Norton High School News

Parent Teacher Conferences: Parent Teacher Conferences are on Thursday, December 5th from 6-8PM. Directions to sign up for Parent Teacher Conferences were sent out on Saturday, November 16th and are linked below. Sign-ups will close on Sunday, December 1st.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C8_YRZZPowdVlVFGkPnY0t_xzI1Dg0_xa4MxgwfQ4Q0/edit?usp=sharing

Report Cards: Report Cards have been published in the PowerSchool Portal on Monday, November 18th.

Honor Society Induction: Congratulations to all of our students inducted into one or several of our ten Honor Societies on Wednesday last week! It was a wonderful night of recognition!

Junior/Senior Semi-Formal: The annual Semi-Formal will take place on Friday, December 6th from 6-9 at the Taunton Hotel and Conference Center. Tickets will be on sale the week of November 18th during LLB and after school.

• We understand that there are some concerns/reservations about this venue. Although the rooms at the hotel are not currently for rent, we have been in contact with event management personnel that the venue for the dance is located on the first floor and any connections to the rest of the hotel have been and will be blocked that night. Students will be asked to park at the back of the hotel in a lot closest to the entrance and will enter through the nearest door to the parking lot. There will be a police office detail present in addition to Norton High School administrators and staff chaperones.

Extra Help: Students who need to stay after for extra help may do so with teachers. The schedule of when teachers are available is linked here.

Site Council: Any parent interested in being part of Norton High School's Site Council please reach out to me at edolleman@norton.k12.ma.us. Site Council oversees the Program of Studies and the Student Handbook process every year as well as provides input on the preparation of the high school budget.

Quarter 1 Report Cards - Monday, November 18th

Parent Conferences - Thursday, December 5th, 6-8 PM

Junior/Senior Semi-Formal - Friday, December 6th from 6-9PM

8th Grade Open House - Tuesday, December 10th 6-7:30 PM

Winter Concert - Wednesday, December 11th at 6PM

Ireland/Scotland Info Session - Wednesday, December 11th at 7PM

Term 2 Warning Notices - Friday, December 13th

The Season will begin on Monday December 2nd . It is very important to register as soon as possible so coaches have your contact information to send updates to all players.

User Fees are $300 ($500 Boys Hockey)

Important Dates:

• 11/26/2024 - Registration Closes

• 11/26/2024 - Physicals due (must have a valid physical to participate)

• 12/13/2024 - User Fees are due

• Register on ArbiterSports Registration

• Take the NFHS Online Concussion Course (Link found within the Arbiter registration page)

• Impact Testing must be completed before participating in sports. Follow this Link and enter the code: QN8UHXF9X9 to complete your impact test at home if you have not already completed it during the 22-23 school year.

• Upload an up to date physical on registration or email one to sportsphysicals@norton.k12.ma.us (Physicals are valid for 13 months from the appointment date)

TEAM INFORMATION: Contact any of our head coaches with questions Coaching Directory

School Start Times - Feedback Opportunity

Since last spring, Norton Public Schools in partnership with families, staff and the community have been looking at potential changes to the start times and configurations of our schools. The committee was tasked with the following:

Tasks of the Committee:

• Research best practices around school start times for students in PK- Grade 12

• Analyze local procedures such as grade level configuration, transportation, and districting to ensure the most effective combination to support our students and families

• Analyze current and projected enrollment trends to support decision making for our current and future Norton students

• Analyze the potential impact of special education service delivery and programming needs

• Engage our students, families and the Norton community

• Present the Norton School Committee with a recommendation for our schools

In our final stages, we want to hear one last time for you regarding potential start time changes. This survey will be open until Friday, November 22nd. Please take a few minutes to review some of the options that have been discussed and share your feedback with us. The survey results will help narrow the recommendations of the group to the School Committee

https://forms.gle/AGnZD5mNFmjNdfeM6

Dear families,

We’re going to Scotland and Ireland in Spring 2026, and you’re invited!

We’re excited to tell you more about the trip we’re planning with EF Tours, our educational travel partner. Please register for this info session at 7pm at NHS on December 11 to be considered for this opportunity. Click the link to register and receive more details: https://rsvp.eftours.com/k88uwpx

When students travel, they expand their knowledge of the world around them, discover more about themselves, and grow more confident. These skills are critical for creating the global citizens of tomorrow, and we would love to have your student join us on this adventure.

In this info session, we’ll talk about:

• How this opportunity will benefit your student
• What we’ll see and do on our trip
• Everything that’s included in this experience
• How your child can earn academic credit
• How we’re keeping this safe and affordable
• How to enroll on this trip (before it fills up!) during EF’s risk-free enrollment period
• Note: if you attended our first info meeting in the spring, we will discuss the same info at this meeting

There are limited spots on this trip, so we would love to have you attend this meeting to learn more about this exciting opportunity!

Thanks,
Kim Bray

Career Day: On Tuesday, October 28th our 10th Grade students took a short break from their A-Block class to visit with representatives from many different careers. Students selected or had their career cluster selected for them. They had the chance to visit six different representatives to hear about what a career might be like in different fields. Below are pictures of some of the presenters. Special Thanks to Benson Chang '26 for taking the photos.

A big thank you to David Cuddington and all of the students who got out for NHS Service Corps on Saturday, October 19th! The group got out, cleared trails and put up sign kiosks on Land Preservation Society property.

The next Service Corps meeting is Saturday, November 23rd at Norton High School!

Click here to see news from the NHS Social Studies Department.

All the students have successfully registered for their AP exams. However, we still have a significant number of students that have not paid for the exams yet. The deadline for payment was October 3rd.

Please see the directions below on how to process the payment.

Students have to pay for each exam by going to the UNIPAY online payment system used by the Norton Public Schools.

To access the UNIPAY system, please follow the directions below.

1) Go to the Norton District School Website at this link - https://www.norton.k12.ma.us/3854_1

2) This takes you to the “quicklinks” page.

3) Scroll down to the “Online Fee Payments” link. Click on this.

4) This will take you to the UNIPAY website. Go to the Transactions column.

5) Scroll down to AP Exams. Click on the tab depending on how many students you are paying for.

6) You will have to enter the student name, grade and select each AP exam you are taking.

7) Once you have selected an exam, add it to your cart. Once you have added all the exams you wish to register for into the cart, you can proceed to the checkout.

8) You may pay with a debit card, credit card (MasterCard, American Express, Discover) or electronic check. If you opt to pay by credit card there is a service fee for the total transaction. To use the electronic check feature, you will need a blank check in front of you to obtain the routing and account numbers. There is a .25 cent fee for each electronic check transaction.

This year each AP exam costs $99.00. If you qualify for free and reduced lunch the cost will be $53.00 per exam.

Students requiring financial assistance should contact Mr. Vincent Cerce, vcerce@norton.k12.ma.us, in the Norton High School - Guidance department.

Upcoming: We are offering an opportunity for students to attend Shop Fridays. This is a program sponsored by the North Atlantic States Carpenters Training Fund that allows our students to spend three hours with one of the union instructors learning about the trade and what it would mean to be in the North Atlantic States Carpenters union.

We are always looking for ways to engage students in thinking about their future after Norton High School. Below you will see two of our exploratory field trips that have taken place this year. One is to the Advanced Manufacturing Mash-Up for students in our Innovation Pathway and the other is the Public Works that was open to anyone interested in potentially following a career in public works.

During the first week of classes, school administrators met with every class to discuss school expectations and urge students to get involved with a club, student government or community service. If you are interested, the presentation we used is linked here. Some of the expectations highlights are below:

Attendance:

A focus for this year is school attendance and tardiness. We will be emphasizing attendance over the course of the year. If your student needs to be absent be sure to call the main office at 508-285-0160 and select the #3 menu option.

Bathrooms:

We are continuing the bathroom supervision that we implemented last year with the help of our electronic hall pass system. The information about the duty sent at the end of last year is linked here.

Cell Phone Expectations for 2024-2025:

The teachers of Norton High School will be enacting common expectations for cell phones this year. All students will be expected to place their cell phone in a holder in every class. Students will have access to phones during passing time, LLB and at lunch. You can read more about the expectation here.

Important Pick Up and Drop Off Reminder: Please DO NOT park along the driveway nearest the multi-purpose field. Parking there constricts traffic flow for any cars or busses entering the parking lot and makes it more congested to leave the parking lot at the end of the day. Please see the slide from the Pick-Up and Drop Off information below.

Late Bus: The Late Bus is now running for after school activities. Students must stay after for a valid reason and have a pass from a teacher or administrator to stay after school.

Pickup and drop off information is linked here.

Bus Information is available on the district site.

As many of you are probably aware we have transitioned to PowerSchool over the summer.

Students may access the community portal that is linked here. Information on parent/guardian accounts was sent to families last week. The Parent Square post with information on parent/guardian accounts is linked here.

As we do every year, students with their drivers’ licenses are eligible to park on campus. The parking contract can be found here and it is also on the NHS Student Website under “General Information” and then “Forms.” Starting Tuesday, August 27th, students can come to the main office and pick up their parking pass after completing the parking contract and paying the $25.00 fee. Please allow at least 1-2 days between the signing of the parking contract and receiving your parking pass from the main office. Keep in mind, in order to receive a parking pass, students should be up to date with their class dues and all school debts.

This section is dedicated to news from the Student Support Center that has important resources for students and families. It will be updated regularly. A full accounting of Fall events was sent out by Vinny Cerce and linked here.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

11/13- 6:00 pm - 11th GRADE COLLEGE & CAREER PLANNING NIGHT Part 1 - This event is for Junior students and families. The presentation will focus on career/major exploration, college search and the college application and acceptance process.

12/3 - 6:00 PM – College 101 Presentation- via ZOOM– This is a presentation by Bristol Community College in conjunction with Bridgewater State that is designed for 9th and 10th grade students and their families. This presentation covers college from "soup to nuts" and will provide valuable information on the search process and what underclassmen need to think about and do to prepare themselves for applications and acceptance. Mary Bubar | Admissions Coordinator, Fall River Campus.

When: Dec 3, 2024 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://zoom.us/j/93774608650?pwd=EMn9SCwHrNeruhRqsTnwatiyAWkv0w.MJ0LdODMqSvw_WsQ

Passcode: 675545

Federal Student Aid ID Reminder:

As high school seniors and their families wait for the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be available on December 1, they should apply now for their Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID) so that they will be ready when the application opens.

Other resources available to help students afford a college degree include:

• MassEducate provides free tuition and fees at the state’s community colleges for all eligible Massachusetts students.
• MASSGrant Plus can provide significant discounts (up to free tuition and fees) at the state’s four-year universities depending on family income.
• Eligible, non-U.S. citizens can apply for state financial aid through the Massachusetts Application for State Financial Aid (MASFA).
• Information about applying for financial aid, including links to information and one-on-one help, is available online.

Past Events:

9/18 SENIOR COLLEGE NIGHT for students and families: Due to positive feedback from families about the accessibility of our zoom webinars, we are going to hold this event virtually. It will be recorded and posted to the website for those that are not able to attend the live event. This presentation will cover some of the same material reviewed in their Senior Seminars, but will also touch upon other important information regarding the search, application and acceptance process.

Recorded Presentation

10/8 Financial Aid for 11th and 12th Grade Students and Families

This year the federal government has made a large number of changes to the financial aid process. This hour-long presentation is designed to provide junior and senior students and families with an overview of the financial aid process and all of the changes that are in the works for this year and beyond. It will cover how to apply for merit scholarships, government grants, government loans and private loans. Presenter Donald Kerr, Manager Student Lending, AAA

Recorded Presentation

MEFA Webinars: The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority offers webinars and podcasts through their website. Please go to the website via the link below.

https://www.mefa.org/events

In addition to the Guidance Events above, there will be additional information regarding Seniors linked here.

Yearbook Pictures: Please see the information linked here regarding uploading Senior Portraits for the yearbook. The deadline to upload a picture is December 15th.

Senior Privilege: Some Seniors have Senior Privilege in their schedule to begin this fall. There is more information about Senior Privilege linked here. Those students need to return a hard copy of the permission form linked here in order to be able to leave campus.

Please help the NHS Parent Advisory Board as we support the students and staff of Norton High School. We meet the first Monday of the month in the faculty dining room located in the cafeteria from 7-8pm.

Meetings dates for the rest of 2024 are as follows:

Monday, December 2nd

Do you have a student in the Class of 2025? If the answer is yes please complete this form so you do not miss out on initiatives for the graduates - such as our Senior Yard Signs! https://forms.gle/9XUswZKLCW6NLvcX6

Reach out any time with questions at nortonhighpab@gmail.com and or visit out website https://sites.google.com/view/nhspab/home look for a mailing on our primary fundraiser!

Email: edolleman@norton.k12.ma.us
Location: 66 West Main Street, Norton, MA, USA
Phone: 508-285-0160
Twitter: @MrDolleman_NHS