Warriors,

Each year I am asked to give some remarks at the Norwalk Area Chamber of Commerce Holiday Lunch. I look forward to this annual event as it affords me the opportunity to highlight the wonderful partnerships that exist in our school community.  My comments this year focused on thanking Kate Baldwin, NCSD Executive Director of Administrative Services, for her years of dedicated service and providing a current enrollment update, enrollment projections update, construction updates, and expressing support for the Chamber’s efforts to grow our community. 

The NCSD is currently serving 3,426 students in grades K-12 and is projected to grow by 100 students per year for the next 10 years.  We are nearing full completion of the NPECC and Classroom Addition project, which was made possible by the non-residential property valuation increases within our school district boundaries.  Part of that growth will allow the NCSD to complete a $660,000 project at our District Office over the next year.  This project will help us expand office space, improve restrooms, and add a larger conference room/boardroom to better serve our expanding community and staff.  Thank you chamber members for your support of the Norwalk CSD!

I would like to send a special thank you to Lucinda Sperry, former Norwalk Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director who has done a fantastic job in that role and will continue to serve the NCSD and Norwalk through her new role at the Warren County Economic Development Corp.  Welcome to Lauren Ebensteiner, the new Executive Director of the Norwalk Area Chamber of Commerce!

We are hiring! Our district’s best recruiters are staff members, families, and community members. If you know someone who is interested in becoming an NCSD paraprofessional, substitute, maintenance worker, nutrition worker, bus driver or van driver, please encourage them to apply online at: https://www.applitrack.com/norwalkcsd/onlineapp/_application.aspx?starting=true

Yours in service,

D.T. Magee

Listen -  Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

NHS Photography Class Update

Student photographers at Waukee Apex’s Intern Event: Elise B. (Photo 2 alum), Chase C., Allison G. Sierra H. (Photo 2 alum), Lennon J, Max Z.

At NHS, Photo 1 & 2 seeks to give students a work-based learning experience, investigating various areas of the photographic industry through the projects assigned, collaborations between other CTE courses, and guest speakers. Projects vary from action, landscape, black & white images, light writing and food photography, all photographed in manual mode where students are adjusting all three aspects of the exposure triangle for proper exposures. Students collaborate with several other groups on campus including Yearbook staff, fall play cast members, Interns, and culinary arts students. Photography students cover athletic events on campus to contribute to NHS’ yearbook, give play cast members & Interns their headshots, and explore food styling and photography with culinary arts peers. Several students attended an event at Waukee’s Apex building to give over 200 Interns from across the metro their headshots as well. Other assignments include a Passion Project where students can choose their subject matter and a Photographer Gallery presentation on a famous photographer and their most iconic images.

The Photography program’s annual fundraiser gives Show Choir members from the middle school and high school teams their headshots in digital download form and buttons for their fans to wear at competitions. The funds raised help purchase mirrorless cameras to replace their 2008 fleet.

To learn about different areas of the industry from experts in that field, guest speakers have ranged from nationally known studio owners, award-winning local photographers, Meredith Corporation Director of Photography, National Geographic photographers & editors, military photo reconnaissance pilots, and a Pulitzer-Prize winning photojournalist to name a few. 

As Photo 1 wraps up its current semester, they have welcomed the following guest speakers: 

• Matthew Putney, Associated Press & ESPN photographer
• Calyn Thompson & Randy Schumacher of WHOTV Channel 13 News, photojournalism
• SFC Marc Brown & Sergeant Rachel White of the Iowa National Guard to speak on Public Affairs/Communications in the military

Next semester, includes a lineup of the following: 

• Joe McNally, National Geographic photographer based out of New York
• SarahBeth Maney, staff photojournalist, The Detroit Free Press
• A field trip to Central College to visit their Communications Department to see how imagery and communications/marketing collaborate

Photo 1 & 2 are considered to be CTE (Career & Technical Education) classes, and are open to students grades 9-12 at NHS. You can follow our work on Instagram @NHSPhotoPhactory.

Examples of student work below:

Photo Credit: Allison G.

Photo Credit: Ary B.

Photo credit: Lydia K.

Photo credit: Carson M.

Photo cred: Ashlynn P.

Norwalk CSD Demographer Report for 2022

The Norwalk CSD has received the 2022 Demographer Report from RSP & Associates. An RSP representative presented this information to the NCSD Board of Directors on Monday, December 12. Thank you to the cities of Norwalk, Cumming, West Des Moines and Warren County for your assistance with this annual project. The Norwalk CSD is projected to grow by approximately 100 students per year for the next 10 years.

Illness Reminder for Norwalk Schools

Norwalk Parents and Families,

There has been a sharp increase in illness in elementary and secondary buildings the past month. RSV, Influenza, Strep, Vomiting/diarrhea and Covid are causing large numbers of absences. 

The following are a few reminders regarding illness:

* Please screen your student for illness before school and keep him/her home if not feeling well. 

* Don't give a fever-reducing medication before sending your child to school if he/she isn't feeling well. Keep him/her home to monitor for fever. Temperatures are generally lower in the mornings, so if your child has a low grade fever early in the day, medication may mask a fever/illness as the day progresses.

* Students with a temperature of 100.4 or higher must be home for 24 hours AFTER the fever is gone, without fever reducing medication.

* Students experiencing vomiting or diarrhea must be home for 24 hours following the last episode of vomiting or diarrhea.

Please see the illness guide for parents:

https://www.norwalkschools.org/app/uploads/2021/08/Nurse-illness-guidance-for-parents-Aug-2021-1.pdf

Please contact the nurse in your child's building if you have questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Kendall Verwers, Oviatt Nurse

Kara Greenlee, Orchard Hills Nurse

Shawna Neifert, Lakewood Nurse

Laura Johnson, Middle School Nurse

Diana Duffy, High School Nurse

Norwalk activities will start back up the week of Jan. 2nd! As we kick off the new year, please consider supporting our warriors by attending our events in 2023!

Join Our Team! 

Join our amazing team in the Norwalk Community School District! We have full-time and part-time open positions for custodians, maintenance, bus drivers and nutrition! Apply Online at https://www.norwalkschools.org/.../human.../jobpostings/

State Dance: The NHS Dance Team perform at State Dance in late November. Photos by Carson McConkey and Aryanna Backer 

Upcoming Important Dates:

Dec. 23 - Jan. 3: No School K-12 (Winter Break)

Jan. 4: First Day of School for 2023

Jan. 16: No School (Teacher Work Day & Martin Luther King Jr. Day)