Week of May 23rd
I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend!
Monday (5/23) is an D Day.
Last week, 3rd grade students completed NJSLA ELA & Math testing, as our 4th and 5th grade students began. I commend their hard work, perseverance and effort. 4th and 5th grade NJSLA testing (with the exception of make-up testing) will conclude on Wednesday (5/25).
On Thursday (5/26), 5th grade students will have the opportunity to visit FMS during the school day. 5th grade families were sent a permission slip last week. Please make sure that it is returned in time for the visit!
Last week, NPS and the NPS HSA hosted the Color Run. The Color Run helped raise funds for our Cultural Arts Programming, Scholastic Book Fairs, STEAM Fair, Kids of Character Program, Birthday Books, and so much more! Every dollar donated will go 100% to supporting programs at NPS! Thank you so much to all who participated and contributed. I truly appreciate the gracious support of our entire Normandy Park School community.
Thank You Morris Educational Foundation (MEF)
The Morris Educational Foundation is pleased to provide a $35,000 grant to support Science Day in our elementary schools. Each of the seven K-5 schools in the Morris School District received $5,000 to create an interactive and exciting day of Science that immerses students in STEM activities and provides unique hands-on learning opportunities. Activities are tailored by grade level and curricular standards and will expose students to exciting enrichment programs.
The MEF Grant supported our STEAM/Space Day earlier in the month. We are extremely grateful for their support! Students had a blast participating in the Science assembly and Star Lab (in addition to a number of teacher led activities).
Spring Concert- Save the Date!
Update:
Please join us for the Spring Concert! The students have been working extremely hard all year. We are looking forward to showcasing their artistic and musical accomplishments! We will be hosting the concert in our gym. To ensure we can accommodate all families and follow COVID protocols, each student can have 2 guests (i.e. 2 guests per family). K/1 and 2/3 students will perform at both the K/1 and 2/3 concert. If you have a child in both K/1 and 2/3, you can choose which performance to attend.
To RSVP for the concert, please click here.
Date: June 1st
Time:
K-1 at 9:30am
2-3 at 11am
4/5 at 1:30pm
Field Day
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, in 2021, there were 733 hate groups across the United States. I was speaking to a friend who happens to live close to where the recent Buffalo shooting occurred. She said “Why do people teach hate? Why not spend energy teaching love?” It sounds like it should be that simple. Hate is taught. Children absorb everything around them, the words that are said (or unsaid), the actions that are shown. Teach your children that you don’t have to be friends with everyone but it is important to get along. Read books with your children about people from all over the world, facing all kinds of challenges. Model language that is kind and inclusive. If you hear people saying unkind or hateful things to or about others, say something. It's often hard and uncomfortable to do.
Try to find the strength and courage to do so. If that’s not possible and/or you need to safely walk away, make sure to talk to your children and others about your experiences, how you felt about them, how you think others might have felt and what you can do to make this a better world. Your children love you and are listening, watching and imitating.
Stay awesome!
--
Cheryl L. Cohen, MSW
School Counselor
iReady Testing
Beginning May 22nd, our school will begin administering the Spring i-Ready® Diagnostic assessment. K-3 will begin testing first, and 4/5 will begin administration after the NJSLA testing window. i-Ready Diagnostic helps teachers to effectively assess their students and then provide individualized instruction based on each student’s unique needs. i-Ready Diagnostic assesses the following skill areas:
Reading
• Phonological Awareness
• Phonics
• High-Frequency Words
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension
Math
• Number and Operations
• Algebra and Algebraic Thinking
• Measurement and Data
• Geometry
i-Ready Diagnostic begins by giving students an adaptive assessment in reading and math. An adaptive assessment is a test that automatically adjusts the difficulty of the questions according to each student’s performance in order to determine his or her abilities in reading or math. i-Ready is a very different kind of test that presents students with questions that can be both too easy and too hard. It is designed to do this until the assessment finds exactly the level at which the student is performing. Therefore, your child will certainly see some items above his or her level. Your child will be encouraged to independently complete the test to the best of his or her ability, and know that it is okay to get questions wrong.
Each time a student gets an item incorrect, he or she will be presented with a simpler question until the diagnostic finds the grade level at which the student is performing. The assessment efficiently assesses students across multiple grade levels, allowing for identification of root causes of students’ struggles or for identification of areas where a student is ready for further challenge. This information will then provide the teacher with a “road map” to instructional remediation.
Once your child completes the test, he or she will be assigned online instruction to support his or her progress in mastering each skill. i-Ready Diagnostic supports the teachers and administrators at your child’s school. The program provides a series of comprehensive reports designed to make classroom instruction more effective. These reports include data about student performance as well as detailed teaching suggestions. They help educators make informed decisions about the instruction that is right for your child.
Should you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or your child’s teacher. For more information on i-Ready Diagnostic, please visit the Morris School District website: www.morrisschooldistrict.org
What can I do to help?
To help prepare your child for the i-Ready Diagnostic, encourage them to:
Get a good night’s sleep and eat a full breakfast the day of the assessment.
Try their best on each question and try not to rush.
Try not to worry about questions they do not know—remind them that it is expected they will only get about half of the questions correct.
Be respectful of other students who take longer to finish
This is the third iReady diagnostic assessment of the year for Gr. 1st through 5th. This is the second iReady diagnostic assessment of the year for our Kindergarten students.
NJSLA for Grades 3-5
This week, Grade 4/5 will complete NJSLA-Math testing. Make-ups for Grades 3-5 will continue this week.
This year, Morris School District is participating in the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) for grades 3-5 Language Arts and Mathematics (formerly known as PARCC). In addition, students in grade 5 will participate in the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment - Science (NJSLA-S).
The NJSLA is aligned completely with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards and NJSLA-S is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In the Morris School District, we have been committed to implementing the New Jersey Student Learning Standards and NGSS through our updated curriculum and outstanding instructional techniques. We are confident that Morris School District students have the tools to be successful on the NJSLA and the NJSLA-S.
Test schedules vary from school to school in order to meet the needs of the students and to create as little disruption to the regular school schedule as possible. Normandy Park School students will take the NJSLA and the NJSLA-S according to the following schedule.
ELA and Math:
- May 9th to May 16th: 3rd Grade
- May 17th to May 25th: 4th and 5th Grade
Science (5th Grade Only)
- April 28th and 29th
*Make-up testing will be provided throughout the testing window upon the student's return to school.
The principals and central office staff have been working together in order to make this test administration period as comfortable and successful as possible for your child. We ask that you join us in supporting a relaxed testing environment by doing the following:
Please make sure your child is in school and on time each day. Testing sessions will begin in the morning and we can not allow students to enter the classrooms after the start time.
Taking any test takes energy! We recommend that your child get plenty of sleep and eat a nourishing breakfast on test days.
Encourage your child to do his/her best! Remind your child that there’s nothing to be nervous about. Please remember to ask about the test and congratulate your child on a job well done on each day of testing.
In the Morris School District, we view formal assessment as a “snapshot” of your child’s achievement. State assessments are only one measure of your child’s progress. Teacher observation, results of class assessments and class participation are also measures of your child’s progress and achievement.
Do you want to know what taking the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA) is like?
A practice test for each grade and subject is available at NJ Assessments Resource Center.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Snacks!
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). Menus are now available directly from the Whitson's site. This will allow for any changes/updates to reflected in the menu (as changes are made).
For the most updated menus, please click here!
- Make sure to click on Normandy Park School!
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.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
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.
Communication Between Home and School
- 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).