Normandy Park School
Principal's Corner
February 24th to February 28th
- February 24th is a B Day
- The Senior Cultural Arts Residency with Stop Motion artist, Tracy Fox, will continue this week (additional information below)
Celebrating Student Partnerships
As a school, it is great to see the interaction between our older and younger students. It truly reflects the community emphasis that Normandy Park School values greatly.
Senior students help in different ways throughout the school. Some of our Senior students work with younger students as art, gym, lunch, and library helpers. Another way Senior students help out is through our Reading Buddies program. At times throughout the year, Senior students read with or to our Primary students.
It is great to see the support, care, and partnership across grade levels!
Food Drive
Normandy Park School will be holding a Food Drive from March 2 – March 6 to benefit the Interfaith Food Pantry. The food drive is being done in conjunction with the Senior Unit’s Student Council to bring attention to civic responsibilities and community involvement.
Morris County is consistently ranked among the top wealthiest counties in the United States, yet according to the A.L.I.C.E. report published by the United Way, nearly ¼ of its residents struggle to meet their basic cost of living.
Let’s show our children that together we can make a difference in our community!
Primary Unit families will be collecting SPECIALTY and BABY ITEMS. Pantry needs are: Infant formula (Enfamil preferred – yellow, purple, blue), baby food (fruits, vegetables, meats, meals), baby cereal (Oatmeal), diapers (size 6), baby wipes, Reusable grocery shopping bags, Boost or Ensure (Regular), Resealable (i.e. Ziploc) sandwich bags and quart sized bags
Intermediate Unit families will be collecting CANNED ITEMS. Pantry needs are: Soups (Condensed or Hearty varieties), Canned Beans (pork & beans, pinto, red or white kidney beans, black beans), tuna fish, canned meats and meals (hash, stew, canned chicken, chili), Canned Vegetables (except green beans), Tomato products (sauce, crushed, diced, etc.), Evaporated milk
Senior Unit families will be collecting BOXED ITEMS. Pantry needs are: Cereal (low sugar, high fiber), Dry Milk (1 qt. pkg), Shelf stable calcium fortified milks (soy, rice or almond), Rice-A-Roni, Pasta-Roni, Hamburger Helper, Tuna Helper. Also, Peanut Butter (18 oz), 100% Fruit Juice (32 oz)
Thank you for your help!
For more information about the Pantry, call 973-538-8049 or visit the Interfaith Food Pantry website at www.mcifp.org
**STEAM Night is Thursday, March 5! Feel free to bring donations that night!
Girls on the Run
Girls on the Run is a nonprofit youth development program for girls in 3rd-5th grade that uses running as a tool to promote physical, social, and emotional growth. We teach life skills through dynamic interactive lessons and running games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a 5K run, held on June 6. Join us!
Season cost is $209 (+ 5K run entry fee) Financial assistance is available Program registration is first come, first served
To register, visit https://www.girlsontherunnj.org/Register-Now
Questions? Email Morris County Director kim.ciriaco@girlsontherun.or
Read Across America
In honor of Read Across America Week, Frelinghuysen Middle School students will be coming on March 2nd to read with our Primary classes. In addition, during the week, our school will honor Read Across America by having school-wide Drop Everything and Read time!
Black History Month
For Black History Month, our Intermediate and Senior classes have been researching influential African Americans with Mrs. Gilson. Throughout the month, students have, and will continue, to present on the NPN News.
In library, Mrs. Gilson will read The Undefeated, written by Kwame Alexander and illustrated by Kadir Nelson. The book was the 2020 Caldecott winner. The book is an illustrated poem that highlights the contributions of influential African Americans.
Normandy Park School's 3rd Annual Reading Challenge
The Normandy Park School HSA presents the 3rd Annual Reading Challenge: Get Stuck in a Super Book! The challenge began last week!
We hope all of the students will participate in this fun activity designed to make everyone an enthusiastic reader. Here is how to participate:
READ!! Children’s eligible reading began on Monday, February 10th and end on Monday, March 16th. Your child’s reading should be appropriate for reading ability, grade level and length. Books may be fiction or non- fiction but should be books that your child reads within the program dates and has not read before. Books being read for a class assignment count! Your child may read independently or be read to. Books from home, school or public libraries or any other source are fine for the program.
LOG! Students will receive tally sheets to keep track of their reading. They will need to complete 5 logs to successfully complete the challenge. Return the logs to the library or submit online at https://normandyhsa.membershiptoolkit.com/Open_Forms. Students can pick up new log sheets at the library or at the front office. The number of books to complete a log sheet will vary by Unit.
ENJOY THE JOURNEY! Each participating student will have a “spider” on our big
hallway display near the front office. Students will “get stuck” in the spiderweb. Students
will continue to read through the 0spiderweb as many times as they can.
EVERYBODY WINS! Any students that successfully complete the challenge will receive
a medal and a brand new book, with the top 3 readers from each unit receiving a trophy
and Scholastic Bucks to spend during our NPS Book Fair!
We are excited about this event and are looking forward to watching our children become
super readers! If you have any questions, please contact Hope Dulac at
HopeDulac@gmail.com or Dimitra Drakotou at drakotou@me.com.
STEAM Fair
The Normandy Park School is excited to announce our second annual S.T.E.A.M. Fair which will be held Thursday, March 5th from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. The acronym S.T.E.A.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. Students are learning, exploring and expressing interest in many areas, and this is an additional opportunity to showcase their work.
During the fair parents and students will have the opportunity to explore the different aspects of S.T.E.A.M. throughout the building. It will be an amazing opportunity for students to display their talents and interests through multiple facets.
Your child also has the opportunity to complete an at home project. This is voluntary. Some of the possible topics include Climate Change, Food Webs, Habitats, Rockets, Science of Sports or Research on an inventor. The possibilities are endless. If your child is interested in completing an at home project please email Mr. Russell at robert.russell@msdk12.net. In your email please indicate the project title as well as the amount of space needed to showcase the project. Projects should be brought in the morning of the fair. Storage is not available prior to the morning of the fair.
Also, if you can volunteer to set up the morning of the fair please email Mr. Russell. The more help we can get setting up the faster the process.
We hope you will join us in celebrating our students’ hard work.
FMS Key Information for 5th Grade Parents
Attention 5th grade families, please click here for key information on immunizations, sports, activities, and attendance.
Cultural Arts Residency for Senior Classes
From February 10th to February 27th, NPS will host their Senior Cultural Arts Residency with Stop Motion artist, Tracy Fox. Students will create their own Stop Motion art with the guidance of the artist. The projects will be geared around students sharing their own superpowers and expertise.
NPS will host a culminating event for Senior parents to come and see the students Stop Motion art projects.
MSD Preschool Registration
In December, the Morris School District opened registration for free preschool for district families for the 2020-2021 school year. To register, please visit https://www.morrisschooldistrict.org/
Upcoming Events
- March 5th: NP STEAM Night (6:30pm to 8:30pm)
- March 23rd to March 28th: Scholastic Book Fair
- March 28th: Family Fun Fair (Book Fair will be open as well!)