June 2024 Newsletter

Norfolk Public Schools’ five high schools held graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2024 on June 3 and 4, 2024, at Old Dominion University’s Chartway Arena. Diplomas were handed out to nearly 1500 graduating seniors and more than $62.7 million was awarded in scholarship offerings this year!

“Congratulations to Norfolk Public Schools’ Class of 2024 for reaching this milestone! As you stand on the threshold of your future, remember that the journey ahead will be filled with challenges and triumphs. Embrace every opportunity, learn from every setback, and let your dreams be your compass,” said Superintendent Dr. Sharon I. Byrdsong. “Your time to shine is now! May your path be illuminated with endless possibilities.”

Norfolk Public Schools’ graduates will be attending more than 180 different colleges and universities in the fall. All five graduation ceremonies will air on Channel 47 in the coming weeks and will also be available to watch on demand on NPS’ YouTube Channel.

Congratulations to Maury High School Senior, Emmett Moorhouse, who has been selected as a winner of the National Merit $2,500 Scholarship! Emmett was chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 scholars in the 2024 program.

Congratulations to Caterina Boyd, another Maury High School senior who received a $1,000 National Merit Scholarship!

Additionally, congratulations to the following students Sanne DeWitt (Maury High School), Alexander Hallberg (Maury High School), Jane Kiefner (Maury High School), Miles Nelson (Maury High School), and Sarah Hardy (Granby High School) who have also been recognized as National Merit Finalists!

We are thrilled to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the graduates from Maury High School’s Medical and Health Specialties Program! These dedicated students have excelled in a rigorous curriculum, gaining invaluable knowledge and skills in the medical and health fields. Their hard work, perseverance, and passion for helping others have set them on a path toward promising careers in healthcare.

Congratulations, Maury High School’s MHSP Class of 2024! We are incredibly proud of your accomplishments and excited for your future endeavors!

A heartfelt congratulations to Granby High School's 47 International Baccalaureate graduates! The ceremony was beautiful and emotional as parents and guardians joined their students on stage to place the scholars’ stoles around their shoulders. Parents and guardians received a flower from their student as a thank you for supporting them throughout their journeys.

The IB senior class of 2024 took more than 300 IB exams between their junior and senior years!

The graduates’ post high school plans were also announced during the ceremony.

The Association of Educational Office Professionals of Norfolk (AEOPN) presented two Norfolk Public Schools’ students with scholarships in May.

Congratulations to seniors Alicia Cody (Lake Taylor High School) and Aaron Hutman (Norview High School) for each receiving $300, a gift card to Nothing Bundt Cake, and balloons!

The AEOPN also held its annual awards banquet in May. Donna Cuffee won the 2024 Educational Office Professional of the Year, while the 2024 Educational Administrator of the Year went to Bruce Brady! Other winners included Cynthia Lynch, Valerie Davis, Theresita Doan, and Tracy Hendricks.

School is out, summer meals are in! Norfolk Public Schools is once again participating in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which is a USDA program. Meals will be provided to all children ages 18 and under at no cost. No application, registration, or proof of identification is needed for a child to receive a meal.

Children must be present to receive a meal and they must eat the meal on-site. A maximum of one breakfast and one lunch per child, per day, Monday through Friday, may be provided. While participation in Norfolk Public Schools’ summer academic programs is highly encouraged for students, it is not required to receive a meal.

Meal sites, times, and updates can be found on the Department of School Nutrition's website. To contact the office of School Nutrition, please email schoolnutriton@nps.k12.va.us or call (757) 628-2760. To use a cell phone to find a summer meal site closest to you, text FOOD to 304-304.

Students benefit when they read during the summer. They can engage in reading just for fun as well as nurture the joy of reading. Summer reading can help advance life-long learning and boost reading stamina. Students are also able to maintain and advance reading skills over the summer months.

Read eBooks and search a database of library holdings by visiting Destiny Discover during the summer. Students should use their NPS login credentials to visit their school library media center’s digital library, which is always open.

Visit the Reference Resources page for Media Services to read eBooks and access online databases during the summer to enhance reading and research skills. Also, access additional free eBooks from our partnership with Norfolk Public Libraries by visiting the Norfolk Public Library page; a library card is not needed.

For additional ideas and resources, check out the Reading Rockets Summer Reading page.

We would like to congratulate the following Maury High School English students for placing in the Friends of the Norfolk Library 2024 Book Review Contest! The annual contest encourages reading, writing, critical thinking and a wider use of the library. It’s open to grades 4-12, and includes public, private, and homeschooled students.

9th Grade:

2nd Place-Mahayla Hall

10th Grade:

2nd Place -JJ Campbell

3rd Place -Helena Shepard

11th Grade:

1st Place -Enzo Alinsonorin

2nd Place-Lillian Reppel

3rd Place-Madaline Ballard

12th Grade:

1st Place-Rose Hammel

2nd Place-Nikita Kobzar

3rd Place-Spencer Lieb

Overall Best Review

Zoe Winters-12th Grade

P.B. Young, Sr. Elementary School was the 22nd and final school to participate in this school year’s School-to-School Attendance Challenge. On May 3, the Knights hosted a fabulous, heartwarming parade, complete with a custom-made attendance rap courtesy of local artist, Amir Driver, and the Mighty Bookers drum line and cheerleaders, to present Superintendent Dr. Sharon I. Byrdsong with the symbolic attendance flag. P.B. Young also tapped Booker T. Washington High School to be the first school to kick off the challenge for the 2024-25 school year!

Each month, as part of the School-to-School Attendance Challenge, Norfolk Public Schools recognizes the schools that are leading the way in combatting chronic absenteeism.

Congratulations to the following schools for having the Best Attendance and earning the Most Improved Attendance for April!

Best Attendance rate for April:

95.3% Sherwood Forest Elementary School (Grades K-5)

95.9% Academy for Discovery at Lakewood (Grades K-8)

90.7% Academy of International Studies at Rosemont (Grades 6-8)

79.8% Maury High School (Grades 9-12)

Most Improved Attendance rate for April:

P.B. Young, Sr. Elementary School (Grades K-5)

Southside STEM Academy at Campostella (Grades K-8)

Northside Middle School (Grades 6-8)

Maury High School (Grades 9-12)

On May 29, we awarded our final round of Rock Star Teachers for the school year! This award recognizes those educators who have reached 95 percent student completion on their STAR assessments or teachers who have perfect attendance and/or show creativity and accountability toward attendance goals.

Congratulations to this month’s Rock Star Teachers and all our Rock Star Teachers for the 2023-2024 School Year! Visit www.npsk12.com/images for the picture gallery of recipients. Photos are free and available for download.

Granby High School and IB Programme graduate, Chardan Bonheur, is the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast’s (GSCCC) Gold Award Girl Scout!

The Gold Award is a standout accomplishment of Senior or Ambassador Girl Scouts who develop and carry out meaningful, sustainable solutions to challenges in their communities and the world. Chardan recently earned the highest award in Girl Scouts for completing her project, "Sustainable Pollinator Roof Top and Ground Level Garden at ForKids in Chesapeake, Virginia."

Achieving the Gold Award changes the way recipients view their place in the world and opens many doors to opportunities in higher education and even the military!

James Monroe Elementary School students won the Michael & Son 2024 Jingle Sing-Off Contest for the Hampton Roads’ region! Here is a link to the jingle that JMES submitted and the link announcing all of the winners. JMES was presented with a check for $5,000 from Michael & Son on May 30. The Eagles will use the money to make updates to their Media Center. The HVAC company is giving $50,000 in total prize money to the winning school in each of their service areas!

Academy of International Studies at Rosemont’s Kylah Hall's (Grade 6) artwork was featured at the NPS’ Fine Arts Festival at the Chrysler Museum of Art and was then selected by Delegate Bonita Anthony to represent NPS’ Grade 6 students! Kyla's artwork will be displayed at Delegate Anthony's office in Richmond. Kyla’s art teacher is Crystal Haymes.

Joi Amo-Boakye was recently honored for winning first place in a writing competition for PBS KIDS! Joi was the only first grader from Sewells Point Elementary School selected to win.

Boys Soccer: Champions: Northside, Runner ups: Azalea Gardens
Field Hockey: Champions: Blair, Runner ups: Lakewood
Track: Champions: Blair boys, Champions: ADL girls
Wrestling: Champions: Northside, Runner ups: Blair

Baseball:
Class 5 Region B Runner ups: Maury High School

Softball:
Class 5 Region B Champions: Granby High School

Girls Soccer:
Class 5 Region B Champions: Maury High School
Boys Soccer:

Class 5 Region B Runner ups: Norview High School

Tennis:

Girls Class 5 Region B Champions: Maury High School
Boys Class 5 Region B Champions: Maury High School

Boys Class 5 Region B Runner ups: Granby High School
Track:

Girls Class 5 Region B Champions: Maury High School

Kindergarten registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open! Students entering kindergarten must be 5 years old on or before September 30, 2024. Visit Student Support Services/ Kindergarten for a map of school attendance zones, registration packets, and other pertinent information.

Online registration will be available at the end of June. However, you can still register in person at the school your child will be attending.

Exciting Opportunity Alert! Norfolk Public Schools is on the lookout for passionate educators to join our team! Are you ready to make a difference in the lives of students? Apply now and be a part of our mission to ensure that all students maximize their academic potential, develop skills for lifelong learning, and are successful contributors to a global society!

Norfolk Festevents, Ltd. is a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating the most dynamic urban waterfront community in America. The organization has garnered international acclaim for its advocacy for public access to waterfronts and quality programming.

Festevents is collaborating with Norfolk Public Schools to provide opportunities for high school students to share their skills with the community. Students participating in the Festevents programming assist with gathering content for social media, participate in chess and robotics demonstrations, and work in guest relations. The collaboration exposes students to marketing, public relations, and teaching skills to young children while gaining volunteer hours. Thank you, Festevents, for helping our students sharpen their skills and prepare for life after Norfolk Public Schools.

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, 628-3459.

As students approach summer break, special education families are reminded of the importance of continuing learning over the summer. Summer learning is important for students to retain knowledge acquired over the school year and encourage growth. A favorite summer learning resource is our local libraries. The Norfolk Public Library has a variety of classes offered over the summer to support literacy and math skills, which are both important skills across all content areas. Check out the Norfolk Library offerings here.

The Parent Resource Center will be facilitating a session for the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) with Norfolk Fleet & Family Services on June 18 at 11 a.m. If you are a military-connected family with a student who has a disability, please email the PRC Educator, Ms. Kamil Donawa, to get more information about the session.

The PRC looks forward to connecting with families of students with disabilities throughout the 2024-2025 school year. Have a wonderful summer!

How do I contact the Parent Resource Center?

Ms. Kamil Donawa, PRC Educator

Phone: 757-274-5997 (cell)

757-825-4674 X 3089 (office)

Email: parentresourcecenter@nps.k12.va.us

We are beyond grateful for our incredible community partners who tirelessly volunteer their time and resources to make a difference. Your dedication and support empower us to achieve our mission and create a positive impact on our students every day. Thank you for being the heart of our school communities!