The Weekly Words
8/30/26
Team,
Last year, at this time, we anchored our work in two essentials: leading with agape love and using our strategic minds to "crack the code" of student learning. Building on that foundation doesn't mean doing more, it means making our approach simpler, sharper, and more direct. This week, our primary focus across both academics and culture is Be Seen Looking.
Culturally, being seen looking shows our students we care enough to notice the small wins, track their engagement, and hold the line on high expectations with warmth and presence. Academically, "cracking the code" isn't about staring at complex spreadsheets for hours; it is simply the act of scanning the room, actively observing where a student gets stuck, and adjusting our next step in real time.
As you move through your classrooms and assessments this week, use that active eye to answer these three simple questions:
What is one specific thing multiple students struggled with? (Notice it in the moment—whether it's misreading directions, a specific math step, or key vocabulary.)
Why did that trip them up? (Was it a quick miscue, or a deeper conceptual gap?)
What is one quick change I can make tomorrow to clear it up? (A 5-minute reteach, a adjusted visual, or targeted small-group practice.)
Data is just a conversation between what we taught and what students understood, and being seen looking ensures we never miss our side of the dialogue. When we lead with love, every misconception, academic or behavioral, is just an invitation to guide them forward. Let's make it a great Week 3!
Mr. Walker, M.Ed.
Principal
Team,
The wait is almost over! A reminder that Dr. Michelle Watson’s official start date at Noble will be Tuesday, September 8, right after Labor Day weekend. In learning more about her work at Fairfax last year, one area where Dr. Watson truly shines is her hands-on leadership during caring contact with families. She is exceptionally comfortable stepping in as a thought partner and hands-on support for teachers during calls and family meetings; whether you are navigating attendance patterns, supporting a student falling behind academically, or delivering a dose of extra agape love and care to a family in need.
We are so fortunate to welcome her energy and talent to Noble, get ready to give her the warm, enthusiastic welcome she deserves on September 8!
Ms. Sisto, Ms. Costanzo, and Mr. Baker for leading our Instrument "Petting Zoo" and giving our students a hands-on experience that might ignite a lifelong passion for music!
Our K-Crew for coordinating outfits for a fun Friday and bringing great spirit with their shirt design!
Titan and Zoey for winning prizes in our Back-to-School Assembly Raffle!
Our Phenomenal Pre-K Team for their incredible leadership in smoothly transitioning our youngest learners and their families into the Noble and CH-UH community!
Mrs. Barrancotto for having her students review the Tiger Pledge before starting the day to show Noble Pride and maintain accountability!
Mrs. Boyles for hosting a packed house and bringing fantastic energy to Curriculum Night!
All Staff Members for your energy and efforts in making Curriculum Night an overall success!
Mrs. Futchi for continuing to "sweat the small stuff" by keeping her students in straight lines during transitions to Discovery Lab!
The Entire Noble Staff and Student Body for an incredible job during our first fire drill, getting everyone out of the building in under 3 minutes with quiet lines and following directions the first time!
To help keep all of our essential resources, templates, schedules, and administrative updates organized in one central hub, please take a moment to join our Noble Staff Resource Google Classroom.
Having everyone connected ensures you’ll always have quick access to the tools and information you need throughout the school year.
As we enter a new school year, we look forward to partnering with the district testing team for Gifted Instruction, led by Katie Maric and Suzanne Nelson. We are excited that Mr. Cohen will be with us full-time this year to bridge gifted strategies directly into our classrooms. He will join our TBTs on a monthly grade-level rotation, sharing high-leverage enrichment resources like Beast Academy and Scholastic Storybooks to help elevate rigor for all learners.
September: 2nd Grade
October: 1st Grade
November: Kindergarten
December / January: 3rd Grade
February: 4th Grade
March: 5th Grade
April: Flexible Rotation (Grade 3–5 focus: OST support & test preparation)
May: Flexible Rotation (Grades K–2 focus: Acadience, MAP, & end-of-year data review)
Mr. Cohen will also work with our Intervention Specialists at our Monthly TBT meetings as well to support twice identified students.
Expanding our gifted identification not only opens transformative opportunities for our students, but it also directly strengthens our school and district report card measures. The gifted testing referral window officially opens the week of September 8, 2026, with testing beginning that same week. When a staff member, family, or student requests testing, our Gifted Intervention Specialist will submit the initial referral form to initiate the electronic parent consent and scheduling process. Thank you in advance for welcoming the district testing team into our building, providing quiet spaces for student assessments, and leaning into Mr. Cohen’s expertise this year!
Don't See you name? Please be sure to complete our Staff Interest Survey!
September Birthdays
September 6: Mrs. Holyk
September 7: Ms. Hagan
September 12: Ms. Alexis
September 19: Mrs. Ohlinger
September 30: Ms. Burkey
Attendance & Enrollment:
We have a K-5 Enrollment of 309 students. We have a Pre-K enrollment of 25 students. So far this year, our building has 95.7% average daily attendance.
August:
- KG - 99.65%
- 1st - 89.97%
- 2nd - 95.45%
- 3rd - 96.73%
- 4th - 95.92%
- 5th - 96.90%
Chronic Absenteeism (CA) at Noble
Current CA Rate: 13.4% (Increase from 12.1% last week)
- KG - N/A
- 1st - 26.7%
- 2nd - 12.2%
- 3rd - 10.5%
- 4th - 20%
- 5th - 7.5%
Chronic Absenteeism at Noble
We met last year's Chronic Absenteeism Goal! Our goal this year is 20.8%! Let's continue to call and make contact with families each time we notice extended absence. Let's be proactive and use events like Curriculum Night to touch base with families with history of CA.
Sean Patton will be visiting Noble to deliver brief, 15-to-20-minute presentations to each grade level. These annual sessions provide students with age-appropriate guidance on Title IX rights, positive behavior expectations, and their responsibilities under the Student Code of Conduct.
Schedule:
4th Grade: 9:05–9:20 a.m.
Kindergarten: 9:20–9:40 a.m.
3rd Grade: 9:40–10:00 a.m.
5th Grade: 10:00–10:20 a.m.
2nd Grade: 10:20–10:40 a.m.
1st Grade: 10:40–10:55 a.m. (then go directly to lunch)
Pre-K: Mrs. Jacobs - please let me know a time that works. Mrs. Hui - I will address Title IX during the 9/3 pop-in.
As we kick off the new school year, we want to ensure your voice and concerns are heard. Please use the TAP form to log any building climate concern(s). We are currently finalizing the updated TAP link for the 26-27 SY and will share it with the team shortly!
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.
As you likely know, the first step with Evaluation Cycles is to meet and review your PGP. Please use this link to sign-up for a 20-minute slot with me. Our Noble PGP deadline is October 5, 2026. Therefore, our meeting has to be on or before that date. Note - I can add more times if these slots do not work for you; just let me know if you need that.
In preparation for our meeting, please have a draft of your PGP ready and in the Ohio Evaluation System for OTES 2.0 prior to our meeting time. Keep in mind that your goals should be aligned to our Noble One Plan and include one academic goal and one culture goal.
For the PGP, please ensure it is written as a SMART goal.
I look forward to discussing your professional goals and learning a bit more about you. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!
The fall MAP Growth testing window opens on Monday, August 24 and closes Friday, September 18.
Find key steps for what to do Before, During, and After testing, along with Frequently Asked Questions for each phase here. See the August 20 email from Becky McDonald for more details. Schedule a session with Becky to review your MAP data, plan next steps, or troubleshoot testing.
PLEASE ENTER YOUR TESTING DATES USING THE LINK BELOW.
Starting the year strong during Beginning of Year Acadience testing is critical as we relentlessly pursue a 4-Star Rating for Noble, proving to our community that every student can thrive. Because state report card metrics measure Early Literacy growth from BOY to BOY across school years, these fall scores directly impact our upcoming report card. We cannot afford a slow start and must build targeted intervention groups and student focus lists immediately to maximize growth and hit our targets.
The open enrollment period is the time for eligible employees to make changes to their medical, prescription, dental and/or vision coverage. Whether or not you are making changes to your coverage, you have paperwork to turn in by September 4.
- If you are making changes, please sign and submit the open enrollment information form (Circle YES) and the MMO Enrollment Form to Lindsay Smith by Friday, September 4.
- If you are not making changes, please sign the open enrollment information form (Circle NO) and submit to Lindsay Smith by Friday, September 4.
See the August 24 email from Lindsay Smith for more details.
Notices for Public School Works trained were sent out on August 28. All assigned coursework must be completed by September 30.
