Wednesday's Words

We are nearing the end of the first reporting term Report cards will be sent home on December 6th for students in grades 1 through 6. Norfolk Public School report cards reflect our standards-based approach to tracking and supporting student progress toward end-of-year goals. Kindergarten families, please note that report cards for our youngest learners will be sent home at the end of January. In the link below, you’ll find details to help you understand how we assess student learning and growth in each subject area, as well as the expectations for performance at this stage of the year.

Newly Adopted ELA Program: As we also approach parent teacher conferences, I wanted to take this opportunity to provide you an update on our Newly Adopted ELA Program. As many of you know, this school year, Norfolk Public Schools has adopted a new ELA program for grades K-6 (Into Reading K-5 and Into Literature gr 6). Our teachers are putting in incredible effort learning and teaching the new materials, and it’s exciting to see our students dive in with enthusiasm, fully engaging with the program and connecting with the content! One of the program's strengths is that it offers a variety of assessment options to help us understand student progress in different ways. As part of this first year, our teachers are carefully exploring and testing these assessments to see which best support student learning. This process will allow us to make well-informed choices about which assessments to use consistently in the future.

• Slight Shift in Reporting: The new structure involves skills spiraling through the modules, meaning they reappear and build upon each other, allowing students to deepen their understanding progressively. Early modules focus on building schema and provide an overview, with the introduction of skills increasing as the modules progress. Given this structure, students are not expected to have fully mastered these reading and writing skills at this point in the year. Consequently, a rating of “1”—beginning with the standard—or a rating of “2”—progressing with the standard—is the expected measure for skills at this stage. Also, there may be more N/A's (not assessed) for Term 1, as some standards are introduced later in the year.

For an Overview of Standard Based Report Cards and Progress Reports 2024/2025 please click on the following link.

Thank you for partnering with us to support your child’s learning journey!

- Victoria Saldana

Assistant Superintendent

Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

On Friday, December 6, 2024 student report cards will be sent home electronically and parent-teacher conferences will be held on December 10th and 12th.

Please use the following link for more information.

• iParent Tutorial

As a result of a recent ballot decision, the MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) is no longer required for high school graduation. This change reflects ongoing conversations around assessment and student success.

It’s important to note that DESE has not made any changes to the requirement of administering MCAS for students in grades 3 and up. Our district, along with others across Massachusetts, is still following the previously established plan to administer MCAS as scheduled.

We will continue to keep families informed if any new guidance is provided by the state regarding MCAS testing or graduation requirements. As always, our commitment remains to support students in meeting high educational standards and preparing them for success.

Please click the following guidance for information from DESE about the vote. If you have any questions or need more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership.

The NPS Technology Team attended the MassCUE Annual Fall Conference, the premier education technology conference in New England. MassCUE on October 16th & 17th at Gillette Stadium.

MassCUE is the Massachusetts affiliate of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

The two-day event featured workshops, demonstrations and presentations by thought leaders and preeminent educators on how to enhance teaching and learning with technology. Hundreds of education technology companies and nonprofit organizations participated in this event, sharing the latest in education technology advances with educators and administrators from across the region. The Fall Conference is a great place for educators who want to connect with their peers and learn the latest in edtech.

Norfolk Public Schools, in cooperation with the families of our students, share the responsibility of teaching students to be responsible and respectful digital citizens. Part of this citizenship requires that they not let personal devices (cell phones, smartwatches ,including Fitbits, Gizmo, VTech watches, etc.) disrupt their learning or interfere with the learning of their classmates. Although students may bring personal devices with them to school, their devices must remain in their backpacks or cubby/locker at all times during the school day. Teachers, support staff and administration reserve the right to confiscate personal devices from students who violate these guidelines. Additionally, personal technology may not be used on the school buses and may be taken away by bus drivers at their discretion. If a student has a device confiscated, parents/guardians will be contacted to retrieve the item. Please be aware that taking video or audio recordings on a personal device at school, on school buses or vans, on school grounds or during after school activities (Rec. dept programs, SACC) violates the Code of Conduct and will result in disciplinary action.

Join Norfolk parents (and 82,000 other parents nationwide) who have decided to delay giving smartphones to their kids until “at least” 8th grade. Wait Until 8th is a national program helping parents address the reality that early exposure to social media, internet access, and smartphone addiction is taking a toll on childrens’ mental health. The pledge is only for smartphones. If you would like your child to have a basic “call and text only” phone/watch, you still can sign the pledge! No money is involved. This is a completely free program. So far we have 44 families signed up in Norfolk Public Schools! Once your grade has 10 or more pledges, the pledge is active and Wait Until 8th will notify you all. You will be updated weekly when more families join an active pledge. If interested, join local parents at Norfolk Public Schools and sign the pledge today! If you have multiple kids in different grades, make sure you complete one form for each child. Additional questions please contact Jennifer Svalbe at jbsvalbe@yahoo.com https://www.waituntil8th.org/

Who are the Parent Leaders?

The Parent Leaders Committee is comprised of a group of parents

who have students in the Norfolk Public Schools and are interested in working

collaboratively with the district to problem solve issues, discuss educational

programming and support efforts towards continuous improvement.

What is the time commitment?

The Parent Leaders group meets one evening a month for approximately 1-2

hours. We are looking for members who can commit to attending on a fairly

regular basis, although it is not required to attend every meeting. We are often

engaged in discussions that carry from one meeting to the next or are working on

long-term projects and it is helpful to have some continuity of membership.

What kinds of topics do the Parent Leaders discuss?

Parent Leaders focus on District Level issues (communication, school budget,

school calendar, curriculum, parent involvement) and help to advise the

Superintendent on matters important to the community. Agenda topics are shared

with group members prior to the meeting. There is always time at the end of each

meeting to discuss or identify topics that should be added to a future agenda.

What is the mission of the Parent Leaders Group?

The mission of the Parent Leaders Group is ‘To create a forum for open, positive,

respectful dialog between District Administration and parents aimed at improving

and enhancing the educational experience of all students and their families.’

1st meeting of the year is scheduled for: Monday, Dec. 9th at 7:00p.m. @ the H.Olive Day Library.

If you are interested in signing up to be on the Parent Leaders group: Please reach out to Adrienne Smith at asmith@norfolk.k12.ma.us and she will add you to the email list.

• Wednesday, November 27 - NOON DISMISSAL
• Thursday, November 28-29 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break
• Tuesday, December 10 - NOON DISMISSAL - Conferences
• Thursday, December 12 - NOON DISMISSAL - Conferences

Please click on Employment Opportunities to join our team!

CURRENT OPENINGS:

For more information contact Roxanne Verdeaux, Human Resources @ verdeaux@norfolk.k12.ma.us

• Facilities Crew Custodian Full-time/2nd Shift
• Educational Support Personnel
  
• Instructional Assistants Special Education
• Extended Day Site Coordinator (SACC) - Grades 3-6
• Substitute Nurses (RN)
• Substitute Teachers
• Food Service Assistants

We are thrilled to announce that Heritage Night is back! This is an exciting event that promises to celebrate the rich tapestry of cultures, traditions, and histories that make our community truly special. It will take place Friday, January 24 at 6:00pm at Freeman-Kennedy. We invite families to participate in our Heritage stations and share your heritage with the school community. We've organized the sign-up process into several categories, however, we're also open to any and all suggestions you may have. If you believe there's an aspect of your heritage that deserves a spotlight, or if you have innovative ideas for formats and presentations, we encourage you to share them with us! Sign up for a heritage station today!

Order holiday cards and photo gifts this season through Minted and give back to the schools! When you use the code FUNDRAISENORFOLK, you’ll receive 20% off your Minted order and 15% from each purchase will be donated to the PTO to support the Norfolk schools.

Get ahead of your holiday shopping with Norfolk merch! The Norfolk Merch Store is open 24/7 online. Items include t-shirts, sweatshirts, athletic shorts and pants and hats for adults and kids, as well as water bottles, bags and more! Customize the design on each item. Purchases are shipped directly to your home, and 15% of your order goes back to the Norfolk schools! Click here to shop: Norfolk Merch Store | Squadlocker

We welcome any parents and caregivers who are interested in volunteering for school events, lunch, recess, library, etc. to please complete our volunteer sign-up form. Interested in volunteering an hour for lunch and recess duty? Please make sure you have an updated CORI and have signed the Volunteer Agreement form. Click the following link details and to sign up: Volunteer! HOD & FK Lunch/Recess Duty

Look for our next issue on December 18th!

Norfolk Public Schools

Email: allardi@norfolk.k12.ma.us
Website: norfolk.k12.ma.us
Location: 70 Boardman Street, Norfolk, MA, USA
Phone: (508) 528-1225