NPS Now Newsletter

Greetings, Norfolk Public Schools’ families:

I hope this fall day finds you well! As we move into the second quarter of this school year, it is time to begin thinking of what courses and options are available to students next school year. I am excited to share that one of Norfolk Public Schools’ most important fall events is returning to an in-person format: the Specialty Programs Showcase! Please join students and staff at Norview High School on December 1, 2022, to learn about the extraordinary specialty programs offered at each of our high schools and in several of our middle schools.

Another fall event has returned to its traditional in-person format: the Big Feet Meet! I had such fun cheering on our students! The day was filled with smiling faces and spirited competition. This annual event demonstrates just one of the many ways Norfolk Public Schools’ dedicated staff supports our students with disabilities. Additionally, this newsletter includes a story about how the school division continues to support our students with disabilities even beyond graduation. Please take a few moments to watch the heart-warming video included here.

Finally, I am pleased to share additional updates on major projects underway, including the Phase II study for Maury High School, the feasibility study for Booker T. Washington High School, and the repurposing of Ruffner Middle School to a school for students in the third (3rd) through eighth (8th) grades.

Please be reminded of the upcoming three-day holiday for Thanksgiving! Enjoy this time with your family and friends. We are thankful that you entrust us to educate your precious children.

Norfolk Public Schools’ Big Feet Meet, held on October 27th at Lake Taylor High School, was a blast and a HUGE success!

It was a gorgeous fall day for approximately 300 NPS’ middle school students with disabilities who participated in various fun and exciting physical fitness and sports activities. Peer buddies helped students participate, and the Norfolk Sheriff's Office, Old Dominion University Police Department, and Virginia Beach Police Department provided many helping hands throughout the event.

The theme, “Choose to Include,” reminds students that when we give others the chance to fulfill their dreams, everyone wins! All student participants received medals of achievement.

The Big Feet Meet is NPS’ second largest Special Olympics event each year. The Little Feet Meet occurs in the spring.

Mark your calendars! Norfolk Public Schools’ Specialty Programs Showcase returns as an in-person event! The showcase will be held at Norview High School on December 1, 2022, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Applications will be available on-site during this time.

Norfolk Public Schools invites you and your child(ren) to learn more about the rigorous, specialized programs at each of our high schools and several of our middle schools. Presentations from each school will highlight the unique course offerings and student opportunities for each program.

More information will follow in the coming weeks from your child’s(ren’s) school(s); however, you can also stay up to date by following us on Facebook and Twitter.

We hope you will make plans to join us for the showcase!

The second week in November is National School Psychology Week. School psychologists are experts in many topics related to student success – special education, positive behavioral interventions, and one-on-one emotional support for students.

School psychologists are problem solvers. Professionals in this field must continue learning to adapt to students’ changing needs.

Please find more information from Norfolk Public Schools’ psychology team on our video playlist and on our website. To connect with your school’s psychologist, contact the main office staff of your child’s school.

Grab your safety glasses and lab coat: November 8th is National STEAM/STEM Day! Please take a moment to join us in celebrating the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. Additionally, check out the NPS website for science-themed Family Academies at our elementary and middle schools during the month of November.

Middle School championships are currently underway. Congratulations to the following teams/athletes, coaches, and staff on an exciting season!

Football: Middle School Championship Winner – The Lake Taylor School

Softball: First place - Academy for Discovery at Lakewood

Second place - Blair

Boys Soccer: First place - Azalea Gardens

Second place - Academy for Discovery at Lakewood

Tennis: Regular Season Champions - Academy for Discovery at Lakewood (ADL)

Second place - Lake Taylor School (LT)

Boys Singles: First - Teddy Cason (ADL), Second - Jonathan Young (ADL), Third - Henry Pfitzner (ADL)

Girls Singles: First - Ariana Pazos Del Aguila (ADL), Second - Emerson Epps (LT), Third - Mariana Garcia-Raskovic (ADL)

Co-Ed Doubles: First - Ariana Pazos Del Aguila/Jonathan Young (ADL), Second - Teddy Cason/Mariana Garcia-Raskovic (ADL), Third - Trudy Schoenberger/Sam Sewell (LT)

Participating in the marching band takes practice, discipline, physical conditioning, and teamwork.

During band camp, band members learn music and the basics of marching to get ready for the marching season. They also reconnect and bond with their bandmates. This video gives us an inside look at how our NPS marching bands prepare for their performances.

After weeks of practice, students from around the school division take their shows to our schools’ stands and fields. These dedicated musicians also perform at other events, such as parades and competitions throughout the year.

To learn more about joining the marching band, students should contact the band director at their middle school or high school.

Mark your calendars to see more from Norfolk Public Schools’ marching bands at the King’s Fork Kennel Classic Band Competition on November 5th at King’s Fork High School, located at 351 King’s Fork Road in Suffolk, or during the Grand Illumination parade scheduled to take place on November 19, 2022, in Downtown Norfolk.

Last school year, the School Board approved a plan to transition Ruffner Middle School to a school for grades three through eight with a specialty program that offers division-wide choice seats. This new program is scheduled to open for the 2023-2024 school year. Students at Tidewater Park Elementary School will transition to Ruffner Middle School, and Tidewater Park Elementary School will be closed at the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

The Ruffner Transition Plan committee developed an academic programming proposal that was presented to the School Board during a work session held on November 2, 2022, Parents/Guardians will have additional opportunities to provide input on this proposal during upcoming meetings that will be held at the following dates, times and locations:

November 10, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. – P.B. Young Elementary

November 16, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. - Tidewater Park Elementary

November 16, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. - Ruffner Middle

November 17, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. - Jacox Elementary

November 15, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. - Chesterfield

See the NPS website for updates, and find a survey on this proposal at www.npsk12.com/surveys.

During September and October, residents from around the city participated in community meetings to collect feedback on two significant projects: the Maury High School Phase II study and the Booker T. Washington High School Feasibility Study.

The School Board is currently considering four options for Maury High School. Two options propose major renovations while the other two propose new construction with demolition of the current structure. The majority of participants at our community forums supported building a new, four-story Maury High School. Do you agree? Share your thoughts! Find the Maury survey at npsk12.com/surveys.

Norfolk Public Schools has designated approximately $30 million to provide HVAC, roof, and window replacements at Booker T. Washington High School. Additionally, the school division has begun work on a feasibility study of the school’s academic programs, with a focus on the existing specialty program, and how they align with the current physical structure.

Further discussion of these plans will also continue throughout the fall by the NPS administration and the School Board. You may also find a survey on the Booker T. Washington feasibility study at www.npsk12.com/surveys.

For updates on all these projects, visit www.npsk12.com/educationalplanning.

Schools and offices are closed for Thanksgiving Break on November 23-25, 2022.

We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and look forward to seeing you again on Monday, November 28, 2022.

For a printable version of this year’s Academic Calendar, click here.

Norfolk Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year selection process is underway! Each year the school division honors the teachers who represent the best of the best in our schools and recognizes the vital role teachers across the school division play in the lives of our students.

The timeline for this celebration has moved from May to January in accordance with state guidelines. The 2022-2023 NPS All City Teaching team will be honored at a ceremony in December that will include the naming of the top teachers from each level as well as the 2023-2024 NPS Citywide Teacher of the Year.

Please join us in giving thanks and congratulations to these outstanding educators!

School attendance is critical to students’ success!

Norfolk Public Schools asks that all families encourage their children to attend school every day. Here are just a few reasons school attendance is so important:

• Poor attendance can influence whether children read proficiently by the end of third grade.
  
• By 6th grade, chronic absence from school becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
  
• When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating.
• Research shows that missing as little as two (2) days every month, or 10 percent of the school year, can have a significant impact on students and their ability to learn.

Students are expected to attend school in-person, on-time, every day, and to remain in school until dismissal. Online attendance is NOT an option for those students not enrolled in the Virtual Scholars Academy.

Students with more than 17 absences are considered chronically absent, even if the absences are excused.

Norfolk Public Schools expects our students to be physically present in school as we all continue the drive toward equity and excellence for all.

You can help your children develop and maintain good attendance habits by:

• making sure your child(ren) attend(s) school every day unless there is a legitimate reason for the absence;

• talking to your child(ren) about the importance of reporting to class on time, prepared, and ready to learn;

• encouraging your child(ren) to follow all school rules and the Standards of Student Conduct so they can remain in school; and

• scheduling family trips and vacations during scheduled school breaks.

As a parent/guardian, you are responsible for:

• keeping the lines of communication open between you and your child(ren)’s school(s);

• making sure your contact information (phone number, address, emergency contact list, etc.) is up to date; and

• providing a written explanation for your child’s(ren’s) absences before they occur or on the first day they return to school.

Please note: Parents/guardians must submit personal excuse notes within three days of the student’s return to school. Schools will no longer accept personal excuse notes after that deadline. For medical appointments, parents/guardians must provide an official excuse note from the doctor’s office, clinic, or hospital or request that the facility send a copy to the school.

Parents/guardians are expected to contact their child(ren)’s teachers, school counselors, or building principals as soon as possible when a student must be absent. Any special arrangements for extenuating circumstances will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Patterns of nonattendance may result in one or more of the following:

• Development of an Attendance Plan

• Parent Conferences

• Afterschool Make-up Assignment Date(s)

• Meetings with the Truancy Multi-Disciplinary Team

• Petitions filed with the Juvenile Court for truancy

Please keep the lines of communication open by letting us know if there is something standing in the way of getting your child(ren) to school. We want to help so that we can continue to build on our promising growth in academic achievement in the coming year. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Department of Student Support Services at 757-628-3931 or studentsupportservices@nps.k12.va.us.

The Departments of Learning Support-Special Education Services and School Nutrition have partnered to provide work opportunities for Norfolk Public Schools’ post-graduate students. Currently, the division’s central kitchen employs seven students from the Post-Secondary Career and Development Program. The students receive training and learn job skills that will benefit them for a lifetime. This collaboration has a positive impact on everyone involved.

J&A Racing foundation’s mission is to promote and support healthy lifestyles and the sport of running through the development and growth of running events throughout Hampton Roads. Their Starting Strides program focuses on children who need financial support to participate in J&A organized races in Hampton Roads. To help, J&A Racing is sponsoring 50 Norfolk Public Schools students in the Norfolk Harbor Half Marathon on November 19, 2022. The students are receiving running shoes, payment of entry fees, and transportation to and from the event. Thank you, J&A Racing, for helping to promote and support healthy lifestyles for NPS’ students!

This month we also give thanks to students and staff at Old Dominion University, who gathered at the Mitchum Performance Basketball Center on October 21, 2022, to fill 2,000 backpacks with 10 kid-friendly, non-perishable food items each to benefit Norfolk Public Schools’ students.

The Monarchs worked with the division’s School Nutrition Services staff to identify schools in need of food support services.

“In the School Nutrition world, we believe that food is the most important school supply, because hungry kids can’t learn,” said Lisa Winter, Senior Director of School Nutrition. “Although NPS provides more than half a million free meals to students each month of the academic school year, food insecurity is a complex problem that we cannot solve alone. Developing partnerships and creating sustainable approaches for ensuring food security has been identified by Norfolk community leaders as a top priority. We are so happy to have ODU students on our team!

Thank you, Monarchs, for helping to support food security for our students!

And finally in our Community Corner section, a partnership with Homer Optical and Essilor Group allowed students at Sherwood Forest Elementary to receive free eye exams and glasses. Principal Dennis Holland said, “We really focus on the whole child…It’s just us really trying with Norfolk Public Schools and Sherwood specifically to support the Drive for 5 and make sure our students have everything they need academically and otherwise.” Glasses were recently delivered to NPS’ students. Both days were great displays of community coming together!

NPS has partnered with VectorSolutions to provide students, parents/guardians, and staff a safe way to report bullying and student-related matters anytime, anywhere, on any device through the Vector Alert Tip Reporting System application.

Text us, call us, e-mail us, or report it through the website, while remaining anonymous. As always, NPS takes every tip seriously and thoroughly investigates.

The app is available now to download to your device. To learn more, please visit https://nps-va.safeschoolsalert.com.

Are you interested in joining the Norfolk Public Schools’ family? What are you waiting for? Visit our website for openings and to apply!

Also, check out the latest incentives for teachers and bus drivers!

#YOUbelongwithNPS