It's been a busy week at Cole School with the third graders traveling to Norwell Town Hall and fifth graders enjoying a PTO sponsored presentation from Northeast Passage on similarity awareness on Monday. Wednesday was the first early release day and the first PTO Stay and Play. The Book Fair was a HUGE hit this week with book sales after school, online, and in person at Buttonwood Books. The preschool classes took a field trip to Ward's Berry Farm for a hayride on Thursday. We are so very appreciative to the PTO and the parents that have already paid their PTO dues so that field trips and enrichment can happen at Cole School!

Norwell Public Schools is in the process of developing a new five-year strategic plan. NPS has a long tradition of strategic planning. Participation from the whole community is most important to this process. The Teaching and Learning Alliance is running focus groups, gathering school data, processing survey results, and facilitating the Strategic Planning Committee.

The survey will be open from Tuesday, October 1st through Friday, October 11th. All stakeholders including parents, caregivers, students, residents, local leaders and businesses, and all school staff are invited to take the strategic planning survey. Please share this survey with recent graduates from NPS (over the past four years) as well. Their insights are most welcome.

Parent/Teacher Conferences will be taking place the week of October 21st. The sign up letter will be sent home via email on October 10th.

Students will meet for the first Connections meeting of the year on Monday. Connections groups are about 12-15 students assigned to the same teacher each year. Students from every grade level are assigned to each group to encourage relationships between and amongst the various grade levels and with one teacher to encourage relationships with an adult that will last for the duration of the child's Cole School experience. During the Connections meetings, every class reads the same book and engages in a Morning Meeting to greet one another, share with each other, and learn together. This year we are focusing on the Habits of Mind during the Connections meeting. This month's focus will be on PERSISTING that reminds us to "Stick to it!".

We are so excited that the Ga Ga Pit has arrived! A huge thank you to our PTO president, Mrs. Brennan, for assembling it before Stay and Play so the students could use it. Mr. Thornton taught the students the rules of Ga Ga Ball in physical education classes at the start of the year. Thank you, PTO!

Please consider joining us for this Parent Book Discussion Group. We highly encourage parents of children in PreK-2 to participate and attend before children get to grades 3-5 when many get their first device at home. All are welcome! Many thanks to Norwell Education Foundation for purchasing six copies of the book for families to borrow. Please let me know if you are interested in borrowing a copy.

Look at this crew of Magnificent Meerkats! These Meerkats make a difference at Cole School by showing expected behaviors each day! We thank them for making Cole School shine brightly!

• She is kind, respectful, and responsible in our class. She is always ready to help others and give kind reminders. She also shows effort in all her classwork. Way to go!
  
• He is always looking out for others and is working hard to work more slowly and neatly. He is finding his voice in all class discussions and it is great to see! Keep up the great effort!
  
• He has been standing out as a Magnificent Meerkat by working hard and showing perseverance during FUNdations and writing lessons. He has been focused and his hard work is paying off. Keep up the excellent work!
  

This week in SEL time, we practiced respectful sharing in kindergarten, teamwork and problem solving in first and second grades, respecting people and possessions in fourth grade, and good sportsmanship in fifth grade. Third grade will resume next week (they had a great field trip on our lesson day).

If your child(ren) would benefit from a divorce/separation support group with peers experiencing the same thing, please reach out to me at Anne.walsh@norwellschools.org. I would like to start this program if there’s enough interest.

Kindergarteners had tossing and catching challenges using bean bags, fleece balls and worked with partners tossing underhand (step, swing and point). Grades 1 & 2 were throwing and catching with partners using foam, fleece, funky and wiffle balls. Second graders were introduced to the lead pass. Grades 3-5 practiced their throwing overhand skills (step, turn, swing, and point) in a game called MONSTER BALL. Fourth and fifth graders practiced their underhand, overhand and lead passes in a game called Dice Bonk. Working together as a team, strategizing, defending and using their adding skills from the numerical dice. Third graders' played a throwing and catching game called Invaders/Defender. Lots of movement, teamwork and fun!

Don't forget to check out the new Cole School Library Handbook, which you can access here: COLE SCHOOL LIBRARY HANDBOOK 2024-25

It is an interactive PDF: Click on the links to skip around, or just go straight through from the first page to the last to read it all and see some otherwise hidden images throughout. You will learn about our K-5 library curriculum, special programs, how to log in to Sora, and much more.

October

October 7 - Gr. 2 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)

October 7 - Gr. 4 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)

October 7 - Connections Meeting

October 8 - Internet Safety for Parents at NMS 6pm

October 9 - PTO Meeting 7pm

October 10 - Parent/Teacher Conference Sign Ups emailed out

October 14 - No School

October 16 - School Council Meeting

October 17 - Kindergarten Police/Fire Visit

October 20 - PTO Boo Dash

October 21 - Community Meeting 2:30pm

October 24 - Early Release - Parent Conferences - 12:20 dismissal for all students

October 31 - Early Release - 12:20 dismissal for all students

Looking Ahead

Week of November 4 - Student Government Speeches/Elections

November 12 - Picture Retake Day

For the first time ever, the four parent-led organizations at Norwell High School (NHS PTO, Norwell Arts, Norwell Boosters, and the Norwell Education Foundation) have collaborated for what will be the social event of the year. To be held under the big tent in the parking lot at Tinker’s on Saturday, October 5th from 3 PM to 7 Pm, the first-ever Flannel Fest will feature live music, food trucks and 50/50 raffle. And, of course, lots of flannel! Tickets are $25 per person for this 21+ event. Don't miss this opportunity to celebrate the start of Fall, all while supporting the NHS community.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-norwell-flannel-fest-tickets-1008582175437?fbclid=IwY2xjawFNZDtleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHXurFw095obA1XqsBAV1_5sBPhHK95vR-aVLAGoVHc2HH_UMSeKmc3H2Iw_aem_L8d01iTiwIkL9Dbxf7-PUQ