Normandy Park School

MSD will be closed to in-person instruction until November 30. Please see MSD 11/15 update.

The virtual instructional day will be from 9am to 2:30pm. This includes specials and lunch. Students will log on to their Google Classroom at 9am to begin their school day with a live morning meeting. Classroom teachers will provide additional information on their classroom schedule.

Please note, that MSD will continue to share important information on the Coronavirus Update Center and on our MSD Forward pages.

Please know that I am here to help and support in any way that I can. Feel free to reach out to me directly at christopher.miller@msdk12.net.

This part of the newsletter will have a question or a topic for you to discuss with your child(ren). This can be done on the way to school, on the way to sports practice, before dinner, at bedtime, etc.

Each week there will be a “something to think about” question and a “something to talk about” question. The “something to think about question” is for you as a parent to reflect on for yourself. The “something to talk about” question is for you to discuss with your child. These exercises are meant to stimulate a conversation on race, equity and inclusion in America.

Week 10

Parent Reflection Question: When talking about race, the topic of hair can often be a sensitive topic for people of color. Has anyone ever made you feel uncomfortable about your hair? What was the experience like for you?

Tenth Question For Child: Has anyone ever asked you to touch their hair? How did it make you feel? Have you ever touched anyone else’s hair? Why? How do you think it made the other person feel?

Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held virtually over a three week period.

All parent/teacher conferences will be held between November 30 - December 21.

Your child's teacher will be reaching out to schedule a conference time with you. All conferences will be 20 minutes in length and be conducted virtually. Teachers will provide each family with a completed conference sheet either prior to the meeting or immediately after that will reflect an academic snapshot in the areas of strengths, goals for growth, and ways can provide support at home.

If you have not done so already, please update your profiles on Membership Toolkit to keep receiving the weekly newsletter from the HSA.

Next Home and School Association meeting will be November 19th at 7pm. Live Spanish translation will be available for Spanish speakers.

Register for the next HSA Zoom meeting on Thursday 11/19 at 7pm - Register by e-mailing npshsapresident@gmail.com

Please pass on information to friends and family interested in enrolling in Normandy Park School for the 2021-2022 school year. I will be hosting an information session in December and February for prospective NPS families. The session will allow families to learn more about our program and community.

For additional information, please see below:

Date: December 10th, 2020

Time: 6:30pm to 7:30pm

*The session will be conducted virtually.

To register to attend please fill out the following Google Form by clicking here: https://forms.gle/cxSXM6JKcVKDU76w6

Message from Ms. Cohen:

Dear Parents/ Guardians,

This month, I will continue to meet with students in their classrooms to talk and delve further into the topic of acceptance. During the week of Accepting Me, Accepting You, Accepting All of Us, homeroom teachers began the conversation about race, equity, and inclusion.

This month, I will be focusing on question #3 from the weekly newsletter which is about ethnicity. We will be looking at shared cultures, traditions, languages and beliefs of children and families around the world.

I will be continuing to host the drop in, optional lunch meetings for students who are attending school virtually. It continues to be a great way for children to connect with each other socially. The schedule is as follows:

Mondays; 4th and 5th grade

Tuesdays: Kindergarten

Wednesdays: 1st grade

Thursdays: 2nd grade

Fridays:3rd grade

On another note, If you feel your child is feeling worried about anything, having difficulty dealing with a parental separation or divorce , feeling lonely, or depressed, please don't hesitate to reach out to me, I can provide individual or small group support. Remember: These are some challenging times but you are not alone. We are all in this together!

Cheryl

cheryl.cohen@msdk12.net

Grab & Go meals will be available for all students, who wish to receive them. The Federal Department of Agriculture has extended waivers that will allow MSD to serve ALL students meals for FREE through December 31, 2020.

Meals During Closure

Students can pick up free breakfast and lunch at either Morristown High School or Frelinghuysen Middle School during the closure on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. There will be two service times each day at both locations, from 8:30-9:30 AM and again from 2:30-3:30 PM. Morristown High School service will be located at the rear circle by the flagpole off of Atno Avenue. Frelinghuysen service will be in the front of the building. Each meal distribution will contain multiple meals to cover breakfast and lunch for the interim days.

More information about School Breakfast & Lunch is available on the MSD Forward homepage under "Back to School Resources for Families."

Please see the menu below for meals offered each day:

• When in-person instruction resumes, if there are changes in your child's dismissal plans (e.g. you are going to pick them up that day, instead of taking the bus), please use the attached form or call the main office.
• For written communication between you and your child's teacher, please utilize Class Dojo and/or e-mail, rather than hand-written letters (when possible).

• November 26th-27th: Thanksgiving School Closed

• November 30th to December 21st: Parent Teacher Conferences

• December 24th to January 1st: Winter Recess School Closed