Message from Dr. Terry

📣 Welcome Back to School!

Dear Families,

We are thrilled to welcome our students and families back for the 2025–2026 school year! Tomorrow marks the first day of school, and we couldn’t be more excited to see our hallways filled with energy, curiosity, and joy once again.

Here are a few important reminders to help ensure a smooth start:

🕒 School Day Schedule

Start Time: 9:40 AM
Doors Open for Drop-Off: 9:10 AM
Dismissal: 4:20 PM

🧒 CEP Program

Morning Drop-Off Begins: 7:00 AM
Location: Side door at the bus dock near the cafeteria
Evening Pick-Up: Same location
CEP Closes: 6:00 PM

🚫 Building Entry & Lunch Visits

For safety and smooth transitions, parents/guardians are not permitted to walk students into the building.
Lunch visitors will be welcomed starting the week after Labor Day.
When Visiting the school please make sure to have your identification.

📱 Legislative Updates

Please take a moment to review the important information below regarding new Kentucky legislation:

Senate Bill 181 requires all school staff and volunteers to use designated, traceable communication platforms when interacting electronically with students. This ensures transparency and safety in all communications.
Device Policy: JCPS has implemented a new cellphone policy that restricts student use during instructional time. Details are available below.
Moment of Silence: In accordance with recent legislation, schools will observe a daily moment of silence to promote reflection and mindfulness.

We encourage you to explore all the helpful resources and messages included below. Your partnership is vital to a successful school year, and we’re grateful to have you with us.

Let’s make this year amazing!

#TEAMKNIGHT
Andrew A. Terry Ed.D
Principal

🎨 Creative Arts Lab New to Norton Commons Elementary!

Whet Your Palette is coming with exciting weekly art sessions every Wednesday from 8:15–9:15 AM. Fall and spring sessions run from August through April. Each week, students will explore a new artist, try fun techniques, and take home their own masterpiece and artist card. This is a K-5 event. registration is through Whet Your Palette. Financial assistance available upon request.

Please check out the Flyer for more details!

🏃NCES Cross Country Interest Sign-ups 🏃

Exciting News for NCES Families!

We are thrilled to announce that sign-ups for our Cross Country team are now open! This marks our second year as an NCES-only squad, and we are eager to build on the success of last season.

Cross Country is a fantastic way for students to stay active, build endurance, and be part of a supportive team environment. Whether your child is an experienced runner or just looking to try something new, we encourage everyone to join.

If you missed the parent meeting on 7/24/25 at 7 PM, please reach out to Coach Zeller. josh.zeller@Jefferson.kyschools.us

For more information and to sign up, please visit the sign-up link here.

Let's make this season even better than the last!

Go NCES! Coach Zeller

📲 New District-Wide Communication Tool

We’re excited to share that JCPS will be launching a new communication platform this year! This tool will serve as a central hub for all school-related updates, making it especially helpful for families with students in multiple grade levels or schools across the district.

You will receive sign-up information specific to Rooms starting July 28 via email from accounts@edurooms.com and a text from 20819.

To learn more about how this tool will streamline communication both at the district and school level, please check out the links below for detailed information.

Thrillshare Video explaining communication, as well as Rooms

Introducing Rooms

Rooms Frequently Asked Questions

🍎 Parent Teacher Association News 🍎

Join the NCES PTA!

🍨🍦 PTA Membership is Sweet! 🍦🍨

Now that teacher assignments for 1-5 grades have been sent out, it's time to join the PTA! Click here to join the PTA and help your student's class win an ice cream social!

Membership is Sweet! For just $8, you'll score:

· An official NCES Car Magnet
· Early access to our PTA "Knights Insights" Newsletter—get the inside scoop two days before it goes out schoolwide!
Stay in the loop:
Follow us on Facebook HERE and visit the NCES PTA website HERE for more information!
Let's make this another amazing year at NCES! GO KNIGHTS!

🌐 NCES Website 🌐

Click here to visit our Website!

Our website has been updated as part of the district-wide effort to streamline all school websites.

Some of the key changes include:

Events Section
News
Calendar

We encourage you to take some time to explore the new site. If you have any questions or feedback, please email michelle.fields@jefferson.kyschools.us

Legislative Update

Transportation

Moment of Silence HB 25
- We will initiate via the system every morning at 9:45.
SB 181 - Communication between School Staff and Students
- It requires districts to designate traceable systems for staff and volunteers to use when communicating with students and prohibits the use of personal communication methods like texting or social media.
Cell Phones HB 208/JCPS Board Policy
- Due to Kentucky House Bill 208 and JCPS Board policy, cell phones will be prohibited during the school day for most students beginning in the 2025-2026 SY. Linked Here is the NCES School Cell phone Policy

Please remember to check your transportation folder from Meet the Teacher Night.
Make sure each student has their transportation tag and wristband securely attached to their backpack.
We will be checking tags daily to ensure transportation information is accurate and up to date.

NCES Calendar 🗓️

Please check out our calendar for upcoming events!

The Knightly News