We are excited to welcome new and returning students to campus in the near future! As summer progresses you will begin to see a number of communications. To keep the process organized and to ensure an efficient onboarding process, please find here the home base for the documents and information necessary to begin the school year.
As we approach the beginning of the school year we wanted to share with you the arrival and registration schedule for all students.
For the student leaders who are arriving on Monday the 6th or Tuesday the 7th, please indicate your arrival information HERE.
All students who are not participating in a pre-season camp and not arriving for leadership training will arrive on Wednesday, September 8thbetween 10 am and 1 pm.
For all students and families, you will first report to the Main Entrance. When you check in you will receive your room information and keys. Please make sure you have uploaded all the necessary medical paperwork to your Magnus account. If you have questions about the health forms, please direct them to nurse@northwoodschool.org
We ask that anyone who enters a building on campus wear a mask regardless of vaccination status. We are allowing family members into the dormitories to assist with moving their student in.
Those who will arrive early, including pre-season athletes and school leaders, will register between 9 am and 10 am on September 8th. Parents of early arrival students do not need to be present or stay for registration on September 8th.
Coaches and the athletic department have already shared arrival information for those participating in preseason camps for soccer, boys’ hockey, and girls’ hockey.
Monday, September 6th
Student leaders and international students may arrive after 5 pm
Tuesday, September 7th
Student leaders and International Students arrive by 12 pm
Wednesday, September 8th
- 9:00 am-10:00 am Students on campus early can register at this time
- 10:00am -1:00pm Registration for all students
- Boarding Students move in after registration
- Day students may set up their lockers in the day student rooms
- 1:30 pm Mr. Michael Maher, Head of School, Opening of School Address
- 2:30 pm Family goodbyes
- 3:00 pm Student Orientation begins
The Northwood School Plan for 2021-22.pdf
Dear Northwood Community:
I am writing to share an update about Northwood School’s reopening for the fall and the measures we will take to protect the community from the COVID-19 virus.
Because a vast majority of our students and employees will be fully vaccinated, we plan to offer a full schedule of athletics and co-curricular activities. We won’t start the year in quarantine or on-campus “lockdown,” and classes will be in-person from day one. We will offer robust residential programming with a full complement of weekend activities.
Despite our high vaccination rates, we face serious threats from the virus. With the spread of the more contagious Delta variant, communities across the country are experiencing increases in positive COVID-19 cases among unvaccinated and vaccinated people. This increase is also occurring in Essex County, where positive cases have risen to levels not seen since the winter. As a result, the CDC has recommended that masks be worn when indoors at school, regardless of the student’s vaccination status. To ensure the safety of our campus and the surrounding community, Northwood School will comply with the CDC recommendation. When indoors, all faculty, staff, students, and visitors – regardless of vaccination status – must remain masked, unless in a private, non-shared space (e.g., office or dorm room) or when eating or bathing. We will revisit our mask requirements about a month into the school year. We hope that our high vaccination rate and layered approach to begin the year virus-free will enable us to lift mask requirements later in the school year.
We have also decided to require all students, regardless of their vaccination status, to arrive at school with a recent negative test. We are requiring a test from everyone because we are building a residential community of students from throughout the United States and around the world during a time of heightened transmission rates, including many cases among vaccinated people. Requiring the vaccine is our most important layer of protection and requiring a negative test from everyone improves our chances of starting the year virus-free. Details about our testing requirements are outlined in our reopening plan.
While it is discouraging that we are starting another school year wearing face masks and studying COVID protocols, there is much to be optimistic about, including fully in-person classes, a full program of athletic and cocurricular offerings and a robust offering of residential and weekend activities.
I can’t wait to start the 2021-22 school year. Students, please enjoy the remaining days of your summer break and come to school rested, healthy and ready to get to work on achieving your goals.
Sincerely,
John Spear
Assistant Head for School Life
Updated 9/3/21
By August 1st all students should have talked with Ms. Carmichael about class registration. She will be sending you a confirmation of your schedule before you arrive on campus. If you have any questions regarding your classes please contact her at: carmichaeln@northwoodschool.org.
It is extremely important that the school receive all of your official transcripts since and including grade 9 for course registration, graduation requirements, college applications, and NCAA (for athletes). If you have attended more than one school, please be sure that each school’s official transcript as well as your final official transcript from the school year that just ended are sent to the school. All transcripts should be sent directly to Elenor Mandigo at mandigoe@nothwoodschool.org in the Admission Office. An official transcript will contain a seal and/or signature of a school official. International Students: Please note that all transcripts must be translated by a certified official or agency. The Admission Office has information on an agency used by the school if needed.
Dear Northwood Parents/Guardians,
Hello from the Northwood School Health Office! We are excited to have your student join us in the Fall. Soon, you will be receiving a welcome email from Magnus Health. This email will contain login information to create and access your student’s health account. Magnus Health is a secure, online student medical record service we utilize to gather your student’s health information. You will notice that there are online questionnaires to be completed, permission forms to be e-signed, as well as multiple forms that must be printed and brought to your student’s healthcare provider for completionand signature. All online questionnaires and forms must be completed, and all printed forms must be uploaded to Magnus Health with necessary signatures and information completed in full. Please note that all forms must be completed in English.
Below are a few important points:
- DUE DATE: Your student’s complete medical record must be submitted in full to Magnus Health by August 1, 2021. We kindly ask that you submit the information as soon as possible.
- Your child needs a school annual physical exam: it must be completed after May 1, 2021, and before August 1, 2021. Your student needs a new physical every school year.
- MANDATORY: All vaccinations/immunizations must be in compliance with New York State Requirements. Please carefully review the guidelines provided in Magnus Health with your student’s provider and have your student receive any necessary immunizations prior to the start of school.
- If your student takes daily non-prescription or prescription medications, we ask that you register with the school-preferred pharmacy, Freedom Pharmacy for use during the school year. Freedom Pharmacy enrollment packets are available on Magnus and must be printed and submitted directly to the pharmacy. Our Medication Policy states that we do not accept bottles of medication. All medications must be filled through Freedom Pharmacy, which packages in single-dose cells. Exceptions may be made for short-term medications (i.e. antibiotics), but they MUST be supplied to the school in pharmacy blister packs or single-dose pharmacy packaging.
- ALL medications must be administered through the Northwood School Health Office, this includes non-prescription medications/supplements/vitamins. No medications are allowed in student rooms unless permission is expressly granted by the Northwood Health Office.
- All information submitted to Magnus Health will be reviewed by the Northwood School Health Office. We will contact you with any questions we may have or if there is a need for clarification. Failure to submit all required documentation by the start of school may result in you incurring additional health fees as we work to bring your student into compliance. Your student will not be able to participate in sports until all forms have been completed.
- Magnus Health will send you frequent reminder emails until the health forms have been completed.
Magnus Health Portal Help Desk can answer many of your technical questions if you have any difficulty with the site: phone# 1-877-461-6831 and email: service@magnushealthportal.com.
Please contact the Northwood School Health Office with any health questions at: nurse@northwoodschool.org. We will be out of the office for the summer holiday, but we will check email regularly; please be aware that there may be a delay in response.
For immediate assistance please call the Northwood School general line during business hours: 518- 523-3357. Thank you in advance for your help in reviewing and completing these requirements.
Sincerely,
Margaret P. Viscome, BA, RN Mark Conboy, RN Jody Borzilleri, BS, RN
Reminder to be working on your summer reading, both the All School Read and any reading specific to the classes you are taking.
International Students may arrive on campus as soon as Sept 6th at 5 pm (17:00). As you begin to confirm your travel details, transportation will be offered from the 42nd Street Port Authority station in NYC on Monday, the 6th of September. So, for those students flying into EWR or JFK, transportation will be offered from NYC to campus. It is about a 5.5-hour ride.
For those of you traveling by plane or train to ALB (Albany, NY), we are still planning on offering transport for you as well for, at least, the afternoon/evening of Sept 6th. This is a 2.5-hour ride.
For those of you traveling via BOS (Boston) to SLK (Saranac Lake NY) with Cape Air, we will be offering you transportation upon your arrival.
And, for those of you traveling to PBG (Plattsburgh NY), we will be offering you transportation upon your arrival.
For questions, please contact Mr. David McCauley, Director of College Counseling and International Admission, at mccauleyd@northwoodschool.org.
Welcome to Northwood
Welcome to Northwood! As a new Northwood parent, I know this is a very exciting and busy time, and you probably have many questions as you prepare for your son or daughter to arrive at Northwood this fall. This guide contains answers to the most commonly asked questions, but there are likely questions you have that are not addressed here. I welcome your direct outreach...always.
We are all eager to put behind us the global pandemic that disrupted the past two academic years. We are hopeful that the 2021-22 school year will be near “back to normal.” We will keep you updated on any and all “COVID protocols” via email and on the “Forward” section of our website.
This guide is a collection of information from the Northwood School Student Handbook, a guide and source of the necessary information, including student life policies, the academic program, health and counseling services, and athletics. The handbook is available online by mid-summer.
The entire Northwood School faculty and I are grateful that you have decided to share your child with us. We see ourselves as partners in the work of “raising” your child. We expect to be in regular contact with you about your child's experience at Northwood. This booklet is merely the beginning of that relationship, and we hope it is a helpful first step.
Best regards,
John Spear, Assistant Head for School Life
Academics
Noel Carmichael
Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs
carmichaeln@northwoodschool.org
Learning Center
Tara Wright
Director of Learning Center
wrightt@northwoodschool.org
Student Life
John Spear
Assistant Head of School for School Life
spearj@northwoodschool.org
Leigh Riffle
Assistant Dean of Students
rifflel@northwoodschool.org
Athletics
Trevor Gilligan
Athletic Director
gilligant@northwoodschool.org
Business Office
Kim Ratkos
Business Office
ratkosk@northwoodschool.org
International Students
David McCauley
Director of College Counseling and Director of International Students
mccauleyd@northwoodschool.org