NMS Parent Newsletter

Principal: Brady Sackett

bsackett@nortonpanthers.org

330-825-5607 ext 532600

Assistant Principal: Keziah Steurer

ksteurer@nortonpanthers.org

330-825-5607 ext 532601

Website: www.nortonschools.org

Location: 4108 S. Cleveland-Massillon Road, Norton OH. 44203

Phone: 330-825-5607

facebook: Norton Middle School

Join the NMS facebook page by searching for Norton Middle School.

Conferences for students in grades k-4 will be held on Thursday, November 5 from 4:00-7:00pm and on Friday, November 6 from 8:30-11:30am. STUDENTS IN FOURTH GRADE WILL NOT HAVE SCHOOL ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6. Students in grades 5-7 will have school as scheduled.

School attendance continues to be a priority for Norton Middle School. Overall, 85% of students have attended school 90% of the school days or higher. Our goal for this year is to have 88% of our students at school 90% of the time. The graphic below shows the percentage of students attending school during the first quarter. We are excited to see that 329 students have been at school over 95% of the time!

Between 80.1%-89.9% ____66 students

Between 90%-94.9% ______112 students
95% or higher ____________329 students

Each student received a family attendance letter (see picture below) with report cards that details the amount of time each student has attended school through quarter one. Student's whose attendance is below 90% of the school year are considered "chronically absent". Please help us reach our goal of having all students at school at least 90% of the school year.

We have identified an error in the attendance processing that has been fixed as of October 28 (after letters were sent). We will print new letters with Q2 report cards. Parents can view accurate up-to-date attendance hours in Progressbook.

The NMS 6th and 7th graders have been invited to view NHS students perform the play, The Sting, on Thursday, November 5. NMS students will walk to the high school along the connecting path at 9:00am and will return for lunch around noon.

On behalf of Builders Club, we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our staff, students, and community for donating candy to support the National Junior Honor Society’s Spooktacular Event! Your generosity and willingness to come together to make this event special for our children truly mean so much. We understand that the cost of everyday items continues to rise, and we are especially grateful for every donation, no matter how big or small. It is because of the kindness and support of our Norton community that we are able to make events like this possible. Thank you for always showing up, giving back, and helping us make a difference! Go Panthers!!

Families are expected to pay school fees annually for consumable supplies such as math workbooks. Students who qualify for free and reduced lunches pay either half of the school fee (reduced) or no school fees (free). Families who qualify for either free or reduced fees are still required to pay the Chromebook insurance.

Fees can be paid by check or cash in the NMS office or paid by debit or credit card online at:

https://www.payschoolscentral.com/

To apply for free and reduced school fees, please go to:

Nortonschools.org - "Parents" - "Breakfast & Lunch Menus" - click the "here" wording in the second paragraph to access the household income survey link

Congratulations to our students that made the merit roll (3.3-3.79) and the honor roll for quarter 1! We had 53% of our students make either the honor or merit roll and 68% of students have a grade point average over 3.0! Great job students!

In 2022, the Ohio General Assembly enacted Senate Bill 288 which updated the prescribed curriculum for health education to include requirements addressing child sexual abuse prevention, dating violence prevention, and sexual violence prevention. Instruction is to be developmentally age appropriate and provided annually. Students in kindergarten through grade six must receive instruction in the prevention of child sexual abuse. Students in grades seven through twelve must receive instruction in the prevention of dating violence and sexual violence. Norton City Schools’ counselors will be responsible to provide such instruction to our students.

We understand that there may be circumstances where you would prefer that your student not participate in the required prevention education. Students at NMS will receive this one hour training sometime between Dec. 15 - 16th, 2026. We are committed to honoring specific requests while ensuring the best possible educational experience for all students.

If you wish to opt your student out of this instruction, please contact your child’s school counselor via email by Dec. 1, 2026 and state your child’s full name and grade. If you require any additional information or have questions about the program or the instructional materials, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s school counselor.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter. Your involvement in your child's education is of great importance to us, and we are here to support you in any way we can.

Thank you for your continued partnership.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Jackie McDonnell_______________________ Dr. Jessica Russo

4th/5th Grade School Counselor ______________6th/7th Grade School Counselor

jmcdonnell@nortonpanthers.org______________jrusso@nortonpanthers.org

Norton Middle School Canned Food Drive will be held on November 16th- November 24th. Please encourage your students to help out with this worthy cause. Let’s do our best to collect food for needy families. Money that is collected will go to Norton Aid. Each dollar collected will count as 3 cans of food. The grade level that donates the most cans/money will receive extra recess.

Winter Band Concert

5th, 6th, 7th Grade Bands

Thursday, December 3, 2026

7:00 pm. NHS Performing Arts Center

Holiday Choir Concert

6th and 7th Grade Choir

Thursday December 10, 2026

7:00 pm. NHS Performing Arts Center

November

11/3 Election day

11/5 4th grade conferences 4:00-7:00pm

11/5 6th and 7th grade to view NHS play 9:30am

11/6 4th GRADE ONLY NO SCHOOL

11/6 4TH grade conferences 8:30am-11:30am

11/12 NMS Turkey Trot

11/13 Turkey Trot -rain date

11/13 Trimester 1 ends

11/16 Trimester 2 begins

11/16 Board of Education Mtg 7:00pm

11/16-11/24 Canned food drive

11/25 - 11/30 NO SCHOOL (staff PD and Thanksgiving break)

December

12/3 Middle School band concert 7:00pm

12/10 Middle school choir concert7:00pm

12/14 Board of Education Mtg 7:00pm

12/15-12/16 Erin's Law presentations

12/21-Jan 1 Winter break (*12/21 staff records day)