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Norton Elementary News
3rd Quarter Newsletter - March 8, 2024
From Ms. Melanie Lee, Principal
Hard Lock Down Drill
We conducted our second semester hard lockdown drill with the support of three SROs (School Resource Officers) on Friday, March 1, 2024. The SROs provided us with great feedback on an excellent job conducting and implementing this drill with staff and students. Way to go Comets! Thank you to our staff, students, and SROs for helping us practice our safety drills throughout the school year to always keep all stakeholders safe!
Local School Council
Our local school council has met three times so far this school year. Our last meeting will be held at South Gwinnett High School on March 21 ,2024 with each South Gwinnett Cluster Local School Council. Local School Councils are established to improve communication and participation of parents and the community in the management and operation of schools. Parents and the community are critical to the success of students and schools. During our meetings, the local school council members share ideas for school improvement, bring stakeholders together to create a better understanding of and mutual respect for each other’s concerns, and help the board of education develop and nurture participation. Our work and collaboration are focused on student learning and achievement, local school board policies, as well as communication and collaboration. Thank you to this year’s local school council for your support and teamwork in helping our school, students, and staff be the best in Gwinnett!
From Ms. Traci Baldwin, Assistant Principal
Digital Learning Days
ACCESS 2.0
Georgia Alternative Assessment (GAA)
The Georgia Alternate Assessments allows students with significant cognitive disabilities in grades 3 – 5 to demonstrate their growth and accomplishments in Language Arts and Math and for grades 3-5 and Science for grade 5. This assessment allows the student, parent, and teacher to gain information about the student’s strengths and needs. This test will be administered during the month of April.
Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS)
Students in grades 3-5 will be administered Georgia Milestones starting April 22, 2024. The 3rd-5th grade students will be administered the English Language Arts and Mathematics assessment. 5th grade students will also take the Science assessment. Georgia Milestones measures how well students have learned the knowledge and skills outlined in the state-adopted content standards in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. Rolling makeups will begin once a content window opens. The Georgia Milestones test window closes May 10, 2024.
Georgia Milestones Schedule:
April 22nd: English Language Arts 3rd-5th
April 23rd: English Language Arts 3rd-5th
April 24th: English Language Arts 3rd-5th
April 29th: Mathematics 3rd-5th
April 30th: Mathematics 3rd-5th
May 2nd: Science 5th
From Ms. Delisa Tate, Assistant Principal
ELT (Extended Learning Time) Saturday Intervention
This semester we offered our Saturday Intervention Program for our students.
Purpose: Norton Elementary School strives to ensure students are meeting the Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) every day. We recognize that some students require additional time, opportunities, and support to demonstrate mastery of the AKS. This program is a four-hour program that was offered 7 times in both the fall and spring semester to support the areas of Reading and Math throughout.
When: Saturdays
Time: 7:30 – 11:30 AM
Math & Science Night
From Ms. Kathy Spruiell, Assistant Principal
Spring Break
This school year, students and staff are out of school for Spring Break on the following dates: Saturday, March 30th – April 7th. Everyone returns to school, Monday April 8, 2024.
Here are some fun things to do in Gwinnett during Spring Break: https://www.exploregwinnett.org/blog/post/spring-break-deals-events-attractions-in-gwinnett/ https://www.atlantaparent.com/spring-break-camps/
Pre-K Lottery
Kindergarten Registration
If you need to register a kindergartener or know someone who does, please share the following Kindergarten Registration with friends, neighbors, and family who do and reside in our district. The tentative dates for Norton’s Kindergarten Registration are April 8th - May 3, 2014. We will send finalized information via email and school web site before Spring Break. If you have any questions regarding Kindergarten Registration, please contact Alma Garcia at 770-985-1933.
Golden Gotcha Winners
From Ms. Augustin, Teacher of the Year
Comet of the Month
Big Shout of the February Comets of the Month for “Honesty”:
Emerson Collazo, Morgan Penister, Ziad Othman, Kairo Marrow, David Southall, Batiste Taylor, Leilani Johnson, Kaylee Granados, Bryce Martinez, Fatima Abo, Charlie Gover, Genesis Pereira-Roldan, Realynn Willis, Victorious Hetcheli, Cheyenne Miller, Nova Reed, Jymmy Cortes, Alani Richardson, Pharaoh Flood, Aaron Thompson, Abisola Raheem, Dylain Estima, Rehanna Anis, Kameron Peterson, Fitzroy Harvey, Jalea Debedin, Brayden Jones, Jeremey Drake, Geryson Thomas, Ithiel Johnson, Aaliyah Yusuf, Batiste Taylor, Jacquelyn Navarro-Correa, Tobias Joseph, Lily Towler, Abraham Perez Bermejo, Alvin Ekumfi, Gabriel Adeseun, Amari Graddy, Davis Kuhn, Makenly Higgins, Amaura Greene
From Ms. Head & Ms. Ohmer, SEL Committee
SEL at Norton (What is SEL? How do we support SEL at Norton every day?)
Wellness Room
The Wellness room is up and running for the staff to go and relax. A place far away from home you can go to relax and take a break from work. We wanted to thank the staff and other members for donating some goodies to put in the wellness room. The Wellness room is decorated every month due to the season changes and holidays. The staff is really enjoying it more. The Wellness room is still open to have more donations to add to it. If you would like to help and contribute to your child’s teachers’ wellness room. We really appreciate it.
SEL Week
The SEL committee is celebrating SEL Week during Read Across America Week on March 4 -March 8 to dress up day. On Monday we kicked off with Hats off to Dr.Seuss which we got to wear our favorite Hat. Tuesday, March 5 was “My many colored days” to wear many colors. Wednesday. March 6 was “If I Ran the Zoo”; wear Animal Print. On Thursday, March 6 was “Fox and Socks” wear your Silly Socks. On Friday, March 7th it was “ Not going to get up today” and wear your PJs. The staff that participate will get their name in a drawing and win a prize every single day.
From Ms. Baccus, Media Specialist
Book Fair
Read Across America Week
Read Across America Week is celebrated annually from March 2nd-March 6th. It begins on the birthday of the famous children’s author, Dr. Seuss, and includes reading events throughout the week. Here at Norton, our building was filled with excitement, as we held our annual Guest Reader Day on March 4th!
Our amazing volunteers dressed up, read award winning books, and engaged in positive interaction, which brought joy and laughter to the students. We sincerely appreciate Mr. Dean Head, Ms. Tabitha Head, Ms. Natalie Rodriguez, Officer Wayne Cameron, Officer Jeffery Dalton, Officer Derek Williams, and Sgt. Zakia Williams for their time and commitment to our school and the community.
Book Mobile Visits
On March 5th, we hosted our GCPS Book Mobiles. The mission of the Book Mobile program is to put books into kids' hands. The two GCPS Book Mobiles visit an average of 140 Gwinnett schools each year and have over 5,000 books on the shelves. As a result of our HUGELY successful Winter Book Fair, we were able to help provide each child who visited the Book Mobile a free book for their home library.
We would like to acknowledge Mrs. Nickyale Francois, and Mrs. Josseline McGaughey for their ongoing support of the Media Program through their volunteerism.
Reader's Rally
The Gwinnett Readers Rally is a quiz bowl-style competition for students in grades 4 – 12. Students read books from a predetermined list and answer questions about the books. We would like to Congratulate our Readers Rally Team (Obaloluwa Akinmarin, Caleb Carnes, Blossom Gardener, Liam Roccato, Greyson Thomas, and Sairah Williams) who won Second Place Runner Up in our Division! We are very proud of them.
From Ms. Meyers, Multicultural Committee
Black History Program
The Multicultural and Content Committees collaborated and planned the Black History Math and Science Night. In the beginning of this event, our community was able to enjoy the Norton Sign Language Choir (led by Ms. Buford) and Norton Chorus (led by Mrs. Karb). These two musical groups sang and/or signed music performed by Notable African Americans. After the performances, families were able to enjoy Math and Science Night festivities, winning raffle prizes , and visiting tables such as Girl Scouts, Play 2 Learn, and Robots Station. Each grade level (K-5) prepared an interactive activity that highlighted a Math and/or Science AKS that aligned with the notable works of African Americans. While engaging in these activities, families could enjoy a warm drink from the coffee truck, take a look at the Science Fair Projects, and the Black History Posters.
From Dr. Parnell, After School Intervention Facilitator
After School Intervention
The Spring After-School Intervention Program was a great success for students at NES! The program was conducted from January 25th-February 12th on Mondays and Thursdays for 3 hours each day. 119 first-fifth grade students participated in the program, with over 20 students per grade level participating.
Students received stellar Reading and Math instruction using iReady lessons based upon current AKS standards for each grade level. Students who were invited to participate in the program demonstrated a need for additional support in these subject areas after taking the Winter iReady benchmark assessment.
Many thanks are extended to parents for allowing their students to attend the program. Furthermore, immense gratitude is expressed to the NES teachers who worked diligently each week to enrich the Reading and Math skills of program participants. The teaching staff for the Spring After-School Intervention Program were:
- Ms. Mo’Kayla Hooks- 1st Grade ELA
- Mrs. Alicia Howell- 1st Grade Math
- Mrs. Leslie Burch- 2nd Grade ELA
- Ms. Marja Stanislaus- 2nd Grade Math
- Ms. Lori Brown- 3rd Grade Math
- Mrs. Catrice Byrd-Pippens- 3rd Grade Math
- Mrs. Scharletta Jones- 3rd Grade ELA
- Ms. Patricia Buford- 4th Grade ELA
- Mrs. Winsome Haldane- 4th Grade Math
- Ms. Luz Augustin- 5th Grade ELA
- Mrs. Stephanie Porter- 5th Grade Math
- Dr. Sonja Parnell- Director
From Ms. McKellar, Parent Instructional Coordinator
Happy March and Welcome to the Parent Center. Mrs. McKellar our Parent Instructional Coordinator has many resources available to share to help with children’s learning at home. We have learning games, children’s books and resource books for parents, and practice books for check out. She is available to help parents navigate online resources to also help with learning at home.
Save the date for upcoming workshops:
- Multi-Language Learners Workshop, Tuesday, March 12th at 5 PM
- GMAS Workshop -Thursday March 28th at 5 PM
- Kindergarten Transition Workshop, Thursday, April 11th at 5 PM
- Title I Planning Meeting, Tuesday, April 16th at 5 PM
We encourage parents to also access eTIPS that are shared weekly on our website and by teachers. Please encourage your children to access their eCLASS page nightly for many resources for extra help at home. Visit the Parent Center on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday to meet with Mrs. McKellar for continued support.
From Ms. D. Brown, Specials Teacher
Robotics Club/Competition
One of the most exciting aspects of being part of a robotics team is the opportunity to participate in competitions. These events range from local tournaments to state championships, and beyond. During the Robotics Competition students showcase their robots in various challenges through navigating obstacle courses, demonstrating team core values and sharing their innovative solution to a worldwide problem .
Norton’s 2023-2024 Robotics Team participated in the regional robotics competition at Discovery High School. We engaged in building and programming a LEGO robot that navigated the missions of a robot game. Our team participated in a research project to identify and solve a relevant real-world problem. Our real-world problem that we solved was being able to share and teach karate to people that normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to learn and practice outside of their home. We created a program that can be played through a VR headset (which was a hit with the judges). We did not place during the competition, but our team really enjoyed the experience and represented Norton very well.
PBIS
Positive behavior interventions and support is school wide initiative designed to promote appropriate behavior in our students. We use PBIS to reinforce being Respectful, Responsible, and Ready (to learn). The PBIS’ goal is to promote self-discipline by letting students know what is expected of them and what the consequences of their behavior will be. This semester the PBIS Team has been working diligently to acknowledge and reward students that are showing the 3 R’s and self-discipline. Each month classes are rewarded for receiving the most Class Gotcha Cards and individual students have been receiving Gotcha Cards for implementing the use of the 3 R’s. We are implementing the Gotcha Store monthly, rewarding those students who have earned enough Gotcha Cards to purchase items.
The PBIS Team is in need of volunteers to assist us with stocking of the PBIS carts and any donations that can be used as prizes would be truly appreciated. If you are able to help with this, please email desra.brown@gcpsk12.org.
Gwinnett Regional Science and Engineering Innovation Fair
January 23,2024 Norton Elementary had its local Science and Engineering Fair. From that Fair we selected 4 students to participate in the 46th Gwinnett Regional Science, Engineering & Innovation Fair scheduled for February 23, 2024. The students that were selected to move on were: Jacory Jackson “The Problem With School Desk”, Greyson Thomas and Khadin Demery “The Water Problem”, and Matthew Allen “Drinking Water”. The Gwinnett Regional Science, Engineering & Innovation Fair is a community-wide event celebrating student innovation in science, technology, engineering and research in Gwinnett County. Students competing in the Regional Fair had the opportunity to present their research to judges and had the opportunity to interact with representatives from over 60 companies, universities, and organizations representing the fields of science, engineering, research and technology. It was an awesome experience.
From Ms. Clarke, Clinic
Clinic & Wish List
Good day Norton parent/guardian. Our clinic supplies are extremely low, and we are in need of new or gentle worn clothing for all ages. Pants for both girls and boys, slacks, skirts leggings, and boys' underwear. Our smaller children are more venerable to have bathroom accident because they are not able to control their bladder, and as the warmer weather approaches our children will be going outside more frequently so they'll be getting wet and muddy from playing outside. We will not turn any donation down. With adequate inventory our children don't have to sit in wet or solid garment when we're unable to reach their parent. We're also accepting feminine items for girls, band-aid for cuts/scrapes and Zip-log bags.
Parent/ guardian if your child / children are sick the best method is to keep them at home because we do not dispense any over-the-counter medication at school therefore, we must call home for someone to pick them up. If they have a fever, coughing constantly, or vomiting prior to school please keep them home for at least twenty-four hours or until fever free. Prescription medication sent to school must be in the original container with the pharmacy label, dosage, and time med to be taken. Over the counter medication must be in the original container and proper document fill out and kept with medicine.
Parent /guardian with smaller children, if possible, please send in extra change of cloth daily in their book bag. This will eliminate frequent calls to home for a change of clothing. We do understand that most parent work, but we cannot offer a change of clothing if there is none in the clinic. We are here to help with any medical concern you have or if you need your question answered. Again, we appreciate and thank you for supporting our school clinic.
The lost and found closet in the clinic is full. Please encourage your children to stop by and see if there's anything they're missing. All unclaimed items that are not picked up by mid-May will be donated at the end of the school year.
Again thank you for all you do to keep our children safe.
From Ms. Alma Garcia, Registration
Welcome to R.L. Norton Elementary School, home of the Comets! We are looking forward to seeing your student thrive at our school. The registrar is available Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. No appointments are required to register or withdraw students. Call the main office ahead of time to make sure the registrar is available.
- Registration: The enrolling parent/legal guardian is responsible to provide all required documents at time of registration. Student must be registered before 11:30 a.m. to get same day attendance credit. If a student is registered after 11:30 a.m., the child will start school the following day. For detailed information on registration information, please visit the Gwinnett County Public Schools website at: gcpsk12.org.
- Withdrawals: Only the enrolling parent/legal guardian can request to withdraw a student. If you need a withdrawal packet to present to your new school, you may pick it up on the next business day. You will need to present your identification to pick it up. You may also submit a withdrawal form via e-mail to alma.garcia@gcpsk12.org. Please include a copy of your identification. Note: Please go to gcpsk12.org/schools/online-withdrawal-process for information on the Online Withdrawal Process.
- Student Information Changes/Updates: To update parents’ phone numbers and make changes/updates to your Emergency Contact list, please go to your Parent Portal account at go2gwinnett.k12.ga.us. To learn more about the Parent Portal, please watch the video at gcpsk12.org/Page/26042. For assistance with your Parent Portal account, please contact our Parent Center at (678) 736-2015.
- Attendance: Parents or Guardians MUST send a signed, written note (or Doctor’s note) when the student returns to school providing the reason for the absence, the date(s) of the absence(s), and a daytime phone number. NOTE: Once the student misses 10 unexcused days, the school social worker will contact the family to discuss any truancy concerns.
From Ms. Forde, Administrative Assistant to Ms. Lee
Spring Pictures
Picture Day is scheduled for Friday, March 22nd and once again TSS Photography will be taking our student photos. More information will soon become available via ParentSquare and flyers will be sent home within the next week. Stay tuned…
Office Hours, Early Checkouts, & Transportation
Norton Office hours are from 7:00 am – 4:00 pm. Students may not enter the building until 7:45 am. Students arriving after 8:15am are considered tardy and will need to come to the front office to check in.
If you wish to check out a student, please come to the office with your ID no later than 2:15 pm. No check outs will be allowed after this time.
For any one day transportation changes, please send in a hand written note to let the office know of the change. Please note that no emails, phone calls or faxes will be accepted for any transportation changes. If you are making a permanent transportation change, you will need to come to the office and fill out a new Transportation Form and your ID will be required. No Permanent changes will be made until the transportation form has been filled out.
Please always remember to have your ID with you for the safety and security of our Norton students and staff. Thank you for all your support as we continue to make Norton ES a safe and positive learning place.
From Dr. Hammami, Play2Learn
Play2Learn
- Learn how to find the teachable moments in everyday activities
- Learn how to engage with your child in play
- Learn how to continue learning at home or anywhere
- Learn about your child's educational milestones
- Learn how to get your child READY FOR SCOOL!
At Norton, these sessions are on Tuesdays from 9:00am-10:30am or 12:30pm-2:00pm.
From Dr. Cody & Ms. Brown, Counselors
Forward Focus to May 2024
We will continue supporting students through classroom lessons, individual counseling, and small groups. K-2 small groups will focus on social skills and self-control. 3-5 small groups will focus on study skills, managing test anxiety, and managing strong emotions. Lesson provided during counseling specials will continue to focus on social emotional learning and career exploration. Students will also learn about summer safety and, in preparation for the Georgia Milestones, grades 3-5 will be receiving lessons on test preparation.
From Ms. Teasley, Teacher & Student Council Leader
Student Council
The goal for Norton’s student council is to provide additional opportunities to elevate student voice, ownership, and agency in the design of our school experience. In the 3rd quarter of the 2023-2024 school year, the students are working with one another as well as community and in-school partners to plan and organize a school- wide canned food drive to restock our Comets Care Closet Food Pantry to support and give back to our Norton families. The student council has also continued the work to build student and staff morale throughout the school by incorporating activities that increase engagement and positive interactions among students and staff.
Moving forward, we plan to continue this work of service by providing to Norton's families in need. Additionally, we plan to recognize the hard work and show our appreciation of the teachers at Norton during Teacher Appreciation week as well as recognize the hard work of the 5th grade students this year as we help to plan, prepare, and implement the 5th grade moving up ceremony.
From Ms. Vecchio, Art Teacher
Tapestry Art Exhibit
The following artworks will be displayed at the Tapestry Art Exhibit at the GCPS Instructional Support Center. Congratulations, students!