The North Street Star
Volume 2024 - Issue 14 - December 16, 2024
Winter Recess Guidelines
As part of the North Street philosophy we believe that outdoor play each day is essential to student learning and development. Playing outside provides an opportunity for students to grow socially, revitalize their minds for afternoon learning, and exercise. However, we are also aware that winter weather can bring unsafe conditions for our students. As a general guideline we keep students in from recess if the real feel temperature is below 20 degrees. We also request that student who choose to participate in snow play have the "Show Me 5" items - boots, coats, hats, gloves, and snow pants.
Snack Guidance
At all grade levels our teachers build in snack based on each grade level's lunch time. In recent weeks we have noticed an increase in students bringing candy, soda, and other unhealthy choices. Research shows that eating these food close to learning times can decrease student progress. In particular, they create fatigue and ability to focus. Mrs. Peters during gym class is reviewing healthy snack options with students and we encourage families to monitor snack choices at home.
Community Wellness Night - January 15th
Join us for a relaxing and rejuvenating evening dedicated to your family's well-being. Meet our Elementary School Adjustment Counselors who have curated an evening of fun activities. Your family will move throughout a variety of stations (potential stations include mindfulness jars, rock painting, breathing sticks, yoga/dance, emotion games, therapy dog, resource table, and more!)
Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Time: 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Who: PreK - 6th Grade students and their families
Location: Millbury Street Elementary School, 105 Millbury St, Grafton, MA 01519
Operation Friendship Dance - Friday, January 3rd
Grafton students in 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade are invited to come from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Grafton Middle School. Mr. Singley from GMS is our Professional DJ! Come enjoy great music, light shows, line dancing and a New Years balloon drop countdown on the dance floor! Admission is $10 and we have snacks, refreshments and party favors for sale for $1-$5 each, at the dance.
In the Spotlight - Attendance
Each year the Department of Education use a school's percentage of chronic absenteeism as one of its measure to gauge a school's progress. The state defines being chronically absent as missing 10%, or 18 days of school. In the years following COVID, student absenteeism rose sharply. Currently, the state wide average indicates that 20% of students are chronically absent. In other words, 1 our of every 5 students is missing 18 or more days of school.
Here are North Street, our chronic absenteeism rate for the 2023-2024 school year was 10.1%. In the year prior, 2022-2023, our rate was slightly lower at 9.2. Although we continue to track below the state average, prior to the COVID outbreak our average rate was between 4-5%. As a result, we have set a goal for this school to reduce our number of students identified as chronically absent.
In the coming weeks we will be highlighting a variety of resources for parents in connection to attendance. To start, we encourage families to visit the Massachusetts Education to Career Data Hub site to dive deeper into attendance data. Here you can learn the vital role good attendance plays in a child's long term success and data from individual schools.
North Street Movie Night - Friday, December 13th
Please consider joining the North Grafton PTG for a special movie night on Friday, December 13th from 6:00PM - 8:00PM in the North Street cafeteria. More information can be found on the information flyer linked below and through the QR code to the right.
North Grafton PTG Newsletter
You can also view their year long event calendar here:
Lunch Menus and Lunch Options
Additional, click here to view the school lunch menu each week and a full list of ingredients.
Community Information
Community Flyers - Youth Basketball, Grafton Rec Programs, Girl Scouts, Grafton Library Caddy Stacks.
Contact Us and Find More Information at:
Email: wiltshires@grafton.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.graftonps.org/Domain/10
Location: 60 North Street, Grafton, MA, USA
Phone: 508-839-5428
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorthStreetElementary