Friday, December 19, 2025

Principal's Message

Nord Families,

On behalf of the entire Walter G. Nord faculty and staff, we would like to wish you and your family a very happy holiday season. We hope everyone enjoys a safe, restful, and memorable break filled with time spent with family and loved ones.

As a reminder, Winter Break begins on Monday, December 22nd, and continues through Monday, January 5th. Students will return to school on Tuesday, January 6th.

As we conclude the second grading period and first semester, I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to our Nord families. Your continued support and partnership with our dedicated staff and students have played an important role in making this another successful year at Walter G. Nord School. It is hard to believe we are already halfway through the school year!

Take care,

Nick Toney

Principal, Walter G. Nord School

Congratulations Comet Impact Raffle Winners and Staff Members of the Month!

Congratulations to our Comet Impact Raffle Winners! Over 150 students were recognized in the second grading period!

Congratulations to our Comet Impact Staff Members of the month for December: Mrs. Karnik, Miss Ciesla, Mrs. Morron, and Mrs. Dimacchia. These staff members go above and beyond to make our students feel supported and always demonstrate their Comet Impact daily!

Walter G. Nord School Updates

As a reminder, there will be no school on Monday, January 5th, as this day is designated for staff professional development.

As we look ahead to January, please note the following important information:

Beginning January 6th, free universal breakfast will be available to all Amherst K–12 students. Free breakfast is provided by the Nutrition Services fund which is separate from the General Fund. Our Nord students will be offered a grab and go breakfast starting at 8:20am when the building opens.
Also on January 6th, students will participate in a schoolwide review of our Comet Impact expectations—being respectful, responsible, and safe—through interactive stations prepared by our Comet Impact team.
Mid-year benchmarking assessments will take place upon our return from Winter Break. Students receiving Title services and high-dosage tutoring will complete mid-year benchmark assessments, and all students will take the NWEA MAP assessment in mathematics and reading. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher.
Below you will find two helpful resources: the Lorain County Education Service Center parent newsletter for December and our pre-planned absence request form. Please remember that this form must be completed at least two weeks in advance for any pre-planned absence. If you have any questions regarding your child's attendance, please contact the main office.

Amherst Cinemas Trip

Thank you to Amherst Cinemas and our generous Nord PTO for making our trip to Amherst Cinemas on December 18th possible! Thanks to their support, our students were able to enjoy a fun and memorable experience outside of the classroom. We truly appreciate the continued support of our PTO and community partners in creating meaningful opportunities for our students!

Holiday Spirit Week Highlights

Comet Pride was on full display this past week during our Holiday Spirit Week at Walter G. Nord School! Our Nord staff and students went above and beyond to spread holiday cheer by participating in themed spirit days, dressing festively, and bringing positive energy into the building each day. The excitement and enthusiasm throughout the school created a joyful atmosphere and helped strengthen our sense of community. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make Holiday Spirit Week such a fun and memorable experience for our students!

Reading With the Comets

Are you looking for a great book to read? Our Nord students have you covered! Mrs. Schwartz, our Technology Instructional Coach, hosts a student podcast called Reading with the Comets. On the podcast, students share book recommendations, favorite characters, and thoughts on the books they love.

Students can apply to be on the podcast using a Google Form, and those selected record an episode with Mrs. Schwartz. Episodes are emailed to students and are also available on Spotify. Some of the authors featured have even reached out after listening to the podcast!

Reading with the Comets is a fun way to discover new books and gives students a real-world audience to share their excitement.

Click here for the catalog of episodes or follow the podcast on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/beth-schwartz/

Students interested in applying to be on the podcast can find the Google Form on their ClassLink launchpad.

Nord Puzzle Buddies Club

Our Nord Puzzle Buddies Club has been spreading holiday cheer throughout the community by sharing their love of teamwork and puzzle-building this season. On Friday, December 5th, club members proudly participated in Miracle on Main Street, connecting with the community and representing Nord with Comet Pride. During their December meetings, students have also been creating handmade cards and gifts for the residents of Amherst Manor, bringing joy to others through their creativity and kindness. Thank you to Miss Maria and Mrs. Hershiser for their leadership and dedication in guiding this wonderful group!

Best Buddies Friendship Walk

We are excited to share that our school will be participating in this year’s Best Buddies Friendship Walk on Saturday May 2nd, and we would love for you to join us! Whether you choose to register and attend, or donate, your support makes an incredible difference.

Joining the Friendship Walk as a school team is a wonderful way to bring together students, teachers, families, and staff in celebration of inclusion and friendship for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

The Best Buddies Friendship Walk celebrates inclusion, friendship, and community, and our school team is proud to walk alongside families in support of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This event helps promote a culture of acceptance, kindness, and belonging—values we strive to uphold every day.

The Walk gives our students a meaningful opportunity to make a positive impact in their community. It fosters school spirit, strengthens relationships, and creates lasting memories for everyone involved. For our students in Best Buddies, having their peer buddy attend can be especially meaningful and reinforces their friendship.

We hope you’ll consider being part of this special event.

Fourth Grade Student Companies

Fourth Grade students in Mrs. Stellwagen's class have been working on an entrepreneurship unit for the last few weeks. Students were placed into student companies based on products they were interested in manufacturing. Within these “companies” they collaborated to complete business plans, learn about supply and demand, marketing and advertising strategies, as well as financial responsibility through budgets. Students manufactured their products with the help of parent “supervisors” and sold their products today with play money to each other with a personal budget. Thank you to all of our parent volunteers who joined us!

HB 96: Type 1 Diabetes Notification

HB 96 (Section 3313.7118) – Requires each public school, as defined in section 3301.28 of the Revised Code, and chartered nonpublic school that serves elementary school students shall provide either an electronic or paper copy of the informational materials described in section 3707.61 of the Revised Code to each student's parent or guardian on the student's enrollment in elementary school.

Walter G. Nord School Staff Spotlight

We are excited to highlight our amazing school secretaries in this edition of Nord News! These two staff members go above and beyond to support our Nord students, staff, and families.

Mrs. Dotson

Mrs. Dotson has been with the Amherst Exempted Village School District since 2018 and has spent the past three years serving as the Financial Secretary at Nord. A proud 2003 Amherst graduate, she and her husband, Aaron—also an Amherst graduate—are raising two active sons, Benjamin and Jackson, who participate in football, track, and baseball. She looks forward each year to building relationships with the families and students she meets in the office and continuing to grow in her role to best support the Nord school community.

Mrs. Roberts

Mrs. Roberts is a Building Secretary at Walter G. Nord School and has been a valued member of the staff for four years. She recently returned to her role after taking the previous school year off to welcome and spend time with her daughter during her first year of life. In her position, Mrs. Roberts supports the daily operations of the building by coordinating substitute assignments, finalizing student grades, and managing attendance records. Along with Mrs. Dotson, she is often the first point of contact for staff and families and takes pride in supporting the wide range of administrative needs within the school.

Outside of work, Seleste enjoys reading and spending quality time with her husband and one-year-old daughter. Her goal for the school year is to serve as a reliable and efficient communication link between students, staff, and families, ensuring timely access to important information such as attendance updates and key dates to help make this school year a successful one.

Walter G. Nord PTO

Our Walter G. Nord School PTO is proud to support our students, staff, and families of Nord through fun events, volunteer opportunities, and community connections. We would love to have you join us at our next meeting on Monday, January 12th at 9:30am. If you would like to join virtually, please complete this form. If you have any questions about our Nord PTO, please feel free to contact us at nordpto1@gmail.com.