Norton High School News

Good Afternoon,

On Friday last week the National History Honor Society observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day by projecting Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" Speech on the TV screens for all lunches.

Guidance Events: Please see the document linked here for Winter and Spring Guidance Events.

Graduation Update: We were able to announce the graduation date of Wednesday, June 4th at 6PM at the end of last week. There is more information included on this letter.

Mid-year Assessments: Students will take mid-year assessments during the week of January 21 to January 24th. The full schedule is linked here. Thursday, January 23rd and Friday, January 24th will be early release days for exams. Students will be dismissed at 11:00AM.

Add/Drop for Second Semester: If a student wishes to change semester classes for the second semester, they must reach out to their guidance counselor to do so before the end of the term on January 24th.

Signs of Suicide Curriculum: Vinny Cerce, Director of Guidance and Therapeutic Programing, sent a message to all parents and guardians of 11th grade students regarding our Signs of Suicide screening program. As part of our on-going interventions to support our students and their social emotional needs, the Guidance Department will be conducting the "SOS - Signs of Suicide Program" with all 11th graders starting on 1/27/25 and ending on 1/31/25. This program is a nationally recognized and research based intervention that promotes awareness around the topics of depression and suicide. The sessions will be conducted in students’ English Class on a day during that time period.

Adams Scholarship: Congratulations to 48 members of the class of 2025 who were recognized for their excellent work on MCAS! On Tuesday, December 17th we recognized the winners of the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship with a short ceremony and some breakfast. Congratulations to all! Picture below with credit to Benson Chang.

Site Council: Any parent interested in being part of Norton High School's Site Council please reach out to me at edolleman@norton.k12.ma.us. Site Council oversees the Program of Studies and the Student Handbook process every year as well as provides input on the preparation of the high school budget. The next Site Council Meeting will be on Wednesday, January 15th.

Norton Public Schools' Calendar

Mid-year Assessments - Tuesday, January 21st through Friday, January 24th

Add/Drop Deadline for Second Semester Electives - Friday, January 24th

Grades close - Friday, January 24th

Report Cards - Monday, February 3rd

Parent Teacher Conferences - Thursday, February 13th

Winter Break - Monday, February 17th - Friday, February 21st

Congratulations to Norton DECA for their amazing performance at the District 8 Competition in Hyannis on January 9th and 10th! DECA members prepared a press release linked here.

Thanks to Ms. Bray and Ms. Clark for organizing some caroling for the French and Spanish Honor Societies at Epoch Nursing Home on Thursday, December 19th. Photos below with credit to Benson Chang ('26).

Thanks to Ms. Kozikis and Sargent Dennett for taking some students to explore what a job as a dispatcher at the Regional 911 Command Center might look like!

Career Day: On Tuesday, October 28th our 10th Grade students took a short break from their A-Block class to visit with representatives from many different careers. Students selected or had their career cluster selected for them. They had the chance to visit six different representatives to hear about what a career might be like in different fields. Below are pictures of some of the presenters. Special Thanks to Benson Chang '26 for taking the photos.

A big thank you to David Cuddington and all of the students who got out for NHS Service Corps on Saturday, October 19th! The group got out, cleared trails and put up sign kiosks on Land Preservation Society property.

The next Service Corps meeting has been postponed to Saturday, December 7th at Norton High School!

We are always looking for ways to engage students in thinking about their future after Norton High School. Below you will see two of our exploratory field trips that have taken place this year. One is to the Advanced Manufacturing Mash-Up for students in our Innovation Pathway and the other is the Public Works that was open to anyone interested in potentially following a career in public works.

During the first week of classes, school administrators met with every class to discuss school expectations and urge students to get involved with a club, student government or community service. If you are interested, the presentation we used is linked here. Some of the expectations highlights are below:

Attendance:

A focus for this year is school attendance and tardiness. We will be emphasizing attendance over the course of the year. If your student needs to be absent be sure to call the main office at 508-285-0160 and select the #3 menu option.

Bathrooms:

We are continuing the bathroom supervision that we implemented last year with the help of our electronic hall pass system. The information about the duty sent at the end of last year is linked here.

Cell Phone Expectations for 2024-2025:

The teachers of Norton High School will be enacting common expectations for cell phones this year. All students will be expected to place their cell phone in a holder in every class. Students will have access to phones during passing time, LLB and at lunch. You can read more about the expectation here.

Important Pick Up and Drop Off Reminder: Please DO NOT park along the driveway nearest the multi-purpose field. Parking there constricts traffic flow for any cars or busses entering the parking lot and makes it more congested to leave the parking lot at the end of the day. Please see the slide from the Pick-Up and Drop Off information below.

Late Bus: The Late Bus is now running for after school activities. It leaves at 4:15PM. Students must stay after for a valid reason and have a pass from a teacher or administrator to stay after school.

Pickup and drop off information is linked here.

Bus Information is available on the district site.

As many of you are probably aware we have transitioned to PowerSchool over the summer.

Students may access the community portal that is linked here. Information on parent/guardian accounts was sent to families last week. The Parent Square post with information on parent/guardian accounts is linked here.

As we do every year, students with their drivers’ licenses are eligible to park on campus. The parking contract can be found here and it is also on the NHS Student Website under “General Information” and then “Forms.” Starting Tuesday, August 27th, students can come to the main office and pick up their parking pass after completing the parking contract and paying the $25.00 fee. Please allow at least 1-2 days between the signing of the parking contract and receiving your parking pass from the main office. Keep in mind, in order to receive a parking pass, students should be up to date with their class dues and all school debts.

This section is dedicated to news from the Student Support Center that has important resources for students and families. It will be updated regularly. A full accounting of winter and spring events was sent out by Vinny Cerce and linked here.

Federal Student Aid ID Reminder:

As high school seniors and their families wait for the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be available on December 1, they should apply now for their Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID) so that they will be ready when the application opens.

Other resources available to help students afford a college degree include:

• MassEducate provides free tuition and fees at the state’s community colleges for all eligible Massachusetts students.
• MASSGrant Plus can provide significant discounts (up to free tuition and fees) at the state’s four-year universities depending on family income.
• Eligible, non-U.S. citizens can apply for state financial aid through the Massachusetts Application for State Financial Aid (MASFA).
• Information about applying for financial aid, including links to information and one-on-one help, is available online.

Past Events:

9/18 SENIOR COLLEGE NIGHT for students and families: Due to positive feedback from families about the accessibility of our zoom webinars, we are going to hold this event virtually. It will be recorded and posted to the website for those that are not able to attend the live event. This presentation will cover some of the same material reviewed in their Senior Seminars, but will also touch upon other important information regarding the search, application and acceptance process.

Recorded Presentation

10/8 Financial Aid for 11th and 12th Grade Students and Families

This year the federal government has made a large number of changes to the financial aid process. This hour-long presentation is designed to provide junior and senior students and families with an overview of the financial aid process and all of the changes that are in the works for this year and beyond. It will cover how to apply for merit scholarships, government grants, government loans and private loans. Presenter Donald Kerr, Manager Student Lending, AAA

Recorded Presentation

11/13 - 11th GRADE COLLEGE & CAREER PLANNING NIGHT Part 1 - This event was for Junior students and families. The presentation focused on career/major exploration, college search and the college application and acceptance process and is recorded here.

12/3 – College 101 Presentation – This is a presentation by Bristol Community College in conjunction with Bridgewater State that is designed for 9th and 10th grade students and their families. This presentation covers college from "soup to nuts" and will provide valuable information on the search process and what underclassmen need to think about and do to prepare themselves for applications and acceptance. Recording is linked here

MEFA Webinars: The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority offers webinars and podcasts through their website. Please go to the website via the link below.

https://www.mefa.org/events

In addition to the Guidance Events above, there will be additional information regarding Seniors linked here.

Senior Privilege: Some Seniors have Senior Privilege in their schedule to begin this fall. There is more information about Senior Privilege linked here. Those students need to return a hard copy of the permission form linked here in order to be able to leave campus.

Information regarding Little Lancer Registration can be found here.

Please help the NHS Parent Advisory Board as we support the students and staff of Norton High School. We meet the first Monday of the month in the faculty dining room located in the cafeteria from 7-8pm.

Meetings dates for the rest of 2024 are as follows:

Monday, February 3rd

Monday, March 3rd

Do you have a student in the Class of 2025? If the answer is yes please complete this form so you do not miss out on initiatives for the graduates - such as our Senior Yard Signs! https://forms.gle/9XUswZKLCW6NLvcX6

Reach out any time with questions at nortonhighpab@gmail.com and or visit out website https://sites.google.com/view/nhspab/home look for a mailing on our primary fundraiser!

Email: edolleman@norton.k12.ma.us
Location: 66 West Main Street, Norton, MA, USA
Phone: 508-285-0160
Twitter: @MrDolleman_NHS