Normandy Park School
Week of March 4th
Monday, March 4th is an F Day.
I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend! I am looking forward to a fun filled week of residency performances!
Performances on each day will now begin at 11am (not 11:15am). All units will get to see the the other grade level performances. Therefore, there is no need to request siblings to come down (as they will already be there!).
MPAC Performance Dates at NPS:
Grade Units 2/3: FINAL PERFORMANCE Tuesday March 5th at 11am
Grade Units K/1: FINAL PERFORMANCE Wednesday March 6th at 11am
Grade Units 4/5: FINAL PERFORMANCE Thursday March 7th at 11am
HSA Reading Challenge began last week. Students can start filling out their logs. For additional information see below.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out via phone or e-mail with any questions.
Sincerely,
Chris Miller (christopher.miller@msdk12.net)
Women's History Month
March is Women's History month.
Every March, people in the United States celebrate the achievements and history of women as part of Women’s History Month.
Educators in Santa Rosa, CA, first celebrated Women’s History Week in March 1978 to increase awareness of women’s contributions to society. In 1987, Congress passed a resolution deeming March as Women’s History Month for all.
Today, we continue to celebrate Women's History Month, but also emphasize studying the accomplishments of women year round. Every morning, we will open the announcements by learning about an influential woman in our nation's history.
Mrs. Cherie Smith Announces Retirement for the End of the Year
I would like to formally announce and recognize the retirement of Mrs. Cherie Smith, who will retire at the end of the school year. Mrs. Smith has dedicated over 32 years to educating and inspiring countless students. She has been an integral part of our school community and has left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of all who have had the privilege of knowing her.
As Mrs. Smith soon embarks on this new chapter of her life, we extend our deepest gratitude for the dedication, hard work, and compassion she has brought to our school community.
Feel free to send her messages of well-wishes at cherie.smith@msdk12.net
NPS STEAM Fair
The Normandy Park School is excited to host its annual S.T.E.A.M. Fair which will be held Thursday, March 21st from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. The acronym S.T.E.A.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. Students are learning, exploring and expressing interest in many areas, and this is an additional opportunity to showcase their work.
During the fair parents and students will have the opportunity to explore the different aspects of S.T.E.A.M. throughout the building. It will be an amazing opportunity for students to display their talents and interests through multiple facets.
Your child also has the opportunity to complete an at home project. This is voluntary. Additional information will be sent home by Mr. Russell.
We hope you will join us in celebrating our students’ hard work.
MPAC Cultural Arts Residency
Thanks to support from the HSA and the MEF, we are proud to present a cultural arts residency program from the Mayo Performing Arts Center, in which our students will learn about and perform musical theater!
Over the past month, students have begun practice and met their instructors. Students enthusiastically engaged in acting exercises. In addition, they were introduced to a song that all classes will perform.
Throughout residency sessions, instructors will focus on will focus on:
- Musical theater background and analysis – Students will be given material from Broadway musicals. They will learn about the composer/lyricist, artistic team, cast, and the performance history of the musical. They will also get a broad overview of general musical theater history.
- Basic acting skills – Through the use of improvisation and theatre games, the students will be introduced to basic acting technique, stage presence and character development.
- Movement – Through the use of basic theater dance combinations and warm-up routines, the students will gain basic movement vocabulary and a better control of body movement.
- Vocal technique – Students will work on breath control, diction, and placement while performing class song selections and warm-up exercises.
- Song performance and analysis – Students will learn to interpret and express the lyrics of a song.
*REVISED UPDATED TIMES
Dates:
Grade Units 2/3: FINAL PERFORMANCE Tuesday March 5th at 11am
Grade Units K/1: FINAL PERFORMANCE Wednesday March 6th at 11am
Grade Units 4/5: FINAL PERFORMANCE Thursday March 7th at 11am
This event is hosted by two NPS mothers, who also happen to be extremely talented mental health professionals.
To RSVP for this event, please click here: https://forms.gle/3d3mY6jJhw2BqD2D6
iReady Diagnostic
iReady testing is complete.
To view data reports online, please use the information provided below. To log-in to your student's i-Ready Dashboard you have to be on their device or login to their msdk12 account through Clever.
Printed reports were sent home on Friday, February 16th.
To visit the iReady Family Center to learn more on how to interpret the report, please click here!
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!
Save the Date!
NPS Family Night
HSA Toolkit
NPS HSA Reading Challenge
Tickets on sale now...get yours before they sell out! MHSTIX.COM
March 2024
I’m sure you know the phrase “In like a Lion, out like a Lamb”to describe the month of March. Does it also describe your child’s seeming emotional roller coaster as well? It is not always easy to figure out the root cause of the behaviors, but there are often several types of triggers which include frustration, boredom, anger, fear. According to the Child Mind Institute, children can benefit from learning certain skills to help them handle situations better. These skills include:
Impulse control
Problem solving
Delaying gratification
Negotiating
Communicating wishes and needs to adults
Knowing what’s appropriate or expected in a given situation
Self-soothing
Help your child with the language of feelings. In addition to the basic mad, sad, happy, scared, there are so many wonderfully descriptive words that might fit your angry child including frustrated, jealous and disappointed. The feelings wheel is chock full of great adjectives to describe many different types of feelings. In addition the Zones of Regulation is a popular tool to use to help your child identify how they are feeling. The example below is one of many you can find online.
Here are a few of the many great child friendly books written on the topic of anger. Whatever book you choose, make sure to read it first to familiarize yourself with it and make sure you feel comfortable with it.
As always, if you have a question or concern about your child please don’t hesitate to seek help.
Stay awesome!
Cheryl
Check out some SEL resources from our MSD counseling intern team!
*Updated 2.25.2024
SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS WITH A GIFT TO THE MORRIS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION!
The Morris Educational Foundation (MEF) works year-long in collaboration with the Morris School District community to bring resources to all students and all schools. Together, we help everyone Imagine the Possibilities - and make it a reality.
This includes funding for annual Cultural Arts programming, classroom grants as well as literacy programs and resources to name a few. We rely on our donors to make this all possible and during this season of giving, we ask for you to consider a gift at bit.ly/MEFgift to help us continue our impact for the ‘23-24 school year.
Click here to learn more about the MEF's impact. The Morris School District is an amazing place, and the MEF is proud to be its partner for over 30 years. We hope you will join us this school year to Imagine the Possibilities!
Breakfast and Lunch
Click here for Breakfast and Lunch Menus.
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.
Students who qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch qualify for free/reduced breakfast as well. Applications are available through PaySchools. Click the link to create your PaySchool account (ENG or ESP) Once you create your account, the Free & Reduced Application will be available complete online. 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.
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 2023-2024***
Elementary Breakfast
$1.50
Elementary Lunch
$3.00
Reduced Price Breakfast
$0.00
Reduced Price Lunch
$0.00
Milk
$0.75
Checks are made payable to "Morris School District".
Dismissal Changes
Daily Attendance Procedures
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
Look Ahead:
- March 16th- Fun Fair
- March 18th- Takes a Village Presentation
- March 21st- STEAM Night
- March 25th- Early Dismissal for Students
Click here to view Morris School District (MSD) 2023-2024 School calendar.
NJSLA State Testing for Grades 3-5 will begin at the end of April. The tentative schedule is as follows (*if there are changes in the schedule, they will be communicated/posted as soon as they are made):
Dates for NJSLA State Testing:
ELA:
- April 30, May 1st: 4th and 5th Grade
- May 6th, May 7th: 3rd Grade
Math:
- May 14th to May 16th: 4th and 5th Grade
- May 8th to May 10th: 3rd Grade
Science (5th Grade Only)
- May 2nd, May 3rd