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Parent & Community Meetings

If you happened to miss a Parent & Community Meeting, please see below a recording of the meeting and questions asked. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@normandysc.org or 314-493-0141. We hope to see you are our next meeting! 

Middle School Community Meeting- March 1, 2022

  • The district is also interested in hearing from the NSC community about whether NSC should return to the middle school model. Please take some time to let us know your thoughts on reverting to a standalone middle school model: https://forms.gle/8YLtxfSZxXpbvZLv6

Virtual Parent & Community Meeting - Feb. 3, 2021

Parent & Community Meeting - June 25, 2020

Meeting Q&A
The questions and answers listed below were posed at the June 25 meeting. If you have additional questions, please submit your question here. 

Q: Why have school in a physical building?
A: We are currently working on plans to do in-person learning or a mix of in-person learning and virtual learning; however, students learn best when they are learning in person in a classroom setting.

Q: Has a four-day school week been considered for students to help minimize the exposure?
A: We are not currently discussing a four-day school week; however, we are discussing doing a four and a half school day week.  

Q: What are the plans for students who are high risk or have a family member that they live with at high risk?
A: This issue is currently being explored. We are looking into having a camera and microphone in classrooms to have the student at home be able to follow along with what is taking place in the classroom.

Q: In order to have virtual learning in the classroom, will the technology be updated?
A: We are exploring options on how students who are sick or have to stay home, can tune into their classroom virtually. This might include cameras and microphones in the classroom for the virtual students to follow along with what is happening in the classroom. 

Q: If the district goes to virtual learning, will Chromebooks be provided to students who do not have a computer?
A: Yes, we are working to ensure that each student has a Chromebook and (if needed) a mobile hotspot for access to the internet. This is currently being evaluated. 

Q: Will the district coach parents on Google Classroom to help their students with at-home learning?
A: Yes, we are currently working on a plan to train parents on how to use the virtual learning tools. Please stay tuned for more information on this topic.  

Q: Will temperatures be taken prior to entering school? 
A: Yes, we will be checking temperature at the entrances of schools. We are currently evaluating different temperature check processes and technology/sensors for schools. 

Q: Will temperatures be taken prior to a student entering the bus? 
A: At this time, temperatures will not be taken when entering the bus. We did evaluate this topic, but we cannot lawfully leave a child at the bus stop with no guardian there if they do have a fever. Students and staff will be required to wear a mask on the bus at all times. 

Q: What precautions and procedures will be in place for bus riders?
A: We are asking students who live in the same household to sit with each other - three students to a seat. Masks will be required on the bus at all times for both students and staff. Parents should help reinforce this and ensure that their student has a mask. There will be hand sanitizer available on the bus, and buses will be disinfected after each route. We are also evaluating assigned seats to minimize students passing each other to get to open seats. If possible, we recommend families to consider alternate modes of transportation for students. 

Q: Will students and staff be provided with face masks at school? Will masks be mandatory at school?
A: Yes, all students and staff will receive three cloth washable face masks. Principals will have extra masks if needed. We do encourage families to provide their own masks for students and to remind them to wear them on the bus and in school. We are currently looking into plastic face shields as well. 

Q: Will there be a discipline policy for students who do not/will not keep on their masks?
A: There is currently not a discipline policy in place; however, if a student does not follow the mask rule, the consequences will be age appropriate.  

Q: What are the (sanitization) procedures in schools?
A: Daily school cleaning will increase, especially in high-trafficked areas and high-touched surfaces. Custodians and staff will be trained on properly cleaning for COVID-19. Our schools are equipped with advanced cleaning technology -- electrostatic sprayers -- that will be used daily. There will also be hand sanitizer available throughout the schools for students and staff to use. 

Q: Will students be provided gloves while using learning materials or will each student be provided with their own materials?
A: Students will not be provided gloves as they can accumulate germs, just as human skin. We will enforce regular handwashing and use of sanitizer. Students will not share materials as in the past. 

Q: Will the Early Learning Center continue to walk students into the classroom?
A: Updated procedures are currently being developed. Parents will be notified of any updates for pickup and drop off procedures.

Q: Will there be a modified school schedule as far as start/stop time?
A: There will be three tiers for school start times: Tier 1 begins at 7:20 a.m., Tier 2 begins at 8:10 a.m. and Tier 3 begins at 9 a.m. The length of the school day will be the same as last year. Parents will be notified in the coming weeks as to which school is on which tier. 

Q: Will the scheduling at Normandy High School change in an effort to minimize travel of students from building to building?
A: Class scheduling and sizes are currently being evaluated.  

Q: Will students be six feet apart in classrooms to follow social distancing guidelines? Will class sizes be reduced?
A: Unfortunately, our schools do not have the space to spread students out six feet apart from each other. However, we are planning to distance them as much as possible. Our goal is to reduce the class size to not place students too closely together in the classroom. We are currently working through student numbers on how to best space them out.  

Q: How will children social distance when walking in the hallways?
A: We will be incorporating safety precautions into students’ daily schedule. We are looking into adding signage on the walls and floors to show where to stand and remind everyone to properly distance themselves. Arrival and dismissal procedures will be re-evaluated at each school for proper social distancing as well where to enter and exit. 

Q: Will students have to attend other schools in the district to allow students to space out in classrooms?
A: We’re considering several options including possibly sending students to another school in this district, but it is unlikely due to the fact that most of our schools are already at capacity.   

Q: How will breakfast and lunch time work at schools?
A: We will continue Breakfast in the Classroom. At this time, we are evaluating multiple plans for lunch service: lunch in the classroom, lunch in the cafeteria, or a combination of the two. If students are in the cafeteria, staff and students will have to wear masks, clear barriers/shields may be installed, and we will discontinue salad bars/self-service bars.

Q: What will the new student attendance policy be?
A:  That is under consideration at the moment. No decision has been made as of yet.

Q: What is the plan for after-school activities?
A: Our focus is currently on the instructional day, so at this point we have not looked at how after-school activities will operate.  

Q: Are building counselors going to provide lessons to help ease kids’ worries and anxieties regarding the quick ending to the 2019-2020 school year and the social distancing that has occurred since then?
A: Our counselors have been available throughout the school closure and have made contact with many students. The counselors will be available to students who may need additional supports. 

Q: How will contact tracing work? What happens when a student, their family members or a staff member does test positive?
A: If a student, staff member or live-in relative of either tests positive for COVID-19, we will partner immediately with St. Louis County Department of Health and follow their lead. Those who were around the person who tested positive will be informed. This could lead to a closure to one or more schools. 

Q: Normandy often had a shortage of substitute teachers; therefore, students who had a teacher out sick were split into other classrooms. How will this be handled?
A: We currently use an external vendor to provide substitute teachers, and we will continue to use them as well as an internal pool of substitutes. We should not be in a situation where we have to divide up classrooms. 

Q: Will employee sick days be increased?
A: Currently, we do not have plans to increase employee sick days. If an employee does test positive for COVID-19, they need to contact Normandy’s HR department for information on federal protections around COVID-19. 

Q: How will accreditation stats change during this school year - attendance especially, academic achievement. Will NSC be held to old standards still?
A: School districts across the state are working with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) on what the standards will be. This is still being discussed at the state level. 

 

Superintendent's Virtual Community Meeting - May 20, 2020

Parent & Community Meeting - March 11, 2020

Parent & Community Meeting - Jan. 30, 2020

Meeting Q&A
The questions and answers listed below were posed at the Jan. 30 meeting. Questions were either answered in person or provided to be answered here. If you have additional questions, please submit your question here. 

Q: Does Normandy provide transportation for preschool/pre-Kindergarten students?
A: No, we do not. Due to the age and size of these students, buses would require special configuration, and we do not have those in our fleet.  

Q: Are gun locks still available from the safety fair? If so, how do I get one?
A: Yes, gun locks are available at most local police departments.

Q: Has there been any consideration for checking for weapons on the bus?
A: Homeland Security Department of TSA has conducted training with our transportation staff on how to locate suspicious packages and how to de-escalate situations before becoming harmful. 

Q: Are all police departments in the area allowed to take part in the Brunch Patrol program?
A: Yes, Normandy Schools Collaborative invites law enforcement officers within the 24:1 community to participate in Brunch Patrol by having a free breakfast or lunch with students.

Q: Does the security fence wrap around the entire Normandy High School campus?
A: Currently, the fence does not completely enclose the entire campus. However, we are looking into closing the gaps in the fence.

Q: Who does the training for Normandy School Collaborative’s security staff members?
A: The training is mandated by the St. Louis County Police who licenses private security for all officers in the county.

Q:  What happened to the home visits? I think it was a great program for teachers to get to know the students and parents better, and in turn, involving parents to be more involved.
A:  Home visits still occur in the district, primarily through our Family Engagement Liaisons at each school. In previous years we worked with an external organization that provided resources to reach more parents, however, that contract has expired.

Q:  Does the district have a mentoring program, and if so, when and where are meetings held?
A:  The district partners with several external organizations that provide mentoring services to students. These organizations include Young Voices with Action, Boys & Girls Clubs, Girls Inc., and Wyman. These groups hold meetings at various times throughout the week. We also have our own Viking Volunteers program which provides members of the community the opportunity to mentor and work in the schools in a variety of ways. To sign up to be a Viking Volunteer, please go to the sign up page: https://www.normandysc.org/domain/186