Panther Pride Newsletter
The following students have been selected as Students of the Month. They represent “The Panther Way” through their efforts in the classroom and positive impact in the community.
We are proud to recognize their commitment, character, and hard work. Congratulations to each of our Students of the Month. Go Panthers!
September
Elementary - Elijah Brown
Middle School - Gavin Heiberg
High School - Ava Perry
HS Compact - Denny Hazen
Building Digital Bridges: A PreK–12 Approach to Healthy Tech
Technology opens incredible doors for our students, offering endless opportunities to learn, create, and connect. But as parents and educators, we all recognize the daily challenge of keeping screen time intentional rather than mindless.
Achieving a healthy balance isn't about eliminating technology, it's about changing how we interact with it. Fortunately, one of the most effective strategies for our Littlest Panthers works just as well with high school seniors: turning screens into a shared conversation.
When we treat technology as a bridge instead of an island, the dynamic changes completely:
In the Early Years: Join your young child while they play or watch. Connect what happens on screen to the physical world, like using real building blocks after a digital math game.
In Middle and High School: Watch a video together and ask open-ended questions, or invite your teenager to walk you through a digital project they completed for class.
In our classrooms, teachers use technology to spark conversation, active thinking, and collaboration, and we know so many of you are already doing this exact same thing at home. By continuing to bring that interactive approach to screen time, we can work together to keep technology where it belongs: as a powerful tool for connection and growth.
Welcome Week was a big success again this year as we welcomed all of our new students to NHS! This year, we were able to include both the incoming eighth and ninth grades as we introduced them to clubs and sports organizations, took them to the stadium to show them pep rally chants, and provided time for the students to have one-on-one sessions with their peer mentors. Special thanks to Mrs. Williams and all the upper class peer mentors who organized this entire week!
We are having a great start to our school year at Norton Middle School! Students and staff are adjusting well to our new environment and procedures. The beginning of the year assessments have been taken and now we are providing instruction and creating WIN groups. WIN groups allow us to provide targeted student interventions and enrichment.
Norton Middle School athletes continue to compete in weekly events. Currently, we have students participating in football, cheerleading, cross country, and volleyball. The hallways are filled with music from our band and choir members and the sounds of whistles in physical education classes. We are working hard every day to create a positive, supportive culture for our students and staff.
