Normandy Park School

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Monday, February 6th is an F Day.

Please join the Normandy Park Community in supporting the Interfaith Food pantry with our 2nd annual SOUPER Bowl food raiser. The food drive will start on Monday February 6th and end on Friday, February 10th. During the week, bins will be placed for items to be donated. Students will place items in the bin for the team they want or predict to win the Super Bowl! All donations will be donated to the Interfaith Food Pantry (additional information provided in Counselor's Corner on suggested items).

This Friday (February 10th) will be the 100th day of school. I am extremely proud of the efforts and accomplishments of our students, teachers, and families thus far. As a school, we continue to move forward with enthusiasm, rigor, and drive! Thank you to all for your ongoing support and partnership!

Parent teacher conferences will be held on February 13th and 15th. Virtual conferences are available upon request. Please note, that the 13th and 15th (on account of conferences) will be early dismissal days.

In addition, Valentine's Day is quickly approaching. As in past years, students can bring in Valentine's card. Cards must be for every child in the classroom and contain no additional candy treat.

Click here for the Bilingual Monthly Newsletter!

February is Black History Month.

Black History Month was created to highlight the history and the accomplishments of black Americans. Today, we continue to celebrate Black History Month, but also emphasize studying the accomplishments of Black Americans year round. Every morning, we will open the announcements by learning about an influential African American.

Thank you to Principal Ivy for leading Normandy Park School for the day as Principal!

I appreciated your "no homework" and "extra recess" initiatives. Ivy started the day off by leading the Pledge of Allegiance and announcements. Then, she did a tour of the school, visiting each classroom to check in on students and teachers. Principal Ivy even got to sit down in a face-to-face meeting with our superintendent, Dr. Anne Mucci (who came in all blue supporting Principal Ivy's Everyone Wear Blue Day).

Ivy, it was great having you work in the office with friends, as well as hosting a special lunch from your favorite deli (Longfellows!).

n February, all 3rd grade students, as well as 4th and 5th grade students who are new to the Morris School District, will be taking the Naglieri Non-Verbal Ability Test.

This online test is a brief, thirty minute, culture fair measure of a student’s nonverbal reasoning and general problem-solving ability. In broad terms the test measures different aspects of general cognitive ability and its scores can be somewhat but not singularly predictive of academic success. It is an assessment based on a testing method supported by more than a half century of research.

Each student’s test results will be available to their parents in March. Results will be one of several measures used to determine eligibility for the Quest Program and is useful as one extra part of an overall view of our students as learners. If you have any questions regarding the administration of this test, please feel free to call me at school or send me an e-mail. Thank you for your continued cooperation and support.

Testing will be administered on February 16th and February 17th. Make-up sessions will be conducted for students who are absent on the day their class is assessed.

Winter HSA clubs continue this week. For pick-up please refer to the following chart:

Our students have been working hard with the MPAC dancers to learn dances across the decades! Students will continue to work with MPAC dance instructors weekly throughout February!

Parents are invited to see the culminating performance. Each class will present a dance from a different decade. If you cannot attend, no worries- there will be a lot of pictures taken!

Performance Date: 3/2
Location: NPS Auditorium

10:15-10:45- Grades 4/5 performance

11:45-12:15- Grades 2/3 performance

1:00-1:30—Grades K/1 performance

To learn more about MPAC and their residencies, please click here!

Each month has a lot of big things going on and February is no exception: Black History month, Valentine’s day, President’s day, National school Counselors week and our SOUPER BOWL Food drive.

In recognition of Black History Month there are so many amazing children’s books available that focus black Americans at your local library and bookstore. Below is just a small sampling of the many wonderful books available. Reading a wide range of books including people of color to and with your child all year long, helps them become aware, and gain compassion and understanding in the world around them.

I know this is an unusually long Counselor Corner but I want to address the growing number of parents who have been reaching out to me and the Social Work student intern team about their kids being angry and frustrated frequently. Children are learning how to cope and often don’t have the language to express their feelings. With this said, I want to acknowledge that in some cultures and some families feelings are not discussed or expressed and that must be respected too. For those who want to explore more about this, it is important to start by identifying the possible triggers for the source of frustration or anger. Begin by keeping a log of the situation. Write down the day, time, what happened and your child’s reaction and your response. While this may seem like a lot of work, it may give you patterns that are easily dealt with. For example if you ask your child to do a chore before dinner and notice your child getting angry or frustrated, you may want to hold off asking them to do any chores until after they eat. Many struggles occur around device time. Set clear expectations with your child about how much time they have on their tablet, phone, gaming console, etc. Set timers as reminders and often a verbal reminder is helpful (“In 10 minutes we will turn off the device even if you are mid game”). Ask your child to acknowledge that they heard you and follow up with “what did you hear me say?”. If your child starts to have a meltdown Stay Calm! Every parent, myself included, knows that this is hard to do. If you need to, walk away for a moment and take some deep breaths. You will be setting a good example of maintaining your emotions. Try to help your child identify the emotions behind i Reach out for help: call family, friends, your child’s pediatrician or us here at school. You are not alone and you don’t need to go it alone.

cheryl.cohen@msdk12.net

973-889-7960

Stay Awesome!

Cheryl

Check out the SEL Newsletter from our MSD Social Work Interns!

Click here for a spanish translation.

Please join the Normandy Park Community in supporting the Interfaith Food pantry with our 2nd annual SOUPER Bowl food raiser.

The food drive will start on Monday February 6th and end on Friday, February 10th. During that week, bins will be placed in the school for items to be donated. Students will place items in the bin for the team they want or predict to win the Super Bowl! All donations will be donated to the Interfaith Food Pantry.

Here is a list of some of the many items our community needs:

Parent teacher conferences will be held on February 13th and 15th. Virtual conferences are available upon request. This week, homeroom teachers will be reaching out to schedule with you directly. If you'd like to schedule a conference with specialists, please e-mail them (information provided below).

Parent Teacher conferences are a great opportunity to meet with your child's teacher to discuss his/her progress.

During the conference:

• Teacher will share strengths and areas of growth of your child

• Offer your perspective

• Don't be afraid to ask questions (if there is an educational term used that you do not know what it means, feel free to ask)

• Feel free to share additional information about your child (e.g. learning styles, interests outside of school)

If you would like to meet with a specialist teacher (e.g. Art, Music, PE, Science, or Computers/Library), please feel free to reach out to them directly prior to coming into the school. You can also request a virtual conference with a specialist during conference times. Their contact information is listed below:

Art and Enrichment:

maryann.summa@msdk12.net

Science:

robert.russell@msdk12.net

PE:

suzanne.echevarria@msdk12.net

Music:

ariella.schwam@msdk12.net

Library/Computers:

wendy.gilson@msdk12.net

Click here to visit our Home and School Association website!

SWEET TREATS FOR TEACHERS

We would like to show our appreciation for all the wonderful teachers and staff at Normandy Park School on Valentine's Day (February 14th)! We will be hosting a "Sweet Treats" day where we will provide snacks for them. Please consider donating food or cash to support the event. The link to participate is here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a48aaaa2eaafa7-sweet#/

CALLING ALL 5TH GRADE PARENTS!

NPS HSA hosts a 5th Grade Fun Day in June for our graduating seniors and we need parents to coordinate the event! It would require a few hours of planning time over the next few months and coordinating of volunteers/activities on the day of the event. We are hoping to get 3+ parents who can share in the planning.

Help make it a great event for your 5th grader! Volunteer today by emailing npshsapresident@gmail.com with your interest.

CALLING ALL 5th GRADE PARENTS FOR YEARBOOK!

5th Grade Parents:
Our 5th graders will be moving up to 6th grade in June. We are making a yearbook for these 5th graders to capture their best memories at NPS. We need help from parents to provide some pictures. This yearbook is paid for by HSA.
Deadline is February 17.
Please make sure your child’s name is on all image files.
Required:
Toddler picture 1 year old - 4 year old (1 picture)

Optional:
First day of Kindergarten (1 picture)
First day of 5th grade (1 picture)

Baby picture 1 year old (1 picture)

Sports or hobbies (1 picture)
Me and my pet(s) (1 picture)
Remote school during COVID (1 picture)
Pictures from field trip,class celebration, concerts,STEAM Fair, HSA Events

Instruction to upload pictures:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AkaRtD_G2UE8hj1IiHYAMNrABkDWf9Dr/view

Let Me Run is a 7 week program that meets 2 x a week after school for an hour and 15 minutes. The program uses running as the vehicle to inspire, teach and reach boys through their comprehensive curriculum. Let Me Run combines running with fun activities and lessons to help boys learn teamwork, build relationship skills, create friendships, grow emotionally, amplify their self-esteem, empower themselves and others and live an active lifestyle. The LMR Team will be open to boys in grades 3-5. We are in need of coaches! If you are interested in coaching please send an email to dbwegman@gmail.com

*FYI- NPS will also be bringing back Girls on the Run, a running and empowerment program (more information to follow) open to girls in grades 3-5!

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

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!

• 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: marybeth.supple@msdk12.net

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

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 a situation arises that requires you to pick your child up during the school day, a note must be sent to the office specifying the pick-up time. Students being picked up early are asked to be picked up before 2:30 p.m.

Click here for February 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. To fill out the Free and Reduced Meals application, please click here.

• January 30th- Early Dismissal for Students (Staff Professional Development Day)
• February 13th and 15th- Early Dismissal for Students; Parent Teacher Conferences
• February 20th- No School in recognition of President's Day
• February 21st- No School for Students (Staff Professional Development Day)

2022-2023 District Calendar

· Harrassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB) Reporting Information

· Parent Handbook

· District Calendar

· Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

· Free and Reduced Meal Application

· Adding Money to Breakfast/Lunch Account

· Sunset and Sunrise

The Morris Educational Foundation (MEF) is proud to continue its mission of generating and distributing resources to enhance the education of the 5,700 students and 1,000 educators in the Morris School District’s 10 schools. For 30 years, the MEF has and will continue to support our District through vibrant grants, supportive tutoring, enlightening parent education and life-changing scholarship programs. Learn more about how the MEF works to enrich and inspire the academic pursuits of all our students by clicking here. With you, our community, we make exceptional education extraordinary.

Click on this link to view a video about what the MEF does for you!

Any questions, email info@morrisedfoundation.org.