Normandy Park School

October 28th is a C Day.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend!

On Thursday, October 31st, students may wear their costumes or school spirit colors to school (or bring with them to put over their clothes). If you do not want your child to participate in the parade, please let your homeroom teacher know via ClassDojo or e-mail; we will have alternative activities planned for students not participating in the parade.

HSA donut orders will be available for pick-up on October 31st (on the field).

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.

Sincerely,

Christopher Miller

Principal of Normandy Park School

*To access the NPS Parent Handbook, please click here.

Shop the store here!

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Monday, November 18th and Wednesday, November 20th. Conferences are approximately 20 minutes each. Virtual conferences during these times are available upon parent request.

Teachers sent out scheduling options directly to parents. Please schedule if you have not done so already.

In addition, if you would like to schedule a conference with one of our specialists, feel free to do so. Conferences for specialists are available on a first come- first serve basis. To schedule, please click on the links below:

Mrs. Echevarria

Mrs. Gilson

Mr. Russell

Mrs. Schwam

Mrs. Summa

On Thursday, October 31st, students may wear their costumes or school spirit colors to school (or bring with them to put over their clothes). 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).

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

3. Please make sure costumes are school appropriate (e.g. no fake blood, inappropriate language, etc.).

4. No Halloween masks that cover students faces. It is imperative for us to be able to see and identify all students at all times! In addition, it is very important for student's to have full vision while walking around the school. Please save masks for trick-or-treating!

Throughout the day, classrooms will have fun autumn activities. Additional information on classroom celebrations and activities will come from your child's homeroom teacher.

The Halloween parade will be at 10am. Parade is open for family spectators only (similar to procedures for the Color Run). Please note, the parade is only a brief part of the morning, lasting 10 to 15 minutes. If it rains, the parade will be indoors for students only.

In the morning, we will have a school-wide parade! Please note, the parade is only a brief part of the morning, lasting 10 to 15 minutes. If it rains, the parade will be indoors for students only.

If you do not want your child to participate in the parade, please let your homeroom teacher know via ClassDojo or e-mail; we will have alternative activities planned at this time.

Last week, our band students got the opportunity to go to MHS to see the Morristown High School Marching Band perform!

Come pick up your order on 10/31!

Click here to visit our Home and School Association website!

Create a profile on our NPS HSA Membership Toolkit to enable your participation in the school directory (grade/teacher), sign up to receive the Home and School Association's weekly newsletter, submit club forms, volunteer and more!

Show your NPS pride! Purchase NPS school gear directly from Redbubble. A small percentage of profits will be returned to NPS with your purchase!

Thank you to who all who attended the HSA meeting. We had a great turnout!

The next meeting will be November 13th at 7pm in the NPS library.

Follow the NPS HSA on Social Media:

Instagram: @nps_wizards

Facebook: Normandy Park School HSA

Afterschool clubs continue this week! Please check the schedule below for dates/pickup locations for each club.

We kicked off the month with the Week of Respect! In addition to spirit week and the lessons that were embedded in the classroom every day, students had some additional activities such as Chalk it Out, where positive messages are written in chalk throughout the blacktop and playground areas, and we decorated pinwheels where each class had a way of putting a message out. The students enjoyed making them.

At the end of the month, many people will be dressing up for Halloween. It is important to recognize that some families do not celebrate Halloween. We also have some children who are scared of costumes. Whether you celebrate Halloween or not, this is a great opportunity to speak with your child(ren) about people having different beliefs and respecting those beliefs.

There are so many ways to teach respect and kindness at home by talking about what respect and kindness looks, sounds, and feels like. Here are some examples:

• Kindness looks like Helping a friend or family member, taking good care of a pet, or sharing a toy with a sibling.
• Kindness feels like a soft pillow, a big hug, or a warm cuddly pair of pajamas.
• Kindness sounds like: “Can I help you?”, “You are so nice!”, “That was a great game!” “Thank you for helping me.”

Here at Normandy Park, we had the students mark a kindness calendar and it was great to see so many completed!

In November, we look forward to our Community meetings where teachers nominated 1-2 students who have shown exemplary Respect in October.

For November, we will dive into “Trustworthiness.”

Here are some great articles on Parent-child relationships and how to build Trustworthiness.

https://www.steppingstoneschool.com/4-ways-develop-trust-child

https://raisingchildren.net.au/newborns/connecting-communicating/bonding/parent-child-relationships

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s social-emotional well-being please reach out to me and I will be happy to help!

Your School Counselor

Gloria Hunt

gloria.hunt@msdk12.net

973-889-7960 x6115

Find Out What’s Happening in The District Newsletter Fall 2024 Edition

As families and staff prepare for the new school year, the Morris Educational Foundation invites you to take a look back at all the amazing highlights from the 2023-2024 school year in The District Newsletter.

The joint publication from the Morris School District, Morris Educational Foundation and Colonial Nation features:

• District athletic highlights
• Extracurricular achievements across all schools
• The MEF’s impact on academic, enrichment, and social-emotional wellness initiatives
• Plus a save-the-date for Morristown ONSTAGE 2025

The Fall 2024 edition is hot off the press and Morristown, Morris Plains and Morris Township residents can expect to receive their copy in their mailbox this week. View the digital version here>>>

Help Make it a Great Year for All 5,700 Morris School District Students

Welcome to the 2024-25 school year! The Morris Educational Foundation is proud to Support Every Student Every Day. While the Morris School District provides the essential tools for quality classroom learning, the MEF supports the extras that elevate learning. From cutting-edge instructional resources to enriching curricular activities, the MEF is committed to helping students not just succeed but excel.

We invite you, our community, to kick off the 2024-25 school year with a gift to launch our students’ education above and beyond the standard curriculum. $1 a day for 180 days adds up to a year of exceptional learning for one student.

Please help us make it the best year yet for each of the 5,700 students in the Morris School District! Let's Support Every Student Every Day and empower them to achieve their fullest potential.

Donate today by clicking here. Together, we can make a difference!

For interactive menus, as well as nutrition and allergen information, please click here.

For additional information on MSD Breakfast and Lunch, please click here to visit the district's website.

Students can bring and/or purchase lunch. Free and reduced meals are provided to families who qualify for support.

APPLYING FOR FREE & REDUCED LUNCH

Applications are available through PaySchools. Once you create your account, the Free & Reduced Application will be available to complete online. Students who qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch, also qualify for free/reduced breakfast.

Please note that you do not have to print out the application if you complete it online; it will be electronically sent to the Board Office once completed. You may also complete an application using a computer in the main office of your child's school or request a paper application.

Applications are available through PaySchools. Click the link to create your PaySchool account (ENG or ESP)

If you do not qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch, please follow these procedures for purchasing school breakfast or lunch:

• Backpack an envelope with your child's name on it, marked "Food Services.
• Include your child's name in the memo line of your check.
• You may prepay for multiple breakfasts or lunches with one check or lump sum of money, which will then be deposited onto your child's food services account.
• Payment may also be made online ( (ENG or ESP); a small fee will be charged with each transaction. This is a secure and convenient way to make payments and keep your account up to date.
• Payment may be made in cash or check (payable to "Morris School District"

MEAL PRICING:

***Meal Prices for School Year 2024-2025***

Elementary Breakfast

$1.75

Elementary Lunch

$3.25

Reduced Price Breakfast

$0.00

Reduced Price Lunch

$0.00

Milk

$0.75

We are excited to introduce our new food service provider, Pomptonian, please stop by and visit the MSD Pomptonian page to learn more:

http://www.mypomptonianmenus.com/morris

Please contact Morris School District Food Services if you have any questions:

Shannon Burton
973-292-2000, Ext. 2126
shannon.burton@msdk12.net

Please use the digital blue note form for any dismissal changes. The main office will notify the homeroom teachers of the dismissal change. For absences, continue to contact the school nurse.

• If you know that you child will be tardy or absent from school, it is requested that you notify the nurse in advance. This can be done by phone at 973-889-7960 x 6152. Voicemail is operational 24 hours daily.

• You may also contact her office by email at: francesca.ecker@msdk12.net

• Students who arrive tardy (after 8:55am) must report immediately to the Health Office upon arrival to school for a late pass

• November 5th- School Closed for Students (Election Day)
• November 7th-8th- School Closed (NJEA Convention)
• November 18th and November 20th- Parent Teacher Conferences
• November 27th- Early Dismissal
• November 28th- School Closed (Thanksgiving)

Click here to view Morris School District (MSD) 2024-2025 School calendar.

· Parent Handbook

· Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

· Sunset and Sunrise