Cole Miners' Dig
October 23, 2026
Amazing learning is happening at Cole School! Students brought books to read while waiting for their school pictures on Monday in the gym. The Bus Ambassadors met with Mrs. Busk to learn more about their responsibilities for the year. Strong phonics lessons using Fundations happened daily in the K-3 classrooms. Grade 2 is learning about matter in science and ended the week with lots of fun science experiments and parent volunteers. Teachers and staff participated in curriculum committees Wednesday morning and more curriculum work that afternoon. Grades 3-5 spent some time planning and preparing Investigating History lessons while K-2 teachers to elevate classroom practice, maximize impact, or support student needs. I'm so proud of the work that both teachers and students are doing here each day to dream big, dare greatly, and shine brightly!
Student Government Elections are coming soon! Cole Elementary School has a K–5 Student Government made up of one student representative from each homeroom. Students who are interested in serving as their homeroom representative will have the opportunity to run for election. If your child is interested in running for Student Government, please complete the permission slip that was sent home with the students (or find it below the Principal's Notes in this newsletter).
Role of the Homeroom Representative:
The homeroom representative will:
Be the student voice for their homeroom.
Listen to and keep track of classmates’ ideas, proposals, and concerns.
Bring homeroom ideas and concerns to building-level Student Government meetings.
Share information from Student Government meetings with their homeroom.
Does your child get excited about Math challenges? Consider registering them for the 2027 International Math Kangaroo Competition that will be hosted here at the Cole School library on Thursday, March 18, 2027. On this day, millions of children in grades k-12 from over 80 countries will compete in a multiple-choice mathematics test. Questions require heavily upon logical reasoning and application of mathematical skills.
Interested in learning more? Click here to see what this competition is all about!
Ready to register? Click here and use our invitation code: @ColeMathKangaroo2027
Questions for Mrs. Bretsch? Email her at jennifer.bretsch@norwellschools.org.
At Cole School, we will celebrate Halloween with Wacky Day on Friday, October 30th where almost anything goes (no masks and no weapons). Students can dress in all or part of their costume, wear wild patterns/colors, put all of their clothes on backwards, or dress in any way their imagination takes them!
During the conference week, the PTO will be hosting the book fair in the main hallway outside the main office. Please be sure to stop and check out the great selection of books that were carefully selected by Cole School teachers and Buttonwood Books staff. The Lost and Found will also be on display in that hallway. Please check there for any missing items.
Ivy is coming to Cole School! Many thanks to our amazing PTO for bringing author Maureen Harrington and her very determined dog, Ivy, to Cole School on November 9th. There will be an opportunity to purchase the book(s) for families that are interested. Flyers are coming home on Monday and are due back on November 4th.
Physical Education News
K-1 practiced throwing overhand and underhand at a bullseye target and played games of Guard the Pin. Second graders worked on lead passes in groups. Grades 3-5 started their fitness testing with either the mile run/jog/walk outside or push ups and crunches inside. The objective of the fitness testing is to measure the endurance of their heart/lung/legs, abdominal strength, upper body strength and to build confidence.
October is AAC Awareness Month! AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) includes picture boards, signs, and devices that help people share their thoughts and feelings. Our playground has a communication board with pictures for messages like Want swing, Help, and Hide and Seek. It helps every student join in, ask for what they want, and include friends. Next time you’re at our playground, point to a picture on the board and wait to see how your child responds. Talk about how friends can communicate in different ways, and that all communication counts.
October
October 26-30 - Halloween Safety Lessons with School Resource Officer Jake Campbell
October 26 - Cole Connections - Habit of Mind "Responding with Wonderment and Awe"
October 26 - Grade 5 Northeast Passages Enrichment (Thank you, PTO!)
October 28 - Grade 3 Meteorologist Visits Cole School (Thank you, PTO!)
October 28 - PTO Book Fair 3:30-6:00pm (in the main hallway by the office)
October 29 - PTO Book Fair 12:30-6:00pm (in the main hallway by the office)
October 29 - Early Release for Parent /Teacher Conferences (all students dismissed at 12:20 pm)
October 30 - Wacky Day (no masks and no weapons)
October 30 - PTO Monster Mash 6-8pm
November
November 2 - Grade 3 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)
November 2 - Kindergarten Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)
November 3 - Grade 4 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)
November 4 - Ivy the Very Determined Dog Book Order Forms Due
November 6 - Grade 5 Volume Zoo in Cafeteria
November 9 - Community Meeting, Grade 3 Hosting, Parents Welcome to Attend 9:10am
November 9 - Ivy the Very Determined Dog and Author Maureen Harrington Visit Cole School
November 11 - No School - Veterans Day
November 12 - School Council Meeting 3:30pm
November 16 - Norwell High School Peer Educators Visit Grades 4 and 5
November 17 - Grade 5 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)
November 24 - Grade 5 Virtual Author Visit with Dan Gemeinhart
November 25 - Early Release - All students dismissed at 12:20pm
November 26 - No School - Thanksgiving
November 27 - No School
November 28-29 - No Homework Weekend
Upcoming:
12/3 - Picture Retake Day
Help Fund What’s Next for the Norwell Education Foundation!
Have you met Skipper the Clipper, our favorite NPS community member? In 2022, with a grant
from the Norwell Education Foundation (NEF), NHS school psychologist Caitlin Hannigan
partnered with Golden Opportunities for Independence (GOFI) to bring a therapy dog program
to the district. Research shows therapy dogs benefit students’ social, emotional, and behavioral
functioning, as well as their academic engagement and sense of belonging.
Since then, Skipper and Caitlin have worked with the NEF to promote literacy, encourage
mindfulness, and spread joy across all four schools. Follow Skipper’s days on Instagram at
@skipper_the_clipper to learn more!
The grant that brought Skipper to the our schools is just one of the many ways the NEF looks to
provide news opportunities and academic excellence for all of our students. If you want to help
Fund What’s Next for all Norwell students, please consider donating to the NEF during our Fall
Giving Campaign this month to kick off another year of innovation and impact. Since 1992, the
NEF has collaborated with educators and school administrators in the Norwell School District to
facilitate the development and funding of teacher-written grants. We rely solely on the
generous support of the community, so please consider donating to help fund these grants that
provide resources for innovative educational programs, activities and materials.
