Normandy Park School

I hope that everyone had a great weekend!

Monday (10/25) is a B Day.

On Wednesday, NPS HSA will host the Normandy Park School Pumpkin Patch. All NPS students will have an opportunity to pick a pumpkin! On Friday, October 29th, students may wear their costumes or school spirit colors to school. Classrooms will have fun autumn or Halloween activities. All Halloween celebrations will be foodless. In the morning, we will have a school-wide parade for students and staff only. We will make sure to take lots of pictures to share with families!

This week, all make-up testing for 4th Grade Naglieri testing will occur.

If there are changes in your child's dismissal plans (e.g. you are going to pick them up that day, instead of taking the bus), please use the attached form or call the main office.

Please know that I am here to help and support in any way that I can. Feel free to reach out to me directly at christopher.miller@msdk12.net.

On Friday, October 29th, students may wear their costumes or school spirit colors to school. To ensure the health and well being of our school community we ask you to adhere to the following costume guidelines:

1. Students choosing to dress up must wear their costumes to school (and/or have costumes they can easily put over their clothes). Students will not be able to change at any time.

2. No weapons, swords or handheld accessories. Students have enough items to carry.

3. No Halloween masks. Students are required to wear CDC guideline masks as stated in our district's Reopening Plan.

Classrooms will have fun autumn or Halloween activities. All Halloween celebrations will be foodless. In the morning, we will have a school-wide parade for students and staff only. We will make sure to take lots of pictures to share with families!

If you do not want your child to participate in the parade, please let your homeroom teacher know via ClassDojo or e-mail.

The NPS HSA and Mr. Miller are sponsoring the 2nd Annual NPS Pumpkin Patch at the end of the month! All NPS students will have an opportunity to pick a pumpkin to bring home for Halloween.

WE NEED YOUR HELP! The pumpkins arrive on Tuesday, October 26th. We are looking for a few parents to meet at NPS at 7:45 am on Wednesday, October 27th to put the pumpkins around the field. With a few volunteers, it should only take about 20 minutes. If you are able to help, please email Angela Finlay at akfinlay13@gmail.com.

The HSA is excited to announce a new school-wide fundraiser that promises to be a hit with students and provide opportunities for our community to participate in new ways. We are looking to create a slate of both prizes and experiences students can win through a school-wide raffle in November. From throwing a pie in Mr. Miller’s face to guest starring on the morning announcements to toys, books, or visits to local venues and businesses, all children will get to choose where to place their tickets for a chance to win.

More information will be available as the fundraiser gets closer. Right now, we are building the list of potential prizes. Teachers will share experiences they can offer and we are looking to the NPS families to provide prizes or experiences to include in the raffle. Do you have a small business, service or special talent you could share? Do you have unopened toys or duplicate gifts you want to get out of your house? The possibilities are endless in this dynamic and interactive way to raise funds for NPS and provide an exciting experience for students.

Click here to access a Google form where you can share the details of a potential raffle item. Contact npshsafundraising@gmail.com with any questions or for more information.

Registration opens Monday 10/25 and closes Wednesday 11/1.

Click here for Spanish translation.

To register, visit https://normandyhsa.membershiptoolkit.com

If you have difficulty registering, please contact NPSHSAPresident@gmail.com

UPDATE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TOOLKIT

If you haven't already updated your Membership Toolkit account, please do so now so you don't miss any HSA updates. Please make your account current by updating your children's grade and teacher.

You can access your account by clicking here: Membership Toolkit

The Membership Toolkit is the school directory for parents and signs you up for the HSA newsletter that announces HSA sponsored school-wide activities and fundraisers.

Are you having issues? Don't hesitate to reach out to Jenn Cromie at cromiej2@gmail.com.

Week of 10/25/21

Many parents have been reaching out to me about their child(ren) experiencing anxiety at home. I thought it would be a good topic for this week’s Counselor Corner.

What does it mean to worry or feel anxiety? (Part 2) When talking with children about worries, it is helpful to explain that a worry is a thought that upsets you and makes you feel bad inside. It can be a specific thought that makes you feel scared or nervous. Whether the worry makes sense to other people, it seems very real to the person feeling it.

What Can I do to help my child? Below are two more tools for coping with Worry or Anxiety that may work for you and your child. I would encourage you to try these at home with the whole family. Please note that if your child has ongoing anxiety, don't hesitate to reach out to me and/or contact your child's Pediatrician. Oftentimes people overlook emotional health, which is a huge part of our overall health! Don’t be embarrassed or afraid to ask for help. We all need it from time to time. You are not alone!

Circle of Control: Worrying about things we cannot control is not helpful. However, helping your child take a look at what is in his/her/their own control helps them become more empowered and confident. Take a look at the circle below (there are many other great examples like this one on the internet). You can create a circle like this with your own child(ren) and when they start to worry, go over the circle with them.

A great book to consider is Wilma Jean and the Worry Machine by Julia Cook. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M08m23zrPQhttps

A great workbook is “What To Do When You Worry Too Much”, by Dawn Huber. There are so many great books and tools online and at your local library. Just make sure you review them first to make sure you are comfortable with the material.

Deep Breathing Deep breathing is a strategy or tool that is useful for virtually all situations. There are so many types of deep breathing exercises and your child(ren) have been learning many of them in the classroom including: rainbow breaths, bunny breaths, balloon breathing, figure eight breathing. Ask your child which one (s) they prefer and have them show you how to do it. Your child(ren) will get a kick out of being your teacher!

Cheryl Cohen

School Counselor

973-889-7960 x6115

cheryl.cohen@msdk12.net

Please pass on information to friends and family interested in enrolling in Normandy Park School for the 2022-2021 school year. I will be hosting an information session in December and February for prospective NPS families. The session will allow families to learn more about our program and community.

For additional information, please see below:

Date: December 9th, 2021

Time: 6:30pm to 7:30pm

*The session will be conducted virtually.

Students will be having snack time during the school day, with all necessary safety measures in place. Please send your child in with a healthy snack.

Breakfast and lunch will be served daily at school. All students will have access to school provided breakfast and lunch (if they choose to receive it).

As students enter the building, they will be able to grab-and-go breakfast if they choose to.

Click here for the MSD October breakfast menu.

For lunch, students will be asked at the beginning of the day if they would like to order (providing their choice of either the hot/cold option). Teachers will present the menu choices for the day.

Click here for the MSD October lunch menu.

Where will students eat lunch?

Students will eat lunch at 6 ft apart (seats facing the same direction). We will utilize classrooms, cafeteria, and lab to accommodate all students at 6ft apart.

Update from MSD Food Services:

You may be aware, Nationwide shortages and delays have affected availability of certain food items, leading to substitutions of menu items we’ve been able to offer regularly in the past. These supply issues are occurring throughout the country and are especially challenging for school systems, due to the quantity of meals we serve and the nutrition standards we follow. The entire food service industry is currently faced with unprecedented shortages and massive delays or cancellations of
deliveries, and in addition to food service department labor shortages. All of this means that we may need to make quick substitutions to our menu(s) based upon what we are able to acquire. We want to help limit the effects this has on our students, and we are doing our best to provide updates about menu changes when possible as soon as we identify an issue.

In October, all 4th grade students will be taking the Naglieri Non-Verbal Ability Test. Please find below your child’s homeroom testing schedule. This online test is a brief, thirty minute, culture fair measure of a student’s nonverbal reasoning and general problem-solving ability. In broad terms the test measures different aspects of general cognitive ability and its scores can be somewhat but not singularly predictive of academic success.

Each student’s test results will be available to their parents in November. Results will be one of several measures used to determine eligibility for the Quest Program and is useful as one extra part of an overall view of our students as learners. If you have any questions regarding the administration of this test, please feel free to call me at school. Thank you for your continued cooperation and support.

Arrival Procedures: Students are permitted into the building at 8:40 a.m. Students bussed to school will be dropped off in the front of the building.

Drop Offs: Students being dropped off in the morning may enter through the back doors. Please use the drop-off/pick-up line in the back of the building. There is no supervision before 8:40, and children who arrive before that time, will not be permitted to enter the building. A staff member will be at the door between 8:40 and 8:55 a.m. to welcome students. Any student arriving after 8:55 must enter the front of the building and report to the nurse’s office with a parent or guardian to obtain a late pass.

Dismissal Procedures: Dismissal begins at the conclusion of our last period, 3:05 p.m.

All students are encouraged to ride the bus to and from school.

At dismissal, students will be dismissed from the back of the building. When picking up your child, please use the pick-up line. Stay in your vehicle. Teachers will accompany your child to your car.

Pick-Up During the Day:

If a situation arises that requires you to pick your child up during the school day, please use the attached form or call the main office. Students being picked up early are asked to be picked up before 3 p.m. Before leaving, you must sign your child out in the notebook provided in the office. Unless an emergency arises, please refrain from calling the office after 1:30 to make changes to your child’s dismissal.

• If there are changes in your child's dismissal plans (e.g. you are going to pick them up that day, instead of taking the bus), please use the attached form or call the main office.
• For written communication between you and your child's teacher, please utilize Class Dojo and/or e-mail, rather than hand-written letters (when possible).

• November 2nd: School Closed (Election Day)
• November 4th-5th: School Closed (NJEA Teacher's Convention)
• November 8th-12th: Primary Cultural Arts Residency (Freespace Dance)
• November 24th: Early Dismissal
• November 25th-26th: School Closed (Thanksgiving)
• December 6th-7th: Early Dismissal (Parent-Teacher Conferences)

• Parent Handbook
  
• Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
• School Breakfast and Lunch Information
• Sunset and Sunrise