Cole Miners' Dig

Our hearts are heavy with the loss of Macy, a cherished member of our school family whose courage, warmth, and spirit touched everyone around her. In the wake of her passing, our community did what communities do at their best - we came together. Students and staff filled our halls dressed in neon pink and forest green, a quiet but deeply meaningful tribute that reflected just how loved she was. Grief is not easy, and there is no timeline for healing, but the compassion our school showed one another this week is a reminder that we do not walk through hard times alone. To her family, know that she is carried with us. Our counseling team remains available to anyone who needs support.

We celebrated Secretary's Day on Wednesday. Thank you to the larger community for flooding our school secretary, Mrs. Tracey, and our office assistant, Mrs. Higgins, with cards, flowers, cookies, and more! It really made their last Secretary's Day very special for them!

Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 completed ELA MCAS testing. Math MCAS testing will begin in May.

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up (May 4-May 8). The theme is "Thank you for being a part of our amazing story!" We'll kick off the week with Book Trivia and book store gift card prizes. Staff will enjoy a cafe like feel in the staff dining room on Tuesday with coffee, pastries, and bookmarks to take for their own personal reading enjoyment. Both the Vinal School and Cole School PTOs will treat staff to lunch on Wednesday during the elementary early release time with the South Shore Taco Guy truck. We hope to flood teachers with notes of appreciation and/or drawings/pictures to let them know how much we love them. We'll end the week with Blind Date with Book where each staff member can pick a wrapped book based on a few clues given. Thank you to those that have already committed to helping us make this a special week for our teachers!

Congratulations to this week's group of Magnificent Meerkats that included many helpful and hardworking students as well as our own Mrs. Tracey, Mrs. Higgins, Ms. Boyd, and Mrs. Rantz! Several of the nominations that came in this week recognized empathetic and supportive students, helpful students who look to organize materials for others, and hardworking students who went above and beyond with self initiated projects or mastering new skills. Way to go, Magnificent Meerkats!

This has been a heavy week for our community. 5th graders did a beautiful job of coming together on Monday to process their feelings and to honor Macy. I was so touched by their caring and empathy. I know that many younger students are also now aware and are experiencing a range of emotions. The best advice I can give is to help them name their feelings or worries, and then provide reassurance and consistency. There are excellent resources from Child Mind and The Dougy Center to help you. I hope April break brings quality time for rest and connection, and we are here to help when school returns!

All classes participated in a Jump Rope Challenge and started their striking unit. While using their hands to strike with control, kindergarteners (balloons), first graders (beachballs), second graders (rubber balls) and grades 3-5 (volleyball trainers) practice bumping, setting, serving and rallying with partners.

April

April 20-24 - Vacation Week

April 27 - Last Day for Parent Placement Information - no exceptions

April 27 - Grade 3 Arbor Day

April 29 - PTO Meeting 2:00pm - Mr. Keegan's budget presentation

May

May 1 - School Lunch Heroes Day

May 2 - Norwell Trash Bash

May 4-8 - Teacher Appreciation Week

May 4 - Norwell Town Meeting

May 4 - Grade 4 High Tech High Touch Enrichment (Thank you, PTO!)

May 6 - Grade 3 American Revolution Projects

May 6 - School Nurse Appreciation Day

May 7 - MCAS Grade 3 Math 1

May 8 - MCAS Grade 3 Math 2

May 11 - Grade 1 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)

May 11 - MCAS Grade 4 Math 1

May 12 - MCAS Grade 4 Math 2

May 13 - MCAS Grade 5 Math 1

May 13 - School Council Meeting 3:30-4:15pm

May 14 - MCAS Grade 5 Math 2

May 15 - Early Release Day (all students dismissed at 12:20pm)

May 18 - Grade 4 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)

May 18 - Incoming Kindergarten Screening

May 18 - MCAS Grade 5 Science 1

May 18 - School Speech Teacher Appreciation Day

May 19 - MCAS Grade 5 Science 2

May 20 - Grade 5 Fitness Field Trip (Thank you, PTO and Mr. Thornton!)

May 21 - Grade 4 Fitness Field Trip (Thank you, PTO and Mr. Thornton!)

May 21 - Kindergarten Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)

May 22 - Grades 2 and 3 Fitness Field Trips (Thank you, PTO and Mr. Thornton!)

May 25 - Holiday, No School

Looking Ahead:

May 27 - Art Show 5-7pm

June 5 - Field Day

June 11 - Grade 5 Celebration (for grade 5 parents and grade 5 students only) 6-8pm

June 22 - Last Day of School - Early Release (tentative)

Right after vacation the PTO has some big key dates to be aware of. We hope you can participate:

1. Playground Improvement Plan

Thanks to an amazing year of fundraising, we are now planning for much-needed playground upgrades. We will be voting to allocate funds at the April 29 PTO meeting.

To maintain transparency, we’re offering optional Zoom info sessions:

• Monday, 4/27 @ 7pm
• Tuesday, 4/28 @ 12pm

Vote: Wednesday, 4/29 @ 2pm (Cole Cafeteria & Zoom)
Zoom links: https://burgundy-dory-cwlw.squarespace.com/

2. Steering Committee Elections

• Voting closes Monday, 4/27 @ 11:59pm
• All Cole parents/guardians, teachers, and administrators are eligible to vote

Election emails were sent from noreply@tapvoter.com—please check spam/junk if needed.
If you didn’t receive a voting link, email: coleptovote@gmail.com

3. PTO Meeting – Wednesday, 4/29 @ 2pm (Cole Cafeteria)
This is a big one! We will:

• Announce new Steering Committee members
• Vote on playground funding
• Hear from Superintendent Keegan on the School Committee budget ahead of Town Meeting (5/4)

If you can make just one PTO meeting this year, this is it.

4. Mini Photo Session Sign Ups with our own Kindergarten mom, Kassy Desmond!

If you missed the fall photo sessions or are just looking to get some new photos on your wall, please sign up. Space is limited!

• May 3rd, Minot Beach, Scituate
• May 17th, Rexhame Beach, Marshfield
• May 31st, South Cape Beach, Mashpee

Norwell Youth Football

Are you ready for some football? Registration is now open for Norwell Youth Football, grades 3-8. Visit norwellyouthfootball.com for more information on this fun, team-building game that encourages players of all abilities. We hope to see you on the turf! Register by June 20 to be included in our drawing for $50 Dick’s Sporting Goods gift certificates that are good for anything in the store!

If there are any questions, please contact us at norwellyouthfootball@gmail.com

Thanks again for all of your help, and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Kristen Cabral

Norwell Youth Football Board

LEAFFIE B. CURTIS MILLER SCHOLARSHIP

The Leaffie B. Curtis Miller Scholarship is given annually to two Norwell High School graduates who are currently attending college. The selections are made on the basis of superior scholarship, co-curricular involvement, and financial need.