HOD Family Newsletter

Dear HOD Families,

I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful (extended) February break and had the chance to relax and recharge. I would like to thank our incredible facilities and custodial staff for all of their hard work clearing the mountains of snow and ice from our campus.

We wrapped up February with our annual Grade 2 Ice Skating Party, which was a fantastic event and a favorite HOD tradition. A big thank you to Mr. Goodwin, Mr. Maguire, and our Grade 2 team for their thoughtful planning, and to the many volunteers who helped make the day so special for our students. Even though we are moving closer to spring, winter is still buzzing along!

March is always one of the busiest months of the school year at HOD. As we move through the month, we will be finishing up Term 2. Report cards for students in Grades 1 and 2 will be sent home, and we look forward to welcoming families into the building for parent teacher conferences. It is a wonderful time of the year to celebrate student growth, and continue working together to support each child’s learning journey.

We are also excited to welcome many new families to HOD for our upcoming Kindergarten Information Night. It is always a special evening as we begin to welcome the newest members of our hive and share what makes our school community such a warm and supportive place for our youngest learners.

This month we will be celebrating Random Acts of Kindness Week and as part of National Reading Month, "Drop Everything and Read". Throughout the month, our students will be buzzing with opportunities to spread kindness, celebrate friendship, and enjoy great books together. At HOD, we truly believe that kindness helps our hive thrive.

Thank you for continuing to BEE such wonderful partners in your child’s education. Your support helps make HOD a place where our students can learn, grow, and shine.

Best,

Kristen Giffune
……And All of Us Here at HOD!

Thursday, March 5th

Information Night for Incoming Kindergarteners

HOD Auditorium

6:00 pm

Friday, March 6th

Term 2 Ends

Grades 1-2

Wednesday, March 11th

Professional Development

Noon Dismissal

Monday, March 16th - Friday, March 20th

"Drop Everything and Read Week"

see details below

Wednesday, March 18th

Spring Photos

Friday, March 20th

Grade 1 and 2 Term 2 Report Cards Issued electronically at 4:00 pm

Click on the following link for instructions for viewing your child's report card.

iParent Tutorial

Friday, March 20th

HOD Movie Night - details below

HOD Gym

Tuesday, March 24th

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Noon Dismissal

Thursday, March 26th

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Noon Dismissal

February 26, 2026

Dear Norfolk Families,

Over the past few years, we introduced a new format for spring parent-teacher conferences, and we will continue with this approach this year. As educational partners, Norfolk teachers maintain regular communication with parents through email and phone conversations to share important updates. Additionally, educators provide detailed narrative report card comments that highlight each student’s strengths and areas for growth. These report cards, along with teacher narratives, offer valuable insights into a child’s progress. Because of this, a spring conference may not be necessary for every student.

This year, the district will continue with the revised format for spring conferences:

• Report cards for grade 1 - grade 6 will be made available to parents on the afternoon of March 20th through the district iparent system.

• Spring conferences will be offered on the afternoons of March 24th and 26th between the hours of 12:45 and 3:30.

• If a parent/guardian is unable to attend an in person conference, teachers will offer a virtual conference option.

• If a teacher feels a conference is necessary, they will reach out to parents or guardians individually between March 2-6, 2026 for an appointment.

• Teachers may wish to schedule a conference for a variety of reasons, including updating parents on an area that has shown significant growth, or to follow up on topics that were discussed in the fall.

• Parents should not be overly concerned if their child’s teacher asks to meet with them.

• If a parent does not receive an invitation by Friday, March 6th, but would like to meet with their child’s teacher, they should email the teacher by Wednesday, March 11th.

• Teachers will schedule appointments on the parent conference days with any parent who has requested a conference.

If your child’s teacher does not feel the need to meet with you in person, you can rest assured that your child is making steady progress in all aspects of the grade level and is on track to meet all of the end of year benchmarks.

Please feel free to reach out to your building principal if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Kristen Giffune, HOD Principal

Lisa Altham-Hickey, Freeman-Kennedy Principal

In honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday, March has been designated National Reading Month by the National Education Association. This annual celebration is devoted to fostering a love of reading by encouraging daily reading for all ages!

To celebrate this important month, we will be asking our HOD families to participate in DEAR time every day during the week of March 16th. DEAR, or Drop Everything and Read, is an opportunity for the whole family to read together for 15 minutes. If reading isn’t already a daily habit in your home, we hope that trying this for a week could turn it into one!

Reading at home together has so many benefits in addition to giving your child much needed practice in this important skill. And it’s easy to do! Gather the family together, choose a comfortable room and some fun books, set a timer for 15 minutes, and let the joy and wonder of reading begin! Everyone can read his/her own book individually, or, for our younger students, the whole family can listen to one person read a book aloud. Afterwards, take some time to discuss what you’ve read.

For every day you participate, your child can color in a letter on the DEAR! coloring sheet that will be provided by your child's teacher and will be sent home in their backpacks. By the end of the week, you’ll have a beautiful piece of art to hang on your refrigerator – and a great reminder for your family to Drop Everything And Read

as often as possible!

Happy Reading!

Beth O’Connor and Lori Cochrane

Literacy Specialist

Click the yellow bars below for more details.

Lunch Menus

Click on the shamrock for March menu

To help us return items quickly, please label sweatshirts, jackets, lunchboxes, and other belongings with your child’s name. This is also a great opportunity to remind students about BEE-ing responsible by keeping track of their things.

If your child is not feeling well, your pediatrician is the best person to consult about whether they can go to school. Common sense, con­cern for your child's well-being, and the possibility of infecting classmates should all contribute to the decision about whether your child should stay home. As a general guideline, keep your child home if:

• They have a fever of 100 degrees F or higher. They should remain at home until fever-free for 24 hours without using fever reducing medications such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen.
• They have had episodes of vomiting or diarrhea within the past 24 hours.
• They have been diagnosed with conjunctivitis(Pink Eye). They may return 24 hours after the first dose of prescribed medication.

Below is a list of common health issues for your reference

Fever

A temperature of 100 degrees or higher is a fever. Children should remain at home fever-free for 24 ours without takeng Tylenol or Ibuprofen.

Vomiting/Diarrhea

Children should remain at home symptom free for 24 hours and are able to ingest fluids and food comfortably.

Coughs/Cold

If your child has discomfort from their cold symptoms, consider keeping them home. A continuous cough and/or continuous or green nasal drainage may need to be evaluated by your child's physician.

Conjunctivitis

Your child may need to be on an antibiotic for 24 hours after the first dose before returning to school or a note from your student's physician with other guidance.

Strep Throat

Children cannot return to school until 24 hours after the first dose of antibiotic is taken. They should feel well enough to return to school.

Suspicious Rash

Children with rashes that are suspicious should have them evaluated by a physician and be cleared to return to school.

Parents and caregivers are invited to participate and share ideas. Please visit the website for the latest PTO meetings and events.

Wednesday, March 4th at 7pm at the Freeman Kennedy Library

Wednesday, April 8th at 7pm

Click on the button below for more information about the PTO!

Here’s your chance to put those worries aside and send your kid(s) for a fun night out with friends to the H. Olive Day Gym - while you enjoy a night out!

This program is designed for children in Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Pre-registration is required to attend this event.

Feel free to have your child come dressed in pajamas with a blanket, pillow &/or sleeping bag. Price includes pizza, drink, and a fun dessert! Please be sure that your child can easily transition from pizza to a quiet movie. The movie we will show is TBA.

Registration will close at 12:30pm on the day of the movie or when we reach capacity!

Due to allergy concerns, please do not bring any outside food/snacks to this program

General Information
$25 per person!
Kids Movie Night will begin at 6:00pm. Children can be picked-up from 8:00-8:30.
Cheese pizza, popcorn, and nut free candy will be served before the movie along with a drink.

If your family is facing financial hardship, fees can be waived by contacting the school principal or counselor.