Norris News

Happy Holidays, Norris Community!

As we close out trimester 1 and embrace the joy of the holiday season, we want to extend our warmest wishes to all of our learners, families, staff, and community partners. This month has been filled with excitement, connection, and incredible demonstrations of learning across our ecosystem.

One of our biggest highlights was the T1 Learner Showcase, where learners proudly presented the evidence of their learning from the trimester. Thank you to all the families, community partners, and supporters who joined us in celebrating their accomplishments—it means so much to our learners to share their growth with you.

In addition to the showcase, we enjoyed a variety of engaging activities, including a chili cook-off, a 2-ball tournament, and even a learner-and-staff obstacle course that brought out teamwork, laughter, and a whole lot of friendly competition.

As we reflect on these memorable moments, we are grateful for the energy, support, and collaboration that make the Norris ecosystem such a special place to learn and grow.

Annual Chili Contest

by Maurice Taylor

On December 3, 2025, Norris Academy held their annual chili contest with the learners. When I interviewed Norris Staff, Travis said, “There had been about 6 or 7 before today’s”. There were four different teams. One team had B, Mountain, Brexton, and Jacob as members. Another team included Jocelyn, Kya, and K. P. The third team consisted of Jay, Andre, Julian, Denver, and Ryan. The final team was comprised of Stephanie and Terrion. Travis also stated, “I liked seeing people working together and seeing how some of the new staff assimilated into the Norris norms.”

Every team's chili had a different recipe, but to me B’s team and Stephane’s team's chill looked and tasted the same. Jocelyn’s team made a chili that was buffalo chicken flavored. It looked a little reddish because they added hot sauce to it. B’s team’s chili was vegan with cornbread. The chili Ryan’s team made was traditionally flavored, with tomatoes, black beans, and jalapenos. Terrion remarked, “Ryan’s chili was spicy. It tasted like a chili mixed with soup that will heal you and had a kick to it. A little bit more meat would’ve made it better. When I eat chili, I like chili to be infused with meat at the same ratio as the chili.” The chili that Stephanie's team made had a yellow base with corn and chunks of chicken. When I asked Liam what he liked best he replied, “I loved how it tasted when I combined all of them. It tasted so good. Jay’s chili was pretty good and I want to steal it from him so I can have all of it.”

I thought to myself, “This chili contest was a very memorable experience for the learners; you don’t get to do this at other schools.”

📚ELA: Second Trimester at Norris Academy

ELA specialists Amy Enslen and Joe Dominic are excited to begin the second trimester at Norris Academy with your learner/s. They designed this curriculum to strengthen learners’ writing, reading, and critical thinking skills while still encouraging learners’ creativity and expression.

Writing

Learners will continue building their writing portfolios in Google Classroom. This trimester emphasizes three major strands of writing:

• Descriptive: Students will sharpen their ability to paint vivid pictures with words by describing familiar places, such as a classroom, cafeteria, home, or their bedroom; or everyday objects, like clothing, cars, or artwork.

• Narrative: Learners will either complete their first narrative or craft a second one, choosing to extend a previous story into a sequel or explore a new genre.

• Argumentative: Those who have already started their essays will finish them, strengthening skills in evidence-based writing and persuasive communication.

Expository Projects

Informational writing will connect classroom learning to real-world applications. Potential Projects include:

• Designing a board or card game and writing the rules.

• Planning a travel vacation, including financial considerations. Amy Enslen and Joe Dominic both believe that this will tie in with the skill Erica Odom is teaching the high school learners in financial literacy.

• Writing a biography of an adult in their life or at school, with interviews coordinated through staff. This will incorporate the skills learners garnered of organizing their writing by time in their narrative writing.

Reading

Reading instruction will be guided by NewsELA, with learners practicing comprehension and vocabulary while exploring diverse genres. Each month features a new focus:

• December: Folktales

• January: Biographies

• February: Mysteries

Looking Ahead

As the trimester progresses, Amy and Joe believe these experiences will prepare learners for greater writing and reading challenges:

• Narrative and descriptive skills will lay the groundwork for creative projects.

• Argumentative and expository writing build the foundation for research-based assignments.

📊Mathematics

Our learners across all grade levels are deep into our Geometry Unit, and the excitement is growing!

Upper high school learners are taking their learning to new dimensions as they study geometry through the lens of real-world design. They are exploring house plans and applying geometric concepts with the long-term goal of producing their own tiny house design by the end of the unit.

Older middle school and younger high school learners are becoming skilled navigators of the coordinate plane. They are learning how shapes move—through translations, rotations, reflections, and dilations—and discovering how these transformations connect to the geometry they see in the world around them.

Meanwhile, our elementary and early middle school learners are building a strong foundation by studying shapes and their properties. They are classifying, comparing, and exploring the attributes of geometric figures as they prepare for the more advanced work ahead.

It’s an exciting time for our mathematicians as they build skills that will support them for years to come!

🔬Science

This month, learners have been engaging in hands-on chemistry exploration. They investigated how different elements produce unique colors on the spectrum, created copper through chemical reactions, and applied their understanding of ions to identify six mystery substances. Using four separate experiments, learners worked to uncover what each substance was.

In addition to their lab work, learners also had the opportunity to explore outdoor science through soil investigations and by identifying various types of insects. It’s been an exciting month of discovery—both inside the classroom and out!

📜Social Studies

In Social Studies, the younger learners explored Ancient Rome, with a special focus on architecture. They were excited to discover that Rome had its own version of shopping malls, called forums, which were filled with shops and activity. They also learned that the Roman Empire stretched far beyond the city itself—and that tomatoes didn’t originally come from Rome! Their exploration uncovered many fun and surprising facts.

Our older learners studied the American Revolution, interpreting the Declaration of Independence and discussing what it might have felt like to be a Loyalist versus a Patriot. We also began examining the Constitution, with Amendment IV prompting especially thoughtful discussion.

During Thanksgiving week, all learners paused their regular schedule to reflect on the true meaning of gratitude, sharing sincere and heartfelt thoughts about the people, experiences, and things they appreciate.

We also continued our ongoing current events conversations—fun fact: pennies are no longer being produced!

We’re looking forward to Trimester 2, where we will continue exploring History, Government, Economics, and Current Events.

🔍Orientation

It has been a whirlwind in Orientation and we are proud to announce that our Hall of Vision (where we hang our vision boards) is getting quite full! It’s really rewarding to watch the relationships that are formed as new learners join Orientation. Learners who have completed their 10 days in the library often find ways to support or include the ones who are new to the space. We have been so proud of the learners who see a need and offer to help this year!

📖Library

We are continuing to promote the Kids Choice Awards, put on by the Bridges Library System. If a learner in grades 4-6 reads at least 3 of the books on the list, they will be eligible to vote for their favorite. The books are available for any learner to check out.

Writing workshops, book creation, and vocabulary exploration have continued to thrive as part of the ways the library supports academic growth this year. We had multiple learners thoughtfully engaged in the livestream of the Teens Read the National Book Award event on November 18th and are excited to announce that The Teacher of Nomad Land is this year’s winner!

Be sure to check out our library catalog and digital resources on Destiny Discover!

It’s hard to believe the first trimester has already come to an end, marking the completion of one-third of the school year. November was a productive and engaging month at Learn MKE, with our primary focus on preparing for the T1 Learner Showcase. Learners dedicated significant time to researching and refining their presentations, which were delivered at the Mukwonago campus, Norris Academy on Friday, November 21. In total, eight learners participated successfully. Congratulations to all on a job well done!

Looking Back at November and Ahead to December!

2025 is quickly coming to a close, and we have many exciting interest-based learning opportunities planned for December. But first, let’s celebrate some of the highlights from November:

• Writing Workshops

• MetaSpace ELO at Mukwonago Community Library

• Role-Playing Club

• Personal Finance Sessions with Coach Erica

• Virtual Author Visit with Raymond Santana (Exonerated 5)

• 2-Ball Tournament

• Assessing Cabins for Structural Soundness (Curiosity Lab)

• High Ropes Adventures in the Gym

• T1 Learner Showcase Presentations

These are just a few of the many exciting moments from the month. Every day brings something new—from mindfulness campfires and unique athletic activities to learner-designed obstacle courses and massive fort-building projects. Let’s finish the year strong!

T1 is officially a wrap! We’ve been on some excellent musical adventures, with some learners writing and crafting their own songs from scratch and others continuing to surprise me with the creative limits they’re willing to push. We held a chili cook-off with delicious variations, excellent flavor combinations, and plenty of help from all the right people to make it happen!

We also assessed the old bunkhouse cabins at the Norris Inc. pond with several learners and are now creating construction plans for spring. A few additional projects are already in the works, including building a greenhouse near the garden and cultivating more plants in our Academy Growroom.

Learners are seeking musical opportunities more often, and we now have a new piano generously donated by someone who worked at the Norris Adolescent Center decades ago. What a wonderful community to be part of—we’re excited for T2 and beyond!

🍂 Artventure Monthly Newsletter: November — Creativity in Full Color 🍁

November brought a season of gratitude, warm tones, and incredible artistic growth in the Artventure space. Learners embraced the fall theme with enthusiasm, creating thoughtful, textured, and heartfelt works all month long.

🍂 Fall-Inspired Creations

We started the month by exploring the beauty of autumn through fall leaf imprints in clay. Learners collected leaves, pressed them into clay, and experimented with stamping impressions to capture the delicate patterns found in nature. These pieces beautifully showcased their attention to detail and growing confidence with ceramics.

💛 Week of Service: Sharing Gratitude

In the spirit of thankfulness, learners participated in our Week of Service, creating heartfelt thank-you cards for people who matter to them, friends, family, staff, and community members. They explored thoughtful design choices and sincere messages, using art as a way to uplift and appreciate those around them.

🎨 Trimester 1 Learner Showcase

Mid-month, we celebrated an outstanding Trimester 1 Showcase, where the volume and quality of artwork truly stood out. The display surpassed previous showcases with the remarkable range of pieces learners chose to share, from ceramics and drawings to paintings and mixed-media works. Their pride and excitement filled the room, making this showcase one to remember.

🦃 Festive Fall Finishes

To wrap up November, learners enjoyed creating Thanksgiving-themed crafts, adding a playful and seasonal close to a month filled with creativity and reflection.

As we prepare to move into winter, Artventure is buzzing with anticipation for the next wave of projects and celebrations. November has truly shown just how much learners can grow when their creativity is in full color.

🍁 Here’s to an inspiring season ahead!

This month, we celebrated several learners successfully completing their program at Bakari—each moving forward on their own unique pathway. One learner, Vinny, chose to remain at Norris to finish his high school career. When asked what he appreciates most about Norris, Vinny shared, “It gives me hope.” We are thrilled to have him continue his journey with us and look forward to supporting his continued growth and success.

Mindful Seeing

For some, the absence of visual stimuli can feel stifling. After all, a healthy imagination does not come naturally to everyone.

The activity of Mindful Seeing may be helpful to anyone who identifies with this.

It is a simple exercise, requiring only a window with some kind of a view.

Follow these steps:

• Step 1: find a space at a window where there are sights to be seen outside;
• Step 2: look at everything there is to see. Avoid labeling and categorizing what you see outside the window; instead of thinking “bird” or “stop sign,” try to notice the colors, the patterns, or the textures;
• Step 3: pay attention to the movement of the grass or leaves in the breeze. Notice the many different shapes present in this small segment of the world you can see. Try to see the world outside the window from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with these sights;
• Step 4: be observant, but not critical. Be aware, but not fixated;
• Step 5: if you become distracted, gently pull your mind away from those thoughts and notice a color or shape again to put you back in the right frame of mind.

We’re excited to share that we were part of a new multi-case research study led by Education Reimagined, exploring how learner-centered education supports young people with learning differences. The series highlights how inclusion, responsiveness, and alignment can make a meaningful difference for every learner.

Alongside other education professionals, we collaborated as practitioner-researchers to uncover how starting with each learner’s strengths, needs, and interests can transform outcomes for young people. You can explore the first phase of the series here: https://education-reimagined.org/learning-differences/

More findings from this series will be released in early 2026—stay tuned!

📍Milwaukee's online guide to everything for kids, teens, & families!

https://milwaukee.kidsoutandabout.com/

📍New State Suicide Prevention Plan

Prevent Suicide Wisconsin recently released Wisconsin's Suicide Prevention Plan: Strategies for Action and Hope.

What’s a computer’s favorite snack?

Microchips

12/15-19 Winter Art Gala @ Mukwonago Community Library

Our learners’ artwork will be on display all week—stop by and celebrate their amazing artistic talents

12/19 Spirit Day: Mismatch Day

12/22-23 No School (Learners) Flexible Learning Opportunity (Staff)

12/24-25 Winter Holiday/No School

12/26-30 No School (Learners) Flexible Learning Opportunity (Staff)

12/31 New Years Eve Holiday/No School

1 Mr. Dominic (Joe)

Supporting Learners, Strengthening Community

Norris Cares, founded in 2023 by Norris School District staff, was created to meet the growing needs of learners in our community. Many learners face challenges such as food insecurity, unstable housing, and limited access to essentials like clothing and hygiene products. These hardships can make it difficult for them to focus on school, stay engaged, and believe in their potential.

We believe every learner deserves the opportunity to thrive—academically, socially, and personally. Meeting their basic needs allows learners to concentrate on learning, build confidence, and fully engage. Access to meals, warm clothing, and supplies not only supports their well-being but also fosters dignity, stability, and belonging.

The need in our community is great, and Norris Cares cannot meet it alone. We depend on the generosity of individuals, businesses, and community partners to make a difference. Monetary and physical donations—whether food, clothing, or hygiene products—are used exclusively to support learners and are distributed equitably based on need.

Your support directly impacts learners’ lives and strengthens our entire community.

For questions or to donate, contact:
Amber Ehrmann, Community Liaison
aehrmann@norrisacademywi.org

Together, we can uplift our learners and build a brighter future.

As the new school year begins, we want to remind families about items that should not be brought to school. Including items such as pillows, blankets, open beverage containers, money, and backpacks. These items can be distracting and potentially harmful, so they will not be allowed in school. For more details on our policies, please visit our website at https://norrisacademywi.org/.

https://www.norrisacademywi.org/learners-families/calendar.cfm

Please use the online absence form if your learner will not be attending school on any given day due to illness, vacation, personal leave, or another reason.

Click Here: https://tinyurl.com/onlineabsenceform

Email: hello@norrisacademywi.org
Website: https://norrisacademywi.org/
Location: W247 S10395 Center Drive Mukwonago, WI 53149
Phone: (262) 662-5911
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/norrisacademywi/
Twitter: @NorrisAcademyWi

Norris School District prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to the Title IX Coordinator. The notice of nondiscrimination is located at https://www.norrisacademywi.org/