Wednesday's Word
April 6, 2022
What's Inside
- Ramadan
- Needed: NPS Wellness Advisory Committee representatives
- FK Spring picture day is Monday, April 11th
- Virtual PTO Meeting TONIGHT @ 7pm
- Community News
- Norfolk Recreation Programs
- Classroom Happenings
Dear Families,
Writing is an exciting area of the curriculum where student growth is very visible. Our kindergarten students begin their journey as writers by drawing pictures that are supported with words. As students progress through the grade levels, they build upon this foundation and by the end of 6th grade, through the unremitting efforts of our teaching staff, they develop into writers who are able to compose complex pieces.
Writing allows our students to develop their voice and offers an added venue for self expression. One of the best areas of writing to harness the skill of self-expression is poetry. Therefore, one of our favorite months in our schools is April, which is National Poetry Month. This month gives us another opportunity to celebrate our students as writers and highlight their creativity through the genre of poetry. Poetry allows students to engage with words and language on a very different level. If you are looking for some ideas, or would like to read some poetry for yourself, here is a website from Poets.org. It has numerous fun resources, such as the “poem of the day”, which highlights poems from a different authors, accompanied by a brief biography. The following resource from Reading Rockets is also great for children. It is filled with poems and related activities for children as well as a section called Poets On Poetry. Your child can listen in as acclaimed children's writers like Janet Wong, Marilyn Singer, Kwame Alexander, Ashley Bryan, Jack Prelutsky, Mary Ann Hoberman, and J. Patrick Lewis talk about reading poetry aloud and writing poetry.
I hope you have an opportunity to share with your child the joy of poetry.
Sincerely,
Victoria Saldana
Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
Ramadan
The Muslim holiday of Ramadan began on Saturday, April 2nd and will conclude on Sunday, May 1st. During this time some students who observe Ramadan will participate in fasting as a reminder of their religious duty to help those less fortunate. If your child is observing Ramadan and you would like for them to access an alternative educational space during the school lunch period or during snack times, we are happy to provide it. Please reach out to the appropriate school principal and we will make alternative arrangements.
• H. Olive Day School, Mrs. Linda Balfour balfour@norfolk.k12.ma.us
• Freeman-Kennedy School, Mrs. Lisa Altham-Hickey althamhickey@norfolk.k12.ma.us
Reminder: MCAS in progress
Virtual PTO Meeting TONIGHT @ 7pm
Please join us TONIGHT, Wednesday, April 6th at 7:00pm for a virtual PTO meeting. Norfolk teachers and staff members have requested many grants and we will be determining how they are allocated. We also have a number of spring PTO events and open positions for the 2022-2023 school year to discuss. All are welcome! Zoom details are below:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://brown.zoom.us/j/99312938330
Meeting ID: 993 1293 8330
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Meeting ID: 993 1293 8330
FK Spring picture day is Monday, April 11th
• Individual photos will be taken in the Gym.
• Grade 6 is scheduled to have their Class Group Photo taken outside at 12:15-12:30.
• A raindate of Wednesday, April 13th is scheduled for all photos.
• If your child did not receive the order form, there are extra flyers available in the Main Office.
Needed: NPS Wellness Advisory Committee representatives
We are seeking at least one HOD and one FK parent representative to participate as members of the Norfolk Schools Wellness Advisory Committee. This committee is established to ensure that the District has a system in place to deal effectively with school health issues and is responsible for making recommendations concerning school health/wellness policies, programs and practices. We plan to meet approximately 4 times per year, currently planning for Fridays, 1:30-2:30 pm. If interested, please contact Dot Pearl, dpearl@norfolk.k12.ma.us.
Norfolk Recreation Programs!
Students celebrate POETRY MONTH!
April is POETRY MONTH!
Students share some of their favorite poetry books.
A future poet recites a poem over the intercom at the H. Olive Day School.
Norfolk Public Schools
Email: allardi@norfolk.k12.ma.us
Website: norfolk.k12.ma.us
Location: 70 Boardman Street, Norfolk, MA, USA
Phone: (508) 528-1255