to be part of their worlds.

Sincerely,

Julie Newcomer