Dear Parents, Last week was a very sad and difficult week for all of us here in New England.  The long held tradition of the Boston Marathon, an event that traditionally brings out pride, charity and good will, was forever changed by random acts of violence that resulted in the devastating loss of life and countless injuries.  I am sure you all join me in sending out thoughts and prayers to all of the families and individuals who have been directly impacted by the bombings and tragic...

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Dear Parents, Looks like we may be in for a pretty big winter storm this weekend! Although you never know how the forecast might change, I thought this would be a good time to share some general information with you about our policies and procedures for closing school, calling for a delay or possible early closing. The following are some quick answers to the most frequently asked questions. Who makes the decision?As the Superintendent it is my responsibility to make the decision about whether...

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Dear Parents, I hope you all enjoyed having the opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher over the last few weeks during parent conferences. Conferences are a great opportunity for us to collaborate and share information regarding your child’s academic and social development and to work together to set individual goals for the next term. As parents, no one knows your child better than you do. You have great insight into their learning styles, interests, personalities and needs....

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Dear Parents and/or Guardians, I hope your children are off to a great start with the new school year. It is hard to believe it is already October and the warm fall days are soon to be behind us! I have had the pleasure of visiting many classrooms over the last few weeks and am happy to see that children are settling nicely into their new routines and many rich and exciting curricular projects are underway. This week our sixth grade students have headed off to Bournedale for their highly anticipated...

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I am pleased to announce that we have had a very smooth opening for both of our schools this year. Students have transitioned nicely and are settling into their new classrooms and routines. Our buses are running on time and drop-off and dismissal procedures are becoming more efficient every day. A special thank you to parents and families for being flexible and for working with us during the final stages of the building construction project at the new Freeman-Kennedy School! We were very pleased...

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I wish to welcome all of our students back to the beginning of an exciting new school year. The first day of school for students in grades 1-6 is Tuesday, Sept. 4th. Information regarding the start of school for kindergarten students was mailed out to families earlier this month. The school day begins at 8:55 and students are dismissed at 3:00. Teachers have been working hard to get classrooms ready and are eager to meet all of their new students. We are thrilled to be opening the new Freeman-Kennedy...

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Dear Parents, Guardians and Community Members, I am writing this letter to alert you to the fact that the Norfolk Public Schools are about to face another year of cuts to the budget that will raise class size in regular education classrooms and increase caseloads among Special Education teachers. I will keep this letter short and direct. For the past five years, the children in Pre-K to 6 have borne the brunt of the budget shortfalls that the entire Town has endured. There is no doubt that...

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December 21, 2011 Dear Parents and Community Members, The District wide curriculum development efforts are in full swing! The English language arts (ELA), social studies, math and science committees are meeting biweekly to design a continuum of instruction across all grade levels. The committees are composed of a dedicated and professional team of teachers who are committed to enhancing the current Learning Expectations by thoughtfully planning for a student’s learning from kindergarten...

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Dear Parents, The teachers of the Norfolk Public Schools deeply appreciate your thoughtfulness and your kindness all year long.  They are grateful for the generosity of spirit and of time that you donate to the schools.  They also understand that many parents truly wish to give them individual gifts during the holiday season. Unfortunately, regardless of the intent of any gift, the fact is that new state mandated conflict of interest laws put specific restrictions on gifts to teachers...

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This week we celebrate American Education Week. A variety of special activities are planned for your children at the Norfolk Public Schools. As I shared with you in an earlier post, we are embarking on a journey to realign our curriculum and to articulate to you what your students are learning in each grade and in every subject.  In the end, our curriculum will be better aligned with the Massachusetts' curriculum frameworks and with the new national core standards.  More importantly,...

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October 27, 2011 If you were not able to attend the Curriculum Night, you may view the presentation here: Understanding Learning Potential: The Beginning, October 27, 2011   Also, please see the new information on our Reading Centers and Literacy Program   Teaching and Learning

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The 2011-2012 School Calendar has been revised. The following days will be now be “early release” days: Friday, April 6, 2012 and Tuesday, May 29, 2012.  In addition, whenever possible, we will be having a 2 hour delay for snow storms.  We will NOT have any 1-hour delays.  This is an attempt to minimize the number of make-up days necessary in order to keep the Freeman-Kennedy project on schedule. Updated 2011-2012 Calendar

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October 24, 2011 The fact that some dog owners walk their pets in our schoolyards and on our playgrounds and do not pick up after them is causing both a safety and a health hazard for our children and staff.The problem has become a daily experience for children playing and adults supervising.   We  are appealing to the Animal Control Officer and the Selectmen but, in the meantime, please help us by asking anyone you may know or see not to  walk dogs on school property and to...

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October 12, 2011 Please join the Curriculum Coordinators and me on the evening of Thursday, October 27th at 7:30 PM in Room 124 at Town Hall to participate in a workshop that will provide you with a report on ongoing curriculum development that is designed to meet the needs of all students in the Norfolk Public Schools. You will hear about the NPS Learning Expectations, about RTI (Response to Intervention) and Differentiated Instruction in our schools and about the ongoing work to create challenging...

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October 11, 2011 For the past year, teachers and administrators have been studying the Massachusetts State Frameworks and the Common Core, a set of national standards for teaching and learning that will form the basis of state testing for the foreseeable future. They have worked together to distill those complex standards into a document we call the Norfolk Public Schools Learning Expectations. Click here to view the new Learning Expectations Section of our website  

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August 23, 2011 Back to School and New Beginnings! The 2010 -11 fiscal year was challenging for everyone - teachers, administrators, parents and the community. Reductions to the budget over the past several years set the stage for further staffing cuts, reorganization of special education and a slight increase in class size in Pre-K to grade 6. While the future of the economy remains uncertain, we are confident that careful and thoughtful collaboration between the schools and the community will...

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February 2, 2011 The weather outside is frightful and not at all delightful!!! (What were those lyricists thinking when they penned that song?) As the Town struggles to find places to put the snow as well as funds to pay for it, we are hoping that we will not have to add another day to the end of the school year. Because we have used four snow days already, we have only one remaining. It is certainly possible that we will need to use them all. If we do use all five, the last day of school will...

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