EAGLE NATION NEWS

Newsletters will be sent via e-mail attachment monthly to all households with students enrolled at Norwich School. If you wish to be added to the e-mail list and you do not have a student enrolled, please contact Megan Dheming at the school 620-478-2235, mdheming@knusd331.com, and we will add you to our e-mail newsletter list.

Happy New Year to all of our Norwich Eagle families and friends!

I hope you had a well-deserved break and after all the hustle and bustle and joy of the holiday season, you also had the opportunity to relax a bit and reflect on the past year.

The many accomplishments and growth that our students and staff have made during 2023 are remarkable. I am grateful for the dedication our students, staff, parents and community members bring to our school.

I look forward to seeing what the year 2024 brings and have no doubt that the accomplishments and pride we all have as Norwich Eagles will continue to flourish.

Is your child sick or plans have changed during the day? If you need to contact the school office for any reason by email, please use our new email address norwichoffice@knusd331.com. This will help us get messages to your child when there are substitutes in the office for the day.

Please remember to send coats, hats, gloves and long pants to school during these winter months.

Students in grades Pk-6 will go outside for recess if the windchill is above 32 degrees.

GraceMed will be here at the school on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 to provide dental screenings (a noninvasive visual inspection of teeth) for students, Preschool through 12th grade.

At parent request, additional services for cleaning, fluoride varnish and sealants will be available for ALL students this year at no charge. Parents must fill out a “Dental Consent Form” for those additional services. The consent forms will be sent home with your child once the screening date gets closer.

If you have any questions, please call Rebecca Hinnenkamp at 620-478-2235.

The following information outlines the USD 331 Board Policy regarding our district meal policies and procedures.

· Board policy allows students to charge up to 3 days.

· Once they have charged 3 days, we will provide students an alternative meal (lunch only.)

· Parents will be notified using the following protocol:

o 1st charge - parents will receive a text and email from Thrillshare.

o 2nd/3rd charge - parents should receive a personal phone call to discuss payment arrangements or alternate meal plans.

Free and reduced meals are available to students who qualify. If you think your child may qualify for free or reduced meals, please fill out an application. These can be found on your Skyward parent portal account or there are paper applications in each school office. The information on the application and the results are completely confidential.

At any time if you feel your family may qualify for free or reduced price lunches, you can apply. If you have applied before but were denied, remember that a job loss or change, a disability or accident that prevents you from working or a life status change (divorce, marriage, etc.) may change your status. Once you qualify for free or reduced lunches, you maintain that status for the rest of the school year. You can apply through your parent portal in Skyward or there are paper applications in each school office. A child’s free and reduced lunch status is confidential.

For more information contact your child's school office or Amy Wallace at (620) 532-3134.

Breakfast is served at school daily between 7:45 and 8:00 a.m.

Hot breakfast is served on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

If you would like for your child to eat school breakfast, please make sure to have them at school by 7:45 as students need to be through the line by 8:00.

Chronic Absenteeism continues to be a barrier for many of our students. Did you know when students miss 10% of the school days in a year (two days a month), excused or unexcused, they are considered chronically absent? Currently, 21% of elementary students, 35% of middle school students and 34% of our high school students in Norwich are on the path towards chronic absenteeism. As a staff, we are committed to working towards lowering those percentages and we are asking you as the parents to join us! Please prioritize school and student attendance every day! Please click the link below to learn more about avoiding absences during the winter months.

Yearbook staff has finalized the fall activities of the Powering On section of the yearbook. Check out this sneak peek of a special event spread of Halloween and Red Ribbon. They continue to complete pages as activities conclude. The next deadline is the largest with 66 pages due in the spring. Staff has a good start towards their next big deadline. Their continued commitment is appreciated. If you see them out and about taking photos or working at various activities, please let them know you appreciate their efforts. Please continue to share your original high-resolution photos. Credit will be given for photos used. Thanks to those who share photos with us, and a special thanks to Micoli Bates, Denae Downs, and Jillian Wineinger for the sports photos they share with yearbook staff. The support given to yearbook staff is greatly appreciated!

Senior salutes are parents’ opportunity to commemorate student achievements and important milestones. Jostens is managing the senior salute sales so please do not contact or send materials to the school. This opportunity is for senior parents only! Page space is limited so ONLY ¼ page MAXIMUM is allowed PER senior. Room only allows for ¼ page to be dedicated to each senior. Parents in different households may share the ¼ page space and create it together or each buy an 1/8 page. The staff needs to know how much space to reserve so all online senior salutes MUST be complete and paid for by January 31, 2024. The staff needs to know how much space to reserve so all salutes MUST be finalized and purchased by this date. A printable instruction sheet and link to order online will come home with your senior. Senior salutes can be created online from both desktop and mobile devices. Parents have various salute designs to choose from giving them more creative freedom over their salute. Watch the school newsletters and school social media for important information regarding seniors. Contact Mrs. Brewster at tbrewster@knusd331.com with questions.

Yearbook staff has set up YBK+ again for students, parents, and teachers to upload 10 photos to be seen digitally from their portrait. YBK+ allows the yearbook to be more digitally interactive, and it is a way to see more of your student in the yearbook. Pre-K -5 students need parents to upload photos using their parent email that is on file, and 6-12 students use their own school email to log into the website. Click the image, link, or scan the code to get started with YBK+ and begin uploading your photos NOW!

Strawbridge will be here Wednesday, January 17, 2024, to take spring individuals, winter sports, and another round of clubs. Sports teams to be photographed are all basketball teams with coaches. Please remind your student(s) to have the needed attire for team and club photos. Please be reminded that yearbook fund gets a commission from Strawbridge for the photos you purchase. It is one of their fundraisers. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Mark your calendars as it’s IMPORTANT for all students, teachers, and staff to be present on picture days!

3/20/24: Spring sports and final round of clubs/organizations.

As proud Eagle alumni of Norwich High School, we want to help get the word out to all alumni of important events that will interest you so you can remain involved and support your high school alma mater. Please help us in making sure that we have your most current up to date information by either sending us an email at norwichalumni2015@gmail.com or sending us a note to Norwich Schools 209 S. Parkway Norwich, KS 67118. We have recently started an Alumni Facebook page as well. We would love for any alumni to register and follow us!