Cole Miners' Dig

Wow! What a great first week of school! It has gone by so fast with so much excitement and so many things to do to learn the classroom routines and to make new friends. Everyone is ready for a weekend to rest and recharge before starting the first full week of school. Enjoy every second of it!

Each year we practice a number of mandatory drills (fire, shelter in the building, lockdown, bus evacuation) with our students and present them in the most developmentally appropriate way. The Norwell Fire Department and Officer Phelps joined us for the first fire drill today. Students and staff did an excellent job exiting the building safely and quietly.

When visiting Cole School, please ring the doorbell to the right of the doors and windows. Please do not hold the door for visitors behind you until they have been cleared by the office. Thank you for helping to ensure the security of the building.

As part of the School Improvement Plan, we are starting a Volunteer Village to recruit people that would like to commit to volunteering at Cole School this school year on a consistent basis (for example, 20 min. each week, one hour on Friday afternoons, or once a month on a Wednesday). If you'd be interested in volunteering this year, please let us know by completing this form. All volunteers to must complete the CORI form (good for 2 years) and fingerprinting (good for life in Norwell Schools). Click here for more information on completing both the CORI and fingerprinting.

Will you be picking up your child at dismissal any time this year? If so, please write your child's last name in LARGE and BOLD lettering and place it in the passenger side window. Students must enter the car on the passenger side only. Drivers must not get out of the vehicle for any reason. If you must get out of your car or if your child needs any assistance putting the seatbelt on, we ask you to park in the parking lot and have your child dismissed as a walker.

Many thanks to the two outgoing parent representatives on the School Council - Mrs. Godin and Mrs. Bersell. We are so thankful for their time and input over the last two years.

We are now in need of two new Cole School Council Parent Representatives who will join our current parent representatives, Mr. Lucas Hamory and Mr. Tyler Martin, to help guide our school as we move forward to implement the goals in the Cole School Improvement Plan. This position holds a 2-year commitment with a monthly meeting from 3:30-4:30pm. Interested parents can learn more about School Councils and their roles in school improvement here.

If you would like to nominate yourself or another Cole School parent, please send Mrs. Burns (eliza.burns@norwellschools.org) the name and a brief bio introducing yourself to the community. This bio will be used for the ballot as these are elected positions. Nominations will be accepted through Friday, September 12th. An election ballot with all nominated parents will be sent home the following week in preparation for the first School Council Meeting on October 15th.

Please check out the Cole PTO facebook page for pictures of happenings during the school week. In order to join the Cole PTO facebook page, you must answer the question. If the question is left blank, the request will be denied.

Mark you calendars for the upcoming Open House/Curriculum Night on Thursday, September 18th. Students and families are welcome to come visit the classroom and specialist areas, meet the teachers, learn more about the grade level curriculum, and see the classroom.

Grades 1 and 2 - 5:00-5:45

Parking Lot Turn Over - 5:45-6:15

Grades 3, 4, and 5 - 6:15-7:00

We will be reviewing expected behaviors with the students before Open House/Curriculum Night, but please also preview the expected behaviors with your children before entering the building:

1. Children MUST stay with their family for the duration of the event (no running through halls)

2. Visit your child's current classroom and specialists only so previous year's teachers can focus on their new students and families

September

September 15 - Picture Day

September 18 - Grades 1 & 2 Curriculum Night/Open House 5:00-5:45pm

September 18 - Grades 3, 4, & 5 Curriculum Night/Open House 6:15-7:00pm

September 19 - PTO Stay and Play

September 25 - Norwell CARES Day (more info shared soon)

September 29 - Connections Meeting - Persisting Habit of Mind

September 29 - Instrument Rental Night at Vinal School for Gr. 5 Band Students 6:30pm

Looking Ahead:

October 1 - Early Release Day (all students dismissed at 12:20pm)

October 2 - School Custodian Appreciation Day

October 3 - PTO Stay and Play

October 8 - PTO Meeting 7:00pm

October 13 - No School

October 15 - School Council Meeting 3:30pm

October 20 - Community Meeting 9:00am

October 23 - Early Release Day - Conferences (all students dismissed at 12:20pm)

October 27. - Occupational Therapist Appreciation Day

October 27 - Connections Meeting - Managing Impulsivity Habit of Mind

October 31 - Early Release Day (all students dismissed at 12:20pm)

Welcome back! This year, we are excited to be implementing a new, elementary social-emotional curriculum at Cole and Vinal Schools - Second Step's Elementary Digital Program. We will also continue to use Second Step's Bullying Prevention curriculum. You can learn more here, and I will also have information at Curriculum Night. I will be teaching the first unit, Growth Mindset and Goal Setting, to all grades throughout September- starting Monday. For the rest of the year, Second Step lessons will happen in classrooms, and I will teach other required topics by grade level in the gym. Please reach out to me with any questions about Second Step, or the social-emotional needs of your children at school, at anne.walsh@norwellschools.org.

Welcome back! It looks like everyone has grown over the summer! I just wanted to take a minute to remind folks at home of some of the health protocols we follow here in Norwell.

• The student must remain home until 24 hrs free from vomiting/diarrhea. If a child is sent home from school vomiting they must be out of school the following day.

• Students who have had a fever of 100.0 or higher will be sent home and may not return to school until 24hrs. without the use of antipyretics (i.e Tylenol, Motrin, etc).

If your child has a communicable disease, please notify me via email and feel free to include the teacher in case they need to know any updates. It always helps both of us to know if they were already checked out by the doctor, etc..

Some examples on when students may return to school are as follows:

• Strep Throat, Scarlet Fever, and Conjunctivitis – 24 hours after the first dose of prescribed medication.

• Hand, foot, and mouth (Coxsackie virus) or Fifth Disease (Erythematous Infectiosum) - fever free for 24 hours.

• Impetigo - 24 hours after medical treatment has begun, lesions should be covered in school.

• MRSA- Antibiotic treatment (Bactrim) for 24 hours before returning to school, lesions should be covered.

• Covid- 24 hour fever free without the use of meds, symptoms have to be improving, masking is encouraged for 5 days when returning to indoor crowded spaces.

Head lice: Remember to check your child’s head frequently for head lice, as they can be common in children. If found at school, parents/guardians will be notified and directed to treatment options to occur outside of school.

If a child has an injury that requires an orthopedic device such as crutches, cast, walking boot, splint, sling, etc., a note from the provider should accompany the child when returning to school. Such notifications should detail all restrictions and identify the date when participation in PE/ recess may resume. The fax number is 781-659-2850. Providers may fax to us directly. Written notification from a parent is required when it is necessary to excuse a child from physical education short term and the PE teacher should be notified as well.

I want to remind parents of our medication policy in the event that your child requires medication during the school day. ALL medications, prescription or non-prescription, can only be administered under the following conditions:

• A written medication order form is required for prescription medication and over-the-counter medications

(not including the standing orders written by the district physician that you signed off in on ASPEN)

• A written parent/guardian authorization form is required for all medications

• All medications must be in the original pharmacy labeled container

• All medications must be brought to school by the parent/guardian and given directly to the nurse.

Join us for the 2nd Annual Flannel Fest at The Tinker's Son! Get ready to show off your favorite flannel shirts while enjoying live music, delicious food, and great company. This 21+ event is the perfect way to kick off the fall season. Whether you're a flannel fanatic or just looking for a fun time, this fest is for you. Don't miss out on the opportunity to celebrate all things cozy and comfortable at Flannel Fest! Proceeds go to the four parent-led organizations at Norwell High School: Norwell Arts, Norwell Boosters, Norwell Education Foundation, and Norwell PTO. This is THE event of the season.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-flannel-fest-tickets-1592654345019