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June 1, 2020
Dear Northwood Community,
My heart is aching for our nation, and, in particular, our black men. In the context of Northwood, my vibrant, strong, unique, beautiful, smart, innocent, and oh so sweet little boys who beyond our school walls are living in the shadows of fear and hate, systematic racism, and injustices that many other Americans can’t even comprehend.
So here we are, in the midst of a pandemic and social isolation, trying to process the violence, the pain, and the outcry of this weekend’s events. The death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer was the cork in the bottle that finally popped and caused the fury. We recognize how close and painful this senseless tragedy, and its root cause, is for many members of our community.
At Northwood and beyond, we must explore to understand how we landed here and where we can go to heal and strive to become a nation where fair and equitable treatment and access exists for ALL. This begins with an education where we learn about one another and celebrate diversity and the beauty of our similarities and differences. Furthering that, we have real conversations about institutional racism, social injustice, and how we fail and prevail as humans. Only by continuing to have honest conversations, that are backed by actions around these issues can we move forward as a school, a city, and a country.
At Northwood, we embrace the mission to be a “learning sanctuary.” On last Friday’s staff call, we discussed needing to be the safety net for our students in this particularly difficult time. We asked that everyone take extra time to think about what this looks and feels like for our students and families, particularly our African American males. We acknowledge that while we don’t have answers to all the difficult questions, we can and will acknowledge, affirm, and value our students. Beyond this, we will continue to promote diversity as a strength, teach that every individual has equal human value; and that a secure and safe environment and peaceful conflict resolution are essential to learning and to society. We are educators and this is our calling to make society a better place for all.
At school we receive ongoing training and have the tough conversations around diversity, cultural competency and trauma. We will continue to seek guidance from the experts as we lead our staff to become more culturally competent and also seek appropriate and inclusive learning materials and activities. In preparation for the 2020-2021 school year, we will plan for more professional development opportunities to provide a framework of understanding and responsiveness to these areas. Our recently formed diversity committee will review our programs and hold us accountable where they see opportunities for growth.
In this unconventional learning environment, it is difficult to hold each other up as we can do when we are together. But, please know that our staff are available for you and your children. If you would like to talk with someone, contact our teachers, counselors, or any of our school administrators.
Be well, stay safe, and continue to look out for each other. We are all in this together and I stand with you and for you.
Sincerely,
Amy Hollister
CEO
Dear Northwood Community,
My heart is aching for our nation, and, in particular, our black men. In the context of Northwood, my vibrant, strong, unique, beautiful, smart, innocent, and oh so sweet little boys who beyond our school walls are living in the shadows of fear and hate, systematic racism, and injustices that many other Americans can’t even comprehend.
So here we are, in the midst of a pandemic and social isolation, trying to process the violence, the pain, and the outcry of this weekend’s events. The death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer was the cork in the bottle that finally popped and caused the fury. We recognize how close and painful this senseless tragedy, and its root cause, is for many members of our community.
At Northwood and beyond, we must explore to understand how we landed here and where we can go to heal and strive to become a nation where fair and equitable treatment and access exists for ALL. This begins with an education where we learn about one another and celebrate diversity and the beauty of our similarities and differences. Furthering that, we have real conversations about institutional racism, social injustice, and how we fail and prevail as humans. Only by continuing to have honest conversations, that are backed by actions around these issues can we move forward as a school, a city, and a country.
At Northwood, we embrace the mission to be a “learning sanctuary.” On last Friday’s staff call, we discussed needing to be the safety net for our students in this particularly difficult time. We asked that everyone take extra time to think about what this looks and feels like for our students and families, particularly our African American males. We acknowledge that while we don’t have answers to all the difficult questions, we can and will acknowledge, affirm, and value our students. Beyond this, we will continue to promote diversity as a strength, teach that every individual has equal human value; and that a secure and safe environment and peaceful conflict resolution are essential to learning and to society. We are educators and this is our calling to make society a better place for all.
At school we receive ongoing training and have the tough conversations around diversity, cultural competency and trauma. We will continue to seek guidance from the experts as we lead our staff to become more culturally competent and also seek appropriate and inclusive learning materials and activities. In preparation for the 2020-2021 school year, we will plan for more professional development opportunities to provide a framework of understanding and responsiveness to these areas. Our recently formed diversity committee will review our programs and hold us accountable where they see opportunities for growth.
In this unconventional learning environment, it is difficult to hold each other up as we can do when we are together. But, please know that our staff are available for you and your children. If you would like to talk with someone, contact our teachers, counselors, or any of our school administrators.
Be well, stay safe, and continue to look out for each other. We are all in this together and I stand with you and for you.
Sincerely,
Amy Hollister
CEO
Please note all rallies are being rescheduled
NEW ACTION STEPS CONCERNING THE GOVERNOR’S PROPOSED BUDGET CUTS
NEW ACTION STEPS CONCERNING THE GOVERNOR’S PROPOSED BUDGET CUTS
We hope you are all doing well! We need to put faces and families in the forefront of the political advocacy efforts that are needed right now. We know there are so many things to be concerned about right now, but charter schools are in need of advocates.
We are asking that anyone interested in telling their personal story of why charter schools work for your children to please step forward and write their story or create a video. The main goal is to put faces to these schools, so that legislators make the connection. The focus of your paragraph or video should be-
Feel free to have your children (alumni too) speak on these topics as well. Videos and written stories will be sent to charter school organizations and legislators, and may be used on social media. Thank you in advance for your time! So many of us are so passionate about Northwood Academy, especially now that we are separated, so we thank you for putting those feelings and advocacy efforts in action! Please spread the word to other families. Submissions can be sent to akelly@northwoodcs.org.
Stay Well!
We are asking that anyone interested in telling their personal story of why charter schools work for your children to please step forward and write their story or create a video. The main goal is to put faces to these schools, so that legislators make the connection. The focus of your paragraph or video should be-
- Why is school choice important to your family?
- Why does Northwood Academy work for your children?
- What do you stand to lose if charter schools are a political target?
Feel free to have your children (alumni too) speak on these topics as well. Videos and written stories will be sent to charter school organizations and legislators, and may be used on social media. Thank you in advance for your time! So many of us are so passionate about Northwood Academy, especially now that we are separated, so we thank you for putting those feelings and advocacy efforts in action! Please spread the word to other families. Submissions can be sent to akelly@northwoodcs.org.
Stay Well!
Thank you to all that have already written letters to their representatives and visited the 143k rising website to show their opposition to the Governor’s proposed budget cuts to Special Education funding. There are new action steps in place that could use your attention. A NEW online petition has been started specifically for Northwood. There is a paper version of this petition at the front office, or you can go to
https://www.change.org/p/stop-governor-wolf-from-cutting-funding-for-northwood-s-students to sign the petition online.
All of these action steps are critical to our fight against these cuts,. We thank you for your time and support!
UPDATE– The Harrisburg rally previously scheduled for May 18th has been changed tentatively to May 4th. We will keep you posted as info. develops on this rally.
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The Northwood Academy Charter School (NACS) began operation in September of 2005. We are a K-8 program with a well-developed academic program that emphasizes comprehensive literacy and mathematical instruction in accordance with federal and local standards. Our instructional program is driven by state, local and commercial assessment results, school achievement and adherence with IEP requirements. Our mission is to prepare our children to take advantage of the wealth of educational opportunities that exist for them. To that end, Northwood has hired a dedicated, skilled instructional staff to guide them in the process. Every staff member is charged with the care and well-being of every child. We believe that all children are able to achieve regardless of their socio-economic status, race, ability level or past academic experience. By respecting and supporting our students, their families and our staff on a regular basis, we honor and uphold this belief.
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