Something to Yelle About

ANOTHER SENSATIONAL

WEEK IN #HAYNation!

Hello from the Yelle.

We had another sensational week in #HAYNation! We are into a new month and we are just getting down to learning and falling into a phenomenal routine of doing our best. I 💜 it!

In the big picture above, each week, I use it as a way to highlight and show what we were able to accomplish during the week.

This week in the 700+ pictures I took, I saw this great resilience in our students. I always ask our students about our #PositiveSignThursday message, and this week, it was "We See Challenges As Opportuniites" and when I asked the kids do you do believe that and do you do that, and so many of the students said, "Yes, we do, Mr. G. We don't quit." I loved it. That is what we are looking for in our students, and in so many of the pictures above you can see that. Students writing out their thinking in Math, students presenting, students looking for textual evidence to support their ideas, Band students getting better each week with practice, and the triple picture in the bottom row is of our ST Math Champions for the month of September -- Mrs. Bruno's, Mrs. Benson's, and Ms. Browne's. Resilience is a trait we all need, and these kiddos are definitely showing it. #WayToGo!

These and the other pictures below that I have snapped throughout the week in and around the classrooms really do relay a story of the incredible relational accomplishments our students and teachers achieved this week. Please check them out below and all over our Instagram feed to help to tell the tremendous story we are writing this year.

Please check out the rest of the Newsletter for some important information including ...

Fall Parent-Teacher Conference Sign-Ups

HAY PTO Meeting This Week

HAY PTO Fall Scholastic Book Fair

LLT Support at the Yelle

NPS Combined Elementary Schools School Council Opportunity

HAY PTO Special Author Visit

Upcoming Calendar Events to Mark Your Own Calendar

Community Events

Other PTO News

And much, much more ...

Please check it out.

Thanks; have a wonderful long, holiday weekend; stay safe and well; enjoy it,

Marty

Martin R. Geoghegan

Principal

Henri A. Yelle Elementary School

Monday, October 13 – Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day – No School

Wednesday, October 15 – Parent-Teacher Conferences Sign-Ups at 10AM (See Below)

Thursday, October 16 – HAY PTO Meeting at 6PM in the Library

Tuesday, October 21 – HAY PTO In-School Scholastic Book Fair Day with 4th Grade

Tuesday, October 21 – Combined Norton Elementary Schools Council Meeting (Info Below)

Wednesday, October 22 – HAY PTO In-School Scholastic Book Fair Day with 5th Grade

Wednesday, October 22 – Parent-Teacher Conferences 5 to 7:45PM (Info Below)

Thursday, October 23 – ½ Day PTC Day 11:40AM Dismissal

Thursday, October 23 – Parent-Teacher Conferences 12 Noon to 6PM

Wednesday, October 29 – ½ Day PD Day 11:40AM Dismissal

Thursday, October 30 – Yelle Fall Picture Re-Takes

Friday, October 31 – HAY PTO Halloween Bingo

We are using ParentSquare for Elementary Fall Conference Sign-ups

When a parent/guardian logs into ParentSquare, they can view their children in the upper left of the screen or top of the app. They will see all children associated with their ParentSquare account even if their child is at another school. If they have multiple children, they will be able to view all posts associated with one child at a time. They can move between children simply by clicking on another child from the list.

For school conferences, parents/guardians will need to sign up with each teacher they would like to meet with during conferences. For example, a parent/guardian might want to meet with the classroom teacher and the Art teacher. They would need to sign up for separate conference times with both teachers. Look under “MY SCHOOL, CLASSES, and GROUPS” to find all classes associated with your child.

All elementary conference sign-ups will be available beginning on Wednesday, October 15th at 10AM in ParentSquare.

Look for a post from your child’s teacher where you will be able to select the time that works best for your schedule.

Parents/guardians should have received an email invitation from ParentSquare to sign up to receive electronic school notifications prior to the beginning of the school year. If one wasn’t received, please reach out to Karen Winsper, kwinsper@norton.k12.ma.us who will assist.

Are you interested in getting involved with your child’s education in another way besides PTA or fundraising?

Would you like to be more engaged in the academic aspects and decision-making that shape your child’s school experience at the elementary level?

If so, we encourage you to consider joining the Norton Public Schools Combined Elementary School Council (also called a School Improvement Council).

What is a School Council?

By Massachusetts law, every public school is required to have a School Council made up of parents, teachers, the principal, and community members. The law outlines four major areas of responsibility:

1. Adopting educational goals for the school that align with district policies and state performance standards.

2. Identifying the educational needs of students attending the school.

3. Reviewing the annual school building budget.

4. Formulating and monitoring the School Improvement Plan.

What does the Council do?

The Norton Elementary School Council will focus on school improvement rather than fundraising. Together, we will:

• Develop the Combined Elementary School Improvement Plan aligned with the new District Improvement Plan.

• Review student learning data, including MCAS results, and discuss strategies to support growth.

• Explore ways to strengthen teaching and learning across the three elementary schools (J.C. Solomonese, L.G. Nourse, and H.A. Yelle).

• Discuss curriculum ideas, parent involvement opportunities, and ways to improve school climate and student success.

Meeting Details

• First Meeting: Tuesday, October 21, at 6:00 PM (held virtually)

• Ongoing Schedule: Every other month, with additional meetings as needed

• Who Can Join: Parents, teachers, and at least one community member — all voices are welcome!

Whether you’re ready to commit as a representative or would simply like to attend and learn more, we’d love to have you.

👉 To express interest or join the first meeting, please email mgeoghegan@norton.k12.ma.us.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to play a direct role in shaping the future of our Norton elementary schools.

LLT - LANCER LEARNING TIME

This past week we started our RTI block called Lancer Learning Time (LLT). It looks to combine the elements under the umbrella above with IMTSS (Integrated Multi-Tiered Support Systems) and the other ideas of RTI (Response to Intervention) and PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention & Support).

If you are wondering what RTI is and what this block is for, here is a definition from the RTI Network: "Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning needs. The RTI process begins with high-quality instruction and universal screening of all children in the general education classroom. Struggling learners are provided with interventions at increasing levels of intensity to accelerate their rate of learning. These services may be provided by a variety of personnel, including general education teachers, special educators, and specialists. Progress is closely monitored to assess both the learning rate and level of performance of individual students. Educational decisions about the intensity and duration of interventions are based on individual student response to instruction. RTI is designed for use when making decisions in both general education and special education, creating a well-integrated system of instruction and intervention guided by child outcome data" (http://www.rtinetwork.org/learn/what/whatisrti).

For the Yelle, we have divided both grades in half according to four homerooms. Students will be working with the four homeroom teachers, other teachers from across the building, and other specialists to form a team. Within that team, we will make leveled small groups of students, based on assessment data of a certain skill, and these groups will be as small as they can be by splitting them among the team of educators.

These Lancer Learning Time (LLT) blocks are each day Monday through Friday for 40 minutes.

Our first LLT sessions began on Monday, September 29, where students will be working on either Math or ELA (Reading or Writing) skills. We will do this standard skill for at least a couple of weeks. We will then switch to another standard based on another skill we have identified our students might need some support on. We hope to rotate between math and literacy skills throughout the year based on data on which standards our students need a little extra support in.

We are hoping this strategic intervention support leads to greater success for our students. So if you hear about "LLT" this is what your child may be talking about. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me: mgeoghegan@norton.k12.ma.us

Below is a video from Edutopia on RTI and explaining the reasons for it in schools, and how it can help in Academic Success for All Students.

Thank you!

Hello Yelle Families:

The HAY Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) hopes all families had a great Summer vacation. We are looking forward to another senational school year!

The PTO sponsors monthly meetings, which are usually held the third Thursday of each month from 6-7PM in the HAY Library. The meetings could be changed if there is a calendar conflict with a school vacation or holiday and are usually moved to the Wednesday before or after. You can view on the HAY Calendar on the NPS website.

We look forward to seeing returning parents along with new faces from our fourth grade families!

Come join the meetings to hear what’s happening in your child’s school, how you can help out by volunteering, or ways for you to share an idea!

Contact us at:

hayellepto@gmail.com

Like us on Facebook:

https://m.facebook.com/HAYPTO/

This month’s meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 16th from 6-7PM in the Yelle Library, where we will mostly be discussing plans for our upcoming October Book Fair and more.

We would love to see everyone there!

Additional information can be found on our Facebook page, and we will always contact families with any important information with ParentSquare.

Our Fall HAY PTO Scholastic Book Fair is Coming Soon!

Be on the lookout for fliers and information on how to set-up an eWallet

for your child.

Dates to Remember:

Tuesday, October 21 – HAY PTO In-School Scholastic Book Fair Day with 4th Grade

Wednesday, October 22 – HAY PTO In-School Scholastic Book Fair Day with 5th Grade

Wednesday, October 22, and Thursday, October 23 -- Book Fair Open during

Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences

More information coming soon ...

The HAY PTO with the Unlikely Book Store are bringing

Author Mr. Eoin Colfer to the Yelle for a special

assembly on Friday, November 14th!

Mr. Colfer will be discussing writing,

his novels, and his newest book, Firefox Moon.

More Information will be coming soon about pre-ordering

a copy of this book at a special price.

Be on the lookout for ordering!

Please see more great Pictures and what is happening in #HAYNation like these by going to Instagram at @HAYSchoolNorton -- Make sure you Follow Us and Tag Us in any Posts you want us to see!

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts will be hosting a Webex Webinar Keeping Kids Safe and Secure Online: A Project Safe Childhood Presentation for Parents. The webinar will take place on the evening of Wednesday, October 22nd at 6:30 pm in a partnership between the United States Attorney’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations Digital Forensics/Child Exploitation/Cyber Crime Unit. The registration flyer is attached. Advanced registration is required.

Click Here For the Link to Register.

Principal Martin R. Geoghegan

Past Newsletters can be found Here.

Website: https://www.norton.k12.ma.us/henri-a-yelle-elementary-school
Location: 64 West Main Street, Norton, MA, USA
Phone: 508-285-0190
Instagram: @HAYSchoolNorton