The Weekly Words
9/13/26
Team,
As we build on our foundation for year 2 together, we are taking the natural next step from last week’s focus on Catching Them Doing It Right. Catching students living out our Noble Big 4 creates the initial spark; embedding clear routines and peer accountability is what keeps that flame lit and makes those bright spots repeatable. Every instructional minute we save through efficient routines is a minute gained to dramatically close achievement gaps.
This Week’s Key Action: Connect Behavior to Learning Outcomes
When praising a student or class, explicitly connect their positive choices directly to their academic progress (e.g., "Because everyone transitioned in under 30 seconds, we gained 5 extra minutes for partner discussion!").
When students see how their behavior unlocks time for deep learning, our culture shifts from teacher-driven management to a student-owned community. Use those extra minutes to push student-to-student discourse, embed daily writing, and drive real-world problem-solving. Let’s turn last week's wins into daily habits that elevate achievement for all our kids!
Mr. Walker, M.Ed.
Principal
Special Education Leadership: High five to Mrs. Ruddy for initiating and leading our very first monthly SPED TBT for our Intervention Specialists!
Fine Motor Magic: Students in Ms. Larson's class entered the pokey pin universe! This "satisfying" practice hits fine motor skills hard, strengthening core stability, hand grip, and focus!
Fluency Partners: In Ms. Monroe's class, students read stories to a book buddy, finding a fun way to practice the fluency passages sent home for homework!
Explorers in the Kitchen: Our Explorer Chefs whipped up delicious Apple Nachos in the Noble Explorers after-school program!
Twinning Moments: Nova and Ms. Miller were all smiles comparing their matching walking boots last week!
PTA Power: Huge shout-out to our PTA for an incredible first meeting with over 15 families and staff members in attendance! Let's keep that momentum going!
Huge shout-out to our PBIS Committee! Thanks to their leadership and our staff's commitment to positive culture, Noble earned Red Ribbon Status from ESCNEO for our implementation of Tier I and Tier II PBIS systems during the 2025–26 school year. Red Ribbon is the second highest distinction for the region!
This award recognizes that our school-wide expectations, targeted interventions, and behavioral supports meet rigorous regional standards of fidelity. This Tuesday mid-day, I will be attending the regional recognition event to accept our official materials and award on behalf of Noble. Thank you all for making our positive school climate a daily reality for our students!
Don't See you name? Please be sure to complete our Staff Interest Survey!
September Birthdays
September 6: Mrs. Holyk
September 7: Ms. Hagan
September 12: Ms. Alexis
September 19: Mrs. Ohlinger
September 30: Ms. Burkey
The Scholastic Book Fair is returning October 5–9! Please begin promoting the event to families now, especially highlighting the Scholastic eWallet for cash-free shopping and the call for parent volunteers. Behind the scenes, we need to begin organizing key logistics to ensure smooth execution, including securing the setup space, building the master classroom shopping schedule, and planning teacher preview hours. Keep an eye out for detailed schedules and volunteer sign-up links arriving soon as we prep for a fantastic reading week!
The Noble Elementary PTA Fall Fundraiser is a two-week Kindness Campaign aiming to raise $5,000 to fund school events. To participate, parents must register their child online and return the completed Kindness Boarding Pass to earn a Cookie Blanket the following day. Students will then receive a physical Kindness Passport to complete acts of kindness while working toward an individual $35 goal. Completing the passport enters students into the Mystery Prize Box raffle, and reaching the $35 target adds an entry for a Squish Dumpling. Raising $150 unlocks the Monster Pillow + Cookie Blanket combo, with options for families to combine totals across multiple children.
The campaign launches via emails from Mr. Walker, morning show broadcasts, classroom videos, and updates on the Noble PTA Facebook page/Dojo. Additionally, the homeroom that raises the most money earns a pizza, popcorn, or ice cream party. If the school hits its overall $5,000 goal, the Principal will get slimed!
Teacher Action: Please play the video this Monday to your classes Kickoff Video Link:
Teacher Action: Distribute Flyers from PTA (in your mailboxes).
Our First Noble All-Star Assemblies are Friday, September 25!
Pre-K, K-2: 2:35 - 3 p.m.
Grades 3-5: 9:20 - 9:50 a.m.
Please make sure your All-Stars are selected 4 days in Advance and families are notified to attend.
We have a K-5 Enrollment of 309 students. We have a Pre-K enrollment of 26 students. So far this year, our building has 95.3% average daily attendance.
September:
- KG - 97.39%
- 1st - 94.49%
- 2nd - 95.90%
- 3rd - 94.49%
- 4th - 94.61%
- 5th - 95.59%
Chronic Absenteeism (CA) at Noble
Current CA Rate: 14.9% (INCREASE from 10.5% last week)
- KG - 7.7%
- 1st - 16.3%
- 2nd - 14.9%
- 3rd - 16.1%
- 4th - 16.2%
- 5th - 16.4%
We met last year's Chronic Absenteeism Goal! Our goal this year is 20.6%! Let's continue to call and make contact with families each time we notice extended absence.
As we kick off the new school year, we want to ensure your voice and concerns are heard. Please use the TAP form to log any building climate concern(s).
The District has adopted a plan for communications with persons with disabilities, which is available at the following link: Communication Plan. The plan establishes procedures to ensure that the District's communications with persons with disabilities, including applicants, participants, members of the public, and companions with disabilities, are as effective as its communications with others.
As you likely know, the first step with Evaluation Cycles is to meet and review your PGP. Please use this link to sign-up for a 20-minute slot with me. Our Noble PGP deadline is October 5, 2026. Therefore, our meeting has to be on or before that date. Note - I can add more times if these slots do not work for you; just let me know if you need that.
In preparation for our meeting, please have a draft of your PGP ready and in the Ohio Evaluation System for OTES 2.0 prior to our meeting time. Keep in mind that your goals should be aligned to our Noble One Plan and include one academic goal and one culture goal.
For the PGP, please ensure it is written as a SMART goal.
I look forward to discussing your professional goals and learning a bit more about you. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!
The fall MAP Growth testing window opens on Monday, August 24 and closes Friday, September 18.
Find key steps for what to do Before, During, and After testing, along with Frequently Asked Questions for each phase here. See the August 20 email from Becky McDonald for more details. Schedule a session with Becky to review your MAP data, plan next steps, or troubleshoot testing.
PLEASE ENTER YOUR TESTING DATES USING THE LINK BELOW.
Starting the year strong during Beginning of Year Acadience testing is critical as we relentlessly pursue a 4-Star Rating for Noble, proving to our community that every student can thrive. Because state report card metrics measure Early Literacy growth from BOY to BOY across school years, these fall scores directly impact our upcoming report card. We cannot afford a slow start and must build targeted intervention groups and student focus lists immediately to maximize growth and hit our targets.
Upcoming Fire Drill: Our September fire drill will take place on Friday, September 18, at 9:35 a.m. Please ensure your posted evacuation map is clearly visible by your classroom door and review drill expectations with your students in the coming week.
