THE LION'S ROAR!

Hello Norris Lions!

We are in the full swing of January, and have a few exciting events coming up next week!

• There is No School on Monday, January 20th, as our teachers will be attending Professional Development!
• Our first Panda Express Night will be held on Tuesday, January 21st! Panda Express has provided a very generous offer of 50% of sales to come back to Norris.
• We will be celebrating the 100th Day of School on Wednesday, January 22nd. Students and staff are encouraged to wear bright or neon colored clothing to celebrate being 100 Days Brighter!

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Dolezal, Principal

Please remember when dropping off and picking up students at Norris:

• Pull forward in the drop off and pick up zone!
• Model respect and kindness to all adults and children
• Please drive slowly and safely in all areas around our school

1/20/25 - NO SCHOOL

1/21/25 - Panda Express Night - 4:00 - 8:00PM

1/22/25 - 100th Day of School!! 😊

1/24/25 - Student Council Meeting - 7:45AM

1/27/25 - SAVE - 3:45 - 6:45PM

1/29/25 - Spring Mane Event Practice Begins - 7:40AM

1/30/25 - Quiz Bowl Club - 3:30 - 5:00PM

1/31/25 - Deadline for Future Chef Entries (See information below)

2/6/25 - PTO Meeting - 6:00PM

2/12/25 - Valentine Parties - 2:15PM

2/12/25 - QDoba Night - 4:00 - 8:00PM

2/14 & 2/17 - No School

Looking Ahead -

3/13 - 3/17 - No School, Conferences

4/7 - 4/11 - No School, Spring Break

Click HERE for the NORRIS 2024/2025 Calendar.

Click HERE for the MPS 2024/2025 Calendar.

Click HERE for the MPS 2025/2026 Calendar.

Week of January 20th - January 24th

(No School 1/20)

Ezra Horstman

Sam Hopkins

Frankie Elder

Jack Smith

CLICK HERE for nutritional information.

Millard is welcoming the new year with a new phrase - Where Opportunity Ignites Excellence. When we surveyed the community last spring, two words describing Millard were mentioned more than any others - Opportunity and Excellence. What these words mean is as unique as the 23,000 students who call Millard home. In the months ahead, we’re excited to highlight some of their incredible stories and celebrate the many ways opportunity and excellence come to life in our schools.

This information is for current Preschool students who wish to enroll in Montessori Kindergarten for the 2025-2026 school year:

Millard Residents:

• For those students who wish to continue in the Montessori program, you must, without exception, submit a “Within-District Transfer” application by February 15th to the address on the bottom of the transfer form. A Within-District Transfer form can be found at www.mpsomaha.org under the Enrollment tab.

• As long as your child completes this school year and you continue to live in the Millard District, your child will have a position in Montessori Kindergarten for 2025-2026. You still must fill out the Within-District Transfer Form by February 15th or you will forfeit your child’s Kindergarten position.

• Please return the "Current Student Registration Form” to your child’s teacher or the office, so we know your intentions for next year by Tuesday, January 21st 2025

Out of District Residents:

Out of District students entering kindergarten must apply for open enrollment by March 15th. The open, Option Enrollment application and information can be found on the Millard Public Schools website at www.mpsomaha.org under Enrollment Info. Priority will be given to students that live in the district, your position is not guaranteed.

It's a new semester for the Mane Event Choir and permission slips were sent home this week!

EVERY student who is interested in participating needs to fill out a new permission slip (even if you participated last semester!) and turn it in to the office. We are limited to taking the first 100 students who turn in permission slips, so don't wait! Get them into the office ASAP! The deadline to turn them in is January 22nd!

Our first Spring rehearsal will be Wednesday, January 29th @ 7:40AM!

Student Council will be meeting before school on

Friday, January 24th from 7:45 - 8:15AM

in Mrs. Wees' room.

Thank you!

It is Future Chef time once again!

The idea behind this event is to help students be engaged and excited about cooking, while

educating them about healthy eating habits. Too often, we hear about kids not making the right

choices in terms of their eating habits. Plus, eating healthy should be fun! We want students to

submit recipes to COMPLETE THE PLATE WITH THEIR FAVORITE MAIN DISH!

Recipe considerations will be based on the following criteria:

 Originality

 Kid Friendly

 Healthy Attributes

 Plate Presentation

 Taste

Timeline of the event:

1. A flyer describing the event will be sent home with the students. Included with this flyer will be

a link and QR code to submit their recipe electronically. (The Student Recipe Submission portal

will open on January 2, 2025.) Recipe cards are available by request should the student need

them instead.

2. Recipe submissions will be reviewed and the number of finalists will be determined to be one

student per school, OR 25 finalists depending on submission numbers and participation.

3. Those finalists will be formally invited to a Culinary Competition “Cook-Off” on Thursday March

20th at Millard West High School. Details on arrival and an itinerary of the evening will be

communicated with the finalists. Each finalist will have a kitchen staff member assigned to help them to ensure safety and act as a chef mentor as the students create their recipes.

As an added bonus, our competition is just one of many local competitions that Sodexo will be

orchestrating across the country in March. The winning recipe from each event will be entered

to participate in a national competition in April. More details will follow.

We are excited to host this event and cannot wait to see the delicious and creative recipe

submissions!

The deadline to submit electronically or by recipe card will be January 31st.

Click the flyer below to register!

Each week, all students at Norris will have a lesson practicing a social skill. These weekly lessons are called our ROAR Skills of the Week! ROAR skills are practiced in the classroom during a Morning Meeting. All staff members are on the lookout through the week for students to be practicing the weekly skill. Students who demonstrate the skill of the week may earn a ROAR ticket and be entered into a weekly grade level drawing.

Please take some time each week to review the ROAR Skill of the Week with your child!

All students are practicing the calming strategy of "What I Feel" during the month of January! Practice this at home when your child is in need of a tool to help them calm down!

Thank-you WATCH D.O.G.S.!

If you are interested in joining WATCH D.O.G.S., please visit: http://norris.mpsomaha.org/ to sign-up.

CLICK HERE to follow the latest Millard South activities schedule!

#FuturePatriot

Spark is our before and after school program at all 25 Millard Elementary schools.

We provide a safe and fun environment for all students to participate in academic, leisure and recreational activities outside of the traditional school day.

CLICK HERE for more information and registration.

A great way to raise money for our school! Casey's Rewards lets you earn points on all your Casey's purchases - in store, online or at the pump. Turn those points into donations for our school.

Download the app today!

Available from the App Store or on Google Play.

Get your Norris gear year round! Click on the picture to order!

Vice President: Heather Doyle

Secretary: Sarah Burrus

Treasurer: Tim Malm

Volunteer Coordinator: Savannah Rajca

PTO Email: pto.norris@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/norrispto

Click here PTO Website for the latest PTO information!

Click HERE for the Norris Staff Directory.

Office Hours: Monday through Friday 7:45 am - 4:15 pm

Location: 12424 Weir Street, Omaha, NE, USA

Phone: (402)715-8340

Fax #: 402-715-6119

Website: norris.mpsomaha.org

Norris Website- Persian

Norris Website- Arabic

Norris Website- Spanish

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorrisElem
Twitter: @NorrisElem

Wednesdays - 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM (Early out EVERY Wednesday)

Mission Statement: Norris Elementary guarantees each child a world-class education in a safe and diverse learning environment where students demonstrate academic excellence, responsible citizenship, and self-worth. Through innovative practices, Norris empowers its educational community to actively pursue personal goals and ROAR with pride!

CONGRATS to our newly elected 2025 MPS BOARD MEMBERS!