The Weekly Words
Back-to-School Edition
Team,
Welcome back to school! I am thrilled to kick off our Opening Days Professional Development this week on Thursday, August 13. As we navigate a shifting landscape in public education, we must anchor ourselves to our shared vision for student success. Last year, we focused on "Restoring Noble Pride" and the results were extraordinary: we closed achievement gaps, met our attendance target, earned a preliminary 3-Star Achievement rating and a preliminary 5-Star Gap Closing rating, and saw strong OST proficiency and Acadience growth across all student groups!
While we have so much to celebrate, our work isn't done, and we must hit the ground running to prepare for a critical BOY Acadience assessment that directly shapes our Early Literacy component. To guide our focus this year, our theme is "Solution-Minded." For our Noble team, being solution-minded means approaching every challenge with optimism, proactive problem-solving, and a focus on actionable steps that keep student learning at the center. Together, we will push ourselves to be our absolute best and make this our most impactful year yet!
Mr. Walker, M.Ed.
Principal
In the Summer Edition of The Weekly Words, we introduced Dr. Michelle Watson, who joins us this fall as a building administrator at Noble. You might be wondering: What exactly will Dr. Watson's role look like?
Dr. Watson brings incredible strengths to our team, and her primary focus will be supporting our overall building climate. Here is how she will partner with us this year:
Behavior Support & Interventions: She will serve an administrative contact once classroom- and team-level behavior interventions have been fully utilized.
Family & Teacher Collaboration: She will partner with families and staff to navigate ongoing concerns and build proactive, student-centered solutions.
Systems & Continuous Learning: As a dedicated lifelong learner, Dr. Watson will actively engage with our PBIS, Attendance, and MTSS initiatives, data, and systems to strengthen multi-tiered supports across the building.
While Dr. Watson will not serve as an evaluator, she is a phenomenal resource, key thought partner, and fully dedicated member of our leadership team. She is thrilled to join Noble, so please give her a warm welcome when you see her!
A huge Noble welcome to our newest team members joining us this week: Mr. Kevin Horter (K-2 Intervention Specialist, Intensive Classroom), Mr. Tyler Boyd-Roston (K-2 Intervention Paraprofessional, Intensive Classroom), Ms. Evelyn Gonzalez (Pre-K Spanish), and Brenda Brown and Jean Scott (Lunch Monitors)! We are thrilled to have you on board!
Mr. Crawford, Ms. Rucker, Mr. Carter, & Mr. Jacobs: Endless gratitude to our facilities crew for their tireless work moving furniture, navigating our ongoing building renovations, and ensuring Noble is sparkling clean, safe, and ready for everyone.
Mrs. Bruce, Mrs. Cohen, & Mrs. DiDona: Huge thanks for jumping right in this week to plan and lead our 3rd Grade Support Meetings for students at risk for retention!
Ms. Threatt: Kudos for cooking up some incredible, creative ideas to make the start of this school year unforgettable!
Mrs. Fischer: Thank you for stepping up to serve as our PTA President! We can't wait to see the wonderful surprises you have in store for our Noble community this year.
Treasurer: Marie Weston
President: Irene Fischer
Secretary: Joanna Cregan
Kindergarten Support: Cashmir Ferguson joins our Kindergarten team as a Kindergarten Paraprofessional!
Facilities & Operations: Jeremiah Jacobs joins our facilities crew to support building operations, cleaning, and maintenance, keeping Noble running smoothly!
Welcoming Back: Lola Sims returns home to Noble as a 1:1 Paraprofessional!
Second Grade: Kimberly Holyk joins our Second Grade team, bringing energy and knowledge to our students!
Special Education & Intensive Support: Kevin Horter and Tyler Boyd-Roston join our Intervention Team to lead and support our new Intensive Classroom (Room 210)!
Fourth Grade: Antoinette Battle transitions to our Fourth Grade team alongside her 1:1 student, King!
Fifth Grade: Erik Rozsa joins our Fifth Grade team to help guide our oldest Tigers!
Building Leadership: Dr. Michelle Watson joins us full-time as a Building Administrator!
Pre-K STEM: We are excited to welcome Karlene Sa’ad to lead our Pre-K STEM instruction!
Pre-K Spanish: We are also very excited to welcome Evelyn Gonzalez to lead our Pre-K Spanish instruction!
Lunchroom Team: Brenda Brown and Jean Scott joins us as Lunch Monitors, and we welcome back Qua'Asha Miller!
Main Office: We warmly welcome Sonya Sims as our new Administrative Assistant!
Gifted Education: Eric Cohen will now serve Noble full-time as our Gifted Intervention Specialist!
Don't See you name? Please be sure to complete our Staff Interest Survey!
August Birthdays
Mrs. Ruddy - August 7
Mrs. Somody - August 12
Mrs. Wynn - August 12
Ms. Lewis - August 20
Mrs. Craven - August 26
I am so excited to celebrate the beginning of the 2026–2027 school year with all of you at District Convocation Day on Tuesday, August 18!
Breakfast will be provided in the cafeteria starting at 8:15 a.m., followed by the Convocation Program at 8:45 a.m. in the Heights High auditorium. Details regarding district transportation to and from Heights High will be shared soon.
Now, for the main event: as you know, Noble does not come to play! This year, the district is giving away a special prize to the school with the most Tiger Nation spirit, and we are aiming for nothing less than Back-to-Back Convocation Champions!
We need everyone to REPRESENT! Don't just show up in simple black and gold—bring the full Noble Tiger energy:
🖤 Gold & Black to the Max: Sparkles, face paint, tiger stripes, customized shirts, gold jackets, accessories—if it shines or roars, wear it!
📣 Noble Pride: Let’s make sure everyone in the auditorium knows who has the loudest, proudest energy in CH-UH.
I cannot wait to see us take over the auditorium and set the tone for an incredible Year Two together.
ClassDojo is rolling out district-wide this year! Here is what you need to know regarding account setup, upcoming mandatory training, and key platform updates:
Account Setup & Support
Invitations: ClassDojo will send an email invitation on Wednesday, August 12, to staff members who have not yet created an account.
Manual Setup: If you do not receive an invite by August 12, please create your account using your district email at teach.classdojo.com.
Mandatory Virtual Training
Date & Time: Monday, August 17 at 9:00 AM (Preschool & Elementary School session).
Format: Virtual 1-Hour Professional Development session via Zoom (Zoom link will be shared prior to the session).
Key Roster & System Updates (As of August 11)
Automated Setup: Classes and school directories are now automatically generated from our Student Information System (SIS).
Class Management: Teachers can create additional classes (e.g., clubs, intervention groups), add students from the school directory, rename classes, or archive unused rostered classes.
Directory Restrictions: Staff can no longer manually add or remove students from the main school directory. If roster errors occur, notify our SIS administrator to correct them in the system. (Note: You can still remove incorrect students from your individual class roster and edit display names as needed).
What’s Coming Next
Before August 19: Students will be populated into individual classrooms right before student return so families see finalized class placements.
Family Connections: Some families will receive automated invites before August 19, but teachers should follow up directly with families to ensure everyone gets connected.
Let’s kick off the new school year by reminding our students and staff that they are supported, valued and capable of amazing things! Join Noble Neighbors for Chalk Cheers, where we’ll decorate the sidewalks with positive messages to welcome students and staff back to school. A few encouraging words can make a big difference on a student’s first day! Chalk Cheers will be held at Noble Elementary School on Tuesday August 18, 2026 at 6 p.m. You can arrive as early as 5:45 p.m.
All are welcome! We encourage staff to be present, students, bring your family, your creativity and a positive spirit! Whether you write an inspiring quote, draw colorful artwork or simply leave a message of encouragement, every contribution helps create a warm and welcoming start to the school year.
Help us keep Noble clean, safe, and organized! Please submit a official work order to Mr. Crawford for any remaining room repairs or for items that need to be moved in or out of your classroom. To keep our building looking its best, please refrain from placing unwanted furniture or materials in the hallways and common areas. We have some exciting sprucing up planned for our common spaces and restrooms soon, and working together will ensure Noble remains a comfortable, welcoming environment for everyone!
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.
Starting the year strong during Beginning of Year testing is critical to our collective success. While our progress is something to celebrate, I remain deeply optimistic and relentless in our pursuit of an overall 4-Star Rating for Noble for this last year, rebuilding from the 2024–2025 school year when we fell to a 3-star rating. Achieving this milestone is vital for our school community; it reflects the high standard of excellence our students deserve and proves to our broader neighborhood that Noble is a place where every child thrives.
Here is why our immediate focus on BOY Acadience testing is so crucial:
Long-Term Accountability: State report card metrics for Early Literacy do not measure in-year student growth from BOY to EOY with Acadience. Instead, Acadience growth is evaluated BOY to BOY, spanning across two school years. The scores our students earn this fall directly impact our upcoming state report card for 25-26 SY.
Immediate Intervention Strategy: We cannot afford a slow start. To maximize student growth and hit our targets, we must build targeted intervention groups and student focus lists during the very first week of school.
As you return, you will notice new printer/copiers across our buildings as part of a district initiative to save approximately $90,000 annually while maintaining essential printing resources.
We have streamlined our fleet from 122 to 71 machines; you can view Noble's location maps to find our floor plan. Connecting your device is simple, and step-by-step guidance is available through these instructions. To maximize our financial and environmental impact, please minimize color printing, print only the quantities needed, and use black-and-white mode whenever possible. Printing output will now be monitored using PaperCut software, requiring you to swipe your ID badge or enter your employee ID to release jobs. On August 13, customer service representatives will be on-site across our schools to train staff and answer any questions.
