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.
North Grafton Cookie Swap Volunteers Needed
It's that time of year again, where we like to spread some holiday cheer to our teachers and staff. Please help be sending cookies/baked goods to North Street to be shared next week for our amazing staff members. Each slot is for 2 dozen cookies, brownies, bars, or whatever fun baked goods you would like to donate! It does NOT need to be homemade. If you want to donate but don't have the time or maybe you're not the best baker, please feel free to donate a purchased item from a store or bakery!
On behalf of the PTG, thank you so much for all your help and support throughout the year and especially to make this event a success for the teachers, it's one of their favorites!
~ The North Grafton PTG (ngesptg@gmail.com)
North Street Yearbook Cover Contest
All students are encouraged to participate in the North Street yearbook cover contest. Student who enter must draw a cover for submission. Directions can be found to the right and more detailed information is located in the informational flyer below. Deadline to submit cover entires will be December 20th.
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