Norton High School News

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday that was restful and relaxing!

Before break we celebrated the early release day with our annual hallway decorating contest and pep rally! A big thank you to the student council who organized the events! There are pictures from the day below.

Parent Teacher Conferences: Conferences will take place on Thursday, December 5th from 6-8PM. Parent Teacher Conference sign-ups are now closed. The directions, linked here, contain information about how to print your schedule for the night. If you have any questions you can reach out to Judy Allen in the main office by calling the main phone line or emailing her at jallen@norton.k12.ma.us.

Guidance Presentation - College 101 - via ZOOM at 6PM – On Tuesday, December 3rd NHS Guidance Department will host a virtual 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

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. The next Site Council Meeting will be on Wednesday, December 18th at 3:30.

Norton Public Schools' Calendar

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

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

Congratulations to Maddie Dufresne and Brooke Carline who represented Massachusetts and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education at the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Conference on Saturday, November 23rd at the Hynes Convention Center! Thank you for representing the NHS Social Studies Department and the town of Norton!

Congratulations to Naima Azzi, Kelsi Azzi, Savannah Haggerty, Amanda Arruda, Annah Hickey, Talia Briggs, Lia Scagnoli, and Emilie Barrick for competing in the Massachusetts Lions Youth Speech competition on Thursday, November 21st, and a special congratulations to Lia Scagnoli and Emilie Barrick for moving onto the next round! They will compete at the zone competition on December 17th.

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 has been postponed to Saturday, December 7th at Norton High School!

Click here to see news from the NHS Social Studies 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. It leaves at 4:15PM. 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 focused on career/major exploration, college search and the college application and acceptance process and is recorded here.

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

11/1311th GRADE COLLEGE & CAREER PLANNING NIGHT Part 1 - This event was for Junior students and families. The presentation focused on career/major exploration, college search and the college application and acceptance process and is recorded here.

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.

Senior Yard Signs:

Hello Class of 2025!

The Parent Board is excited to provide you with the opportunity to design your Class of 2025 Graduate Yard Sign! The signs will be 18x24 and will be double sided and must include the Norton "N".

Submissions are due Fri Dec 6th, You can submit a design on your own or be part of a team. The winning designer/team will receive a Yard Sign as a thank you.

We look forward to seeing your submissions!

The Parent Board

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