Normandy Park School

Monday, February 26th an A Day.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend! I am looking forward to a fun filled week.

On Friday, NPS will host its monthly community meeting. At the community meeting, the MHS cast of Mary Poppins will perform a number from their show!

This week, for the MPAC cultural arts residency, students will begin rehearsing on-stage in preparation for next week's performance. Please note a slight time change. Performances on each day will now begin at 11am (not 11:15am).

MPAC Performance Dates at NPS:

Grade Units 2/3: FINAL PERFORMANCE Tuesday March 5th at 11am

Grade Units K/1: FINAL PERFORMANCE Wednesday March 6th at 11am

Grade Units 4/5: FINAL PERFORMANCE Thursday March 7th at 11am

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out via phone or e-mail with any questions.

Sincerely,

Chris Miller (christopher.miller@msdk12.net)

February is Black History Month.

Black History Month was created to highlight the history and the accomplishments of black Americans. Today, we continue to celebrate Black History Month, but also emphasize studying the accomplishments of Black Americans year round. Every morning, we will open the announcements by learning about an influential African American.

I would like to formally announce and recognize the retirement of Mrs. Cherie Smith, who will retire at the end of the school year. Mrs. Smith has dedicated over 32 years to educating and inspiring countless students. She has been an integral part of our school community and has left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of all who have had the privilege of knowing her.

As Mrs. Smith soon embarks on this new chapter of her life, we extend our deepest gratitude for the dedication, hard work, and compassion she has brought to our school community.

Feel free to send her messages of well-wishes at cherie.smith@msdk12.net

The Normandy Park School is excited to host its annual S.T.E.A.M. Fair which will be held Thursday, March 21st from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. The acronym S.T.E.A.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. Students are learning, exploring and expressing interest in many areas, and this is an additional opportunity to showcase their work.

During the fair parents and students will have the opportunity to explore the different aspects of S.T.E.A.M. throughout the building. It will be an amazing opportunity for students to display their talents and interests through multiple facets.

Your child also has the opportunity to complete an at home project. This is voluntary. Additional information will be sent home by Mr. Russell.

We hope you will join us in celebrating our students’ hard work.

Thanks to support from the HSA and the MEF, we are proud to present a cultural arts residency program from the Mayo Performing Arts Center, in which our students will learn about and perform musical theater!

Over the past month, students have begun practice and met their instructors. Students enthusiastically engaged in acting exercises. In addition, they were introduced to a song that all classes will perform.

Throughout residency sessions, instructors will focus on will focus on:

• Musical theater background and analysis – Students will be given material from Broadway musicals. They will learn about the composer/lyricist, artistic team, cast, and the performance history of the musical. They will also get a broad overview of general musical theater history.
• Basic acting skills – Through the use of improvisation and theatre games, the students will be introduced to basic acting technique, stage presence and character development.
• Movement – Through the use of basic theater dance combinations and warm-up routines, the students will gain basic movement vocabulary and a better control of body movement.
• Vocal technique – Students will work on breath control, diction, and placement while performing class song selections and warm-up exercises.
• Song performance and analysis – Students will learn to interpret and express the lyrics of a song.

Residency will conclude the first week of March with a grade/unit level performance for parents.

*REVISED UPDATED TIMES

Dates:

Grade Units 2/3: FINAL PERFORMANCE Tuesday March 5th at 11am

Grade Units K/1: FINAL PERFORMANCE Wednesday March 6th at 11am

Grade Units 4/5: FINAL PERFORMANCE Thursday March 7th at 11am

iReady testing is complete.

To view data reports online, please use the information provided below. To log-in to your student's i-Ready Dashboard you have to be on their device or login to their msdk12 account through Clever.

Printed reports were sent home on Friday, February 16th.

For additional information on accessing, please click here.

To visit the iReady Family Center to learn more on how to interpret the report, please click here!

Click here to visit our Home and School Association website!

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!

Please save the date for the upcoming NPS Fun Fair (March 16th)! NPS HSA is still looking for volunteers to help out on the day of the event. If you are available and interested, please click here to sign up!

Save the date! Additional information on how to purchase tickets will be shared soon.

The HSA's Membership Toolkit is the key to staying informed! If you have not done so already, we encourage you to create a profile which will enable participation in the school directory and the ability to sign up to receive our weekly newsletter, submit club forms, volunteer and more!

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

Follow the NPS HSA on Social Media:

Instagram: @nps_wizards

Facebook: Normandy Park School HSA

Additional information will be shared and sent home regarding the upcoming reading challenge (including logs and prizes for completion!)

Tickets on sale now...get yours before they sell out! MHSTIX.COM

February 2024

As we celebrate Black History month, I wanted to highlight one of the early women of color in social work: Thrya Edwards (1897-1953). Ms. Edwards started her career as a Social Worker in Chicago, working with at-risk populations and with women and children. She organized the first child care program in Rome to assist Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. She was a lecturer, women’s rights advocate, labor organizer and journalist

Last week Feb 5-9 marked National School Counseling Week. School Counselors across the country are providing a multitude of services including individual and group counseling, crisis management, conflict mediation and restorative practices. We give class lessons that support social and emotional learning and school wide community building. We give support to parents/families and connect them with community resources. We are members of the Intervention and Referral Service Team, are the lead investigators for any Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying concerns and chair our School Culture and Climate teams. As one of several bilingual counselors in this district we provide translation services and support to our Spanish-speaking community. This role of caring and compassion has been one that I am proud to have been a part of.

It is therefore with mixed emotions that I inform you of my retirement at the end of this school year. It has been an honor and a privilege having the opportunity to work in this district for the last 26 years. I cannot thank you enough for entrusting me with your children all these years. Rest assured I will continue to provide support to you and your children for the remainder of the year. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you for an amazing journey and remember to stay awesome!

Sincerely,

Cheryl Cohen, MSW, LCSW

School Counselor

Check out some SEL resources from our MSD counseling intern team!

*Updated 2.25.2024

English SEL newsletter

Spanish SEL newsletter

SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS WITH A GIFT TO THE MORRIS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION!

The Morris Educational Foundation (MEF) works year-long in collaboration with the Morris School District community to bring resources to all students and all schools. Together, we help everyone Imagine the Possibilities - and make it a reality.

This includes funding for annual Cultural Arts programming, classroom grants as well as literacy programs and resources to name a few. We rely on our donors to make this all possible and during this season of giving, we ask for you to consider a gift at bit.ly/MEFgift to help us continue our impact for the ‘23-24 school year.

Click here to learn more about the MEF's impact. The Morris School District is an amazing place, and the MEF is proud to be its partner for over 30 years. We hope you will join us this school year to Imagine the Possibilities!

Click here for 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.

Students who qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch qualify for free/reduced breakfast as well. Applications are available through PaySchools. Click the link to create your PaySchool account (ENG or ESP) Once you create your account, the Free & Reduced Application will be available complete online. Please note that you do not have to print out the application if you complete it online; it will be electronically sent to the Board Office once completed. You may also complete an application using a computer in the main office of your child's school or request a paper application.

If you do not qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch, please follow these procedures for purchasing school breakfast or lunch:

• Backpack an envelope with your child's name on it, marked "Food Services.
• Include your child's name in the memo line of your check.
• You may prepay for multiple breakfasts or lunches with one check or lump sum of money, which will then be deposited onto your child's food services account.
• Payment may also be made online ( (ENG or ESP); a small fee will be charged with each transaction. This is a secure and convenient way to make payments and keep your account up to date.
• Payment may be made in cash or check (payable to "Morris School District"

MEAL PRICING:

***Meal Prices for School Year 2023-2024***

Elementary Breakfast

$1.50

Elementary Lunch

$3.00

Reduced Price Breakfast

$0.00

Reduced Price Lunch

$0.00

Milk

$0.75

Checks are made payable to "Morris School District".

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 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: francesca.ecker@msdk12.net

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

• March 5th, 6th, and 7th- MPAC Residency Performances

Click here to view Morris School District (MSD) 2023-2024 School calendar.

NJSLA State Testing for Grades 3-5 will begin at the end of April. The tentative schedule is as follows (*if there are changes in the schedule, they will be communicated/posted as soon as they are made):

Dates for NJSLA State Testing:

ELA:

• April 30, May 1st: 4th and 5th Grade
• May 6th, May 7th: 3rd Grade

Math:

• May 14th to May 16th: 4th and 5th Grade
• May 8th to May 10th: 3rd Grade

Science (5th Grade Only)

• May 2nd, May 3rd

· Parent Handbook

· Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

· Free and Reduced Meal Application

· Sunset and Sunrise