Normandy Park School

I hope that everyone is doing well! Thank you for helping us have a successful virtual Back to School Night. I appreciate everyone's participation and support.

Reminder: If you wish to change your child’s enrollment from in-person instruction to all-virtual instruction or vice versa at the conclusion of the first marking period (November 13), please complete an Enrollment Change Form, no later than Tuesday, October 13, at 5:00 PM (additional details below).

Please note, that MSD will continue to share important information on the Coronavirus Update Center and on our MSD Forward pages.

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.

This part of the newsletter will have a question or a topic for you to discuss with your child(ren). This can be done on the way to school, on the way to sports practice, before dinner, at bedtime, etc.

Each week there will be a “something to think about” question and a “something to talk about” question. The “something to think about question” is for you as a parent to reflect on for yourself. The “something to talk about” question is for you to discuss with your child. These exercises are meant to stimulate a conversation on race, equity and inclusion in America.

Week 5

Parent reflection question: If you encounter a group of people who look differently than you (such as with a different skin color or ethnic background), how do you react? For instance, have you ever locked your car doors if a person of color walks by? Or have you ever switched to the other side of the street if a person of color is walking in the opposite direction towards you?

Fifth Question For Child: Have you ever heard the term racism? What does it mean? (Racism is when a group of people are treated unfairly because of their race. Unfortunately, some groups of people are even treated violently because of the color of their skin.). Has anyone expressed racist attitudes toward you? Have you seen someone express racist attitudes towards a friend or classmate?

If you wish to change your child’s enrollment from in-person instruction to all-virtual instruction or vice versa at the conclusion of the first marking period (November 13), please complete an Enrollment Change Form, linked below, no later than Tuesday, October 13, at 5:00 PM. Please read the following information carefully before proceeding to the form.

• An Enrollment Change Form is only required for students who are switching from in-person to all-virtual instruction or from all-virtual to in-person instruction. If your child’s enrollment status will remain the same, you do not need to complete the form below.

• In order to minimize further disruption to staffing, class assignments, and bus rosters, we are asking families to commit to either in-person or all-virtual instruction for TWO marking periods (November 16-April 16). While we understand that it may be difficult to anticipate your family’s situation several months in advance, we need to stabilize staff and building resources and ensure continuity of instruction for our students for as long as possible. Prior to the end of the third marking period, we will once again solicit enrollment changes for the fourth marking period.

• Please be aware that switching from all-virtual to in-person instruction or vice versa at the elementary level will most likely result in your child being assigned to a different teacher.

• Please also be aware that, regardless of any changes in your child’s enrollment after the first marking period, it is still possible that schools may be closed to in-person instruction at some point prior to April 16, requiring a return to all-virtual learning for all students.

• Enrollment in K-5 Connections classes (dedicated all-virtual classes for elementary students) will depend on the number of students who request to enroll. If we cannot accommodate additional all-virtual students in an existing K-5 Connections class, or if we are unable to open a new K-5 Connections class for your child’s grade level, elementary students can still participate in virtual learning from home via the Enhanced Virtual model (remote access to the in-person classroom on Google Meet).

• It is critical that requests for enrollment changes be submitted by the October 13 deadline so that we can begin making any adjustments necessary to accommodate additional students in our buildings and on our buses. Please contact Principal Miller directly if you are having problems completing the form or if you have any questions.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ENROLLMENT CHANGE FORM
Complete this form ONLY if you are requesting a change in your child’s current enrollment

Revised 10/15/2020

Given that Halloween is on a Saturday & being mindful of the extra health and safety protocols currently in place, the K-5 administrators have decided that we we will not be having typical Halloween celebrations with parties and parades. However, teachers may embed fun fall/Halloween activities into instruction (crafts, read alouds, etc.).

After further consideration as well as feedback provided from our families, K-5 principals have decided that students can wear Halloween costumes to school if they choose. Students may also wear their school spirit colors. 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. 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.

We will continue as planned with our instructional day with fall or Halloween activities embedded in classroom instruction.

The week of October 19th, we will be building on the Week Respect with a school-wide focus on race, equity, and inclusion. The theme for the week will be Accepting Me, Accepting You, Accepting All of Us. This is a part of our continued effort as a community to have conversations around race, equity, and inclusion. The activities for the week were designed by a committee of NPS teachers and the school counselor. Each day teachers will facilitate a lesson and/or discussion within the classroom.

Throughout the year, our teachers will continue to foster acceptance and inclusion for all within their instruction. In addition, Ms. Cohen will be following up with monthly lessons to continue and build upon these conversations and topics.

Please reach out to me with any questions at christopher.miller@msdk12.net

In the upcoming weeks, NPS will have pumpkins delivered to the school to simulate a pumpkin picking field trip. Each student (K-5) will get to bring their own pumpkin home with them!

Safety measures will be in place to ensure social distancing. Classes will take turns going outside. While picking pumpkins, students will be wearing masks. Once a pumpkin is selected and picked up by a child, that is his/her pumpkin to take home.

We are planning to do this ay the end of the week of October 19th and/or the beginning of the week of October 26th, but will select a final date based on weather as the week approaches. Stay tuned!

Are you ready to request a library book? Please follow the instructions below:

Log onto the Normandy Park Library catalog:

https://nps-msd.narvi.opalsinfo.net/bin/home

1. Login on the top right hand corner where it says Login

2. Your user name is your six digit code

3. The password is blank

4. Search using title, author or anywhere.

5. Look for the orange request button and then click on it.

6. Put in your email address

Remember if a book is marked as lost, checked out or damaged it is not available! I will bring and pick up books from your classrooms.

In-person students will have books delivered to their classroom. They will return to their teacher upon completion. Virtual learners will pick up their books on the table by the front door. For our remote learners, there will be a table by the front door. Families will have 5 days to pick up their books. There will be a bin for them to put returned books in.

Upon return, books will sit in a bin for 5 days before being shelved or circulated.

Parents are welcome to email me at wendy.gilson@msdk12.net if they have any questions or concerns.

Happy Reading! Mrs. Gilson

The HSA is looking into the feasibility of running some virtual after school clubs this fall. In order to make a plan we need your feedback!

Please fill out this interest survey to let us know what you would like to see (by October 14th).

https://forms.gle/UbQDqrRH95zyRcdJ6

Thursday, October 15th at 7pm

Zoom Meeting

Please join us for our next HSA meeting. Please email npshsapresident@gmail.com to register for the meeting.

Message from Ms. Cohen:

Dear parents and guardians,

Thank you and your children for your support during the week of respect. It was great to see your children enjoying the daily themes. They did some amazing work!

I will be continuing to host the drop in, optional lunch meetings for students who are attending school virtually. It continues to be a great way for children to connect with each other socially. The schedule is as follows:

Mondays; 4th and 5th grade

Tuesdays: Kindergarten

Wednesdays: 1st grade

Thursdays: 2nd grade

Fridays:3rd grade

On another note, If you feel your child is feeling worried about anything, having difficulty dealing with a parental separation or divorce , feeling lonely, or depressed, please don't hesitate to reach out to me, I can provide individual or small group support. Remember: These are some challenging times but you are not alone. We are all in this together!

Cheryl

cheryl.cohen@msdk12.net

Grab & Go meals will be available for all students, who wish to receive them. The Federal Department of Agriculture has extended waivers that will allow MSD to serve ALL students meals for FREE through December 31, 2020.

PreK-5 homeroom teachers will take an account each day of who would like to order a meal; meals will be delivered to classrooms and distributed to students just prior to dismissal.

“Grab & Go” meals are also available on Monday and Wednesday for any students attending virtual instruction; multiple meals will be distributed on each day to cover the week: Morristown High School (50 Early Street) will distribute meals from 12:30 PM -1:00 PM in the back of the building near the flagpole; Lafayette Learning Center (31 Hazel Street) will distribute meals from 12:45 PM-1:15 PM from the auditorium doors. More information about School Breakfast & Lunch is available on the MSD Forward homepage under "Back to School Resources for Families."

Please see the menu below for meals offered each day:

• 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).

As part of our commitment to ensuring a healthy community in which each student can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, the Morris School District has partnered with Panorama Education, leaders in education technology, to survey the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies of our students in grades 3-12.

A customized survey has been developed for the Morris School District by Panorama Education. Panorama has worked with over 400 school districts and 6 million students nationwide to develop age-appropriate SEL surveys, which are designed to help educators understand students’ social-emotional competencies and their beliefs about how supported they are in their school environment.

The survey will focus on the following 4 key areas:

Growth Mindset - the belief that it is possible to grow our intelligence through effort. Students who believe they can grow their abilities and intelligence are more likely to succeed academically.

Social Awareness - having empathy for other people and knowing how to build positive relationships. Building empathy in students helps them to better respond to conflicts and develop positive relationships.

Self-efficacy - the belief that we have control over our own motivation, behavior, and social environment. Students with high levels of confidence are more likely to achieve academic goals and outcomes.

Sense of belonging - feeling part of the community and feeling valued for our own uniqueness. Students who feel like valued members of the community show higher attendance and graduation rates.

The survey will be administered the week of October 12, 2020, and will take approximately 15 minutes. Survey questions are available for your reference at http://bit.ly/MorrisSEL. Note: This survey does NOT impact your child’s grade.

• October 15th: HSA Virtual Meeting at 6pm
• Week of October 19th: Week of Accepting Me, Accepting You, Accepting All of Us
• October 30th: School Wide Comfy Cozy Day- Student can wear their most comfortable pajamas and/or clothing!

• November 3rd: No School / Election Day

• November 5th-6th: No School / Teacher Convention