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Northwood School Laker

September 24, 2021

Masking Update

After reviewing this week's data, the Northwood School Covid Response Team has determined that the school will remain in Phase 4C (masking optional).


Please remember that masks are required for all bus riders for the duration of the ride to and from school.

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Staff in the Spotlight

Lynn Warner


About Mrs. Warner: In November, three years ago, I walked into the Northwood School for an interview as the library aide. I had retired from teaching (after a lot of years… I was born in the 1900s) and my family decided that I needed to find something to do with myself. When I walked into the office, I felt like I had walked into Retired Teacher Heaven. I was thrilled to hear that the position was mine. And I have loved every single minute of my time here.


I graduated from Exeter High School (in the 1900s) and after trying out many different colleges, I graduated from UNH with a degree in Communication Disorders (again 1900s), and again from UNH with a degree in Reading (also 1900s). I’ve taught first grade, third grade, and fourth grade, and worked as a speech therapist for ages 3-21. My mom was a teacher and her mom was a teacher. I can’t imagine doing anything else!


I have three adult children, 6 grandchildren, 6 grandkids (they would be goats), 2 grandhorses, and 6 granddogs. I live with my mom (she was also born in the 1900s) and our dog, Max (who believes he is a human being.

I love to spend time with my family, relaxing at the lake, reading, talking about books, writing, and frolicking with the kids. I really love jokes. And joke books.


What do you love about working at Northwood School? 

The absolute best part of Northwood School is the people! Everyone is kind, welcoming and helpful.


I love working with Ms. Mawn because she knows so much about so many different things. I learn something from her every single day. 


Being in the library is like having the best of all worlds: I get to see students and talk to them every day, I get to spend time with incredible teachers, I get to spend the day reading books and talking about books! So many students have given me suggestions of different books that I never would have read if I weren’t a part of this staff! Who could ask for more?

I am totally in awe of the staff here. Their dedication and flexibility are incredible. The challenges of the past couple of years have been astounding, yet these teachers, and the support staff, have dedicated themselves to the students of Northwood. 


Who has had the greatest influence in your life/career and why? 

This is a toughie. My mom and my grandma were both teachers, and even though school looked a lot different when they were teachers, learning and enthusiasm for learning and teaching were important then and are still important now. My children, even as grownups, helped me make decisions and have adventures that I never would have known. Over and over they met up with challenges and they persevered. They’ve reminded me, over the years, to never forget that life should include love, friendship, music, the arts, and play. And sometimes you can find a way to mix them all together -- unless you count when my son decided to play the violin. We try to forget those three weeks. But that’s another story!


Do you have any quotes or words of wisdom you’d like to share with the Northwood community?  


Bob Dylan’s song, My Back Pages, has powerful meaning for me, and the chorus has gained more meaning as I’ve aged. He writes, “But I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.” I’ll leave it at that!


And… always buckle your seat belt!

Technology News

I will be starting an Internet Safety block for all students here at Northwood School in the coming month and wanted to share a resource with all families.  Netsmartz is a web site devoted to helping families navigate the difficult online world.  With our 6th-8th graders being allowed to take computers home as well as most every student currently having access to some type of personal computing device, I thought it was very important to step up the game on our end to make sure families have resources they need.  Netsmartz.org as well as netsmartzkids.org have a great deal of info to help families keep their children safe online.  While no method will be perfect, the best thing we can do is to communicate with each other and make sure our children feel safe talking to a trusted adult about anything they encounter online.


We will be creating a page for our Internet safety program and hope to have many resources available including the Netsmartz website.  One of the first things that will be available will be an online copy of the presentation that I have been giving in the classroom.  Stay tuned!


~ Steve Robert, Technology Director

News from the Health Office


Hello Northwood Families,


I wanted to take a moment to review a portion of the reopening plan that was approved recently by the school board. This includes many changes, so please read it on the school website. One change I wanted to highlight is noted below:


“PHYSICIAN LETTERS FOR CHRONIC SYMPTOMS: 

  • If your child has a condition that causes any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 such as, seasonal allergies, frequent headaches, etc., please provide a note from his or her physician detailing the diagnosis and the typical symptoms that your child experiences. Please send in an updated letter for the 2021-2022 school year.
  • Having this documentation on file in the nurse's office will help to prevent unnecessary absences and missed learning time."


If there is no physician documentation of chronic symptoms, such as allergies, students will need to be sent home and obtain a covid test.


~ Colleen Krochmal, MSN, RN

News from the Art Room

 Middle Schoolers have been working on clay projects these first couple weeks of school and they are slowly starting to finish them up! 

 

  • 6th graders had to sculpt a cartoon character. 
  • 7th grade students had to sculpt a Pinch Pot and turn it into an animal or creature.
  • 8th grade students had to sculpt an animal or creature that they felt represented themselves. 

School & Community Information

Important Dates

(Please see the athletics calendar for details on games and meets.)

September 27 - Cross-country meet, 4:15

September 28 - Boys' soccer game, 3:45

September 28 - Girls' volleyball game 4:00

September 28 - Girls' soccer game, 5:00

September 30 - Boys' soccer game, 3:45

September 30 - Girls' volleyball game, 4:00

September 30 - Girls' soccer game, 5:00

October 1 - No School

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