Dear Families,
We use various assessments that help us ensure that we are meeting the needs of all of our students. I wanted to share with you information about an assessment we use to support our Social Emotional Program called DESSA (Devereux Student Strength Assessment). Over two decades of research has helped us understand the important role social and emotional skills play in each child’s success in school, in the community, and, eventually, in higher education and the workplace. With this in mind, K-6 teachers in the Norfolk Public School District are using a screening tool called the DESSA (Devereux Student Strength Assessment) developed by Aperture Education, to assess how often a student has demonstrated specific social and emotional skills in the past month. This tool is used three times a year - Fall, Winter and Spring.
We use screeners to help guide our instruction and to differentiate our supports to meet the needs of our students in most of our curriculum areas. The DESSA screener is one component of social emotional programs and another tool in our educational tool box that supports best practices.
The purpose of the DESSA is to identify which social emotional skills your child has already learned and what skills they might still need to develop. Once our teachers identify the skills their students still need to learn, they will teach those skills using our Social Emotional Curriculum (Open Circle at HOD and Second Step at FK). Our goal is to ensure that your child is continuously developing the skills they need for success both inside and outside of the classroom.
Aperture Education offers a “parent portal” on their website that provides resources, tips, and strategies to parents on supporting their child’s social emotional development. To view additional information visit the parent portal at: https://info.apertureed.com/parent-portal.
If you have any questions about our Social Emotional Learning Curriculum, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher or to our school adjustment counselors (Liz Longley at Freeman Kennedy and Carolyn Kelley at H. Olive Day School).
Sincerely,
Victoria Saldana
Director of Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction
Katie Greer: Internet Safety Presentation for Parents and Guardians
When: Thursday, November 17 @ 6:30pm
Where: Freeman Kennedy Cafe
Thank you to the Norfolk Community League for bringing this opportunity to our schools!
For more information click on: Katie Greer
Wreaths Across America Tour is stopping at the Freeman Kennedy!
Wreaths Across America is proud to announce a local stop for the WAA Mobile Education Exhibit (MEE) national tour at Freeman-Kennedy School on Wednesday, November 30th for a scheduled event. The exhibit serves as a mobile museum, educating visitors about the service and sacrifice of our nation’s heroes as well as to serve as an official ‘welcome home’ station for our nation’s Vietnam Veterans.
Sponsor A Veterans Wreath
You can sponsor a veteran’s wreath anytime for $15. Please click on the link Sponsor a Wreath Link. Each sponsorship goes toward a live, balsam wreath that will be placed on the headstone of an American hero as an endeavor to honor all veterans at noon on Saturday, December 17, 2022, as part of National Wreaths Across America Day.
THE FINAL DAY TO PLACE A SPONSORSHIP IS: Monday, November 28, 2022.
• Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond.
Norfolk PTO News
1 • FRONT ROW RAFFLE
CLOSES end of day FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28th!!
Don't forget to purchase your front row raffle tickets!
We are once again offering the chance to sit in the front row for all of the HOD and FK planned performances of the 2022/2023 school year. If you remember any of these events from pre-covid times you know how packed the audience gets! We will be raffling off two sets of two front row tickets to year-end performances as well as chorus and band. All proceeds go right back to our Norfolk schools.
Raffles will be held at our November PTO meeting taking place in the FK cafeteria on Wednesday, November 2nd at 7:00pm. You do not need to be present to win.
More information and the electronic form to enter the raffle can be found here: https://www.memberplanet.com/s/norfolkmapto/2022-2023frontrowraffle. All proceeds go right back to our Norfolk schools. Please contact norfolkmapto@gmail.com with any questions.
2 • PTO MEETING and GRANT NIGHT
WHEN: Wednesday, November 2nd at 7:30pm
WHERE: FK Cafeteria
Please join us for our November PTO meeting. We will be reviewing teacher grant requests and deciding how to allocate funds - we would love your input!
Bus Reminder
- Thank you
Health & Wellness
Health and wellness information from Dot Pearl, Director of Wellness for Norfolk, Plainville, Wrentham & King Philip Schools
• Norfolk Schools Wellness Advisory
Looking for 1-3 parents/caregivers who are willing to serve on the Norfolk Schools Wellness Advisory. Parent representation is important to this committee that will meet on average 4 times per year. If interested, please contact, dpearl@norfolk.k12.ma.us.
NPS Employment Opportunities
We are always in need of:
- Substitute Teachers
- Lunch Monitors
- Food Service Assistants
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