Dear Parents, Staff, and Community Members:

 

I am happy to share with you our great opportunities in the Norwood City School District. We understand the critical connection between our schools and the vitality of our community.

 

The good news is that Norwood City School District is making progress on several necessary academic progress measures yet we know there is more work to be done. Our elementary schools have added STEM programming in each of the schools connecting math and science standards in a powerful manner. You also may have heard that our district’s focus is on raising student achievement in our high school and increasing the graduation rate. The high school currently offers ten Advanced Placement (AP) classes and two College Credit Plus classes; this is in addition to Norwood students attending Scarlet Oaks for career technical training. We prepare students for the real world long before they enter the workforce.  

 

I am proud to report the recognition we received in the area of music education. Norwood City School District has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education.   In addition to the arts we are proud of our athletic opportunities that we offer for students.  Currently we have 13 sports offered at the middle school and 22 at the high school.  We are thrilled that we continue to be a recipient of the competitive afterschool grants that provide enrichment and academic support to all our students.  It is because of the club offerings that many students have found a new passion and field of study that they never would have considered.  We are excited about these programs and feel that in a few years these Norwood students will be leading the way – and leading the Norwood economy – in a high-tech nation.  

 

We take our responsibility to meet the needs of all children seriously. Because of concentrating on the whole child and not just test scores, we have invested in social-emotional professional development, equity and positive behavior support for our staff to address the learning needs of every student.

 

Speaking of support, Norwood is full of individuals, groups, and businesses that care deeply about our students’ success. Just a few examples: the Youth Collaborative provides mentors and role models for our student as they apply for college through the GEAR-UP grant, ASAP Norwood is advocating substance abuse prevention, Xavier University works with our teachers to increase their skills and Norwood Ready Kids gets our birth to five year olds ready to start school. This spring, Interact for Health provided a planning grant for a student-based health center to provide easy access to care since healthy students perform better academically. We feel fortunate to have such great partners in Norwood all invested in our school district.

 

You may have noticed that we are continuing our building renovation plans to preserve and protect our Norwood heritage. There is much to do and education is at the heart of our shared mission. The health and safety of our students and staff is paramount as we look forward to welcoming back everyone in August!

 

 Sincerely.

 

 

Mary A. Ronan

Superintendent