NPS NOW NEWSLETTER

Greetings NPS’ families! February finds us as busy as ever with exciting news, such as the robotics program at Norview High School, (see the team in the background photo) 21st Century Learning Centers grants awarded to three of our schools, and innovations being realized across the division such as dynamic seating in one classroom that keeps young scholars learning while they are on the move! Additionally, February brings preparation for spring events: NPS is gearing up for the annual budget cycle, as well as the March 2 opening day of the division-wide read of Sally Warner’s “EllRay Jakes is Magic.” All students from pre-K through grade 5 will participate in this project, including an opening video featuring special guests from around our community!

It may be cold outside, but all of us at NPS have warm hearts for our students!

Families across Norfolk Public Schools are invited to join in the preK through grade 5 division-wide reading of “EllRay Jakes is Magic!” by Sally Warner. NPS students will participate in reading this book together for the Norfolk Public Schools’ Norfolk, a Community of Readers: One Book One City project. NPS will kick off the first chapter with a special welcome video on March 2, which is Read Across America Day. Readers from around the division will join in for video readings of the remaining chapters.

“EllRay Jakes is Magic!” is a hilarious tale of a small child on a big stage who finds out whether he has the talent to put on a show for the entire school.

Budget season is upon us! Superintendent Dr. Sharon I. Byrdsong and members of the Norfolk Public Schools’ Budget Team are diligently working to develop a budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. The Superintendent’s Proposed Operating Budget is reviewed and discussed with members of the City of Norfolk School Board. Upon receiving feedback from the School Board and school division stakeholders, updates are made to the Superintendent’s Proposed Operating Budget, and this budget becomes the School Board’s Proposed Operating Budget upon being approved. The School Board’s Proposed Operating Budget is then reviewed, discussed, and approved by the Norfolk City Council.

Here are some key dates:

March 2, 2022: Superintendent’s FY2023 Proposed Operating Budget is presented to School Board

March 9, 2022: School Board Public Hearing to receive citizens’ input for the School Board’s FY2023 Proposed Operating Budget

March 16, 2022: School Board Business Meeting - Adoption of School Board’s FY2023 Proposed Operating Budget

April 1, 2022: Submission of School Board’s Proposed FY2023 Operating Budget to Norfolk City Council

May (Date TBD): Norfolk City Council appropriates funds for School Board’s FY2023 Operating Budget

May 18, 2022: School Board adopts the approved School Board FY2023 Operating Budget

Norfolk Public Schools has been able to continue to provide masks, gloves, face shields, and sanitizing wipes to any staff member or student who needs them through the use of federal funds. These materials include see-through face masks like those shown here.

Our full spending plan for the $113.3 million NPS will receive under the American Rescue Plan Act for Elementary and Secondary School Relief (ARP/ESSER III) is available here: www.npsk12.com/Page/17920. This funding is designed to support students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs impacted by the pandemic. Please let us know your thoughts on the plan and what areas we should consider for additional support at TellUs@npsk12.com. Please use ARP/ESSER III in the subject line.

Friends of Norfolk Public Schools is a small, dedicated group of community leaders who came together in 2019 to create the Friends of Norfolk Public Schools Fund at the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. This endowed, field-of-interest fund provides annual grants to NPS teachers through a competitive grant process to enhance the classroom learning experience through creative and innovative teaching strategies. The group provided the first group of grants in 2021. The grant award winners are listed below:

To see this funding in action – literally – check out the video of Ms. Sabrina Wahid’s classroom using the dynamic seating she purchased with help from this fund and with community support. Thank you Friends of Norfolk Public Schools for your support!

2021 (grants completed) - 3 grants of $250 each

1. School: Southside STEM Academy at Campostella

   Teacher: Jacqueline Lundy

   Program: World of STEM program for students in grades 6-8

2. School: Blair Middle School

   Teacher: James Riggs

   Program: This is how we do it: CRA in Math program for students in grades 6-8

3. School: Blair Middle School

   Teacher: Andrea J. Jones

   Program: Family and Community Engagement Project, a literacy and relationship building program for 8th grade students with disabilities

2022 (grants currently active) – 4 grants of $350 each

1. School: Southside STEM Academy at Campostella

   Teacher: Jacqueline Lundy

   Purpose: The STEM Foundation program for students in grades K-2, to purchase STEM materials for the classroom
   

2. School: Chesterfield Academy

   Teacher: Dorothy Smith

   Purpose: Instruction Student Organization project for 2nd grade students, to purchase planners to help students maximize their instructional time in specific subjects and to keep students on task

3. School: Tarrallton Elementary School

   Teacher: Kimberly Ritter

   Purpose: LexiaCore 5 project, to purchase headphones for the kindergarten students to use two online programs that enhance reading and math skills

4. School: Richard Bowling Elementary School

   Teacher: Sabrina Wahid

   Purpose: Teeter Totter project for K-2 students, to purchase dynamic seating for students who are autistic or have severe disabilities

Thank you Friends of Norfolk Public Schools for your support!

Norfolk Public Schools welcomes positive, collaborative, meaningful partnerships between our schools and our communities to enhance student academic learning and success. For more information on community engagement, contact LaEunice Brown, Community Engagement Coordinator, Office of Communications & Community Engagement, 757-628-3459.

Bob Dandridge MLK Basketball Challenge
Congratulations to all the NPS teams that participated in the Bob Dandridge MLK Basketball challenge on January 17th. Lake Taylor (Boys), Maury (Boys), and Norview (Girls) all came away with a victory.

Boys

Lake Taylor 62, Woodside 61

Maury 56, Oscar Smith 35

Girls

Norview 53, Monacan 50

Middle School Winter II Sports Update

NPS' middle school principals and athletic directors met on January 12, 2022, to discuss delaying Winter II sports due to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases. We are committed to providing a safe environment for our student-athletes, coaches, spectators, and officials. We will continue to monitor this situation and communicate as needed.

Winter II sports, including Basketball, Cheerleading, Boys Soccer, and Forensics will start on March 1, 2022, and end on April 7, 2022. The spring season will move to after spring break and run until the end of the school year. Conditioning for Winter II sports will start on February 15, 2022; conditioning can be held twice a week per team.

For questions or concerns about these changes, please contact your school’s principal or athletic director.

NPS Sports: 2021 Fall Season Review

Students from Norview High School's Robotics Team, named The Aviators, showed off their innovative design and programming skills over winter break on the “Reck On The Road” segment of the Hampton Roads Show.

The Aviators are prepping for the FIRST Robotics Competition, being held March 19-20 in Colonial Heights, VA. Norview's robotics teams have competed every year since 2005, except the year competition was closed due to the pandemic.

Please contact Katherine Arroyo, Robotics Team Coordinator of Norview High School, at 757-852-4500 for additional information.

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, every tip is taken seriously and is thoroughly investigated.

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

Applications are being accepted from January 15 through March 1, 2022, for membership on School Board Advisory Committees.

The School Board of the City of Norfolk is accepting applications for membership on the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC), Gifted Education Advisory Committee (GEAC), Career and Technical Education (CTE) Advisory Committee, and the Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) to receive valuable input to support the students and programs of Norfolk Public Schools.

Applicants for citizen member positions must be residents of Norfolk. However, committee members appointed to fill positions that represent related governmental bodies, agencies, service organizations, or businesses are not required to reside in Norfolk, although preference may be granted to this group of applicants who are also residents of Norfolk.

To find descriptions of the regulation and appointment process for these committees, click here: https://www.npsk12.com/Page/17364. Interested individuals may also review an informational video that describes the School Board Advisory Committee program and application process at this link https://youtu.be/FRRKhyUOBmg. Monthly meeting dates for each committee are found here: https://bit.ly/3I9Lhw3.

For a full description of each of the Advisory Committees or to complete an online application, click on the links below:

• Special Education Advisory Committee: https://www.npsk12.com/Page/14632

• Gifted Education Advisory Committee: https://www.npsk12.com/Page/14633

• Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee: https://www.npsk12.com/Page/14634

• School Health Advisory Committee: https://www.npsk12.com/Page/14635

The work of two NPS teachers will soon grace South Norfolk’s Jordan Bridge (SNJB)! Nicole Harp and Jeannine Harkleroad, Granby High School Fine Arts teachers and local artists, submitted the winning entry in the United Bridge Partners outdoor art installation contest to commemorate the bridge’s 10th Anniversary.

They collaborated to create this sunrise/sunset-themed masterpiece, proposed to stand 14 feet tall and 18 feet wide. It features a navigational buoy with colorful crab-trap floats forming a three-dimensional display of the sun peeking over the water.

The piece is a salute to the thousands of drivers who travel the bridge daily.

“Great art communicates long before it's understood,” said Harp. “Art can change the energy in a community, inspire, and educate. I am excited to be part of a creative dialogue with the community regarding design and installation using repurposed materials to celebrate SNJB's 10th Anniversary."

Harkleroad said, “Bridges connect people, but they aren't really land or water, just made of similar materials. When I look at the SNJB out of the window of my truck, it looks like it is floating right above the horizon line. I am excited to capture that type of visual buoyancy in our project.”

This incredible design will celebrate the bridge's unique beauty and will surely buoy the spirits of drivers! The piece is scheduled to be unveiled in May 2022.

The Virginia Department of Education has awarded its 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) supplemental grant to three schools within Norfolk Public Schools.

The funds total nearly $515,000 for this year. The grants support the creation of community learning center programs that provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools.

The principals of Norview Middle School, James Monroe and Suburban Park Elementary Schools are already busy putting the grant funding to work for their students and communities!

Suburban Park Elementary School provides academic support after school in literacy and mathematics and enrichment experiences for scholars in kindergarten through fifth grade. The after school lessons are presented in ways that differ from the normal school day and in settings with an adult-student ratio of 1:10. The grant funding has also helped to allow SPES to offer a summer camp that includes field trip opportunities and full-day learning experiences in Virginia culture and history. The Dolphins also have a partnership with Communities in Schools of Hampton Roads, Tabernacle Church, and other community organizations. The organizations lend support through volunteers, donations, and family support.

Over at James Monroe Elementary School, the funds are being used to assist students to improve their academic achievement by providing homework help, tutoring and innovative academic experiences through STEM-focused programming. In addition, the Eagles have an eye on providing educational services that assist parents and families of participating students in becoming full partners in the education of their children. James Monroe is also partnering with local businesses/groups that assist the school with offering a variety of innovative ​project-based approaches to learning.

Norview Middle School has dubbed its 21st Century Program “HOIST,” which stands for Helping Our Incredible Students Triumph. The primary goal of NMS’s program is to provide academic and enrichment activities that are interactive, project-based, and applicable to the real-world. HOIST offers small-group sessions four days a week where students get to build strong relationships with school staff and community partners in a positive and structured manner. The school currently partners with Teens with a Purpose and Enrichment City. The grant funds allow for experiences that extend beyond the classroom such as trips, guest speakers, hands-on activities, and social-emotional lessons.

The 21st CCLC grant is a three-year grant with annual continuation awards contingent upon availability of funds, number of students served, satisfactory performance, and efficient stewardship of grant funds.

NPS now has an entire Facebook page en Español! Be sure to stop by and give Norfolk Public Schools en Español a like!

And if you haven’t already, please follow us on our Facebook page and also on Twitter! You’ll see pictures, videos, and news from around the division as well as event reminders!

Did you know…

Grab-N-Go meals are available for Virtual Scholars as well as students in quarantine. Students or adults may pick up Grab-N-Go meals at any open site of their choice.

Participating locations and times are listed below:

• Booker T Washington High School 2:30-4:30 pm

• Granby High School 2:15-4:00 pm

• Lake Taylor High School 2:30-4:00 pm

• Maury High School 2:00-3:00 pm

• Norview High School 2:30-4:00 pm

• Southside STEM Academy at Campostella 3:00-4:00 pm

Please note that on instructional days, Grab-N-Go meals consist of a hot supper, plus a cold breakfast, lunch, and snack for the following day. On non-instructional days, Grab-N-Go meals consist of a hot supper and snack.

ODU Recreation & Wellness is seeking individuals aged 16 and older to work at the ODU Student Recreation Center indoor pool this summer.

Not certified yet? No problem! ODU can certify you as a lifeguard or swim instructor at no cost if you plan to work for them.

Starting pay is currently $13.55 for lifeguards and $16.50 for swim instructors.

Priority will be given to those who apply online by April 1, 2022. Ideally, staff will begin working around May 1.

Questions? Contact Lexi Ricciuti, Coordinator for Aquatics & Operations, at aricciut@odu.edu or 757-683-4156.

For more information and to apply: https://odu.edu/recwell/student-employment.html#tab3=1&done1612907281342

Are you interested in joining the Norfolk Public Schools family?

What are you waiting for? Visit our website to check out our openings and apply!

Email: TellUs@npsk12.com
Website: https://www.npsk12.com/
Location: 800 E. City Hall Avenue Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: (757)-670-3945
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorfolkPublicSchools/
Twitter: @NPSchools