Thank you for taking the time to read last week's Cole Miners' Dig newsletter! We had 611 clicks on the newsletter with an average reading time of 10 minutes. That's great news!

Each year we practice a number of mandatory drills (fire, shelter in the building, lockdown, bus evacuation) with our students and present them in the most developmentally appropriate way. Last week, the Norwell Fire Department joined us for the first fire drill. The bus drivers taught students about bus safety and bus evacuations this morning upon arrival at Cole School. All students (including drop offs and walkers) participated in this drill.

Would you like to volunteer this year at Cole School? We love having volunteers as room parents, library helpers, and classroom helpers. Please complete the CORI form (good for 3 years) and fingerprinting (good for life in Norwell Schools). Click here for more information on volunteering at Cole School.

Room Parent Volunteers make a big difference in the life of the classroom. They help teachers coordinate celebrations, field day t-shirts, collections/donations for classroom projects and activities, and tokens of appreciation for appreciation days. In addition, you may be called upon to help the PTO with large school community events like the Winter Fair and the Variety Show, or to help round up more volunteers from your child's class to help with the events. We hope to find two parents per classroom to take on these important positions. If you're interested, please sign up here by Friday, September 27th: Room Parent Sign Up

We are in need of two new Cole School Council Parent Representatives who will join our current parent representatives, Mrs. Sally Godin and Mrs. Liz Bersell, to help guide our school as we move forward to implement the goals in the Cole School Improvement Plan. This position holds a 2-year commitment with a monthly meeting from 3:30-4:15pm. Interested parents can learn more about School Councils and their roles in school improvement here.

If you would like to nominate yourself or another Cole School parent, please send Mrs. Burns (eliza.burns@norwellschools.org) the name and a brief bio introducing yourself to the community. This bio will be used for the ballot as these are elected positions. Nominations will be accepted through Friday, September 20th. An election ballot with all nominated parents will be sent home the following week in preparation for the first School Council Meeting on October 16th.

Mark you calendars for the upcoming Open House/Curriculum Night on September 19th. Students and families are welcome to come visit the classroom and specialist areas, meet the teachers, learn more about the grade level curriculum, and see the classroom.

Grades 1 and 2 - 5:00-5:45

Parking Lot Turn Over - 5:45-6:15

Grades 3, 4, and 5 - 6:15-7:00

We will be reviewing expected behaviors with the students before Open House/Curriculum Night, but please also preview the expected behaviors with your children before entering the building:

1. Children MUST stay with their family for the duration of the event (no running through halls)

2. Visit your child's current classroom and specialists only so previous year's teachers can focus on their new students and families

We are hiring! We are still looking to hire one Special Education Aide and Norwell Food Services is also looking for help. If you're interested in applying for the special education aide position, please contact Eliza Burns at eliza.burns@norwellschools.org. If you are available during the school day and are interested in working in a fun, fast-paced environment in Food Services, please reach out to Judy Crooks at judith.crooks@norwellschools.org.

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 three copies of the book for families to borrow. Please let me know if you are interested in borrowing a copy.

Congratulations to this week's Magnificent Meerkats! These students were all nominated for consistently showing expected behaviors at Cole School! Here are some of the reasons shared in this week's nominations:

• He comes to school each morning positive and ready to learn. He is thoughtful and considerate and has consistently been putting in his best effort to set himself up for a successful year!
  
• She is making excellent choices, being a wonderful classmate and learning the routines quickly. She has been focused and is trying her best to participate in class and raise her hand.
  

We are slowly rolling out our focus this year on the Habits of Mind. We'll begin our deep dive into the habit PERSISTING in October and I'll share ways you can support this work at home to develop this habit each week in the Cole Miners' Dig.

Here are some questions to consider as you think about supporting the development of Habits of Mind in your children (Costa & Kallick, 2008):

Do your family members...

• try to see things from other people's point of view?
• explore the consequences of their actions before they decide to do something?
• tackle problems and try to figure things out for themselves?
• talk together about situations, asking questions, and listening to each other?
• speak up (in a courteous way) for what they believe is right, even when its not popular?
• realize that they can't believe everything they hear, read, or see on television?
• work hard, and not give up on tough problems, puzzles, homework, or jobs?
• examine assumptions on taken for granted ideas?
• develop a "plan of action" before they launch into a project?

Each morning a Vocabulary Word of the Day is shared during Morning Announcements. So far we have learned the words habits, mind, intelligent, persist, endure, persist, persevere, and comprehension. Please try to include these words in conversations at home as well.

This week, everyone did a fantastic job listening and participating at SEL time! We did a preview of the Kindness in the Classroom and Habits of Mind lessons, and we also watched and discussed the 30 seconds or less rule for kindness. I highly recommend watching it with your kids again! We will be practicing it all year at Cole. Next week, we start with Respect Lesson 1 from Kindness in the Classroom.

This week in technology: September 2024

To start the school year students from kindergarten to grade five shared a special experience by listening to Unplugged by Steve Antony. The story follows a little robot named Blip, who spends all day plugged into her computer, learning new things, playing games, and visiting faraway places. However, when a blackout forces Blip outside, she discovers she can do the same activities in the real world. The story highlights the importance of balancing screen time with unplugged activities. In class, students shared their favorite unplugged activities, sparking great discussions about enjoying life beyond screens.

This week in PE/Gym Class, kindergarteners continued to work on gym rules, spatial awareness, locomotor movements and played Freeze Tag!

Grades 1 & 2 worked on gym rules, which included where to go in case of a fire, shelter in the building or a lockdown. They also played a tag game called Line Tag and a cooperative team game called Guard the Pin.

Grades 3-5 worked on gym rules, which included where to go in case of a fire, shelter in the building or a lockdown. They warmed up with a fun tag game called Sliders and a cooperative team game called Guard the Pin.

Library Corner

Welcome back to the Cole School Library! This was our first week of book checkout, and if you are a kindergarten parent, a welcome letter with library rules and tips went home this week with your child. It also has a reminder of your child's library day, which each child colored; perfect for the fridge! I also have created a new Cole School Library Handbook, which you can access here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gZnzPJpI0M6iK4VH60OqRcMamoRXjrIZ/view?usp=sharing

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 hidden "Easter egg" images throughout. You will learn about our K-5 library curriculum, special programs, how to log in to Sora, and much more.

September

September 16 - Picture Day

September 17 - Constitution Day

September 19 - Curriculum Night/Open House

September 23 - Instrument Rental Night for Gr. 5 Band Students

September 26 - Norwell CARES Day - NHS Juniors come to Cole School for the day!

September 30 - Gr. 3 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)

September 30 - Gr. 5 Enrichment at Cole (Thank you, PTO!)

October

October 1-3 - Book Fair at Cole School (PTO and Buttonwood Books)

October 2 - Elementary Early Release - 12:20 dismissal for all students

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

October 7 - Connections Meeting

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