
NPS Parent Newsletter
August 2023
Message from the Superintendent
Greetings NPS Families,
Welcome back! I hope you and your family had a relaxing and fun summer. This time of the year is always so exciting as we prepare to start a new school year, and I want to thank the staff of Norman Public Schools for all the hard work they have done to prepare for tomorrow’s first day.
This year, I encourage you to take time to notice all the good things that happen in our schools. As Rebecka Peterson, the 2023 National Teacher of the Year, shared at the annual Convocation for our teachers, “Every day may not be good, but there’s one good thing in every day.” These good things may come in many different forms. For you as parents, it could be your student participating in an extracurricular or having a breakthrough with a subject at school. Please share those good things on social media with the hashtag #NPSGoodThings. You can also submit your story idea to the NPS Communications team via this form.
We cannot wait to see all of our students tomorrow! I hope your family has a great first day and an even better school year.
Dr. Nick Migliorino
Superintendent
Norman Public Schools
Share the Good Things!
The NPS Communications team wants to hear about the good things happening in Norman Public Schools! Tell us about the events that are happening in our schools or incredible people who should be highlighted by filling out this form. You can also share the good things with us by using #NPSGoodThings on social media.
School Resource Officers Update
Safety and security is a top priority for Norman Public Schools. We are focused on creating an environment where students, teachers, staff and volunteers feel not only physically but also emotionally safe. As part of that, a project under our Strategic Plan is to add security personnel to every site to add another layer of protection to our schools. We are excited to share that we are making significant progress toward that goal this year thanks to an increased partnership with the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) and an ongoing partnership with the Norman Police Department (NPD).
Our partnership with NPD has provided specially trained police officers, known as School Resource Officers, to be active and visible in our schools. This year, we are increasing our partnership with the CCSO, with the goal to have an SRO stationed in every elementary school by the end of the year.
Currently, NPD provides SROs for our high schools and middle schools and officers who rotate between our elementaries. Additionally, CCSO has provided an SRO for Dimensions Academy. Through CCSO, we are working toward having officers stationed at all 17 elementary sites by winter break. Starting on the first day of school through the middle of September, we will be phasing in the first 11 officers. For the sites who do not have a dedicated SRO yet, current SROs will rotate between those sites throughout the day as CCSO continues to hire additional officers.
Having these officers in our schools is an invaluable asset in the event of an emergency and also serves as a great deterrent for those that might have nefarious intentions. In addition to keeping students safe, they also serve as mentors and support for students. We know how important it is for students to have access to trusted adults and our SROs are another great resource for kids.
We’re very grateful for our increased partnership with CCSO and for our continued partnership with NPD and the City of Norman and thank these partners for their commitment to helping us keep our schools safe.
Strategic Plan
Norman Public Schools strives to deliver the best possible education experience to every student we serve. Doing so requires a clear vision for the future and careful planning on how to achieve that vision. Each year the Norman Board of Education, Superintendent Dr. Nick Migliorino and his leadership cabinet engage in a retreat to evaluate, brainstorm, set goals, define target outcomes and prioritize for the coming years. Through this process, we have identified six categories and have laid out a vision for each that will guide our work in these areas as we strive to accomplish our mission to prepare and inspire all students to achieve their full potential.
The six categories are Teaching and Learning, Safety and Security, Culture of Belonging, Maximize the Budget, Recruit and Retain a World-Class Workforce and Improve Internal and External Communications. Click here to learn more about the Strategic Plan.
AlphaBest Enrollment Now Open
AlphaBest Education provides high-quality, before-and-after-school programming for Pre-K through 8th grade students. Through AlphaBest Education, students will experience an innovative, world-class curriculum designed to spark curiosity and expand creativity in areas like arts, robotics, coding, drama, foreign language, fitness activities, homework help and more.
AlphaBest Education offers several discounts to families including sibling discounts, military discounts and discounts for families who qualify for free or reduced meals. They also accept DHS subsidy vouchers. They will also offer before-and-after-school care to students of NPS employees at no charge. For more information on hours, rates and registration, click below.
Welcome Back!
2023 Bond Update
Thank you again to the Norman community for supporting the 2023 school bond! Architects, construction managers, engineers and Norman Public Schools team members recently gathered for the 2023 bond orientation meeting. We are so excited to get started on these projects and will share updates throughout the design and construction process on social media and at normanpublicschools.org/bond.
Kids Virtual Care to Be Offered at Every Site
Summer Recap
Download the NPS App
Reminder: District phone number for emergency calls
The phone number is: 1 (855) 267-0402. Please save this number to ensure you receive future emergency phone notifications.
See Something? Say Something.
UPCOMING EVENTS
August 17
First Day of School
August 28
Middle School Open House
September 1-5
Labor Day Break - No School
September 11
Board of Education Meeting
Norman Public Schools
Values: Integrity | Inclusiveness | Collaboration | Optimism
Email: normanpublicschools@normanps.org
Website: normanpublicschools.org
Location: 131 South Flood Avenue, Norman, OK, USA
Phone: (405) 364-1339
Social Media: Facebook (NormanPublicSchools), Instagram (@norman_schools), X (@NormanSchools)