Blair Middle School

To help maintain a focused, safe, and orderly learning environment, stuffed animals and blankets, etc. are not permitted at school. Please ensure these items remain at home. We appreciate your partnership in helping students come prepared to learn each day. Items will be confiscated and will only be returned via parent pickup.

Hello Clipper Families,

Welcome to an exciting new school year! Your new PTA board is looking forward to growing our parent community this year. We really enjoyed meeting some of you at Open House and really appreciate everyone who has already signed up to be a member of this year’s PTA! If you missed

Open House or are looking for ways to get involved...

• Join Clipper Crew PTA and get exclusive information while supporting

state and national advocacy efforts that benefit our students and schools.

• Express your volunteer interests via our email

Blairmspta@gmail.com—no commitment required. Curious about spirit nights? Student activities? Teacher appreciation? Membership drives? Drop off donations? Send us an email with whatever sparks your interest, and we’ll keep you in the loop. You can explore as many opportunities as

you want.

Questions? Contact blairmspta@gmail.com. We always welcome your time, feedback, or ideas. The Blair PTA is for everyone.

The Executive Board

Your child will need to receive a Tdap vaccine and Meningococcal vaccine before entering the 7th grade. Failure to receive them before the 2026-27 school year will result in your child will not be able to attend school. If your child received a Tdap vaccine prior to entering 6th grade, they would not need another dose for 7th grade.

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, we want to make you aware of the Back-to-School Vaccination Clinics offered by the Norfolk Department of Public Health. These clinics are designed to ensure that all students are up-to-date with their vaccinations before returning to school.

For more information, schedules, and locations, please visit www.NorfolkPublicHealth.com.

To keep our ship secure and all crew members are safe, all adults must present a physical photo ID when coming aboard... NO MATTER WHAT! Thank you for helping us maintain smooth and secure sailing for every member of our crew!

As part of our regular school safety practices, Blair Middle School completed a planned lockdown drill Thursday. We are pleased to share that our students and staff did a great job following directions and practicing the procedures we have in place to help keep everyone safe.

Just like fire drills and severe weather drills, lockdown drills are a routine part of helping our school community know what to do if an emergency were ever to occur. Our goal is always to make these practices calm, age-appropriate, and focused on preparedness rather than fear.

In accordance with state requirements, we will conduct one additional lockdown drill before the end of September.

We appreciate your help in reinforcing a few simple reminders with your child:

• Take all school safety drills seriously.
• Listen carefully and follow staff directions.
• Remain calm and focused until the drill is complete.

We know that conversations about school safety can sometimes feel concerning for families and students. Please know that today’s drill was simply a scheduled safety practice, and there was no emergency or threat to our school.

We also want our families to know that open and timely communication is important to us. Should an actual safety situation occur, we are committed to being transparent and providing families with information as quickly as possible, while also ensuring that any communication we share is accurate and does not interfere with the immediate safety response.

Thank you for your continued partnership and trust. The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority, and we appreciate our Blair families for working alongside us to maintain a safe, supportive school environment for our entire Clipper Crew.

We are raising awareness and sharing resources regarding mental health.

Parents, please see the link below if your child is requesting to change an elective.
This is the last week for requests, and although we cannot guarantee class changes, we will do our best to accommodate requests when possible.
Forms must be completed using your child's NPS email address

ParentVUE is a secure web-based information management system that provides parents/guardians the ability to view their child’s assignments, grades, attendance and contact information. ParentVUE is free to all Norfolk Public Schools families and is available from any computer with internet access. In addition, ParentVUE offers app access for Android and iPhone devices. Students can access the same information via their StudentVUE account.

A ParentVUE account will provide real-time, view-only access to their student’s attendance information, class schedule, grades, missing assignments, and important district information.

To keep our voyage steady, students should be on board by 8:15 AM and ready to set sail for the day. Dismissal begins at 2:45 PM. Our doors open at 8:00 AM. STUDENTS WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO ENTER THE BUIDING BEFORE THEN. Please ensure your student is dressed appropriately for the weather. All students must pass through the weapons detector upon entry. Breakfast-bound students will enter by the cafeteria; all others head straight to homeroom to begin the day’s journey.

Arrival & Dismissal Ports:
Arrival and dismissal brings heavy traffic seas, so please be patient. Families are encouraged to set clear pickup points away from busy Manteo Ave, and we kindly ask: do not drive on Spotswood during arrival or dismissal to keep our crew safe.

• Walkers & Car Riders will disembark down the art/health hallway to Manteo

Early dismissals end at 2:00 PM—please plan ahead! If an early pickup is necessary, notify the office by 1:30 PM by email at BlairMSQuestions@nps.k12.va.us. To avoid disrupting instruction, please schedule appointments after 2:45 PM. Be mindful that with our current state testing schedule, students who are dismissed early and have not completed the assessment, will be marked as an irregularity and reported to the Virginia Department of Education. We want to ensure our students are able to show their full knowledge. Let’s keep our ship running smoothly and our students on course!

Transportation information will be available through Norfolk Public Schools prior to school opening.

Please remember:

• Verify your student's bus assignment before the first day of school.

• Versatrans My Stop allows parents to track their students' bus location and arrival times as well as receive notifications on delays or other pertinent information. It is an application that can be downloaded on the Apple or Android Store on your smartphone.https://www.npsk12.com/Page/17630

  Find Your Bus Stop: https://www.npsk12.com/domain/922

• Arrive at bus stops at least 10 minutes early.
• Ensure emergency contacts are current.
• Update phone numbers and addresses with the school office if changes occur.

Communication is one of our highest priorities. To keep communication smooth and sailing in the right direction, a weekly newsletter will be sent via email every Sunday evening. Please ensure your contact information is up to date.

If you need to send attendance notes, share important documents, or ask questions, email inbox as your direct line to the crew.

📧 BlairMSQuestions@nps.k12.va.us

You can also stay informed through:

• Blair PTA
• Blair Middle School Website
• Norfolk Public Schools Website
• School Facebook Page
• School Instagram

Blair Middle School would love to have you volunteer! Click on the link below to apply. Effective June 1, 2026, the Raptor volunteer approval process requires a background check fee of $8 or $18, depending on the volunteer activities you select.

https://www.npsk12.com/departments/stNorfolk Public Schools is working with Virtual Peace of Mind to give students free online mental health support. This program connects students with licensed counselors through safe and private video sessions. These sessions can help with feelings, stress, friendships, and other problems that may affect learning.

Joining the program is your choice. A parent or guardian must give permission first. Families can learn how to sign up by reading the information below and filling out a short form. After the form is sent, Virtual Peace of Mind will contact the parent or guardian to set up services and explain the next steps.

This program helps more students get the support they need while keeping their information private. All counseling is done by Virtual Peace of Mind and follows strict privacy laws. Norfolk Public Schools does not take part in the sessions and cannot see any personal or medical information.

Families decide if they want to use this service. No student will receive help without parent or guardian permission.

Norfolk Public Schools cares about the whole child. This program shows their commitment to helping students stay healthy and succeed in school.