NPS Now Newsletter

Each fall presents us with exciting initiatives to provide Equity and Excellence for All. Our teachers and staff are applying the instructional best practices they acquired upon participating in various professional development sessions during the summer and throughout the school year. They are specifically focused on meeting the learning needs of each student. As such, our students have access to software and hands-on learning tools in multiple content areas that address their individual learning needs and support classroom instruction. We look forward to continuing to improve academic outcomes for each of our students.

Moreover, students across the school division are engaged in athletic activities such as football, track and field, field hockey, golf, volleyball, cheerleading, and so much more. Our student-athletes work hard on and off the competitive field. We invite you to attend any of our athletic events to cheer on our teams.

Additionally, fall brings brilliant colors, including orange to show our commitment to end bullying and its negative impacts on students. Please join me in wearing orange on October 18th for Unity Day. All month long, we will provide information and support on how to recognize and prevent bullying amongst our students.

I trust that your child will join other students from across the school division with being at school every day, on time, and ready to learn. We are excited to kick off our second year of the School-to-School Attendance Challenge as part of our effort to fight chronic absenteeism. Regular school attendance helps to create routines that support well-being, build relationships, and provide your child with resources and opportunities to learn. Please join us in creating safe and supportive environments for learning.

Finally, crisp fall weather provides the perfect opportunity to curl up with a good book. Literacy remains an instructional priority for our school division. Norfolk Public Schools’ Literacy Plan promises to build a community of readers, writers, and critical thinkers. We will do that through evidence-based instruction and intervention. Norfolk Public Schools will provide free online literacy instruction resources to support children’s literacy development at home. Additionally, we have several events planned for our schools and our school division throughout the school year to ensure a strong focus on literacy. Norfolk Public Schools, along with its community partners, offers multiple methods to ensure every child has access to books and other reading materials. Reading just 14.2 minutes outside of school every day ensures that children receive exposure to more than a million words and improve their reading performance. Please join us to celebrate reading all year long!

During September’s National Attendance Awareness Month, Norfolk Public Schools provided information on the effects of chronic absenteeism on student outcomes. Norfolk Public Schools will continue its focus on attendance for this school year and beyond.

On October 16, 2023, Norfolk Public Schools will once again kick off its School-to-School Attendance Challenge to bring a spirit of fun and friendly competition to schools striving to promote student attendance. Superintendent Dr. Sharon I. Byrdsong has tapped the Mighty Titans of Lake Taylor High School to start this year’s challenge. Cheerleaders and school mascots surrounded her as she recorded the kickoff message. Check out the fun video announcement here.

Research supports that missing as little as two (2) days of school every month, or ten percent of the school year, can have a significant impact on students and their ability to learn. By sixth grade, chronic absenteeism becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.

Show your support by making sure your children arrive at school on time and every day because if they attend today, they WILL achieve tomorrow! The School-to-School Attendance Challenge will run through May 3, 2024. Please stay connected by following Norfolk Public Schools on Facebook, X, Instagram, and the school division website, www.npsk12.com, to learn more about attendance campaign activities and incentives throughout the school year!

September marked National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Safeguard your mental health! Rely on each other and take steps to make a difference. Seek help from a mental health professional or school psychologist if needed. For information and resources, visit our Student Support Services website. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline number is 988 – call or use the chat function. It is free and confidential.

Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month each year from September 15th to October 15th by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South Americas.

Hispanic culture is known for close ties with family, as well as rich culinary, musical, religious, and holiday traditions that are passed down for generations. The theme for this year’s celebration is Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America.

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Norfolk Public Schools remains committed throughout the year to raising awareness about bullying and the effects it has on our students. As Norfolk Public Schools raises awareness throughout October, one day has been set aside for us all to come together. Please wear orange on Unity Day, October 18, 2023! Mark your calendar and help support our efforts to eliminate bullying!

Students at Richard Bowling Elementary School joined with AAA Tidewater, the Norfolk Bike Commission, and the City of Norfolk’s Vision Zero initiative to observe National Walk to School Day! The annual event touts the benefits of walking and biking to school and teaches safe pedestrian habits.

“This is the 27th annual National Walk & Roll to School Day,” said Darrick Person, Senior Coordinator of Health, Safety, and Physical Education for Norfolk Public Schools. “It is our hope that through these events we can bring awareness to the community about various safety measures and that we can provide safe pathways to school for all students.”

Disability History and Awareness Month takes place during October to increase awareness, respect, and acceptance for people with disabilities, and to bring a greater sense of pride to people with disabilities. Please take a few moments during Disability History and Awareness Month to view selections from our playlist on extraordinary educators and the exceptional students they teach.

Anytime is a great time to read a book! Your child’s school media center has many books to check out during school hours and to take home to read later. Norfolk Public Schools also offers online school library catalogs including e-books, interactive books, and audiobooks! Click on the link to find your school library online.

Thanks to our partners at the Norfolk Public Library and REACH, anytime is also a great time to find something great to read! The Norfolk Public Library provides anchor and neighborhood branches all over the city, and allows borrowing of all kinds of books as well as equipment ranging from American Girl doll kits to ukuleles! Find parent resources including libraries with Kid Zones and early literacy programs online, along with information on how easy it is to get a library card! It is free for Norfolk residents!

Speaking of free, REACH, Inc. provides free books to the community! That’s why they call themselves “the big, free bookstore.” Visit up to twice a week and select two new books and two used books per person, per household. REACH is located at JANAF Shopping Yard off Military Highway in Norfolk between Woodcraft and BJ’s Tire.

The Office of Community Engagement and the Office of Curriculum and Instruction are collaborating with departments and schools to provide activities and events that will encourage families’ participation in their child(ren)’s literacy learning.

This year, family engagement specialists are planning quarterly professional developmental literacy workshops during the school day. These interactive workshops will address specific literacy skills according to the school’s current data.

Principals are working with their family engagement specialists to choose the four literacy workshop dates that will include school reading specialists and support staff. Participants will leave with incentives to encourage reading at home. For more information, contact your school’s family engagement specialists.

Welcome to the Norfolk Public Schools’ monthly #NPSNotableAlumni feature! The school division’s LinkedIn page will share the educational experiences as well as career successes of our amazing Norfolk Public Schools’ alumni.

First up: Sisters Chelsea McGarity, Class of 2008, and Alexis Lamb, Class of 2013, graduated from Maury High School. Now, both NPS graduates teach at Norfolk Public Schools’ Larrymore Elementary School! This school year, Chelsea celebrates her 11th year as a fifth-grade teacher. Alexis has taught third grade for more than four years.

McGarity and Lamb come from a long line of Norfolk Public Schools’ graduates and professionals: their brother graduated from Norfolk Public Schools, their mother, Kristen McGarity, works for the school division, and their father, Ronald "Mike" McGarity, recently retired from the school division!

As students, McGarity and Lamb participated in the Medical and Health Specialties Program at Maury. They encouraged all students to pursue “all Norfolk Public Schools has to offer, from clubs to sports to programs, and Career and Technical Education,” to find their path.

Lamb said the diverse experiences and varying perspectives from which she benefitted at Norfolk Public Schools helped to shape her approach as a teacher. “Even though my students are young, we still talk to them about the future,” McGarity said. “We tell them all the time that mistakes are meant to be made, and many things aren’t mistakes but learning experiences.”

To suggest a profile or to recommend yourself, send a message to Norfolk Public Schools on LinkedIn or email tellus@npsk12.com.

On Saturday, October 7, 2023, Shiloh Baptist Church held its annual community service day free market. Participants received health screenings, flu shots and voter registration information, along with information from Norfolk Public Schools’ departments including School Nutrition, Title I/Early Learning, Student Wellness, and Communications and Community Engagement. Human Resources shared Norfolk Public Schools’ employment opportunities. Participants received information on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other educational materials. Children enjoyed face painting, food, games, and a free book from Scholastic.

Each year, WAVE Church campuses plan and implement community service projects. On August 19, 2023, WAVE Church members helped to beautify Sherwood Forest Elementary School. Projects included landscaping, helping to create bulletin board displays, setting up air purifiers, and distributing student books to classrooms to help school faculty and the staff prepare for their students’ return. Thank you, WAVE Church, for your ongoing partnership with Norfolk Public Schools. Norfolk Public Schools welcomes positive, collaborative, meaningful partnerships between schools and the community to enhance student academic learning and success. For more information on community engagement, contact LaEunice Brown, Community Engagement Coordinator, Office of Community Engagement, (757) 628-3459.

Norfolk Public Schools principals gathered on September 28 for their first professional development day of the year. Principals meet monthly to learn skills and concepts to take back to their staff and students as part of the Norfolk Public Schools’ Strategic Plan commitment to workforce. High priority areas for this year include literacy, accountability, and attendance.

Our community partners at Atlantic Orthopaedic Specialists, Sentara RMH Medical Center and Eastern Virginia Medical School help our student-athletes stay healthy. We celebrated these partnerships with a special Community Partner Appreciation Night at the Lake Taylor High School football game on October 6, 2023 against Granby High School. Granby Cheerleader Cierra Weaver was named the Atlantic Orthopaedic Athlete of the Month!

Old Dominion University’s Athletic Foundation again has chosen to provide grant money to Norfolk Public Schools for the Sun Belt Conference’s Extra Yard for Teachers initiative. Superintendent Dr. Sharon I. Byrdsong accepted a $4,000 check on September 16, 2023, during ODU’s football game against Wake Forest. Dr. Byrdsong was joined by Senior Coordinator of Athletics Stephen Suttmiller, and City-Wide Teacher of the Year and Lake Taylor High School Fine Arts Teacher Clayton Singleton.

Representatives from Old Dominion University also surprised Mr. Singleton at his school with gifts and game tickets! Norfolk Public Schools is so proud of Mr. Singleton and ALL the amazing educators who continue the drive toward Equity and Excellence for All Norfolk Public Schools’ students!

Old Dominion University students donated more than 34,000 items of food and supplies to Norfolk Public Schools during the annual Monarchs Give Back celebration on September 22, 2023. The Monarchs Give Back Community Service Project is a campus-wide food collection to benefit Hampton Roads children who experience food insecurity as part of the university’s annual Homecoming celebrations.

“Your commitment to create a Norfolk where no child must worry about their next meal will have lasting effects for our students,” said Superintendent Dr. Sharon I. Byrdsong. “Consider the reach of your efforts and your contributions: Monarchs Give Back will provide food for students at 27 of our schools!”

Maury High School’s Jordan Burton teaches physics, geometry, 3D modeling, and 3D printing and leads the school’s Technology Student Association. Burton is a 2010 Granby High School graduate with a hands-on approach to personal development inside and outside the classroom. These are among the factors that led CoVaBiz Magazine to name him as one of its 2023 NextGen Award winners.

Burton teaches Maury High School's "Project Lead the Way" program, which uses projects to instruct students about topics related to engineering, such as using AutoCAD software, 3D modeling and printing, and coding using C++ language. “I use a number of different strategies in order to make STEM relatable to my students, such as making assignments as simple and streamlined as possible and adding in extensions and challenges as needed to appeal to every level of learner in my class,” Burton said. “One activity that my ninth graders especially enjoy is viewing clips of [the television show] “Shark Tank” and following up on how the products presented are now everyday household items.”

Burton says he is “excited and humbled’ to win the award, especially as a young teacher. “This award, coupled with the support of family, friends, and staff at Maury High School alike, really makes me feel like I’m making a difference both in the community and my students’ lives,” he said. “In addition, being the first teacher to win this award not only solidifies that what I do as a teacher is very much important and needed, but it's also proof that what all teachers do for the community around the world is important and needed as well.”

Congratulations, Mr. Burton!

Ms. Kamil Donawa joins Norfolk Public Schools as the Parent Resource Center Educator at the Parent Resource Center for families with students who have disabilities. Prior to coming to Norfolk Public Schools, Donawa worked with Hampton City Schools and Virginia Beach City Public Schools as a secondary school counselor. Ms. Donawa holds endorsements in PreK-12 school counseling and administration & supervision, and an Educational Specialist degree in K-12 Administration & Supervision and Masters in School Counseling from Regent University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Virginia Wesleyan College (now Virginia Wesleyan University).

The Parent Resource Center (PRC) at Norfolk Public Schools provides support to our families with students who have disabilities through workshops and information related to special education, as well as support in navigating the special education process. The goal of the PRC is to partner with families each school year to promote academic and personal success for all students.

Please contact Ms. Donawa with special education concerns, questions, requests for information about resources, or for support through the special education process. Reach her at parentresourcecenter@nps.k12.va.us or by calling 757-825-4674, ext. 3089.