Normandy Park School

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend!

Tuesday, May 30th is an F Day.

Reminder: School is closed Monday (5/29) in recognition of Memorial Day. Thank you to all past and present military for your service and dedication.

On Thursday (6/1), students will showcase their musical accomplishments at the Spring Concert! We will be hosting the concert in our gym.

• 9:15am for Primary Unit (K/1)
• 10:15am for Senior Unit (4/5)

• 12:45pm for Intermediate Unit (2/3)

Primary and Senior students are encouraged to wear concert attire (e.g. button up shirts, nice pants or shorts, dress, skirt, jumpsuits, etc.). Concert is a special event- they should wear what feels special to them! Intermediate students should wear red, white and/or blue (any one color or any combination of the three), given the patriotic theme of the 2/3 Intermediate concert.

Primary and Intermediate Field Day will be held on Friday (6/2). Students are encouraged to dress for the weather (quick drying clothes may be helpful as there are water stations) and bring a towel. Students should also apply sunscreen prior to the school day.

This week, grades 3-5 students will take a social emotional learning survey. Survey questions are available for your reference at http://bit.ly/MorrisSEL. Note: This survey does NOT impact your child’s grade.

Click here for the MAY Bilingual Monthly Newsletter!

Input from our families is essential to our ongoing efforts to learn, improve, and support better outcomes for each student in the Morris School District. We would like to hear from you to learn more about your experiences in our schools. Our online survey takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete, and your responses will remain anonymous and cannot be connected to you. Thank you for your participation.

Click Here to Take the Survey

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Los aportes de nuestras familias son esenciales para nuestro esfuerzo continuo para aprender, mejorar y obtener mejores resultados para cada estudiante en el Morris School District. Queremos saber su opinión, saber más sobre sus experiencias en las escuelas públicas de Morris School District. Nuestra encuesta en línea toma unos 5 a 10 minutos en completarse, y sus respuestas permanecerán anónimas y no se pueden conectar a usted. Para realizar la encuesta en español, seleccione "Español" en la esquina superior derecha después de hacer clic en el enlace. Gracias por su participación.

Presione aquí para iniciar la encuesta

Earlier in the year, 4th and 5th Graders read Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.

Number the Stars is about a ten-year-old girl living in Copenhagen, Denmark during the Nazi invasion. As part of the curriculum, the book was read aloud with guidance and support from the classroom teacher. The book highlights the theme of bravery, family, and friendship.

On May 25th (during the school day), Holocaust child survivor Maude Dahme, presented to the 4th/5th Grade on her experiences. She lead a developmentally age appropriate discussion, focusing on tolerance, education and her story. Our students were very engaged and asked great questions!

We sincerely thank Maude Dahme for taking the time to visit and present her story.

This Week- June 1st

Please join us as we celebrate our young musicians. Each grade level will perform at the assigned time (listed below).

• 9:15am for Primary Unit (K/1)
• 10:15am for Senior Unit (4/5)

• 12:45pm for Intermediate Unit (2/3)

What should my child wear the day of the concert?

Primary and Senior students are encouraged to wear concert attire (e.g. button up shirts, nice pants or shorts, dress, skirt, jumpsuits, etc.). Concert is a special event- they should wear what feels special to them! Intermediate students should wear red, white and/or blue (any one color or any combination of the three), given the patriotic theme of the 2/3 Intermediate concert.

For Field Day, students bring a towel and water bottle to school that day. There are 3 stations involving water this year- so it may be helpful to wear quick drying clothes! Students should also apply sunscreen at home before school. Students should not bring sunscreen to school.

Lets hope the weather stays this nice and we won't have use rain dates!

June 2nd: Primary Field Day @ 9:40-11:30am

Intermediate Field Day @ 1-2:40pm

June 5th: Senior Field Day @ 1-2:50pm

Please send your child in with a towel on their designated Field Day. If you are interested in volunteering please click the link below that corresponds to your child's grade level.

Primary Field Day Sign up Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E49AFAE23ABFCC61-npsprimary

Int Field Day Sign up link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E49AFAE23ABFCC61-npsintermediate

Senior Field Day Sign up Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E49AFAE23ABFCC61-npssenior

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter passed a bill to make the first 10 days of May to be Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Week. In 1992, a bill signed earlier by President George H.W. Bush extended the week to the span the month of May. During May, we celebrate the contributions, influence, and achievements of Asian Americans and Pacific Island Americans. We will begin each morning by highlighting the accomplishments and impact of influential Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Highlight the accomplishments of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders throughout our country's history. Visit the following websites for kid-friendly information to help foster discussions:

• How to Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with Kids
• 5 Ways to Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
• Brain Pop News
• May Is Asian-Pacific Heritage Month: 12 Ways to Enrich Kids’ Appreciation of Asian-Pacific American Culture

Each day this month, we start the day by highlighting influential Asian Americans and/or Pacific Islanders across our nation's history.

Families of 5th grade students are invited to join us to celebrate their 5th graders moving up from NPS to middle school on June 9th at 9:45am!

Where: NPS Gym/Auditorium

When: June 9th

Time: 9:45am to 10:45am

Registration for fall 2023 sports will open on Monday, May 15, 2023. If your child is interested in playing boys soccer, girls soccer, field hockey, or cross country they can pick up forms at the FMS health office or visit our FMS Athletics website: https://frelinghuysenms-ar.rschooltoday.com/home to print out the forms at home. Please note: boys and girls soccer are cut sports.

For more information please click here.

Click here to visit our Home and School Association website!

Thank you to 5th Grade Quest and the HSA for hosting wonderful family outing.

Students had a blast bowling with their families and friends!

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

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!

This week, our school will continue administering the Spring i-Ready® Diagnostic assessment. 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.

This month’s celebrations and events include: Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month and Mental Health Awareness month.

Standardized testing and iReady testing begins this month so what better way to kick it off this month’s Counselor Corner than with some tips on dealing with Test Anxiety

Prior to testing:

• Reassure your child that you know they will do the best they can. Remember children will feed into your anxiety and vice versa. So if you’re anxious about how they will do on their tests, they will be too.

• Remind them that if they get stuck on a problem to move on to the next one and come back to the one they were stuck on later. It’s better to keep moving forward and feel like you have successfully answered questions than to stay stuck and get frustrated.

• Take a brief walk together as often as you can and be mindful of the world around you. Talk about the trees and flowers that are blooming. Try spotting all the birds and bugs. Try to identify some of the spring smells in the air.

Sleep and testing:

• On the nights of testing make sure your child has plenty of rest. A good night’s rest is crucial to good cognitive function.

• Establish a calming night time routine.

• Avoid drinks with sugar in them prior to bedtime.

• Play relaxing music.

• If your child watches a movie in the afternoon or evening make sure it is funny or silly, nothing sad, scary or violent, as this might keep them up at night. This applies to computer games as well.

• Turn off all electronics an hour before bed and remove all electronic devices from the bedroom so there are no temptations to turn them on.

The morning of the test:

• Try to wake your child up gently and calmly.

• Encourage your child to eat a healthy breakfast. Pack a healthy snack as well.

• Put a positive sticky note in their lunch box or on one of their notebooks. Older children might find this corny but those notes are always appreciated!

• Practice some deep breathing techniques prior to leaving the house.

Here are a few of the many types of deep breathing techniques you can do with your child to help them relax.

1. Flower/candle: Pretend to be holding a flower and taking a deep breath in through your nose as if smelling the flower. Then imagine you are blowing out your birthday candles and blow them all out. Do this 4-5 times.

2. Crazy 8 breaths: draw a giant figure 8. Using your pointer finger, start at the middle and take a breathe in as you trace the top half of the 8. Breathe out slowly through your mouth as you trace the bottom half.

3. Tummy breaths: place your hand over your belly. As you inhale, feel your belly expand, keep lips slightly parted as you exhale through your mouth.

There are many relaxation apps available including Smiling Mind Meditation App, Calm, and Headspace. As always, I encourage you to check them out first before sharing them with your child.

There are many wonderful books dealing with the topic of worry and anxiety. Here are a few of them:

Each month I have tried to show the importance of inclusivitivy and diversity. The month of May continues to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI). Did you know the term Asian American Pacific Islander is used to describe a diverse and fast-growing population of 23 million Americans that includes roughly 50 ethnic groups with roots in more than 40 countries! Almost every individual and group of individuals who have come to the United States has faced a multitude of struggles. Having conversations with your children about people who might look or sound different from them and the struggles they might have had allows for greater understanding and empathy and embraces the communities all around us. Here are some of the many children’s books that you can read with your child. As always, I recommend you read it first so that you can answer any questions your child might have.

• 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: marybeth.supple@msdk12.net

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

The local libraries, including Normandy Park’s own library has some of these and others as well.

If you have any concerns about your child being anxious or any other concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher, pediatrician or me.

Stay Awesome!

Cheryl Cohen, School Counselor

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 a situation arises that requires you to pick your child up during the school day, a note must be sent to the office specifying the pick-up time. Students being picked up early are asked to be picked up before 2:30 p.m.

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. To fill out the Free and Reduced Meals application, please click here.

• June 1st- Spring Concert
• June 2nd- Field Day for K/1 and 2/3 (Rain Date June 7th)
• June 5th- 4/5 Field Day (Rain Date June 8th or 13th)
• June 9th- Moving Up Ceremony for 5th Graders
• June 12th- 5th Grade Fun Day
• June 14th-16th: Early Dismissal (1:15)
• June 16th- Last Day of School

2022-2023 District Calendar

· Harrassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB) Reporting Information

· Parent Handbook

· District Calendar

· Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

· Free and Reduced Meal Application

· Adding Money to Breakfast/Lunch Account

· Sunset and Sunrise

Register Here.