The Weekly Words
March 1, 2026
Team,
Former Notre Dame Head Coach, Lou Holtz once said, “The times when people need love and understanding the most is often when they deserve it the least.”
Earlier this year, I shared a message in The Weekly Words about the importance of agape love, unconditional love given freely, without expectation. Now, more than ever, as we transition from winter to spring and push toward the pinnacle of our OST season, this message is critical to return to.
We are deep into the work we have been called to do. True success with our students requires grit, intentionality, energy, and patience. Most importantly, it requires agape love. Our students may not always recognize or appreciate the work and care you pour into them each day, but that is when they need it most. Thank you for showing up, for giving your best, and for making a difference in their lives, even when it isn’t always acknowledged.
Mr. Walker, M.Ed.
Principal
Hi, team!
As we head into Week 27, we are celebrating a strong, but challenging Week 26. Last week, students earned 14 referrals, 5 lunchtime pink slips, and 16 support calls, while accumulating hundreds of Dojo points for demonstrating the Noble Big 4, participating in 2x Tuesday, and being on time. Please continue making it a daily habit to check the Daily Discipline Log, ensure students assigned to ALC bring sufficient work, and contact families the same day when submitting referrals, logging the communication in PLP. Staff are encouraged to consider developing grade-level behavior incentive plans to strengthen positive culture before Spring Break. Remember that positive referrals can be submitted using the same process as negative referrals, and students who receive them will get a celebratory call home from admin.
As a refresher from our recent professional learning, keep the thinking with students, remember that the person doing the most thinking is doing the most learning. We will celebrate our February Allstars on 3/13, so please update slides by 3/9 at 1 p.m. and email if you still need shirts. Our average daily attendance sits at 92.7%, with strong improvement from January to February, though chronic absenteeism has slightly increased to 24.1%, so please continue making Caring Calls and reinforcing the importance of daily attendance.
Ms. Barrett
Assistant Principal
Shout-out to the 4th Grade Team for their amazing work on the Black History Month Research Projects and Exhibition! Their dedication to guiding students through meaningful research, fostering creativity, and celebrating important historical contributions made this project a memorable and impactful learning experience.
It was wonderful to see strong literacy instruction in Ms. Larson and Ms. Wynn’s classroom as students practiced letter sounds and built sentences.
Shout-out to Ms. Hubbard for checking in on her students during her plan period and reinforcing both accountability and encouragement in ALC, those moments make a lasting impact!
Shout-out to Ms. Patton for stepping up and leading the campus, alongside Ms. Burkey and Ms. Ohlinger as Mr. Walker and Ms. Barrett were in and out throughout the week!
Shout-out to Mrs. Hui for thoughtfully planning and facilitating an important and meaningful conversation with a parent. Her professionalism, care, and commitment to building strong partnerships with families truly make a difference in supporting our students.
Shout-out to the Third Grade Team—Mrs. DiDona, Mrs. Cohen, and Mrs. Bruce—for designing and launching a meaningful behavior incentive to support student growth and accountability. Their collaboration, clarity in setting expectations, and commitment to student ownership reflect their dedication to fostering a positive and supportive learning environment.
Shout-out to Mrs. Salvatore and Ms. Ward for their collaboration through co-planning and co-instruction. Their willingness to try new approaches and work together reflects a strong commitment to doing what is best for students.
Shout-out to Mrs. Holyk for her outstanding work with pull-out groups and for consistently stepping in to support students, especially when the building is short-handed
Shout-out to all teachers for a successful Grade Level Team Meetings last week! Your collaboration, thoughtful discussion, and commitment to student growth made the meetings productive and meaningful.
Mrs. Futchi is a dedicated and passionate kindergarten teacher who brings warmth, experience, and enthusiasm to Noble Elementary. She holds a Reading Endorsement from Notre Dame College and is a graduate of Bowling Green State University and Mentor High School. Mrs. Futchi began her teaching journey under strong mentorship and has since worked with students across multiple grade levels, always focusing on building confidence and a love of learning in every child.
Outside the classroom, Mrs. Futchi enjoys reading, working out, and watching soccer. She loves cheering on her adult children in their sports, listening to Taylor Swift, supporting Cleveland sports teams, and enjoying a little chocolate whenever she can.
Don't See you name? Please be sure to complete our Staff Interest Survey!
March Birthdays
3/19 - Ms. Mazzone
3/20 - Ms. Copez
I would like to correct information that was shared last week. Friday was not the deadline for purchase orders and supply requests. We still have until March 20 to submit POs and purchases. I appreciate Ms. Graham’s efforts to support staff in securing end-of-year supplies and materials before leaving, but there is still time.
The deadline for Professional Development requests has now passed. Thank you to everyone who submitted those ahead of the deadline. I apologize for any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused. Please know there is still time to collaborate with your teams regarding EOY supply and ordering needs.
Moving forward, Ms. Murray is in the process of receiving training to manage Noble's budget and support staff in submitting requests in advance of the March 20 deadline.
Staff Meeting – Tuesday, Media Center
Tentative Agenda:
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Celebrations, including Teacher/Staff Member of the Month (TOM/SOM)
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Quick Hit Updates
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PBIS/TAP Updates
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OST Updates
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Monthly Priorities
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795 Union Time
Looking forward to seeing everyone there!
Noble Elementary Book Fair
When: March 9 – March 13
Where: Noble Elementary School Media Center
Shop Online: https://www.noblepta.org/book-fair
Come explore a wonderful selection of books and support our school!
Noble Elementary is excited to host our 4th Grade Concert on Thursday, March 12! Students will perform for the whole school during a 2:30 p.m. assembly, and families are invited to join us for the evening performance at 6:00 p.m. in the school auditorium. We can’t wait to celebrate the hard work and musical talents of our students!
Creative Heights 2025-2026 Art Show
April 11- May 8
Mark your calendars for the opening reception
Where: Lee Road Library
When: April 14 8-8 PM
Award presentation at 7PM
This year, you will continue to submit your Noble TAP concerns using a secure Google Form. You may be asked to include your name, which will be visible only to Daniel Hershman-Rossi and Kimberly Holyk, our 795 Building Stewards.
If you prefer to remain anonymous, simply indicate this in your submission. However, please keep in mind that providing your name allows for more effective follow-up and resolution of your concern. Thank you for your attention to this process. Please be on the lookout for the updated form below.
Mrs. Holyk
Mr. Hershman-Rossi
Noble Elementary
Building Stewards
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.
Last fall, we shared how you can set up an Appointment Schedule in Google Calendar. This has been a favored way to schedule conferences because it syncs with my calendar and lets teachers easily share Google Meet links with families. If you set up a fall schedule, then you are going to do the same steps to make a spring schedule; step-by-step directions are below. The great thing is now you have 2 conference schedules in your Google Calendar that you can use again and again every year. You can find them under the Bookings pages tab in the left menu of Google Calendar.
Here is how you can set up an appointment schedule in Calendar. If you'd rather see it than read it, check out this video.
1. Open Calendar and select the dropdown menu on the Create button. Select Appointment Schedule.
2. On the next screen, complete the details for your conference block.
- Give it a title
- Change the duration of the appointment blocks
- Change the availability to does not repeat
- Add the conference days and times under availability
- Set a buffer time if needed in booked appointment settings
- Set the location and conferencing to none/to be determined later
- Add directions for people scheduling a conference in the description
- Under booking form add items for people to say their conference type: virtual or in-person and student's name
- Do not check to require email verification
- Set when you want Calendar to send a reminder email (I suggest 1 week before and 1 day before)
OST is right around the corner. Please take a few moments to review the OST Draft, which includes a tentative testing schedule. Your feedback is essential, add any questions, concerns, or suggestions directly into the sheet so we can refine the plan and ensure a smooth and successful testing experience for our students and staff.
Grades are to be updated in Infinite Campus every two weeks. The following posting schedule has been created for the 2025-2026 school year for all teachers to follow.
Level 3 – Active Shooter Response:
For our drill on March 9 at 9:30 a.m.:
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Close and lock doors immediately.
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Keep students away from doors and out of view.
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Pause instruction and ensure everyone is silent.
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Do not open the door for anyone until an administrator releases the lockdown.
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Additional procedures, including actions for common areas and detailed guidance, are outlined in the Emergency Handbook.
Remember: the priority is to secure the room, keep students safe, and follow directions from law enforcement when they arrive.
The Summer Employment Opportunities Form for summer school is now open. If you are interested in working during summer school, please fill out the form by Friday, April 10, 2026. Staffing decisions will be made and communicated by Friday, April 17, 2026.
Below are important dates/times for summer school:
- Summer School Dates: June 8-July 17 (no school on June 19 or July 3)
- Summer School Teacher Hours: 8:00-12:30pm
- Optional Virtual Q&A Session: March 5 from 4:00-4:30pm (link to attend)
- Form Submissions Close: Friday, April 10
- Staffing Decisions Communicated: Friday, April 17
- Required All Staff Training: Wednesday, May 20 from 4-5pm (compensated)
- Required Teacher Training: Tuesday, June 2nd (compensated)
- Elementary Teachers: 8:30am-3:30pm
I wanted to ensure you were all aware that there has been an adjustment in Clarity Session 4 dates.
- Clarity Cohort 1 was scheduled to take place on 3/10. This has not changed.
- Clarity Cohort 2 was scheduled to take place on 3/11. Due to parent-teacher conferences district-wide, this date is being moved to 3/9.
Mr. Patton is contacting Renhill to adjust this day for subs, no action needed on your end.
The District's Local Professional Development Committee (LPDC) will hold virtual meetings for any certificated staff members who have questions about renewing their licenses. The next meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 18, at 4 p.m.
The LPDC renewal requirements and the meeting links can be found here.
Our next fire drill is March 17, at 2:43 p.m.
