NORWIN SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
NORWIN SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
Growing Together: Students Cultivate Learning in New Outdoor Garden
Students from Mrs. Slivka’ s and Mrs. Grissom’ s classrooms teamed up with the 4th Grade Peer Buddy Club to kick off the Sheridan Terrace Blooms and Grows Garden project. This garden expansion will serve as an outdoor learning center where students can engage in multi-sensory lessons about the plant life cycle and garden care, while also developing fine motor, gross motor, and social skills. The 4th Grade Buddy Club helped transfer soil— generously provided by Norwin Landscape— into the new garden beds. Future plans include growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers that will be used for hands-on cooking activities in the classroom. Additionally, picnic tables will be added, allowing classrooms to enjoy lunch and learning in this vibrant outdoor space.
Building a Stronger Community Through the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program
This year, Norwin School District focused on strengthening community engagement with the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. The goal was to not only inform, but also involve families, educators, and community members in the program’ s principles and practices.
To start, two parent meetings were held to introduce the core components of the program and explain how it has been implemented at Norwin through regular class meetings and an annual kickoff event. These sessions helped families better understand how bullying prevention is being woven into the daily school experience.
Recognizing the importance of early education, Norwin also hosted a training session for local preschool educators. The training sparked meaningful conversations about how to introduce key bullying prevention concepts— such as shared language and definitions— to young children who will soon transition into elementary school. This early alignment ensures a smoother, more consistent experience for students as they move through the district.
To extend the program’ s reach beyond students and their families, a presentation was given to the Norwin Rotary Club during one of their monthly meetings. Engaging civic organizations in this effort helps reinforce a unified, districtwide message and encourages broader community support for a safe and respectful school environment.
By expanding awareness and collaboration, Norwin continues to strengthen its commitment to creating a positive, bully-free culture that begins in the earliest years and extends well beyond the classroom. orwin
NORWIN SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
Norwin Students Demonstrate Excellence in Envirothon and Water Quality Monitoring
On April 24th, Norwin’ s Envirothon team showcased their environmental expertise at Twin Lakes Park, competing against 17 teams in the Westmoreland County Envirothon. Demonstrating exceptional knowledge and teamwork, Norwin earned an impressive 2nd place overall finish. The team also took top honors in three critical categories: forestry, wildlife, and the current issue— Roots of Resiliency.
Earlier that month, students from Norwin’ s CHS-AP Environmental Science class took hands-on learning to the next level by conducting comprehensive water quality testing at Tinker’ s Run. Measuring key indicators such as temperature, turbidity, biological oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, phosphates, pH, and coliform bacteria levels, the students gathered valuable data to assess the health of the local watershed.
This data was submitted to the Foundation for Ohio River Education( FORE) as part of the Water Quality Index program, and shared with both Irwin Borough and North Huntingdon Township to support ongoing environmental monitoring efforts. Thanks to their diligent work, Tinker’ s Run earned a“ Good” rating, highlighting the positive state of the stream and the community’ s commitment to preserving local natural resources.
Together, these accomplishments reflect Norwin’ s dedication to environmental stewardship and provide students with real-world experience in science and conservation.
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