Something To Yelle About

A SENSATIONAL END TO THE

YEAR IN #HAYNation!

Hello from the Yelle.

It's in the books ... the '24-'25 School Year has been completed and I cannot believe it! It has flown by in so many ways!

But, we made it to Summer Vacation!

What an amazing year it has been! There has been so much growth from September until now! In looking back at the year, it is just so incredible to think about all what has been accomplished to get to this point of the year.

As I try to do each week, I use the big picture above to tell the story of the week in pictures for us here at the Yelle.

This week the Big Picture starts in the upper lefthand corner with a chalk Class of 2032, which is our 5th Grade class! That is unreal. Way to go, ladies and gentlemen! Then there is a picture of some of our 5th Graders celebrating outside today, on the last day. The second row begins with a group of 5th Grade boys in front of the Purple Guy. The far righthand side of the middle row is our Norton Police escort to school this morning for a couple of 5th Graders; thank you NEED! Then the bottom row begins with a couple of #GoodNewsCallOfTheDay pictures from this week! Mr. B and I hoped to try to get 2 per day of the school year done. That was going to be 360 total. Well, we did that and more, as this week we finished up with a flurry as we completed over 380 #GNCOTD! This is a testament to how awesome our students are and how well our faculty and staff are at seeing our students' greatness! #WayToGo! The picture next to those is of another student hugging out purple guy to say goodbye to the Yelle! I just loved it! And the middle picture is from a video below. Each year, Mr. G and Mr. B have put together a video for the good of #HAYNation! You can check them out below!

These and the other pictures from Instagram below really do relay a story of the amazing accomplishments our students and teachers achieved in this year of school. Please check them out below and all over our Instagram feed to help to tell the tremendous story we wrote this year.

To our 5th Grade Students, we will miss you dearly, but we also know you are prepared for your experiences in middle school. You will do so amazingly well; we know it. For our fourth graders, you are ready for 5th Grade to take the mantel of leaders of the school. We can't wait to see you again in September.

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

Thinking About Next Year

NMS Transition

Incredible Videos

Mr. G's Dunktank Video

HAY PTO News and Accomplishments

Community Events

And much, much more ...

Please check it out.

Thank you again for a tremendous year; stay safe and well; have a wonderful summer; enjoy,

Marty

Martin R. Geoghegan

Principal

Henri A. Yelle Elementary School

Tuesday, June 17 – Last Day of School ½ Day 11:40 Dismissal

Final Report Cards Go Home With Students

Happy Summer Vacation!

Tuesday, September 2 – First Day of School for the 2025-2026 School Year

To Next Year's Yelle Families:

We are starting to think about scheduling for next school year.

Please let Mr. Geoghegan know if there is information you want him to know about as we look at groupings for next year's 4th and 5th Grade classes.

I cannot always promise everything but we most certainly try our best at finding the best fit and situation for all students.

Any questions, please let Mr. Geoghegan know.

Thank you,

Mr. G

Well, we did it again.

Mr. G and Mr. B had to fulfill their promise of our students meeting the schoolwide incentive for Boosterthon.

In the past we have kissed animals.

Two years ago, we jousted as knights.

Last year, we were slimed.

And, this year, I was dunked over 50 times on Field Day!

Below we have all the videos from the past years and the new one for this year.

We had owed the students for two years for we were supposed to "Kiss A Pig." It was a debt that was owed for two years (because of Covid).

The first video below is a little "teaser" we put together for the kids to truly tease them on whether we "really" were going to kiss a pig.

So when we showed it and even again this year, when we showed yet again, the kids booed us viciously for "not really kissing a pig." But it was just a little joke we had to have for the kids.

So this first video is to play up our kissing of the pig and to get them even more riled up. And it worked this year, last year, two years ago, and especially that first year.

So Then We Had To Do Something Better The Year After ...

We had to.

We had to up the ante.

We had to do something bigger and better for that year's Yelle crew.

They had heard we kissed a pig, but what could we do that would be even better ...

Well, I think we were able to top it with this.

Please check out that year's video.

Well, then the next year, we had to do something bigger, better, and different.

Kissing Animals is so so many years ago and the year before.

But what could we do that year?

These Yellians deserved something new & innovative.

And this is what Mr. G and Mr. B did.

Check out Parts I and II.

Last year, yet again, our outstanding students (and you families) Rocked It!

We again met our $20K Boosterthon incentive.

On the Wheel of Unfortunate Events spun that we would be Slimed.

And slimed we were.

Once for each grade, and Mr. G was even slimed one extra time for good measure

with the extra slime.

And yet again, our students, and families, crushed it again!

Mr. G would get into that dunktank for the students of the Yelle!

And he would be dunked, and dunked, and dunked, and dunked

some 50 times for the students!

Thank you all! Have a wonderful summer!

Dear grade 5 Parents/Guardians,

In just a few short months, your child will be making the exciting transition from elementary school to Norton Middle School. To help ensure this change is as smooth and positive as possible, we’ve carefully begun implementing an orientation process.

On Thursday, May 15, Principal Hayward, Guidance Counselor Mrs. Alison Tosches, and several student representatives visited the Henri A. Yelle School. During our visit, we met with students in small group settings to introduce them to life at NMS and give them the opportunity to ask questions.

On Friday, May 23, Grade 5 students visited Norton Middle School during the school day. They’ll tour the building, meet several sixth-grade teachers, and enjoy a special performance of Annie by our NMS Drama Club.

As we approach the final days of the school year, congratulations on reaching this important milestone! While one chapter of your child’s educational journey is coming to a close, a new and exciting one is just beginning.

To support our incoming sixth-grade students and their families, we’ve created a dedicated website for Norton Middle School. This site offers a glimpse into daily student life at NMS, with a variety of videos, helpful links, and resources. We encourage you to explore each section, as they provide valuable insight into what to expect. Information and updates will continue to be added throughout the summer.

NMS Welcome Class of 2032 = website created rising grade 6 Parents and Students

Summer visit to Norton Middle School:

We’re excited to host an in-person Welcome Back Ice Cream Social in August, just before school begins. This event will give incoming grade 6 students a chance to reconnect with friends, tour the building, find their homeroom, enjoy music and games, and ease any first-day nerves—with some ice cream, of course! Parents are welcome to join us for an open tour of the building and learning spaces. I’ll be working with the NMS Parent Board to finalize the date and time, and we’ll share details with families over the summer via ParentSquare.

Bonus Content 2024/ 2025 NMS Newsletters: The Lancers LEAD Story = September 2024, The Lancers LEAD Story = October 2024 The Lancers LEAD Story = November 2024, The Lancers LEAD Story = December 2024 ,The Lancers LEAD Story = January 2025 , The Lancers LEAD Story = February 2025 , The Lancers LEAD Story = March 2025 , The Lancers LEAD Story = April 2025

Sincerely,

Vincent M. Hayward

Vincent M. Hayward | Principal - vincenthayward@norton.k12.ma.us

On Wednesday, June 11, our 5th Graders got an experience like they have

never before! They were able to see, touch, and learn about animals up close and

in person. Our HAY PTO brought in Dr. Ed from Animal Adventures for his

annual end of the year Anti-Bullying presentations.

The HAY PTO has brought these presentations to our 5th Grade students each of the

last 4 years!

Our students were able to see, touch, and hear about a gigantic snake,

a chinchilla, an owl, an alligator, other exotic animals, even including a kangaroo

to help teach them about not being a bully!

Here are just a few of the pictures from the day, and check out the videos on Insta!

THANK YOU, PTO!

We want to send a huge THANK YOU out to the entirety of HAY Nation for all

of the support for our Yellians this school year!

Together we managed to accomplish a lot that included but is not limited to:

Our Fall Author Visit Presentations with Jorge Cham

The HAY Nation Candy Hoard

(which donated Candy to the VFW for their Haunted Hayride event)

Two Textile Drives

Anything But a Backpack Day

Valentines Day Bingo

OUR MOST SUCCESSFUL BOOSTERTHON EVER

through which we were able to pay off the playground upgrades!

3 Scholastic Book Fairs

(which helped to continuously update our library offerings as well as keep the

Book Vending Machine stocked a year for our Good News Call of the Day

recipients as well as our #PBIS Expected Behaviors Hashtag program)

Parent-Teacher Conferences Lunches

(for our teachers on those super long days of Parent Teacher meetings)

Music Bingo Night

March Mathness Prizes

MCAS wristbands for all students

Post MCAS Bingo

Being able to gift all of the 5th Grade Yearbooks

& Ice Cream for their Yearbook Signing

Our annual Animal Adventure Anti-bullying Assemblies

5th Grade Field Trips to the Whaling Museum

A Dunk Tank and Cases of Water for Field Day

We were also able to support our Art, Gym, and STEAM specialists with supplies for some of their bigger projects this year.

Lastly - We are saying goodbye to some board members this year as their students move on to the Norton Middle School!

A big giant THANK YOU to Pam Harlow, Mark Moses, and Danielle Conley for all of their hard work this year (and last year for Pam and Mark!).

Those of us left will be looking for additional board members in the fall so please reach out to hayellepto@gmail.com if you are interested!

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!

Here's a link to a 1.5-minute video about the library's summer reading program,

geared toward the K-5 set and their grownups.

Please check it out to help get more kids into the Norton Public Library over the summer

so they can keep up their reading and have fun with books!

Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) is continuing to sponsor a free Parenting Solutions Library. MPY is offering this valuable resource in partnership with Peace At Home Parenting Solutions, a non-profit organization located in Mansfield, Connecticut. Through this partnership, MPY is providing proven resources to help students’ families thrive.

Peace At Home Parenting Solutions specializes in empowering parents with evidence-based strategies to foster nurturing connections that safeguard their children's mental well-being. The Parenting Solutions Library is easily accessed using the link on MPY’s home page. No log in or passcode is needed.

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