Northwood Elementary

Dear Parents and students,

It is my pleasure and honor to introduce the newest member of our administrative team, our Assistant Principal Ms. Nikol Boyd. As you can glean from her introduction below she is a seasoned teacher as well an experienced administrator. I got an opportunity to speak with administrators who have served with Ms. Boyd and they had the utmost praise for her work ethic and passion for education. I am thrilled to have her on our team and would like to extend her a warm welcome.

Regards,

Ritu Ahuja

A message from Ms. Boyd

“It is with great excitement that I introduce myself as the new Assistant Principal of Northwood Elementary School.  I am very eager to meet and learn about every student and staff member in our school as we work together to effectively educate all students.  My passion and love for education will serve as the driving force as I support parents and teachers in helping every child at Northwood achieve their personal BEST.

I am married and have two wonderful daughters, Najah and Amirah.  I was born and raised in Washington, D.C. and I am a HUGE Washington Redskins Fan!! I attended Morgan State University and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education.  I began my teaching career working in Howard County Schools.  While teaching, I obtained my Masters Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland.  I taught fourth and fifth grades in Howard County, Maryland for 6 years before moving to Georgia in 2003.  Upon arriving in Georgia, I also taught fourth and fifth grades at Shakerag Elementary School.  After 10 years of teaching, I left the classroom to become the Curriculum Support Teacher (CST) at Cogburn Woods Elementary School where I have been for the past 3 years. 

I feel extremely fortunate to become a member of the Northwood family.  As Assistant Principal, my goal is to work collaboratively to support students, teachers, staff, and parents.  I look forward to working side by side with the committed staff and parents of our school to successfully educate ALL students!”

Nikol Boyd

Family Summer Updates

Volunteer Spot Light (PTA continues to work through summer)

Summer Parent Letters

I would like to thank Ms. Michelle Anderson and her daughter Erin, Ms. Amy Chandler and her sons Andrew and Jacob, and Ms. Lyn Shealy and her son Cale for mailing out the summer letters. This was really a tedious process and involved lots of folding, stuffing and sticking. Parents you should have received all information related to the Sneak Preview. In case you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the school. 

Spirit Wear

A big round of applause for Ms. Michelle Anderson and her daughter Erin, Ms. Lyn Shealy and Ms. Wendy Perry for organizing our spirit wear. These ladies spend a good part of the morning folding and sorting almost 600 T-shirts for Sneak Preview-sincere thanks to all of you.

Affidavit of Residency (AOR)

• Please take special note of this document. The form is included in the PTA summer letter. A link to this form is also on our website.
• New this year: The AOR form must be turned in prior to visiting your child’s teacher. We will collect notarized AOR forms at Sneak Preview or you can drop them by the school office prior to August 19^th. A Notary will be available at the school, however, you are encouraged to have the form completed and notarized ahead of time.
• Exceptions: If you are a new student to Northwood, you would have completed this form at the time of registration and are not required to complete another one. 

Congratulations Wedding Announcements!!

Ms. Sarah Strauss: Is now Mrs. Levin. I believe she is on her honeymoon currently. 

Ms. Kate Walsh: Recently returned from the Caribbean as Mrs. Alexander.

Welcome

We have two new staff members in the special education department.

Arielle Lasley

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Arielle Lasley and I am honored to be a new member of the Northwood team. I graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in Special Education. This will be my first year teaching and I look forward to becoming a part of the Northwood family. I myself went to Northwood when it doors first opened in August of 1996, and was a student here from third through fifth grade. Therefore, Northwood has a special place in my heart, and I am so excited to be back at this wonderful school in which I learned so much as a student. I look forward to a wonderful and exciting new school year!

Jamie Marini

My husband Chris and I have been married for 18 years. We have two wonderful daughters. Rachel will be a junior and Carly will be a freshman this year. They both attend Blessed Trinity Catholic High School. I have had the pleasure to work at Hembree Springs Elementary School for the past seven years in the Special Education Department. I recently completed my Special Education Certification from Georgia State University. I enjoy playing tennis and reading.

New itinerant staff member

Welcome:

• Mr. Mark DiClaudio will be teaching music one day a week (Thursday) at Northwood Elementary.

Ms. Susan Dorenkamp is our new Area Superintendent

Susan Dorenkamp is moving from her role as Heards Ferry Elementary School principal to that of instructional area superintendent in the school system’s Administrative Center. In her new position, she will serve as supervisor for the leadership of schools in the Centennial, Chattahoochee and Westlake clusters and assist in their implementation of system initiatives.

A former social worker in private practice in Michigan, Dorenkamp joined the educational system as a school social worker. She later became the district’s special education supervisor and later, one of its elementary school principals. In 1998, she joined the Fulton County School System as an assistant principal at Seaborn Lee Elementary School and then as the principal of Parklane Elementary School. She later moved to Heards Ferry Elementary School as its principal.

Dorenkamp holds degrees from the University of Michigan (B.A., sociology; M.S.W.) and Wayne State University (M.A.T.).