Normandy Park School

I hope that everyone had a great weekend!

Monday (10/18) is a C Day.

Last week, most of our 4th and 5th grade students completed the NJ Start Strong Assessment. This week, all make-up testing for NJ Start Strong will occur. 4th graders will also participate in Naglieri testing (additional information below).

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.

In October, all 4th grade students will be taking the Naglieri Non-Verbal Ability Test. Please find below your child’s homeroom testing schedule. This online test is a brief, thirty minute, culture fair measure of a student’s nonverbal reasoning and general problem-solving ability. In broad terms the test measures different aspects of general cognitive ability and its scores can be somewhat but not singularly predictive of academic success.

Each student’s test results will be available to their parents in November. Results will be one of several measures used to determine eligibility for the Quest Program and is useful as one extra part of an overall view of our students as learners. If you have any questions regarding the administration of this test, please feel free to call me at school. Thank you for your continued cooperation and support.

On Friday, October 29th, students may wear their costumes or school spirit colors to school. To ensure the health and well being of our school community we ask you to adhere to the following costume guidelines:

1. Students choosing to dress up must wear their costumes to school (and/or have costumes they can easily put over their clothes). Students will not be able to change at any time.

2. No weapons, swords or handheld accessories. Students have enough items to carry.

3. No Halloween masks. Students are required to wear CDC guideline masks as stated in our district's Reopening Plan.

Classrooms will have fun autumn or Halloween activities. All Halloween celebrations will be foodless. In the morning, we will have a school-wide parade for students and staff only. We will make sure to take lots of pictures to share with families!

If you do not want your child to participate in the parade, please let your homeroom teacher know via ClassDojo or e-mail.

The NPS HSA and Mr. Miller are sponsoring the 2nd Annual NPS Pumpkin Patch at the end of the month! All NPS students will have an opportunity to pick a pumpkin to bring home for Halloween.

WE NEED YOUR HELP! The pumpkins arrive on Tuesday, October 26th. We are looking for a few parents to meet at NPS at 7:45 am on Wednesday, October 27th to put the pumpkins around the field. With a few volunteers, it should only take about 20 minutes. If you are able to help, please email Angela Finlay at akfinlay13@gmail.com.

The HSA is excited to announce a new school-wide fundraiser that promises to be a hit with students and provide opportunities for our community to participate in new ways. We are looking to create a slate of both prizes and experiences students can win through a school-wide raffle in November. From throwing a pie in Mr. Miller’s face to guest starring on the morning announcements to toys, books, or visits to local venues and businesses, all children will get to choose where to place their tickets for a chance to win.

More information will be available as the fundraiser gets closer. Right now, we are building the list of potential prizes. Teachers will share experiences they can offer and we are looking to the NPS families to provide prizes or experiences to include in the raffle. Do you have a small business, service or special talent you could share? Do you have unopened toys or duplicate gifts you want to get out of your house? The possibilities are endless in this dynamic and interactive way to raise funds for NPS and provide an exciting experience for students.

Click here to access a Google form where you can share the details of a potential raffle item. Contact npshsafundraising@gmail.com with any questions or for more information.

UPDATE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TOOLKIT

If you haven't already updated your Membership Toolkit account, please do so now so you don't miss any HSA updates. Please make your account current by updating your children's grade and teacher.

You can access your account by clicking here: Membership Toolkit

The Membership Toolkit is the school directory for parents and signs you up for the HSA newsletter that announces HSA sponsored school-wide activities and fundraisers.

Are you having issues? Don't hesitate to reach out to Jenn Cromie at cromiej2@gmail.com.

Week of Oct 18th

Many parents have been reaching out to me about their child(ren) experiencing anxiety at home. I thought it would be a good topic for this week’s Counselor Corner.

What does it mean to worry or feel anxiety? (Part 1) When talking with children about worries, it is helpful to explain that a worry is a thought that upsets you and makes you feel bad (yucky) inside. It can be a specific thought that makes you feel scared. Whether the worry makes sense to other people, it seems very real to the person feeling it.

What Can I do to help my child? Below are three tools for Worry or Anxiety that may work for your child. I’ll give you more ideas next week! I would encourage you to try these at home with the whole family. You can always talk to me or to child’s pediatrician if they are experiencing persistent anxiety. Being healthy includes your emotional wellbeing! Don’t be afraid to talk about it - you are not alone!

1. Worry Time: Set up a specific time each day and designate it as WORRY TIME ( about 15 min). The child can say whatever is on their mind regarding any worries he or she may have. During this special time, the parent will listen and try to help. ONE important rule - beforehand, the child agrees to not spend any time thinking about their worry or talking about it until it is WORRY TIME. If a worry pops into their mind at another time, have them imagine a strong box with a cover and lock on it. The child imagines putting their worry into the box and only opening the box when it is WORRY TIME.

2. Personifying the Worry & Talking Back to theWorry: Sometimes it helps for children to personify the worry, giving it a name, and imagine what the worry might look like if it were a person, thing, or creature. This makes it seem not so scary.

● Have children create their own worry monster.

● Explain, “A worry monster is a little monster that creeps around in our minds when we are feeling worried about something. We all feel worried in different ways about different things, so we each have a unique worry monster.”

● After the child creates their worry monster and knows when it comes around, he/she can defeat their worry monster by talking back to it and telling it to,”Get lost!”

1. Positive self-talk: These are the positive words and phrases we say to ourselves to help us feel encouraged and empowered to accomplish hard things. It changes our mindset from “I can’t” to “I will try.” It is when you are your own personal coach. A good way to start using positive self-talk is to practice daily affirmations, such as “Everything will be okay,” and “I can do this.”

Stay tuned for more tips next week and as always,

Stay awesome!

Cheryl Cohen

School Counselor

973-889-7960 x6115

cheryl.cohen@msdk12.net

Please pass on information to friends and family interested in enrolling in Normandy Park School for the 2022-2021 school year. I will be hosting an information session in December and February for prospective NPS families. The session will allow families to learn more about our program and community.

For additional information, please see below:

Date: December 9th, 2021

Time: 6:30pm to 7:30pm

*The session will be conducted virtually.

All make-up testing for Start Strong will be completed this week.

The Start Strong Assessments:

• Are based on a subset of prioritized prior-year academic standards;
• Are available in ELA grades 4-10, Mathematics grades 4-8, Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II, and in Science grades 6, 9, and 12;
• Can be administered in approximately 45-60 minutes;
• Will provide immediate results to educators through the assessment platform

For additional information, please click here.

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 October 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 October 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).

• November 2nd: School Closed (Election Day)
• November 4th-5th: School Closed (NJEA Teacher's Convention)
• November 8th-12th: Primary Cultural Arts Residency (Freespace Dance)
• November 24th: Early Dismissal
• November 25th-26th: School Closed (Thanksgiving)
• December 6th-7th: Early Dismissal (Parent-Teacher Conferences)

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