Wednesday's Words

Dear Families,

We recently presented the 2024 MCAS results to the School Committee, offering a comprehensive analysis of our students' performance across various grade levels. Detailed insights into these results are accessible via a Google Slide presentation, which is available on the district's Curriculum Page website. Additionally, those interested in a more in-depth review can watch the recorded presentation on Norfolk Cable TV (link) , with the segment starting at 24:61.

MCAS is just one of several tools we use to evaluate student performance. This assessment is designed to measure students' abilities to learn from various sources, think critically, make connections, and articulate their thoughts clearly. It provides a snapshot of our district's performance, offering valuable data that helps us reflect on the effectiveness of our educational practices. When comparing this year’s results to previous years, it’s important to note that due to the pandemic and changes to the testing format, we have only three years of comparable data—2022, 2023, and 2024. Along with other district-specific data, the MCAS results enable us to plan our next steps and ensure that students who may need extra support and enrichment are adequately provided for. This comprehensive approach helps us tailor our teaching strategies to better meet the needs of all our students.Below is a broad summary of the information presented:

Academic Areas Covered

ELA:

Our students continue to outperform the state, although we still have areas that we need to continue to focus on. Our data has been pretty flat overall, although when looking at specific skills, some areas have shown strong improvement. Strengths were noted in reading conventions and language analysis, with ongoing focus areas in writing and vocabulary usage across grades 3 to 6.
Changes were made to the open response sections in 2023, introducing a two-trait rubric focusing on idea development and language conventions.

Math:

Our students continue to outperform the state. Math has seen an upward trend since last year with some grades showing high proficiency.
Discussed strengths in areas such as ratios, proportional thinking, and number operations, with new focus areas like statistics, probability, and geometry across different grades.

Science & Technology:

Only tested at grade 5, strengths in life and physical sciences were highlighted, and the need for enhanced focus on technology and engineering was identified.

Next Steps and Implementations

As we analyze our recent assessment results, we're committed to using this data to better understand and support every student’s academic and emotional needs. We are continuing to refine our Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) which helps us tailor the level of support each student receives, ensuring that every child gets the right kind of help they need to succeed. Although we have only recently adopted our English Language Arts programs, "Into Reading" and "Into Literature," we are beginning to see some encouraging results. Both programs are designed to enhance reading and comprehension skills across all grade levels and emphasize the use of rich vocabulary and consistent language conventions, which are vertically aligned to ensure continuous and connected learning experiences from one grade to the next.

Currently, we are conducting a thorough review of our mathematics resources. This math review is aimed at ensuring that our instructional materials and approaches are robust enough to build a solid foundation in mathematics, thereby enhancing students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

This year marks the launch of Engineering Units developed by the Museum of Science, starting with grades 2 and 3, with plans to expand further next year. These units are part of our STEM education efforts—integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics—which emphasize hands-on, problem-solving, and collaborative learning experiences designed to engage and educate students effectively.

We are excited about these updates and confident in their positive impact on our students’ educational experiences. Please see the presentation for more detailed information on Next Steps.

District Curriculum Page also has information about:

Report Cards (FAQ and a presentation that explains how we measure student performance)
Time on Learning and Curriculum Highlights - overview of what is taught in each grade level as well as how much time is dedicated to each subject
MCAS information
Resources for Families
Summer/Math and reading information (posted in June)
And other information

If you have any questions about the MCAS results or our curriculum plans, please feel free to reach out via email vsaldana@norfolk.k12.ma.us . Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership as we continue to enhance the educational opportunities for our children.

Community Public Forum • January 21 @ H. Olive Day School

Calendar Reminders

Monday, January 20, 2025 - NO SCHOOL
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Wednesday, January 29, 2025 - Early Release
Noon Dismissal - PD Day
February 17-21- NO SCHOOL
Mid-Winter Break

Parents/Caregivers Workshop and Resource Fair

CLICK HERE to Register!

CLICK HERE for more information about Stewards of Children

Click HERE to register!

NPS Employment Opportunities

Please click on Employment Opportunities to join our team!

CURRENT OPENINGS:

For more information contact Roxanne Verdeaux, Human Resources @ verdeaux@norfolk.k12.ma.us

Educational Support Personnel
Instructional Assistants Special Education
Extended Day Site Coordinator (SACC) - Grades 3-6
Substitute Nurses (RN)
Substitute Teachers
Food Service Assistants

Nurse's Office

When to Keep your Child Home Sick from School

If your child is not feeling well, your pediatrician is the best person to consult about whether they can go to school. Common sense, concern for your child's well-being, and the possibility of infecting classmates should all contribute to the decision about whether your child should stay home. As a general guideline, keep your child home if:

They have a fever of 100 degrees F or higher. They should remain at home until fever-free for 24 hours without using fever reducing medications such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen.
They have had episodes of vomiting or diarrhea within the past 24 hours.
Listlessness, lethargy.
no appetite
They have been diagnosed with conjunctivitis(Pink Eye). They may return 24 hours after the first dose of prescribed medication.

When to Send Your Child Back to School After and Illness

Fever-free for 24 hours WITHOUT fever reducing medicine
24 hours after the start of antibiotic therapy for a bacterial infection.
24 hours without vomiting or diarrhea.

Coughs/Cold

If your child has discomfort from their cold symptoms, consider keeping them home. A continuous cough and/or continuous or green nasal drainage may need to be evaluated by your child's physician.

Conjunctivitis

Your child may need to be on an antibiotic for 24 hours after the first dose before returning to school or a note from your student's physician with other guidance.

Strep Throat

Children cannot return to school until 24 hours after the first dose of antibiotic is taken. They should feel well enough to return to school.

Suspicious Rash

Children with rashes that are suspicious should have them evaluated by a physician and be cleared to return to school.

Lice and School Attendance

Live Lice

If live lice or nits are found during the school day, a parent/guardian will be notified. Prompt treatment is preferred, especially in younger students, and a parent/guardian may be encouraged to pick the student up for treatment.

If live lice are found at home please notify the school nurse(s) and reach out to your child(ren)'s provider for advice on which product/treatment is recommended. Please follow their recommendation and treat your child.

Your student(s) may return to class after being treated and checked that there are no live lice. Students are encouraged to see the school nurse following treatment(s) for a check-in and any to offer additional education/support your family may need.

Why the Change in the Lice/Nits Protocol from Previous Practice?
Both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) advocate to discontinue previous "no-nit" policies (a child being free of nits before returning to school) for the following reasons:

Many nits are more than ¼ inch from the scalp and are unlikely to hatch to become crawling lice, or may in fact be empty shells (i.e., casings).
Nits bond to hair shafts and are very unlikely to transfer to other people.
Unnecessary days off cause a burden to the students, families, and communities, and far outweighs the risks associated with head lice.

Norfolk PTO

PTO News

Next PTO Meeting:

February 5th @ 7PM

4 Wrights Farm Road

Parent Meeting/Work Groups

PTO Grant Funds STEM Curriculum Enhancements

Thanks to support from families and business sponsors, the PTO is excited to share an approved $14k grant request to fund STEM curriculum enhancements for both schools. Youth Engineering Solutions (YES) aims to educate the next generation of problem solvers and engineers. The program offers high-quality, standards-aligned, and classroom-tested preK-8 engineering and STEM curricula, prepares and empowers educators to teach engineering and STEM, and conducts rigorous research that informs K-12 engineering education.

Open PTO Co-Chair Position

The Norfolk PTO is looking for a co-chair to join the Executive Board. The position would work alongside our current chair to learn the role. We welcome anyone interested in this position, or other PTO opportunities, to please email norfolkmapto@gmail.com or join us at an upcoming meeting!

Upcoming PTO Events

Heritage Night | Friday, January 24 – More Stations Needed!

Heritage Night celebrates the rich tapestry of cultures, traditions, and histories that make our community special. It will take place Friday, January 24 at 6:00pm at Freeman-Kennedy. We are looking for a few more families to participate in a Heritage station to share your culture’s history and traditions with the school community. We've organized the sign-up process into several categories, however, we're also open to all suggestions you may have. Sign up for a heritage station today!

Save the Date! Growing Together Fundraiser on April 5

Join the PTO and SEPAC for a joint Growing Together fundraiser on Saturday, April 5th at the Franklin Country Club. This year’s event will be a Casino Night for parents, caregivers and community members. If you can donate auction items, please contact Jen Wolff at jen.c.wolff@gmail.com.

PTO Volunteer Opportunities & Lunch Sign-up

We welcome any parents and caregivers who are interested in volunteering for school events, lunch, recess, library, etc. to please complete our volunteer sign-up form. Interested in volunteering an hour for lunch and recess duty? Please make sure you have an updated CORI and have signed the Volunteer Agreement form. Click the following link details and to sign up: Volunteer! HOD & FK Lunch/Recess Duty

CLICK HERE to view the PTO Website for all things PTO!