It's been a busy week at Cole School with the third graders traveling to Norwell Town Hall and fifth graders enjoying a PTO sponsored presentation from Northeast Passage on similarity awareness on Monday. Wednesday was the first early release day and the first PTO Stay and Play. The Book Fair was a HUGE hit this week with book sales after school, online, and in person at Buttonwood Books. The preschool classes took a field trip to Ward's Berry Farm for a hayride on Thursday. We are so very appreciative to the PTO and the parents that have already paid their PTO dues so that field trips and enrichment can happen at Cole School!
Norwell Public Schools is in the process of developing a new five-year strategic plan. NPS has a long tradition of strategic planning. Participation from the whole community is most important to this process. The Teaching and Learning Alliance is running focus groups, gathering school data, processing survey results, and facilitating the Strategic Planning Committee.
The survey will be open from Tuesday, October 1st through Friday, October 11th. All stakeholders including parents, caregivers, students, residents, local leaders and businesses, and all school staff are invited to take the strategic planning survey. Please share this survey with recent graduates from NPS (over the past four years) as well. Their insights are most welcome.
Parent/Teacher Conferences will be taking place the week of October 21st. The sign up letter will be sent home via email on October 10th.
Students will meet for the first Connections meeting of the year on Monday. Connections groups are about 12-15 students assigned to the same teacher each year. Students from every grade level are assigned to each group to encourage relationships between and amongst the various grade levels and with one teacher to encourage relationships with an adult that will last for the duration of the child's Cole School experience. During the Connections meetings, every class reads the same book and engages in a Morning Meeting to greet one another, share with each other, and learn together. This year we are focusing on the Habits of Mind during the Connections meeting. This month's focus will be on PERSISTING that reminds us to "Stick to it!".
We are so excited that the Ga Ga Pit has arrived! A huge thank you to our PTO president, Mrs. Brennan, for assembling it before Stay and Play so the students could use it. Mr. Thornton taught the students the rules of Ga Ga Ball in physical education classes at the start of the year. Thank you, PTO!
Kindergarteners had tossing and catching challenges using bean bags, fleece balls and worked with partners tossing underhand (step, swing and point). Grades 1 & 2 were throwing and catching with partners using foam, fleece, funky and wiffle balls. Second graders were introduced to the lead pass. Grades 3-5 practiced their throwing overhand skills (step, turn, swing, and point) in a game called MONSTER BALL. Fourth and fifth graders practiced their underhand, overhand and lead passes in a game called Dice Bonk. Working together as a team, strategizing, defending and using their adding skills from the numerical dice. Third graders' played a throwing and catching game called Invaders/Defender. Lots of movement, teamwork and fun!
Don't forget to check out the new Cole School Library Handbook, which you can access here: COLE SCHOOL LIBRARY HANDBOOK 2024-25
It is an interactive PDF: Click on the links to skip around, or just go straight through from the first page to the last to read it all and see some otherwise hidden images throughout. You will learn about our K-5 library curriculum, special programs, how to log in to Sora, and much more.
October
October 7 - Gr. 2 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)
October 7 - Gr. 4 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)
October 7 - Connections Meeting
October 8 - Internet Safety for Parents at NMS 6pm
October 9 - PTO Meeting 7pm
October 10 - Parent/Teacher Conference Sign Ups emailed out
October 14 - No School
October 16 - School Council Meeting
October 17 - Kindergarten Police/Fire Visit
October 20 - PTO Boo Dash
October 21 - Community Meeting 2:30pm
October 24 - Early Release - Parent Conferences - 12:20 dismissal for all students
October 31 - Early Release - 12:20 dismissal for all students
Looking Ahead
Week of November 4 - Student Government Speeches/Elections
November 12 - Picture Retake Day
