4/28/22- Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting/Haines Center 6:00-8:00pm/Haines Center
5/09/22- School Board Meeting/Haines Center 7pm/Haines Center
5/16/22- Learning and Teaching Committee Meeting 5:30pm/Haines Center
5/25/22- Last Day For Students
5/26/22- Business Services Meeting 5:30pm/Haines Center

This week is Autism Awareness Week. It is important for our Eagles to know that people with Autism are everywhere living happy, successful lives. While they have some characteristics that are different from neurotypical peers, there is not a single thing that needs to be changed about our friends with Autism. Here at Norton Creek, we celebrate all people, and in instances of people with disabilities, we always are sure to put each person ahead of their disability. We don't pretend someone does not have Autism - to do so would be to ignore an important piece of who they are. However, we also teach our Eagles to put the person first. If a friend has a disability that they've let you know about, take the opportunity to learn about it so you can understand your friend. This is what makes a time like Autism Awareness Week such a special opportunity.

Yesterday was our final Early Release Day for the school year which also means it was our last CommUNITY Day for the school year. With Early Release changing the schedule on what was often the final Wednesday of the month, it presented Norton Creek with an opportunity to make the day extra special - focusing on what makes each of us uniquely awesome and simultaneously celebrating what unites us as well. This year, Eagles participated in team building activities, games, creative expressions of art, and what many would call their favorite part of CommUNITY Day...watching animated shorts on themes of kindness. While we had a team of amazing staff working to put these days together, I want to recognize our school social worker, Amanda Ruscheinsky. Miss Amanda as our Eagles call her took the lead on putting together the lion's share of each CommUNITY Day, and each month, just hit the ball out of the park. Thank you, Miss Amanda, for giving our Eagles experiences, lessons, and memories that they'll never forget!

Yesterday was also Administrative Professionals' Day, and I want to take a moment to highlight two amazing administrative assistants in Theresa and Dena. They had the challenge of joining us right at the start of the pandemic era when life was at its most unpredictable, and have done incredible work from their first day onward. They're the first faces you see when you register and even walk in the building, they have all the answers to your questions, they have to-do lists ten miles long, and they do it all with a smile. They've certainly made my life at Norton Creek wonderful, and I hope they've done the same for you too.

That's a wrap, Norton Creek! Have a wonderful weekend making memories with your favorite people!

D303 Summer Camp is here. Starting on April 5-April 18, 2022. Please click on the link to sign up for any summer camps. Click on this link to go to the summer camp page.

Join The Orchestra!

Calling all 2nd and 3rd Graders!

Join our fabulous Norton Creek Orchestra!

All current 2nd graders, and any 3rd graders who aren't already in orchestra are eligible to join the orchestra for the 2022 - 2023 school year.

2nd Graders - choose the instrument you like the best! The instruments of the orchestra are: violin, viola, cello and bass

Check out our website for more information: D303 Orchestra Program

Parents, please join us via Zoom at one of these two informational meetings to learn more about the orchestra program, how to rent an instrument and when we get started.

Orchestra (New Parent) Information Meeting - you need only attend one

Wednesday, May 4

7:00PM

Wednesday, May 4 7:00PM New Orchestra Parent Meeting

Thursday, May 5

7:00PM

Thursday, May 5 7:00PM New Orchestra Parent Meeting

Ready to Join? You can enroll right here! Beginning Orchestra Enrollment Link

Kindergarten thru 5th Grades-

8:00am-3:00pm

Students can be dropped off at 7:45am for the school day. It you arrive before that time please keep your child with you until 7:45 as there is no supervision outside until then.

Our school office is open from 7:30am until 4:00pm on school days.

Please call the school attendance line if your student will be absent/tardy/leaving early from Remote Learning at 331-228-2700. Please spell your students first and last name or their student ID number when you leave a message. If you are emailing the teacher please also email nor-office@d303.org indicate students first and last name.

Students must apply for the privilege of using prearranged absence days through the principal’s office.

This completed form must be turned in at least (2) school days prior to the requested absence to the main office.

The building principal or designee has the authority to grant up to (5) days of excused absence per year

for the following types of absences:

 Participation in regional and/or national contests or awards

 Family vacation—qualified by the phrase “accompanied by parent”

 Special religious events

LUNCH SCHEDULES:

5th Grade: 10:50-11:10

2nd Grade:11:15-11:35

Kindergarten: 11:40-12:00

1st Grade: 12:05-12:25

3rd Grade: 12:30-12:50

4th Grade: 12:55-1:15

If your student forgets their lunch please email the classroom teacher and drop off at the main office. Please label with the students full name.

The D303 donation drive for Bernie’s Book Bank will be held for one week, April 25-29, 2022, at all D303 schools. Please consider bringing in new and gently used children’s books for birth through 6th grade to one of the D303 schools during the donation drive. Parents or students may place books in the collection bins located in the front hallway. D303’s goal for the 2022 donation drive is 20,000 books. Every book will help us reach our goal.

Please check that the books you are sending fit the following criteria:

Donate to Bernie’s Book Bank-

Birth through 6th grade only

Must be in good physical condition

Books written in English or Spanish

Storybooks

Board books

Chapter books

Recent nonfiction and graphic novels

Keep or donate elsewhere-

Languages other than English and Spanish

Young adult (Ex. Hunger Games, John Green novels…)

Adult books (Ex. “Chicken Soup” books)

Religious books

LRC books (Contact Bernie’s Book Bank to get more information about what they will accept.)

Reference books (dictionaries, atlases…)

Textbooks or test prep books

Magazines

Outdated nonfiction (Ex. technology books published before 2017)

Science project books

Activity Books (Ec. cookbooks, sticker books with no story or with missing stickers, gaming books with no story, books for handwriting practice,,,)

Self-help books (Ex. The Care and Keeping of You, why parents get divorced, how to deal with death, bullying…)

Poor physical condition

Torn or bent covers

Torn pages]

Heavy marking

Mildew/mold

Off odor

Very yellow pages

Cracked bindings

Hardcover books with cardboard showing in the corner

Noise making buttons that don’t work

VIRTUAL VARIETY SHOW

Who is ready to see some Talent?!! Our second ever virtual variety show will be shown at school Friday, April 29th as well as a link sent home to parents! So proud of all our Eagles who participated and a GIANT thank you to the Co-Chairs, Michael Grudecki, Joy Krelle and Corinne Robbins-Jones that stepped up again and pulled this all together.

BASKET RAFFLE nortoncreekbasketraffle@gmail.com

We need volunteers to work a 30 minute shift at the Basket Raffle event on Friday May 6th! You can sign up in MTK. Food for pre-order and online ticket sales for the baskets CLOSES Friday April 29th. We are so excited to be back in person for this fun night!

5th GRADE PARENTS

We NEED volunteers to help with our 5th grade Amazing Race game on May 25th. See MTK for volunteer sign ups. Please note that the 5th grade farewell party moved from May 20th to May 25th

TEACHER APPRECIATION dd7collins@gmail.com

Volunteers that signed up to donate items can start dropping things off in the office on Friday April 29th and the morning of May 2nd. Don’t forget to participate in the fun spirit week that week as well! See flyer below.

SCHOOL SUPPLY PACKS FOR 2022-23 Ruhstofer2008@yahoo.com

School Supply packs are available now for purchase! We used a different vendor this year that several other D303 schools use with great success. Ordering is so simple. Avoid the crowds and prices at the stores and order HERE. Ordering is open until June 12th and the supplies will be delivered to the school the first week of August.

PTO COMMITTEE OPEN POSITIONS FOR 2022-23 nortoncreekptopresident@gmail.com

Thank you very much to those who have already volunteered to chair or co-chair a PTO committee next year! Your help is greatly appreciated! There are still several committee chair positions open for 2022-23. Check out the JOB DESCRIPTIONS to see all of these fun opportunities. Contact Maggie McPike Carlson, PTO President, or Kaisa Davis, PTO Vice President with any questions.

AMAZONSMILE nortorcreekptopresident@gmail.com