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General News Update on Athletic Banners Due to generous donations from staff, parents, and alumni, the athletic department has raised over $3100 in donations in approximately four weeks for athletic banners for the gymnasium. Anyone interested in donating to the athletic banner fund should contact Assistant Athletic Director Ray Trail. No donation is too small. "This is Your Last Chance" Yearbook Information This is the last week to turn in your pre-order form for a full color 2009 yearbook.  This is your last chance to order nameplates, autograph sheets, and world yearbooks.  If you do not pre-order your book by Friday, December 5, there is no guarantee that you will be able to purchase one at the end of the year.  Last year's book sold out.  So don't delay, order yours today.  Additional order forms are in the main office and room F114.  Contact Mr. Alston at 649-8088 with any questions. Attention parents of seniors: This is the last week to send in congratulatory messages or pictures for the graduates to the yearbook.  Just click on the Northwood link for an order form. Attention seniors:  This is your last week to put your own personal pictures and messages in the yearbook.  Click on the yearbook link for an order form or pick one up in room F114.  Last Chance to Order Citrus Fruit A few additional boxes of fresh citrus fruit are available for order. Download the information and order form. The pick-up dates for the fruit are Saturday and Sunday, December 6 and 7. Grade Explanations To view the differences between various grades that may be recorded for a students (Zs, Xs, and zeroes) download the Special Grades Explanation. Herring Brothers Scholarship Fund Basketball Game View pictures of Northwood staff playing in the Herring Brothers Scholarship Fund Basketball Game along with teams from Blair, Kennedy, and Wheaton. Photographs are courtesy of Susan Shaffer. Online Purchases Can Benefit Northwood The eScrip program offers schools many funding opportunities, beyond only the Safeway rebate.  Online purchases made via eScrip's "Online Mall"--over 1,000 participating merchants--can bring schools a substantial earning percentage!  Formerly, people's online purchases would earn schools money if they first had signed up for the eScrip program (at www.escrip.com) and registered a credit or debit card, then used that card when purchasing from an eScrip Online Mall vendor after signing in to their account. Now there's a new and easy way for Northwood to earn money from eScrip Online Mall vendors, by first clicking on the eScrip Online Mall graphic that's on Northwood's news page, PTSA page and PTSA programs page. People can support schools "anonymously"--they do not first need to register for the eScrip program.  If shoppers already are registered with eScrip (but don't have any credit/debit cards linked to their account), they also can use this Online Mall link, sign in to their eScrip accounts, and their online purchases will appear on their monthly eScrip statement. eScrip-registered shoppers who had designated other eScrip beneficiary schools can decide if they'd like their purchase to support those groups, or those groups as well as Northwood (for a maximum of three groups), or only Northwood.  Shoppers who are not registered for eScrip will have their online purchase rebate go to Northwood. • When you use the Online Mall, we earn up to 16% of your purchases from over 1,000 name brand merchants • You shop from the same websites you know and trust and pay exactly the same price • The specific items you buy are not recorded in any way, just the total you spent from each merchant to calculate your earnings • Be sure to visit the Online Mall first whenever you shop so we can earn every time! Please use this link at the start of every online purchase from a participating eScrip online vendor and Northwood will benefit.  A sampling of popular Online Mall vendors and their rebate amounts are 1-800-FLOWERS (12%), Amazon (2.4%), Barnes&Noble (3.6%), ColdwaterCreek (4.2%), eBay (1.2%), eddiebauer (4.8%), expedia.com (1.5%), HarryandDavid (7.2%), HickoryFarms (4.2%), OrientalTrading (3%), PetSmart (4.8%), travelocity (1.8%) and hundreds more.  Many sites also have discount coupons that can save you money as you earn funds for Northwood.  Some Online Mall merchants are not traditional online "stores," but sites to buy airline or cruise tickets, hotel or car rental reservations, wireless/Internet services, etc.  Using this portal, you'll get to the online merchant's identical home page, and Northwood will receive a rebate with each purchase, at no additional cost to you! Thanks so much for bringing extra funding to Northwood when you shop online for books, clothes, sports gear, flowers, home furnishings, airline tickets and other travel-related items and numerous other products!  Please pass this info on to your coworkers, neighbors, family and others who would like their online purchases to benefit our school--no matter where they live!   --Carol Smalls, Northwood PTSA painless fundraising coordinator Wanted: Host Families for Korean High School Students Forte International Exchange Association is looking for kind and compassionate families to host exchange high school students.  Students come from Korea and arrive in January.  They will stay for one academic year to learn English and American culture.  In exchange, you and your family will learn about a new language and culture and make a life long friend.  Living with an American family is the best way for international student to get immersed in U.S. customs and culture in a sage and supportive environment. Top 5 Reasons to be a Host Family! 1.  Hosting is a fun and exciting activity that the whole family will enjoy. 2.  Hosting will expose you to new customs, cultures and languages. 3.  Hosting leads to life-long friends in other parts of the world that you may visit some time. 4.  Hosting offers a taste of a faraway place from the comfort of your own home. 5.  Hosting provides a chance to promote an understanding of American people and the American way of life. If you would like more information about hosting an exchange student with Forte International please contact Sarah Crockett by phone or e-mail. Email: sarah@forteintl.com Toll-free: 1-888-89-FORTE Tel: 202-628-8226 Forte International Exchange Association National Press Building 529 14th Street NW, Suite 270 Washington, D.C. 20045, U.S.A. www.orgsites.com/dc/forte Dates to Remember Interim report cards will go home with students on Monday, December 8. Winter break is scheduled from Wednesday, December 24 through Friday, January 2. Parents Transition Services Please Join Transition Services for the Next Steps Workshop: "Independent Living, Community Participation, and Continuing Education" The workshop will include presentations on the following topics: Medical Assistance Independent Living Options:  An Overview Metro is Accessible:  Information for the User Therapeutic Recreational Opportunities Montgomery College:  Continuing Education Opportunities Establishing a Special Needs Trust December 9, 2008 7-9 PM Earle B. Wood Middle School Cafeteria 14651 Bauer Drive Rockville, MD 20853 For information and questions, please contact Kisheena Wanzer, Transition Support Teacher Northwood High School via Outlook, Kisheena_J_Wanzer@mcpsmd.org or 301-649-8289. Parent Satisfaction Survey Northwood parents and guardians can now take the 2008-2009 Parent Satisfaction Survey. MCPS High Schools Fare Well on 2008 AYP Report Twenty-four of the twenty-five public high schools in Montgomery County, including Northwood, met all Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) school performance targets for 2008. Read the full press release. Cyber Safety Workshops In collaboration with the Montgomery County Police Department and the State's Attorney's Office, MCPS has launched a new website with information on how to keep kids safe on the Internet. The web address is: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/cybersafety/. The site offers tips for parents, explains "cyberbullying," suggests parental control tools and provides warning signs that a child may have received inappropriate computer communication. The site also lists popular Internet sites among children, safe surfing sites, educational videos and commonly used email and chat acronyms. The Parent Academy is offering free parent workshops on cybersafety throughout the school year. The next session is Thursday, December 4 from 7-8:30 PM at Parkland Middle School in Rockville. Other dates are listed at http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/parentacademy/. myLunchMoney.com myLunchMoney.com is a new service being offered which allows parents to make prepayments to their child’s cafeteria account with a credit/debit card using the Internet.  Once the myLunchMoney account is established, you can check balances, view student purchases, set up recurring payments, and receive low balance e-mail notification.   Prepayments will generally be available at the school the next day.  Go to www.myLunchMoney.com and click on “Enroll Now.” Register NOW for free Parent Academy workshops Parents can learn about school system programs, Internet safety, homework and parenting strategies, how to monitor their child’s grades with Edline, and much more. For a complete workshop schedule and registration information, see http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/parentacademy/schedule.aspx Students Scholarships Students, are you eligible for scholarships like this one? TD Bank’s American Dream Scholarships Eligibility: High school seniors residing in a county served by TD Bank. Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Demonstrate involvement in community service activities, volunteerism, school activities and/or employment responsibilities. Students should apply online at www.TDBank.com/AmericanDream. Deadline: December 15 Make sure to check the Career Center page for updated scholarship information. Late Policy All students should take time to review the late policy implemented at Northwood. It is imperative that students arrive to class on time. Writing Center for Students The English Department is sponsoring a writing center for students who need help with their essays. Students can meet with peer tutors and the English composition assistants in the media center on Tuesday afternoons from 2:15-3:00 PM and during lunch on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Ninth Grade Tutoring The Ninth Grade Academy has put together a club specifically to tutor ninth graders, and the tutors will be upperclassmen.  The club meets Tuesdays and Thursdays in room A116 from 2:30-3:30 PM.  The upperclassmen tutors receive SSL hours, and the ninth graders receive help from their peers. Contact Ms. Hellmuth for more information.