Something To Yelle About

WE DO CREATE JOY

IN #HAYNation!

Hello from the Yelle.

We are to December!? It is unreal to think about. We are more than a third of a way into the school year already; it is incredible to fathom.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and break. The students came back refreshed and ready to go.

In the big picture above, each week, I use it as a way to highlight and show what we were able to accomplish during the week.

This is really a Big Picture for a week and a half. The top row are pictures from Anything But A Backpack Day from before Thanksgiving. That is such a fun experience for everyone to see the creativity of our students (there is even more below). The middle row is the latest picture of our ST "Mathletes" who completed their grade level journey this past month; so phenomenal! The second picture is from our Unified Kickball Team's practice this past week. The bottom row has our Top ST Math classrooms being awarded the stuffed JiJi for the month, student excitement during a hands-on experience prior to the Break, and in the final slot is a #PositiveSignThursday montage of our students who Create JOY! And boy do they, each and every day!

These and the other pictures below that I have snapped throughout the week in and around the classrooms really do relay a story of what our students and teachers achieved this week. Please check them out below and all over our Instagram feed to help to tell the tremendous story we are writing this year.

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

1st Term Report Cards on Monday

Spirit Week Coming Soon

Norton Food Support Information

Dressing For Winter

Anything But A Backpack Pictures

Upcoming Calendar Events to Mark Your Own Calendar

SEPAC Holiday Shoppe

Community Events

Other PTO News

And much, much more ...

Please check it out.

Thanks; have a wonderful weekend; stay safe and well,

Marty

Martin R. Geoghegan

Principal

Henri A. Yelle Elementary School

Friday, December 5 – SEPAC's Little Shoppers Holiday Shoppe (see below)

Monday, December 8 – Term 1 Report Cards Come Home

Monday, December 15 through Tuesday, December 23 – Yelle Spirit Days

Thursday, December 18 – HAY PTO Meeting 6 PM in the Library

Tuesday, December 23 – ½ Day Districtwide 11:40 AM Dismissal

Wednesday, December 24 through Friday, January 2 – Winter Break

Monday, January 5 – 1st Day Back from Break

Term 1 report cards are coming home on Monday, December 8th. The overview below provides context for families on the purpose of the report card, how a growth mindset influences what we are sharing, and what the ratings mean for their child at this point in the year.

One major point I want to make, as I know it has been a continuous debate over the years, is that the report card will give families information on how their child is performing based on the expectations for this time of the year. As a Norton Report Card Committee, we had a lot of conversations about this. When giving families only information about how their child is doing towards the end of the year standards -- most students were making progress and it was not an accurate representation of their day-to-day classroom experience. Please keep this in mind as you see the Report Card on Monday:

A Standards-Based Report Card provides a snapshot of how your child is making progress towards grade level standards. Standards-Based Report Cards focus on end-of-the-year goals and track your child’s progress toward those goals. Each trimester report card will reflect the progress your child has made to that point, leading toward mastery as the year progresses, NOT against an End of Year benchmark, but progress to date. This allows parents and students to have a clear understanding of where the student is currently performing.

If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher and/or Mr. Geoghegan.

Hello Yelle Families.

Typically, I am sending this message out earlier in the year, but we have been enjoying some more favorable weather so far these past few months.

This is just a friendly reminder that as the weather turns from Fall to Winter, and specifically from 50s, 60s and even 70s the last few weeks to a real feel of 40s this past week, we do love getting the students outside for PE/Wellness and Recess.

The students might think the classrooms can be warm, but we love to get the students outside for recess and Wellness, so they should at least know that they should dress appropriately for those times; at least packing sweatshirts, hats/gloves, jackets, and the like.

We will go outside for recess when the "real feel" is 25 degrees or above outside, and you can see me bundled in my hat, coat, and gloves, for to me, I need them. The students may not feel like they need it for the school day, but for recess if the real feel is at least 25, we have recess outdoors.

It is always nice to get that fresh air, and as I said, we love getting them outside whenever we can.

Any questions, please let us know.

Thanks!

Hello Yelle Families:

The HAY Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) hopes all families are enjoying the school year. We are always trying to make this another senational experience for our students!

The PTO sponsors monthly meetings, which are usually held the third Thursday of each month from 6-7PM in the HAY Library. The meetings could be changed if there is a calendar conflict with a school vacation or holiday and are usually moved to the Wednesday before or after. You can view on the HAY Calendar on the NPS website.

We look forward to seeing returning parents along with new faces from our fourth grade families!

Come join the meetings to hear what’s happening in your child’s school, how you can help out by volunteering, or ways for you to share an idea!

Contact us at:

hayellepto@gmail.com

Like us on Facebook:

https://m.facebook.com/HAYPTO/

Our ANYTHING But A Backpack Day was so FABULOUS!

The kids' ideas were tremendous! Their creativity was off the charts!

And we were able to send over 175 food items to the Norton Cupboard of Kindness Food Pantry!

A definite Win-Win!

It is such a fun, engaging way to go into the Thanksgiving holiday break!

I just want to thank our guest judge, Sgt. Dennett for all his help on helping us decide who would be the winners, for all the entries were so amazing.

It was Epic!

We are looking for sponsors for our Event Day Boosterthon Glow Run Shirts

$50 for business name only

$100 for Business Logo

$200 for Large Logo and Logo on the back of the 5th grade yearbook

Venmo - @HenriA-YellePTO

Check - Made out to HAY PTO (sent to school)

Logo Files can be sent to hayellepto@gmail.com

The Norton SEPAC Presents:

Lil’ Shopper’s Shoppe

Friday Dec. 5th

4:30-8:00pm LG School

38 Plain St.

Norton

Bring your children to shop for their friends and family in a festive

environment where they will learn to spend, budget, and save!!!

● Shopping

● Raffles

● Vendors on site

● Tons of Cheer!!!

Any Questions:

sepacnorton@gmail.com

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!

Food Resources for Families

As you may have heard, many families across the country will be affected by the federal government’s decision not to use contingency funds to pay for November SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. Beginning Saturday, November 1, more than 1 million Massachusetts residents—including 277,000 school-aged children in 168,000 households—will not receive their SNAP benefits. SNAP payments will not resume until the federal government shutdown ends.

We understand how difficult this situation may be for many families, and we want to make sure everyone in our community knows that support is available right here in Norton.

Free Meals: Norton Public Schools continues to provide free breakfast and lunch for all students, every school day — no forms or questions asked.

Local Food Pantry: Cupboard of Kindness Food Pantry

120 Mansfield Ave., Norton, MA

(508) 285-3398 | cupboardofkindness.org

1st & 3rd Mondays, 4:30–6:30 PM

Parking opens at 3:30 PM

Need More Help?

Call Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333 (available in 180languages) or visit projectbread.org/foodsource-hotline.

Here is a helpful Town of Norton Food Resource flyer.

DPH Commissioner Rebukes Misleading Assertions

About Vaccines and Autism

11/20/2025

Boston — Vaccines do not cause autism, and there is no link between childhood vaccines and autism. This has been proven repeatedly through decades of rigorous, high-quality research involving millions of children worldwide. The evidence is clear, consistent, and overwhelming.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) rejects the assertion posted Nov. 19, 2025, on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website which suggests that the statement “vaccines do not cause autism” is not evidence-based or that studies have failed to rule out a connection between childhood vaccines and autism. Such claims are factually incorrect and deliberately misleading. They contradict the global scientific consensus and undermine public confidence in vaccines. Vaccines are one of the most effective and life-saving interventions in the history of medicine and public health.

For an official federal website to include such misinformation is deeply troubling and even dangerous. It fuels misinformation and leads to misplaced doubt that puts children, families, and communities at risk for serious illness. These claims reflect ideology, not evidence.

DPH is committed to providing the public with accurate, science-based information. We continue to monitor emerging research, consult with leading experts, and update our guidance as new high-quality evidence becomes available. And we will continue to push back forcefully against misinformation and disinformation that threaten the health and safety of the people of Massachusetts — especially when it appears on official federal platforms. We are currently reviewing our website and are removing links to CDC content that contains or amplifies such false and misleading claims.

—Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD

Share this statement: DPH Commissioner rebukes misleading assertions about vaccines and autism | Mass.gov.

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