Friday, January 16, 2026

Principal's Message

Nord Families,

Happy New Year and welcome back! I hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable winter break filled with time to relax and recharge. It has been wonderful welcoming our students back to school and seeing their energy, smiles, and excitement as we begin the second half of the school year.

As we look ahead, please be sure to save the date for Parent-Teacher Conferences on Wednesday, February 11th. More information regarding scheduling will be shared by your child's homeroom teacher.

Congratulations to our Comet Impact students of the month for December who are highlighted below! These students were recognized by our staff for going above and beyond of meeting our Comet Impact expectations of respectful, responsible, and safe.

Thank you for being an important part of our Nord family. We look forward to a great start to 2026!

Take care and stay warm,

Nick Toney

Principal, Walter G. Nord School

On January 6th, our Nord students participated in Comet Impact review stations. During these stations, staff members reviewed expectations for being respectful, responsible, and safe in each area of the school building. Our students did an amazing job participating and demonstrating their Comet Pride. Thank you to all of our Nord staff who helped make this possible!

Congratulations to our first Comet Impact Raffle winners of 2026! Listed below are our required PBIS points for each week during the upcoming grading period. Students will continue to be recognized through our Comet Impact Friday raffles and can qualify for meeting our Nord expectations of respectful, responsible, and safe!

Comet Impact Second Grading Period Reward Activity Highlights

On Friday, December 19th all Nord students participated in an end of the quarter PBIS Activity where they were able to select an activity of their choice. Students with the most points were able to have first choice at their activity. Students participated in glow parties, craft rooms, games, karaoke, and more! Thank you to our Comet Impact team and Mrs. McArthur for all of your hard work organizing this exciting event!

Fourth Grade Important Upcoming Dates

Save the date for our fourth grade field trip to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History! Students on the Backman, Delvecchio, Maria, Watkin, Zajkowski and Costello teams will be attending on Thursday, March 5th. Students on the Antush, Burman, Hershiser, Mullen, Smith, and Stellwagen teams will be attending on Friday, March 6th. More information will be sent home by your child's homeroom teacher later this month.

Our Fourth Grade students will also be participating in a Famous Ohioans Project. The project will culminate on Tuesday, March 24th. Students will report in the character of their chosen Ohioan, complete with costumes (optional), props, and visual aids. Be on the lookout for more information being sent home by your child's Social Studies teacher.

Steele Strikes Cancer Nord Fundraiser

Later this month, The Marion L. Steele Blood Cancer Fundraising team of Corrinn Kinser, Emma Kucbel, and Emma Timko is bringing an exciting opportunity for our Nord students! Students will be able to spin the wheel to purchase PBIS passes and enter a raffle to silly string a teacher. All proceeds goes to the Marion L. Steele Strikes Cancer campaign. Please see the flyers below for more information.

Nord Valentine's Day Parties- Thursday, February 12th

Walter G. Nord School will be hosting Valentine's Day Parties on Thursday, February 12th. Homeroom teachers will be sharing more information on times and parent chaperones in the upcoming weeks. Due to student privacy reasons, we will not be sending home lists with student names. Homeroom teachers will provide the number of students in your child's homeroom class. If you are sending in any food items, please make sure these are pre-packaged. Feel free to contact the Nord main office of your child's homeroom teacher with any questions.

Kids Heart Challenge is Coming to Nord!

The American Heart Association Kids Heart Challenge is coming to Nord!

Our students and staff are going to have fun learning all about how to keep our hearts and bodies healthy and how we can help other kids with special hearts.

Kids Heart Challenge will kick off with a heart-themed spirit week February 17th-20th. Students will also be participating in an assembly on Thursday, February 19th on heart health. During the challenge, Mr. Johns will be teaching heart health facts in Physical Education classes!

Holiday Bingo- Thank you, Nord Families!

Thank you to all of our parent volunteers who came out to assist with our Winter BINGO activity on Friday, December 19th. Thank you also to our generous Nord PTO who donated cookies and prizes for our students!

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.

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, February 9th 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.