HOD Family Newsletter

Dear HOD Families,

As we approach our winter break, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the wonderful progress our students have made so far this year. We are truly grateful for the supportive and engaged community that makes HOD such a special place. Your involvement in school events, classroom activities, and the everyday learning process has played a huge role in shaping our students' success.

A Season of Giving

We are excited to announce a few initiatives to spread cheer and kindness within our school community.

• Season of Giving: Please consider donating a gift card to help our own Norfolk families in need.

• Hat and Mitten Drive: Students can come to school and feed our snowman! We will have a snowman in the front lobby ready to be filled with new hats and mittens for the winter season.

Winter Updates:

• Weather Update: As the weather gets colder, please make sure your child is dressed warmly for outdoor recess. Be sure to label jackets, hats, and gloves with your child’s name. Our lost and found is VERY FULL!

• Attendance: We encourage students to maintain regular attendance as this is a huge factor in students making progress and showing school success. If your child will be absent for any reason, please notify the school office in advance.

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all our families, teachers, and staff for your continued support. This year has been full of learning, growth, and community, and I am so proud of all the achievements we have made together. Whether you’re enjoying the season with family, volunteering at school, or simply sharing a kind word, you help make HOD the wonderful place it is.

Wishing you and your family a joyful, peaceful holiday season, and I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year!

Warm regards,
Ms. Rebello

Friday, December 6th

Grade 1 and grade 2 Report Cards issued electronically at 4:00 pm.

Click on the following link for instructions for viewing your child's report card.

iParent Tutorial

Tuesday, December 10th

Noon Dismissal - Parent Conferences (afternoon)

Thursday, December 12th

Noon Dismissal - Parent Conferences (evening)

Tuesday, December 17th

All school meeting

Monday, December 9th - Thursday, December 12th

Scholastic Book Fair- Students visit during library special

Monday, December 23rd - Wednesday, January 1st - No School - Winter Break

Season of Giving

Please consider donating a gift card to help our own Norfolk families in need. Gift cards from grocery stores, Target, Amazon and Walmart are particularly appreciated.

Hat and Mitten Drive

Students can come to school and feed our snowman! We will have a snowman in the front lobby ready to be filled with new hats and mittens for the winter season.

The Norfolk County Teachers Association, founded by the visionary educator Horace Mann in 1849, is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024 NCTA Grants. As the oldest teachers’ association in the nation, NCTA remains steadfast in its commitment to serving teachers and students.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Kirsten Baima, Kayla Netto, and Andrea Stafford, whose innovative projects have been selected for funding. Their dedication to enhancing student learning aligns perfectly with NCTA's mission.

We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to all applicants for their time, effort, and passion for education. Your contributions to our profession are invaluable.

First Grade Mural

Based on the book

"Maybe Something Beautiful"

The Norfolk Fire Department visited the HOD and conducted fire safety lessons with Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 Students in November! Thank you to all the Firefighters!

HOD participated in a STEAM project Balloon Parade around HOD. The balloons were designed and created by student engineers, just like Tony Sang, the original marionette designer of the Macy's Day Parade.

All seven kindergarten classes came together for their own Thanksgiving feast to celebrate and show their gratitude for our friends and school family. They sang songs and enjoyed muffins, popcorn, applesauce, and they even made their own butter to try!

Lunch Menu for December

Click on the snowman for the December menu

Lost and Found

Please be sure to label all clothing items with your child's name. Lost and Found items are located across from the Gym.

If your child is not feeling well, your pediatrician is the best person to consult about whether they can go to school. Common sense, con­cern for your child's well-being, and the possibility of infecting classmates should all contribute to the decision about whether your child should stay home. As a general guideline, keep your child home if:

• They have a fever of 100 degrees F or higher. They should remain at home until fever-free for 24 hours without using fever reducing medications such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen.
• They have had episodes of vomiting or diarrhea within the past 24 hours.
• They have been diagnosed with conjunctivitis(Pink Eye). They may return 24 hours after the first dose of prescribed medication.

Below is a list of common health issues for your reference

Fever

A temperature of 100 degrees or higher is a fever. Children should remain at home fever-free for 24 ours without takeng Tylenol or Ibuprofen.

Vomiting/Diarrhea

Children should remain at home symptom free for 24 hours and are able to ingest fluids and food comfortably.

Coughs/Cold

If your child has discomfort from their cold symptoms, consider keeping them home. A continuous cough and/or continuous or green nasal drainage may need to be evaluated by your child's physician.

Conjunctivitis

Your child may need to be on an antibiotic for 24 hours after the first dose before returning to school or a note from your student's physician with other guidance.

Strep Throat

Children cannot return to school until 24 hours after the first dose of antibiotic is taken. They should feel well enough to return to school.

Suspicious Rash

Children with rashes that are suspicious should have them evaluated by a physician and be cleared to return to school.

Dear HOD Families,

As the cold weather season begins please keep the following points in mind when sending your child to school.

• Students should bring a light weight jacket or sweater to wear in class in case they get cold, especially if they are wearing short sleeves.
• We go outside for recess even in the winter as long as the temperature is 20 degrees F or above, so students should dress accordingly, including a hat and gloves/mittens.
• If there is snow on the ground students must stay on the blacktop unless they are wearing snow pants and boots.

Report Card and Progress Reports

• Report Card and Progress Report Information from Ms. Saldana
• Student report cards for grades 1 - 6 will be sent electronically on Friday, December 6th at 4pm
• Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held December 10th and December 12th.

Dear Families,

We are nearing the end of the first reporting term. Report cards will be sent home on December 6th for students in grades 1 through 6. Norfolk Public School report cards reflect our standards-based approach to tracking and supporting student progress toward end-of-year goals. Kindergarten families, please note that report cards for our youngest learners will be sent home at the end of January. In the link below, you’ll find details to help you understand how we assess student learning and growth in each subject area, as well as the expectations for performance at this stage of the year.

Newly Adopted ELA Program: As we also approach parent teacher conferences, I wanted to take this opportunity to provide you an update on our Newly Adopted ELA Program. As many of you know, this school year, Norfolk Public Schools has adopted a new ELA program for grades K-6 (Into Reading K-5 and Into Literature gr 6). Our teachers are putting in incredible effort learning and teaching the new materials, and it’s exciting to see our students dive in with enthusiasm, fully engaging with the program and connecting with the content! One of the program's strengths is that it offers a variety of assessment options to help us understand student progress in different ways. As part of this first year, our teachers are carefully exploring and testing these assessments to see which best support student learning. This process will allow us to make well-informed choices about which assessments to use consistently in the future.

• Slight Shift in Reporting: The new structure involves skills spiraling through the modules, meaning they reappear and build upon each other, allowing students to deepen their understanding progressively. Early modules focus on building schema and provide an overview, with the introduction of skills increasing as the modules progress. Given this structure, students are not expected to have fully mastered these reading and writing skills at this point in the year. Consequently, a rating of “1”—beginning with the standard—or a rating of “2”—progressing with the standard—is the expected measure for skills at this stage. Also, there may be more N/A's (not assessed) for Term 1, as some standards are introduced later in the year.

For an Overview of Standard Based Report Cards and Progress Reports 2024/2025 please click on the following link.

Thank you for partnering with us to support your child’s learning journey! -

Victoria Saldana

Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

• December 9-13: Scholastic Book Fair (see below for details)
• Wednesday, January 8 at 7pm: PTO Meeting
• Location: Freeman-Kennedy Library (all are welcome!)
• Friday, January 24 at 6pm: Heritage Night
• Location: Freeman-Kennedy Cafeteria (see below for details)

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming next week, with proceeds going back to the schools! Students will have a chance to shop during school and parents during parent/teacher conferences. Here is some helpful info:

• Sign up for eWallet
• Volunteer

HOD Book Fair Schedule

Save 20% on holiday cards & gifts through Minted!

Use Code: FUNDRAISENORFOLK

15% of sales will be donated back to the Norfolk Public Schools through the PTO!

Norfolk Merch makes great holiday gifts! Check out our online shop which include t-shirts, sweatshirts, athletic shorts and pants and hats for adults and kids, as well as water bottles, bags and more! Customize the design on each item. Purchases are shipped directly to your home, and 15% of your order goes back to the Norfolk schools! Click here to shop: Norfolk Merch Store | Squadlocker

Heritage Night celebrates the rich tapestry of cultures, traditions, and histories that make our community special. It will take place Friday, January 24 at 6:00pm at Freeman-Kennedy. We invite families to participate in our Heritage stations and share your history and traditions with the school community. We've organized the sign-up process into several categories, however, we're also open to all suggestions you may have. If you believe there's an aspect of your heritage that deserves a spotlight, or if you have innovative ideas for formats and presentations, we encourage you to share them with us! Sign up for a heritage station today!

We welcome any parents and caregivers who are interested in volunteering for school events, lunch, recess, library, etc. to please complete our volunteer sign-up form. Interested in volunteering an hour for lunch and recess duty? Please make sure you have an updated CORI and have signed the Volunteer Agreement form. Click here to learn more and sign up.

Like & Follow our *New* PTO Facebook Page!

*New* Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/NorfolkPTO

To register:

Scan the QR code above

or click on this link:

Parent's Night Out Registration Link

Mrs. Lavallee and Ms. Allison Riendeau

want to share the exciting information about

all the great programs this December

at the Norfolk Public Library!