NPS NOW NEWSLETTER
Welcome to the New Year, everyone! We are overjoyed to return to our classrooms with renewed energy and enthusiasm to pursue Equity and Excellence for ALL. Allow me to introduce to you our new, interactive website dedicated to the school division’s five-year strategic plan entitled “Continuing the Drive: Equity and Excellence for All.” This site provides detailed descriptions of our goals and areas of focus, along with a dashboard and links to our data tables and the tools we will use to measure our progress. Please take a moment to review this plan and return often to follow along with us as we ensure that all students maximize their academic potential, develop skills for lifelong learning, and are successful contributors to a global society.
Norfolk Public Schools has so much to offer our families and scholars. This newsletter contains information about our upcoming Specialty Programs Open House events at the host schools, the upcoming, new academic framework for Ruffner School, monthly “Coffee and Connect” workshops for our English learner families, and the extraordinary educators we honored in December at our annual NPS Teacher of the Year celebration.
Do not forget to update your contact information with your child(ren)’s school. January often brings inclement weather, and we want to be sure you receive timely notifications on school closings and delays. You can always find information about the great things happening in our schools as well as breaking news such as inclement weather notifications, awards, and celebrations, at www.npsk12.com, or on our Facebook or Twitter pages.
Norfolk Public Schools’ Superintendent Dr. Sharon I. Byrdsong has received the 2022 National School Public Relations Association’s “Superintendents to Watch” award.
The annual award from NSPRA recognizes up to 25 school district leaders across the country who have fewer than five years of experience as a superintendent and who demonstrate dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication at its core. The honor recognizes innovative and effective use of technology to engage and inform the school community and to expand two-way communication and outreach efforts.
Within weeks of Dr. Byrdsong being appointed superintendent, the coronavirus pandemic shut down Norfolk Public Schools along with divisions across the state.
Byrdsong moved quickly to establish the school division’s first newsletter to provide pandemic updates. It has evolved into the NSPRA award-winning monthly publication called NPS Now. It provides news in English and Spanish from around the school division to all stakeholders and is produced in both print and digital versions.
She also recognized the need to convey information about the school division’s long-term plans and goals, which led to the publication of another NSPRA award-winning project, a 36-page booklet entitled “The Drive for 5.” This document used data collected during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years to illustrate to our community how the school division navigated through the pandemic, the lessons learned, and to celebrate the division’s endurance, ingenuity, and response to an unprecedented time.
Critically, the document did not stop with a look back. It also provided the guide toward our school division’s future and established five visionary goals – the Drive for 5 -- to move in the direction of equity and excellence for all. Among those goals was purposeful and strategic development of effective partnerships with our families and community stakeholders.
In his nomination letter, Norfolk Mayor Dr. Kenneth C. Alexander called Byrdsong’s commitment to effective communication “exemplary.”
“Dr. Byrdsong has been masterful in her communication and outreach to city leadership, her staff, parents and guardians, and the larger community, and is deserving and worthy of this recognition,” Alexander wrote.
Former School Board Chair Carlos Clanton also supported her nomination.
“Dr. Byrdsong wants to make sure all within our division know we are headed for excellence, that all within our division know what it takes to get there, and that all know when we have reached each milepost on the way,” Clanton wrote.
Dr. Byrdsong said she was humbled and honored by the award.
“Our efforts to inform our families about our work and their children’s many successes will continue,” she said.
At its December 14, 2022, meeting, the City of Norfolk School Board approved an academic programming proposal for Ruffner Middle School. Ruffner will transition to a school for grades 3-8 in the 2023-2024 school year. Its curriculum will focus on career exploration and pathways, with academic communities that offer rigorous instruction in engineering and sciences, fine and performing arts, technology, and service and leadership.
The full presentation to the School Board as well as other information considered by the Board may be found under the School Board button on npsk12.com or at https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/nps/Board.nsf/Public. Further details will be posted on www.npsk12.com later in January on how students can apply for this city-wide opportunity.
School Board Clerk’s appreciation week
The week of January 16-20, 2023 is Virginia School Board Association’s (VSBA’s) School Board Clerk Appreciation Week. School board clerks play an important role in a school division by assisting school board members, superintendents, and the division’s local schools. NPS’ School Board Clerk is Karen Tanner. Thanks for all you do, Ms. Tanner!
Norfolk Public Schools welcomes Mrs. Tiffany Moore-Buffaloe as the newest member of the School Board, serving Ward 4.
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Tiffany Moore-Buffaloe has been a resident of Norfolk, Virginia for more than 30 years. A graduate of Norview High School and a dedicated mother and wife, she has spent the last 25 years working and serving in public school systems and her community.
Mrs. Moore-Buffaloe began her career as a long-term substitute teacher and parent volunteer.
She is currently serving as the executive assistant to the superintendent of Newport News Public Schools and the Clerk of the School Board.
Mrs. Moore-Buffaloe completed her bachelor’s degree from Norfolk State University and her master’s degree from Strayer University.
As a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Gethsemane Community Fellowship Church, and the Beacon Light Civic League, she provides service to the community by getting involved in initiatives that help people.
Mrs. Moore-Buffaloe is married and has two adult children who are both graduates of Norfolk Public Schools.
In their organizational meeting in January, School Board members elected Dr. Adale Martin to serve as the board Chair. Mrs. Moore-Buffalo was elected to serve as Vice Chair.
Farewell and thank you to Dr. Leon Rouson for his service over the last year as the School Board Member representing Ward 4. We wish Dr. Rouson success in his next endeavors.
