May 1, 2021

 Dear Northwood Families,

Welcome to May! The sunny, warm days have arrived.  I hope you take some time to step outside and enjoy the warming weather safely and healthily.

This letter includes:

• Kindergarten Enrollment for 2021-22
• Northwood Student Council Spirit Week
• Mindfulness and Character Trait of the Month
• Northwood Car Loop at Dismissal
• Health Attestations
• Absences
• Upcoming Events & Activities

Kindergarten Enrollment for 2020-21

We are already in the planning stages for the 2021-22 school year, and we need your help.  Do you have a child who will be starting Kindergarten in the fall?  Does your neighbor?  Do your friends?  Please register your child and/or encourage others to register their children for Kindergarten as soon as possible.  The more we know about our incoming class of students, the better able we are to plan for staff and classrooms to welcome them.  Additionally, we will host a Spring Into Kindergarten event on May 25 for any registered incoming students.  This event is an opportunity for our teachers to meet future Kindergartners, engage them in some fun Kindergarten-like activities, and introduce them to the classrooms.  The Kindergarten Information Night Slide Deck from our community presentation that occurred on February 2 is available to review on our Northwood website. Registration is online at: Kindergarten Registration 2021-22 

Northwood Student Council Spirit Week

Our Northwood Student Council has designed a Northwood Spirit Week with the theme “Celebrate Togetherness”.   They hope that Spirit Week will lift student spirits and keep us connected as we finish out the year in our in-person and remote learning environments.  The students selected the week of May 3rd-7th (next week) for Spirit Week.  The flyer with the specific days is attached.  We hope you will support your child in participating in those spirit days which suit your family, and we recognize not all days will be a match for all children. (For example, I do not have any Team Jerseys or any favorite sports team, so Tuesday won’t be my thing.  But, I have lots of favorite book characters and I can get creative on Wednesday.)  Thanks, Student Council! 

Mindfulness and Character Trait of the Month

Mindfulness instruction and practice continues for our Northwood students.  We encourage our students to use what they know about Mindfulness and engage in this practice whether learning remotely or in-person.  This practice helps students develop self-regulation skills and provides them with tools that can help them be present with whatever tasks they are engaged in, help them maintain or regain focus, and help them manage emotions, which can lead to more positive choices.  As part of your child’s learning about mindfulness, we invite you to join our school-wide Mindfulness Minute practice, too.  Pause, focus on your breathing, and be present each day; you might be surprised at how good it makes you feel!  Ask your child to show you what they know about Mindfulness. 

In May, our Focus Character Trait is Generosity.  Please see our Northwood Monthly Mindfulness and Character Traits webpage for more information about this character trait. 

Northwood Car Loop at Dismissal

With the increased number of in-person students, we also have an increase in traffic in our Car Loop, which can sometimes cause a back-up on the streets.  Our staff is working hard to match students to parents during this time frame.  You can help by having your Name Placard visible, pulling as far forward as possible before stopping, and supporting student independence (as appropriate) for clicking into those seatbelts.  Please also help us keep the streets open and accessible for our neighbors by considering the following:

• Please avoid making a left turn from 86th Ave SE into the car loop or making a U-turn on 86th Ave SE during dismissal pick-up.
• Please consider using the Peak parking lot or the MISD Administration building parking lot to change your direction or to queue up if the line gets congested.

Please see our webpage About Northwood Elementary / Kiss & Go Zone (Car Drop-off & Pick-up) for more information about the routines and procedures we use to keep our students, staff, and families safe.  Please also consider whether your child(ren) can walk to school or use a school bus to reduce traffic and support a healthy, green environment.  Thanks to all of our families who are supporting safety and efficiency during this very busy dismissal time.

Health Attestations

Thank you for continuing to assess your students’ health and to read and respond to the Health Attestations by 8:30am each morning.  This helps us keep our school community safe and healthy and helps us verify attestations quickly so grown-ups can drop their kids off and be on their way.  

Absences

Please remember to call the Northwood Absence Line to report any absences for your students, whether they are in-person or learning remotely.  Our Absence line is 206-275-5879.  Thank you! 

Upcoming Events & Activities

Although we have transitioned to a remote learning environment, we are working across the community to consider ways to engage families in certain events remotely.  Thanks to all who have helped us think creatively about how to stay connected through technology.

• May 3-7: Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week
• May 3-7: Northwood Student Council Spirit Week
• May 25: Spring into Kindergarten for 2021-22
• May 26: PTA Council Awards Brunch
• June 3 @ 9:30am - Northwood Parent Advisory Council Meeting - Zoom Session
• May 31:  No School - Memorial Day

Wishing you all a healthy and safe springtime. 

Aimee Batliner-Gillette

Principal | Northwood Elementary School