Administration

Welcome Back Letter - August 2023

Dear Norwood Students, Staff, and Families,

It is hard to believe that August is already here. We eagerly await the return of our students to the classrooms on August 17th, as it marks the beginning of an exciting new academic year. All 1st-12th grade students will begin on Thursday, August 17th. Our kindergarten students begin that day as well with our phase-in for students with the last name beginning with A- M on August 17th and students with the last name beginning with N-Z on August 18th. All preschoolers will begin on September 5th. I truly hope that you have had time to relax, spend quality time with family, and that our students are ready and eager to return for the upcoming school year. I have attached a list of important dates at the end of this letter as a reminder.

Our staff has been hard at work preparing for the weeks ahead. We look forward to seeing our students back in the classrooms on August 17th. Here's a preview of some of the items you'll be hearing more about over the next several weeks and throughout the school year:

Administrative and district staff changes - Ms. Tina Acres is the new principal at Sharpsburg Elementary School as Mr. Joe Westendorf moves to Norwood Middle School as principal. Mark Gabbard will be serving as Norwood High School principal. We welcome new Assistant Principal Chad Packer at the High School, replacing Eric Lawson who was appointed principal at Blanchester High School. Officer Robert Town from the Norwood Police Department is our new school resource officer (SRO).

Facility Improvements - We are excited to be nearing the completion of our renovation plans. Norwood View and Williams Avenue Elementary are in the process of getting new roofs that were delayed due to supply chain issues with materials during the pandemic. The high school gym floor was damaged due to flooding and is being replaced but will not be ready for the start of school.

Shea Stadium will be refurbished starting in November with new turf and track replacement scheduled in June, plus new lighting and scoreboard. We are working to schedule our sports events around these upgrades.

Academics- Teachers continue their preparation and work throughout the summer with hours spent helping students during summer school and orientation, learning new strategies and planning for the upcoming school year.

We will be piloting some new materials in our grade 3-8 math classrooms and in our grade 6-12 ELA classrooms.

Physical and Mental Health Back-to-School Information - As a district, we recognize that happy, healthy students perform better academically. The Norwood City School District has full-time school counselors available in our buildings to support our PreK-12th grade students. A social worker and a behavior health and wellness coordinator serve district-wide to support the needs of all students. Additionally, we have mental health therapists available through Talbert House.

We are glad to house a school based health center which is available to serve our staff and families. Centerpoint Health is located at Norwood High School by the Sherman Avenue entrance. Centerpoint Health is staffed with a nurse practitioner, and a dentist to meet staff, students’ and families’ health needs. Centerpoint is available for sport physicals year round and can be reached at 513-653-0474 for questions or to schedule an appointment.

Lastly, we have a full-time registered nurse, and six health aides serving students in our schools. Please contact our buildings with any questions regarding medications.

Food Service/Student Nutrition - Norwood has partnered with several other districts to provide delicious, yet nutritious, meals for our students. The partnership allows us to expand our menu and current offerings at lunchtime. Our breakfast and lunch will continue to be free this year. If your child wishes to order any extra items at lunch Milford Nutrition Services will be coordinating our food service pre-payment plans. Several pages of information will be sent in a different email to explain how to set up a new account. There are directions attached and numbers to call if you need assistance in setting up your account.

As we start another school year, we want to remind everyone of the safety measures the district has in place.

Building Security:

These are some of the physical safety measures we have in place: locked doors- visitors need to be buzzed in, cameras, panic buttons, staff badges for identification and entry. In addition, a school resource officer, Officer Robert Town from the Norwood Police Department is present on the high school and middle school campus with regular visits to the three elementary schools.

The Norwood Police Department is involved in the development of our crisis plans, have a copy on file, and are familiar with all our buildings since they use them for active shooter and drug search training. We are fortunate that the Norwood Police Department is located so close to our school buildings for a rapid response time.

I will continue to provide updates on these initiatives as well, as other exciting news, as the school year begins. Enjoy the rest of your summer with family. We look forward to welcoming our students back to the classrooms on August 17th!

August and Early September Events

August 8th/ 9th - or 10th/11th NMS Orientation	10 AM-12:30 PM each day- NMS

August 10th and 11th KDG CAMP	Kdg. Camp 8:30- Noon held in each building
August 12th	NMS/NHS All Sports Picture Day- Shea Stadium
*August 17th- First Day*	Grades 1st-12th
*August 17th KDG Phase in*	*A- M First Day*
*August 18th KDG Phase in*	*N- Z First Day*
*August 21st- all*	*ALL KDG students attend*
*August 22nd- NMS/NHS Family Information Night*	*4 PM-7:30 PM*
*August 22-24th*	*Preschool Screenings all held at WAE* *scheduled through Enrollment- Olivia Mogg 513-924-2798*
*August 23rd Elementary Information Night*	*4- 7:30 PM run the schedule for the event*
*Sept 1st - Preschool Open House*	*AM classes 10:15-11:15 AM and PM classes 1-2 PM*
*September 5th- Preschool First Day*	*First Day for all preschool students*