Panther Pride Newsletter

Panther Nation,

As the holiday season approaches, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to each of you—our students, staff, families, and community—who contribute to making Norton City Schools such a special place.

This season is a time to reflect on the achievements we’ve accomplished together, the challenges we’ve overcome, and the bonds we’ve strengthened as a school community. It’s also a time to pause and appreciate the joy and hope that the holidays bring into our lives.

To our students, thank you for your hard work. Your hard work and creativity inspire us daily. To our dedicated staff, your commitment to educating every student is the foundation of our success. To our families and community, your support and partnership are invaluable in helping us achieve our shared goals.

As we enjoy this festive time, let us remember the importance of kindness, generosity, and connection. Whether you’re celebrating with loved ones, taking a well-deserved rest, or volunteering to make the season brighter for others, I wish you all joy and happiness.

From my family to yours, have a safe holiday season and a wonderful New Year!

Happy Holidays!

Bryan Farson
Superintendent
Norton City Schools

Congratulations to our very own Travis Dobbins for being selected by the Hall of Fame committee for induction into the Class of 2024! Travis was a tremendous athlete in his playing days (NHS class of 1995, football and track and field) and coupled with his tremendous impact to our district, he was a unanimous choice. He has been a teacher, assistant principal, principal, coach, athletic director and business manager during his time with Norton City Schools, and he continues to have a positive influence on us all. Travis cares deeply about this district and community, and he is a very deserving member of our new Hall of Fame class.

Other members of our Hall of Fame Class of 2024 include:

- Kevin Johnsen - Class of 2002

- Steve Smith - Class of 2010

- Emily Krosnick - Class of 2017

Go Panthers!

Just under 70 of our district staff members are participating in this year’s Tech Tuesday Challenge! This is an optional professional development opportunity for all staff to engage in a new technology challenge or lesson every couple of weeks. The challenges feature a resource or tip to make tasks easier or enrich instruction. After completing a challenge, staff members submit a Google Form with a brief reflection of their experience and how many points they earned. Extra credit is awarded for completing the challenge on time, collaborating with a colleague, or teaching the challenge to someone else. Good luck to all of our participants this year! We love your enthusiasm and ambition to embrace new challenges that benefit our students!

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

• Primary - Nathan Houk
• NES - Lydia Brenner
• Middle - Trevor Basone
• HS - Alexis Walker
• Compact - Mason Porter

The Norton Middle School Builder’s Club teamed up with the Norton Bands for an incredible "Fill the Truck" event! Thanks to the generosity of our students, staff, and community, over 2,000 toys were collected and donated to Summit County Children's Services and Akron Children's Hospital.

These donations will bring joy to countless children and families in need this holiday season. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed their time and donations to make this event such a huge success! Together, we’ve shown the true spirit of giving.

1. Winter Craft Night

• Make paper snowflakes, build gingerbread houses, or create DIY holiday cards

2. Outdoor Winter Adventure

• Go sledding, build a snowman or snow fort, or try ice skating
• End the day with hot chocolate and a storytelling session about your favorite winter memories

3. Family Movie and Game Marathon

• Watch classic holiday movies or play board games and puzzles together ("ELF" is my favorite)
• Let kids create a “home theater” with tickets and snacks
• Host a game tournament with small prizes.

These activities offer a mix of creativity, adventure, and relaxation while fostering family connections during the break!

Thank you, parents, for continuing to support our community through generous gifts. NES collected over 4,000 food items to support Norton Aide and we contributed toys for the toy drive. Additionally, because of your support, NES contributed over $1000 to hurricane relief efforts through our 4th grade movie business. Thank you for continuing to support NES and for showing our students the importance of giving back!

Norton Primary School would like to thank Mary Bird, Early Childhood Librarian, from the Norton Branch of the Akron-Summit County Public Library for providing a monthly Kindergarten Story Time in our building. Miss Mary shares a story once a month with all of the kindergarten students, and we greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with her as one of our Community Partners.

• Until the 1850's, Americans gave more New Year’s gifts than Christmas gifts. Before that time, Americans gave each other small tokens to welcome the New Year, while Christmas gifts were unusual. Seeing Christmas as an opportunity to increase business, merchants, including confectioners, bakers, booksellers, toy makers and department stores, encouraged Americans to decorate, feast, and give gifts at Christmas. The custom caught on, such that by the 1870's Christmas was nearly synonymous with presents.
• After the first ball dropped in New York City’s Times Square in 1907, larger crowds gathered for it with each passing year. Radio and television began broadcasting the ball drop in the 1950's, but the crowd’s countdown didn’t began until the late-1970's.

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)
• School Messaging System - via text message
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nortoncityschoolsohio
  
• School website: https://www.nortonschools.org/
• 2nd Priority (may experience delays due to call volume)
  
• Television: Local Television Stations Channels 3, 5, 8
  
• School Messaging System - via phone
  

• Dec. 19 - End of Semester
  
• Dec. 19 - Last Day for Students
  
• Dec. 20 - Staff Records Day
  
• Dec. 23 thru Jan. 3 - Winter Break
  
• Jan. 6 - School Resumes
  
• Jan. 20 - MLK Day - No School
• Feb. 14 - Open Enrollment Begins for Current OE students
• Feb. 17 - Presidents Day - No School
• March 7 - New Open Enrollment Begins
• March 9 - Daylight Savings - Spring Ahead
• March 13 - End of Third Nine Weeks
• March 14 - No School - Staff Professional Development Day
• March 31 - April 4 - Spring Break - No School
• April 7 - School Resumes
• April 18/21 - Easter Break - No School
• April 23 - Administrative Assistant Day
• May 3 - Panther Run
• May 5 - 9 Teacher Appreciation Week
• May 10 - Prom
• May 11 - Mother's Day
• May 18 - Graduation
• May 26 - Memorial Day - No School
• May 30 - Student Last Day

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