Panther Pride Newsletter

The Ohio Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (OIAAA) and its Board of Directors have announced that Travis Dobbins, Athletic Director of Norton High School, has been awarded the prestigious Bruce Brown Award of Excellence for his exceptional contributions to advancing interscholastic athletics at Norton High School. This esteemed award honors athletic administrators who have demonstrated excellence in implementing education-based athletics programs that adhere to Best Practices and Nationally Accepted Standards. It recognizes individuals who are deeply committed to the holistic development of student-athletes through their work in school athletics.

This year, the OIAAA received 32 exceptional submissions from athletic administrators across Ohio. After a thorough review process, Travis Dobbins’ application exceeded the rigorous criteria, reflecting the high quality and professionalism of the Norton High School athletic program.

The Bruce Brown Award of Excellence highlights the ongoing efforts of athletic administrators like Dobbins to create a meaningful, well-rounded athletic experience that supports both the physical and educational growth of students. Under his leadership, Norton High School continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to these values, ensuring student-athletes are well-prepared for success both on and off the field. We are thrilled to recognize Travis Dobbins for his dedication to our athletic program and student-athletes. His leadership exemplifies the standard of excellence in Norton City Schools!

Working with spreadsheets, like Excel or Google Sheets, can sometimes feel intimidating. However, they are powerful tools in many ways once we overcome the initial hesitation and develop some basic skills. Recently, students in Mr. Frase’s 6th Grade Technology classes at Norton Middle School participated in a Roller Coaster spreadsheet project. Students researched data such as height, drop, speed, and inversions for Cedar Point’s roller coasters online. They then created and formatted a Google Sheet to record the information. After the data was entered into the spreadsheet, students performed a data sort, found averages, and created a graph to reflect the roller coaster statistics. As an exciting finale, students got to "ride" the coasters using VR headsets made possible by a grant written by Mrs. McDonnell & Mr. Dobbins. What fearless students we have!

As you may be aware, the opt-in text message was sent out early inadvertently by SchoolMessenger. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. However, the message was legitimate and we are choosing to move forward with the implementation a little earlier than we had planned. Here are some next steps for all of you:

• If you replied with a “Y” or “Yes” to the message, you have successfully opted in. No more action is needed.
• If you haven’t done anything with the text message and would like to opt in, please go ahead and reply to the text message you received with a “Y” or a “Yes” to opt in.
• If you deleted the message or opted out, no need to worry! Please simply send a “Y” or “Yes” via text to the short code “67587”. We have also attached documentation to this email regarding this, if needed.

We have noticed that anyone that has already opted in with SchoolMessenger for other districts are automatically opted in to our SchoolMesenger upon our setup. This is apparent when they text "Y" to the short code and get nothing back.

If you have any questions regarding your registration for SMS messages from Norton City Schools/SchoolMessenger, please email Angie Wagler at awagler@nortonpanthers.org.

• One in five adults usually pretend not to be home on Halloween.
• Trick-or-Treating has existed since the Medieval Times.
  
• Reese's Cups are the top Halloween candy.
  
• Right behind Christmas, Halloween is the second most commercial holiday in the US.
  
• Try wearing your clothes inside out and walking backwards on Halloween. According to traditions, this will make sure you see a witch at midnight.
  
• Pumpkins and Halloween go together like candy and Halloween: Carving pumpkins on Halloween is not only fun, it’s also believed to scare away evil spirits.

Congratulations to the following students for their excellence inside and outside of the classroom as they have been chosen as our October Students of the Month. They truly exemplify what it means to be a Norton Panther. Panther Pride!

• Primary - Rowan Valure
• Elementary - Scarlett Minard
• Middle School - Luke O'Brien
• High School - Leah Dyer
• HS Compact - Annie Latham

Norton High School celebrated our Homecoming festivities the week ending on September 28. Following spirit week, we had our first ever event where we brought the seniors (Class of 2025) and the kindergarteners (Class of 2037) together for a "passing down" of school spirit and The Panther Way from our oldest panthers to our youngest. It was a wonderful moment and a special thanks goes out to Mr. Morris and all kindergarten teachers for helping make this happen.

During the football game that night, we honored our homecoming court and crowned Eden Starr and Colin Starling as our queen and king. We wrapped up the festivities with our homecoming dance on September 28 where the students enjoyed our theme "Sunset in Santorini".

Norton Middle School's "Be the Change Club" recently revitalized the "Pathway to Peace" at Columbia Woods Park. After school, dedicated student volunteers worked hard to weed the area, plant vibrant mums purchased from Dayton’s Nursery, and spread fresh mulch donated by Mulch Makers. Originally established by Norton students in 2022, the Pathway to Peace serves as a tranquil, reflective space promoting mental health awareness. Supported by the GAR Foundation and the City of Norton, this ongoing project continues to symbolize unity and peace. The club also extends gratitude to an anonymous donor who helped offset the cost of the mums.

Know the Platforms

• Familiarize yourself with social media platforms: Knowing which apps they use helps you understand what they might encounter.
• Keep up with trends: Social media platforms and trends change quickly. Stay informed so you can offer relevant advice.

Time Management & Balance

• Screen time limits: Encourage healthy habits by setting reasonable limits on social media use.
• The real world matters too: Stress the importance of face-to-face interactions, physical activities, and time spent away from screens.

Discuss Online Safety

• Privacy settings: Explain the importance of privacy settings and controlling who can see their posts.
• Strangers online: Warn them about talking to strangers, as people online may not always be who they say they are.
• Personal information: Teach them never to share personal details, such as their full name, address, school, or phone number, publicly online.

NES students had the opportunity to practice their use of money while visiting the Book Fair in October. The Book Fair is always a highlight for students as they have the opportunity to buy interesting books and fun school supplies. Students learn about money and financial literacy through Mrs. Campian’s enrichment class. Students have been learning about concepts such as saving, spending, and sharing, even about budgets too! Students in elementary grades often struggle to remember the value of different coins so providing students with real life experiences is important for them to better understand the concept of money. Students will again practice using real money at the Santa Shop in December. Look for opportunities to talk to your kids about how you spend, save, and share your money.

The Kindergarten students kicked off the Cider Festival with Apple Fun Friday. Kindergarten students had the opportunity to rotate with their classmates to various stations throughout the Kindergarten hallway completing and participating in Apple related activities. The Kindergarten Staff would like to thank the volunteers that participated on this fun Friday. Our parent volunteers are an essential part of our family and we appreciate the help and support they provide throughout the school year!

In the event that school is closed due to weather or other circumstances, information can be obtained in the following manner:

• 1st Priority (main methods of notification)
  
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nortoncityschoolsohio
  
• School website: https://www.nortonschools.org/
• X: @NortonCS_Super
• 2nd Priority (may experience delays due to call volume)
  
• Television: Local Television Stations Channels 3, 5, 8
  
• School Messaging System - via phone
  

• Oct. 18 - End of Nine Weeks
• Oct. 29 - NHS Spooktacular
• Oct. 31 - Halloween
• Nov. 3 - Daylight Savings
• Nov. 5 - Election Day (Vote!)
• Nov. 8 - Conferences K-4 (No School @ Primary or NES)
• Nov. 11 - Veterans Day
• Nov. 27 - No School for Students / PD Day for Staff
• Nov. 28 - Dec. 2 - No School - Thanksgiving Break
• Dec. 3 - School Resumes
• Dec. 19 - End of Nine Weeks

4128 S. Cleveland Massillon Road

Norton, OH 44203

Phone: 330.825.0863

Website: nortonschools.org

High School

Grades 9-12

330.825.7300

Middle School

Grades 5-8

330.825.5607

Elementary School

Grades 1-4

330.825.3828

Primary School

Pre-K thru Kindergarten

330.825.5133

Attendance Hotline

330.706.2760