Normandy Park School

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Monday, December 12th is a C Day.

This week, NPS HSA will host the Scholastic Book Fair. Students will be visiting the Book Fair with their class during school hours and will have an opportunity to purchase books at that time. As alternative to cash, you can use the eWallet. Simply create a free Scholastic account by visiting www.scholastic.com/bf/NPS and add funds that can be used immediately. **If you have a balance on your eWallet from our June Book Fair, you need to create a new eWallet for this Fair and choose the option to fund your new eWallet with the leftover balance.*

Make a donation to the HSA Scholastic “All for Books” eWallet. Once again, the HSA is collecting donations so they can ensure that every NPS student is able to purchase a book at the Book Fair. For more information regarding this campaign, please contact the Book Fair Coordinator, Katie Martinez at martinez.katie.l@gmail.com.

On December 16th, students will perform for families at our winter concert (additional information below). This week, they will be rehearsing with Mrs. Schwam and Ms. Carroll. Our students and teachers have been working extremely hard to prepare for the upcoming show. We cannot wait to have you in to see it!

Sincerely,

Christopher Miller

Principal of Normandy Park School

Thank you to our wonderful Home and School Association for all their hard work in putting together the Share the Magic Raffle! The raffle was a success! Prizes will be available for pick-up next week for those who were not present at the event (you will be notified by the HSA!).

Thank you to all who contributed prizes and purchased tickets! The Share the Magic Raffle Fundraiser raised 10,000 dollars!

The HSA budget is made up of funds donated by our school community. Fundraisers (such as the Share the Magic Raffle) help the HSA provide free family events like this year’s Fun Fair, Movie Night, Bingo Night and World Cup Watch Party in addition to Cultural Arts programming like the Mexico Beyond Mariachi assembly our students enjoyed last month and the upcoming Dance Through the Decades school-wide residency.

We truly appreciate all the support!

Please click here for the monthly bilingual newsletter from Mrs. Esteves.

Report Cards for the first trimester will be sent home on December 22nd, 2022. For new families, please note that we use a Standards Based Report Card.

I will be hosting a virtual information session for parents to learn about our Standards Based Report Card on December 14th at 6:30pm. If you would like to attend, please fill out the attached form.

NPS will host 3 concerts this year, one for each grade/unit level. We are excited to invite families in to attend the performance. Additional information listed below:

Date: December 16th

Times:

• 9:15am for Primary Unit (K/1)
• 10:15am for Intermediate Unit (2/3)

• 12:45pm for Senior Unit (4/5)

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me directly at christopher.miller@msdk12.net. Thank you!

To send us off in style, next week- NPS will host 3 Spirit Days:

-Holiday Sweater Day (12/21)

Wear your favorite holiday sweater- ugly holiday sweaters are encouraged, but not necessary! Please feel free to wear any other gear to represent any of the winter holidays!

-Winter Wonderland (12/22)

Wear winter colors, gear, flannel, etc. Have fun and stay warm!

-Pajama Day (12/23)

Help us countdown to winter break in your favorite PJs!

Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza…..another round of holidays are rapidly approaching. Whether you celebrate any, all or none of these holidays, this time of year can be very happy and very stressful. Make sure you check in with yourself about how you are coping. Be kind to yourself by creating realistic expectations for yourself. Reach out to family, friends, or even us at Normandy Park, if you find you are struggling in any way.

Most children are very excited about the upcoming holidays and the days off. Talk with your children about your expectations of them. Keep them realistic and age appropriate. Continue to try to spend quality time with your child. They will more often remember the time you spent with them over the gifts they receive. As you know from my previous newsletter, I love the way the folks at Big Life Journal explain things (not a district sponsored organization) and this season is no exception. If you are feeling overwhelmed check out some of these strategies. Even though the focus on the holidays, these strategies can be helpful to anyone at any time of the year.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s emotional well being, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

Stay awesome!

Ms. Cheryl Cohen

School Counselor

973-889-7960 x6115

In January, we will be hosting Normandy Park School’s Kindergarten Information Session for prospective 2023-2024 families. Feel free to invite friends (Morristown or Morris Township residents) to learn more about our multiage program and community.

January 19th

6:30pm

To register, click here.

Click here to visit our Home and School Association website!

Save the Date for Upcoming HSA Events:

• Students will be visiting the Book Fair with their class during school hours and will have an opportunity to purchase books at that time.

• Calling all volunteers! Parents are a vital part of our Fair and are needed to help kids find books and run the cash registers. Sign up to volunteer while your child’s class shops.

• eWallet offers a safe and secure alternative to cash. Simply create a free Scholastic account by visiting www.scholastic.com/bf/NPS and add funds that can be used immediately. **If you have a balance on your eWallet from our June Book Fair, you need to create a new eWallet for this Fair and choose the option to fund your new eWallet with the leftover balance.**

• Make a donation to our Scholastic “All for Books” eWallet. Once again, the HSA is collecting donations so we can ensure that every NPS student is able to purchase a book at the Book Fair. For more information regarding this campaign, please contact the Book Fair Coordinator, Katie Martinez at martinez.katie.l@gmail.com.

• Parents can stop by (for any additional purchases) on Concert Day (December 16th) from 9am to 2-2pm. If you plan on stopping by the Book Fair, please complete the following form and then, sign in at the office for a visitor's pass. Thank you for your cooperation! This will help the school manage the amount of visitors in the building.

*Also, please note that if you'd like an additional purchase after your child has shopped, you do not need to stop by in person. There are several ways to make an additional purchase:

1. You can send your child with money and a note to the teacher
2. Shop the Online Fair during the week of the Book Fair (12th to 16th) at www.scholastic.com/bf/NPS

Show your NPS pride! Purchase NPS school gear directly from Redbubble with shipment right to your doorstep! A small percentage of profits will be returned to NPS with your purchase!

Create a profile on our NPS HSA Membership Toolkit to enable your participation in the school directory (grade/teacher), sign up to receive the Home and School Association's weekly newsletter, submit club forms, volunteer and more!

• If you know that you child will be tardy or absent from school, it is requested that you notify the nurse in advance. This can be done by phone at 973-889-7960 x 6152. Voicemail is operational 24 hours daily.

• You may also contact her office by email at: marybeth.supple@msdk12.net

• Students who arrive tardy (after 8:55am) must report immediately to the Health Office upon arrival to school for a late pass

MPAC will teach a Dance Through the Decades Residency to each grade unit where students would learn about dance history, different dance styles throughout each decade, move their bodies by learning choreography from each decade, and work on a class dance.

Each class will be assigned a different decade!

MPAC will provide a total of 8 instructional sessions throughout January to March for each classroom. MPAC will conduct 1 introductory dance session per class prior to the winter break.

Unfortunately, the MPAC instructor had to call out last week. They are rescheduling for the following dates for introductory sessions.

Wednesday December 7th: K/1 sessions

Friday December 9th: 2/3 sessions

Wednesday December 21st: 4/5 sessions

Introductory sessions will focus on an introduction to dance and occur within the classroom.

The residency will conclude with a cumulative schoolwide performance in March! More information to follow!

Mrs. Gilson provides all NPS students with coding instruction through developmentally appropriate activities!

Last week, all Morris School District elementary schools participated in the international event “The Hour of Code”. NPS Students had a blast completing Hour of Code activities! Some of our Senior classes were paired with Primary classrooms to assist in coding activities as well.

Please use the digital blue note form for any dismissal changes. The main office will notify the homeroom teachers of the dismissal change. For absences, continue to contact the school nurse.

If a situation arises that requires you to pick your child up during the school day, a note must be sent to the office specifying the pick-up time. Students being picked up early are asked to be picked up before 2:30 p.m.

Click here for December Breakfast and Lunch Menus.

For additional information on MSD Breakfast and Lunch, please click here to visit the district's website.

Students can bring and/or purchase lunch. Free and reduced meals are provided to families who qualify for support. To fill out the Free and Reduced Meals application, please click here.

• December 16th: School Concert (Times vary for each grade/unit)
• December 23rd: Early Dismissal for Students

2022-2023 District Calendar

· Parent Handbook

· District Calendar

· Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

· Free and Reduced Meal Application

· Adding Money to Breakfast/Lunch Account

· Sunset and Sunrise

The Morris Educational Foundation (MEF) is proud to continue its mission of generating and distributing resources to enhance the education of the 5,700 students and 1,000 educators in the Morris School District’s 10 schools. For 30 years, the MEF has and will continue to support our District through vibrant grants, supportive tutoring, enlightening parent education and life-changing scholarship programs. Learn more about how the MEF works to enrich and inspire the academic pursuits of all our students by clicking here. With you, our community, we make exceptional education extraordinary.

Click on this link to view a video about what the MEF does for you!

Any questions, email info@morrisedfoundation.org.