We started the week with a wonderful Community Meeting led by our first graders who focused on the theme of courage. They wove in our motto of Dreaming Big, Daring Greatly, and Shining Brightly quite nicely! On Thursday evening, fifth grade students performed in the district wide chorus concert at Norwell High School. What a lovely way to spend the evening!

Next week we are looking forward to the PTO enrichment presentation by artist Rob Surrette. Parents are welcome to attend at either 9:15 with K-2 or 1:30 with 3-5 if you'd like to enjoy the show with us. On Tuesday, the Norwell Middle School Spotlighters will be coming to Cole School to perform a few scenes from their spring play of Frozen Jr.

Please join us in welcoming several Cole School alum back to Cole School as NHS senior interns. These interns will be working with the following teachers and classes from March 31st until May 23rd.

The NHS senior interns will begin at Cole School next week.

Abigail Nickerson - Mrs. Thompson's 4th grade

Sean Boyd - Mrs. Louchheim's Learning Center

Audrey Koch - Mrs. Deptula's Kindergarten

Sofia Forcier - Mrs. Fraser's Kindergarten

Isabella Dobbins - Mrs. Strauss' 1st grade

Brendan Koch - Mr. Thornton's Physical Education

Jenny Martin - Ms. Dearborn's Occupational Therapy

Time is flying! It's time to begin our placement process for the 2025-2026 school year! The Parent Input Survey for Placement will be shared via email on Friday, April 4th and is due by Friday, April 25th (no exceptions). We are looking to gather all pertinent information in order to create the most balanced classrooms possible.

The digital form will be reviewed as part of the placement process. The information will be kept confidential and released only to pertinent staff. You are welcome to include any information you feel is important for us as we build each class, however, we will NOT take into consideration specific teacher requests and we will NOT guarantee that we will be able to separate certain students or place certain students together. Although parents have shared concerns with other staff, only concerns submitted on this form will be considered as final input. The goal is to create the most balanced classrooms for learning for all students.

The placement process is:
· The current teacher starts the class lists without a specific teacher’s name attached. The goal is to create a balanced classroom and not to customize a class to fit a particular teacher.
· Teachers review their current list to determine the needs of the current students. They consider combinations of students that have not been productive.
· Grade levels meet to make tentative class lists for the next year. The factors that guide this stage are student strengths, gender, class size, number of sections for each grade and the pertinent information from the parent input form.
· The lists are reviewed by staff members and by administration to verify that the classes are balanced and appropriate.
· The final step is for the principal to assign specific teachers to each class.
· Fifth graders will receive their teacher assignments from Norwell Middle School.
· The principal reserves the right to make any changes necessary to ensure well-balanced classes.

This wonderful group of Magnificent Meerkats was recognized this week for showing perseverance in their academic learning, kind behaviors towards classmates, helpfulness around the building, and for being inclusive of others. These types of behaviors and actions are what make Cole School a wonderful place to be! Thank you, Meerkats!

We are starting to find quite a few ticks on kids here in the health office. Remember to check your child for ticks if you're spending time outside or have pets.Ticks most often attach in the armpits, hairline, groin, legs, thighs, or in and behind the ears. The deer tick, which is very small, carries the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. American dog ticks do not carry Lyme disease, however they do carry other less common diseases, so they should be avoided as well.

Ticks should be removed as soon as possible using a pair of fine point tweezers, grabbing the tick as close to the skin as possible, and pulling straight out with firm and steady pressure, making sure there are no remnants of the tick left. Be sure to clean the site with soap and water or alcohol afterwards.Typically, a tick must be attached to someone for at least 24 hours to be likely to transmit Lyme disease.

Early Lyme disease has symptoms that usually occur between 3 and 30 days after a tick bite. A person infected with Lyme disease may get an expanding rash that looks like a bull’s eye, but this is not always the case. They may also experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue or aching muscles.

Reminder about Injuries: If a child has an injury that requires an orthopedic device such as crutches, cast, walking boot, splint, sling, etc., a note from the provider should accompany the child when returning to school. Such notifications should clearly detail all restrictions and identify the date when participation in PE/ recess may resume. Our fax number is 781-659-2850. Providers may fax to us directly. Written notification from a parent is required when it is necessary to excuse a child from physical education short term and the PE teacher should be notified as well.

Extra Clothes: The health office is running low on extra clothes, underwear, and socks for students. Students often come to the health office with accidents, spills, or if they are wet from recess. If you are cleaning out your child’s wardrobe, we would love extras! Please consider donating any basic t-shirts or pants to the heath office that they might have outgrown. If you see a good deal on basic black leggings or sweatpants, think of us here! I will also gladly accept any NEW packs of socks and underwear.

Second graders began a four week Healthy Snack & Fitness Program. The goals of the program are to encourage students to eat healthy snacks at school and to be physically active. Students are encouraged to eat either a fruit or vegetable at least two times a week for a snack. The healthy fruit or vegetable snacks can be part of their lunch or brought in from home for their scheduled snack time. To encourage physical activity, each student will need to exercise for a minimum of two days a week for 30 minutes. As a reward for their hard work, second graders will go on a fitness field trip along the Norwell Pathway and a healthy snack/playtime at the Clipper Community Complex at Norwell High School.

Grades 4-5 began a Floor Hockey Unit! Using hockey sticks, students were given different challenges to practice moving safely with a hockey stick while stickhandling, passing and shooting a rubber puck. Grades K-3 continued working on their soccer skills and playing games of soccer.

A special edition of our Norwell Schools Library Link is available. NPS libraries circulate thousands of books and top the charts of database use, according to the Massachusetts Library System. See headlines below:

March

March 31 - PTO Sponsored Performance by artist Rob Surrette, 9:15 for K-2 and 1:30 for grades 3-5, parents invited to join us!

April

April 1 - NMS performs Frozen Jr. for Cole School

April 2 - Grade 5 Field Trip - 2 classes (Thank you, PTO!)

April 4 - Parent Input for Placement for 2025-2026 school year - Google Form sent out

April 7 - MCAS Grade 4 ELA 1

April 7 - Grade 2 Field Trip - 2 classes (Thank you, PTO!)

April 7 - Connections Meeting, reading Papa’s Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming

April 8 - MCAS Grade 4 ELA 2

April 9 - MCAS Grade 3 ELA 1

April 9 - Grade 2 Field Trip - 2 classes (Thank you, PTO!)

April 9 - Grade 5 Field Trip - 2 classes (Thank you, PTO!)

April 10 - Early Release - Parent Conferences

April 11 - MCAS Grade 3 ELA 2

April 14 - MCAS Grade 5 ELA 1

April 14 - Grade 4 Enrichment (Thank you, PTO!)

April 15 - MCAS Grade 5 ELA 2

April 16 - School Council Meeting 3:30pm

April 18 - No School

April 21-25 - April Vacation Week

April 28 - Grade 3 Field Trip - 2 classes (Thank you, PTO!)

April 28 - Community Meeting - Grade 5 Hosting - Parents Invited to join us!

April 29 - Grade 3 Field Trip - 2 classes (Thank you, PTO!)

April 30 - PTO Meeting 2pm - Mr. Keegan shares budget information

May

May 2 - PTO Stay and Play

May 5-May 9 - Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week

May 5 - Town Meeting

May 5 - MCAS Grade 4 Math 1

May 5 - North and South River Watershed Enrichment for Grade 5

May 5 - Connections Meeting, reading Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

May 6 - MCAS Grade 4 Math 2

May 7 - Elementary Early Release 12:20pm dismissal for all students

May 7 - Grade 3 American Revolution Presentations in Cafeteria

May 7 - PTO Variety Show Rehearsal 12:20-3pm

May 8 - MCAS Grade 3 Math 1

May 9 - MCAS Grade 3 Math 2

May 12 - Grade 4 High Tech High Touch Enrichment (Thank you, PTO!)

May 12 - Puppet Storyteller to Kindergarten (Thank you, PTO!)

May 12 - Community Meeting 2:30pm Kindergarten Students Hosting - Parents welcome to attend!

May 14 - MCAS Grade 5 Math 1

May 14 - School Council Meeting 3:30 pm

May 15 - MCAS Grade 5 Math 2

May 15 - Grade 4 Fitness Field Trip (Thank you, Mr. Thornton and PTO!)

May 17 - Town of Norwell - Voting Day

May 16 - Early Release - 12:20pm dismissal for all students

May 16 - PTO Variety Show Rehearsal 12:20-3pm

May 19 - MCAS Grade 5 Science 1

May 20 - MCAS Grade 5 Science 2

May 21 - Grade 5 Fitness Field Trip (Thank you, Mr. Thornton and PTO!)

May 22 - PTO Variety Show at Cole School

May 23 - Grade 3 Fitness Field Trip in morning (Thank you, Mr. Thornton and PTO!)

May 23 - Grade 2 Fitness Field Trip in afternoon (Thank you, Mr. Thornton and PTO!)

May 26 - No School - Memorial Day

May 28 - Art Show

June

June 2 - Grade 1 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)

June 2 - Kindergarten Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)

June 2 - Connections Meeting

June 3 - Kindergarten Habitat Day (2 classes)

June 4 - Kindergarten Habitat Day (2 classes)

June 5 - Grade 2 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)

June 6 - Field Day - Fingerprint and CORI required for all volunteers

June 9 - Screening for all incoming kindergarten students in the library

June 9 - Delilah the Whale Kindergarten enrichment (Thank you, PTO!)

June 9 - Grade 5 Band Concert

June 12 - Fifth Grade Celebration 6-8 pm - Grade 5 parents and grade 5 students ONLY

June 13 - PTO Stay and Play

June 16 - Grade 5 Move Up Day to NMS

June 17 - Move Up Day for Grades K-4

June 17 - Last Day of School

At the next PTO meeting on Wednesday, April 2 from 6- 8PM at the Norwell Public Library we will invite Superintendent Keegan to present his proposed 2026 school budget that includes information on the proposed override. This will be open to the entire Norwell community, so mark your calendars and invite your friends to learn more on the override.

VARIETY SHOW IS BACK!

Thursday, 5/22 @ Cole School!

Sign Up Form Due Friday, 4/4/25:

https://forms.gle/nb4ErQ1SQfiWnXw77

Volunteer & Donations:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040B45A8AE2FAB9-55632848-2025#/