Normandy Park School

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Monday (3/7) is a B Day.

As previously communicated, masks will now be optional in all Morris School District buildings beginning Monday, March 7. In addition, masks will be optional on all school buses beginning March 7. All choices regarding mask wearing will be respected and supported; the Morris School District does not tolerate bullying of any kind. On Friday, I met with students from all grade levels to discuss this expectation. As always, we are to treat each and every person with respect and kindness. For additional information, please click here.

Access Testing for ELL students will continue this week.

This week, our Intermediate Unit will begin their cultural art residency on reader's theater with the Mayo Performing Art Center (additional information below). We are excited to bring in MPAC for this exciting opportunity for our students!

On March 16th, we will begin the annual HSA NPS Reading Challenge for all students (more information to come this week!).

Please continue answering the following the questions on the Daily Student Screening before your child leaves for school each morning. Please inform our school nurse (marybeth.supple@msdk12.net) if your child tested positive for COVID-19, has been in close contact with anyone who tested positive for COVID-19, or exhibits any symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

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.

La Esquina Latina Con Mrs. Esteves

¡Atención! Cultivando la Lectura, un taller virtual para padres hispanohablantes el jueves 31 de marzo del 2022 a las 7pm. Haga clic aquí para más información.

TRANSLATION: Attention! Cultivating Reading, a virtual workshop for Spanish-speaking parents on Thursday, March 31st, 2022 at 7pm. Click here for more information.

This workshop is brought to you by outreach team members

Maria Pilar Restrepo (WD & TJ) and Vanessa Colon (AV & SX)

March is Women's History Month. During the month of March, we give a little extra attention to all of the amazing accomplishments of strong, determined women!

Women's History Month highlights the contributions and impact of influential women. Every morning, we will open the announcements by learning about an influential woman in history!

MSD parent conferences at all schools will now take place on Monday, March 21, and Tuesday, March 22. These will be early dismissal days.

Parents will have the option of in-person and/or virtual conferences. If you have not scheduled your conference, please remember to reach out to your child's teacher.

Counselors across the country have seen an uptick in anxiety and emotional dysregulation in children. Emotional WHAT?, you might ask. “Emotional dysregulation in children is when a child experiences difficulty with registering emotions, responding with emotions appropriate to context and regulating emotional responses in social situations (i.e., suppressing emotions or presenting with overly dramatic and excessive emotional responses) (source:aifs.gov.au). Children who have temper tantrums, act overly silly, struggle with transitions, have difficulty waiting or taking turns or completely shut down can be signs of emotional dysregulation. While there is no official research on why this is occurring, the pandemic has had a lot to do with it. More on this at another time.

“Self-regulation is a skill that children need to be taught and practiced. The trick is not to avoid hard situations. Instead, parents can coach kids through tough situations. Breaking an activity into smaller, more doable parts can help. For instance, if your child has a hard time brushing their teeth, start with just putting toothpaste on the brush. Praise them a lot when they do it and slowly add steps.

When kids act out, encourage them to slow down and reflect. With a parent’s help, kids can learn to ask themselves: What went wrong? Why? How can I fix that for next time?

Practicing mindfulness can help with self-regulation. Mindfulness teaches kids how to focus on the present instead of the past or the future.”(Source: Child mind institute).

The Zones of Regulation, developed by Leah Kuypers, an Occupational Therapist, is a great tool for helping children regulate. There are 4 color zones which can help children easily identify how they are feeling:

The idea is to help them identify what zone they are in and if it’s other than green, how to get them back to the green zone.

Click here to see a great video for parents that shows what the different zones look like!

Click here for a catchy sing along video for children!

As always, please review any videos prior to sharing them with your child and be prepared to answer questions they may have.

Do you have a topic you would like to see addressed here in the Counselor Corner? If so please email me at cheryl.cohen@msdk12.net

Stay Awesome!

During March, NPS will host the MPAC Readers Theater program for our Intermediate (2/3) students. They will meet approximately 2 time per week.

Sessions will be lead by a professional instructor. Students will focus on reader’s theatre shared storytelling that is aligned with school curriculum.

The residency will focus on:

• Storytelling thru:

• Reading Comprehension-Students will use their reading and speaking skills to understand a short story, characters, relationships & objectives
• Movement & Interpretation- Focusing on movements & gestures student will learn to speak with their entire bodies.
• Speaking Out Loud: Learning to project their voices, students will bring characters from stories to life using different emotions and speaking with confidence in front of others.

*Information from MPACs website.

Students from MHS will return to NPS to visit some of our classrooms on Friday. They will conduct a read aloud (in partnership with the classroom teacher). We are excited to continue the Storytime Project with MHS. This is a great opportunity for our students to make connections with local high schoolers!

Join us to create a massive mural that will transform our school from April 11 to April 27! There will be something for everyone!

NO ARTISTIC SKILLS NEEDED! - Our artist, Caren Frost Olmsted, will be essentially drawing out a huge coloring book—and we get to paint it in!

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SIGN UP FOR MULTIPLE SLOTS! -

We need all hands-on deck! If you cannot make an entire morning or afternoon

slot, but can make part, please come! CLICK TO SIGN UP - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F45AFAA28A5F8C25-march

Thank you so much for your time and willingness to volunteer!

¡Únanse a crear Un mural masivo que transformará nuestra escuela del 11 al 27 de Abril! ¡Habrá algo para todos!
¡ NO HABILIDADES ARTÍSTICAS NECESARIAS! - Nuestra artista, Caren Frost Olmsted, estará básicamente dibujando un libro de colorear enorme — ¡y podremos pintarlo!
POR FAVOR SIENTANSE EN LIBERTAD DE INSCRIBIRSE EN LOS MÚLTIPLE HORARIOS DISPONIBLES! - ¡Necesitamos todas las manos a la obra! Si no pueden participar una horario disponible entero en mañana o en la tarde, pero pueden participar parte, ¡por favor venagan!Haga clic para registrarse - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F45AFAA28A5F8C25-march
¡Muchas gracias por su tiempo y su interés de ser voluntario!

Parent volunteers are once again permitted in schools and classrooms with the approval of the building principal. In order to be approved for volunteering, all volunteers must first show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19.

Please submit proof of vaccination to christopher.miller@msdk12.net prior to showing up to volunteer. Thank you!

Head on over to NPS School Store to check out all of our new designs and get your hands on the coolest of NPS Fashion!

Check out the HSA school store. Now open!

Quarantined students may use their Chromebook to view the in-person classroom via Google Meet and will have access to assignments via Google Classroom (K-5) or Canvas (6-12). Additional support will be provided to elementary students and others who require it. PreK students will have periodic check-ins, but most of their learning will take place off-line.

Virtual learning will be arranged within two school days (may be provided earlier if possible) of the onset of quarantine. This time frame is necessary for information to be distributed to all the necessary teachers and staff, and then for the teachers to set up Google Meet links and coordinate academic support. However, students can access their Google Classroom or Canvas accounts to check for assignments at any time.

REMINDER:

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 March 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 March 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.

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).

• March 7th to March 28th: Intermediate Cultural Arts Residency (Reader's Theater with MPAC)
• March 21st and 22nd: Early Dismissal for Students (Parent Teacher Conferences)

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