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District

Superintendent's Newsletter 09.06.2024

Posted Date: 9/06/24 (1:00 PM)

 

Family Newsletter   |  September 6, 2024
 
Dr. Jennifer O'Neill
joneill@norton.k12.ma.us 

Welcome Back Families! 


I hope that this week was one of excitement for your students as they returned to school. Throughout the course of the week I had the opportunity to visit classrooms in each of our schools and was so happy to see so many engaged and smiling faces. Thank you for choosing Norton Public Schools as the partner for your children's education. 


As the majority of you are aware, we are beginning this school year with a smaller staff than we had last year. Due to the constraints in our school budget, we laid off 29 staff members this past spring, which will have a profound impact on how we run our schools day to day and the offerings that we will be able to provide to our students this year. I thank you in advance for your understanding and patience as we navigate these challenges this year. I also ask that you reach out to myself or our school principals with any questions or concerns that may arise. 


Throughout the summer months, we had several staffing changes that have allowed us some flexibility in roles and responsibilities. When a staff member resigns or retires, we are typically able to hire a new staff member at an equal or lesser cost due to their professional experience. With these savings, we were able to reinstate our 6th school nurse, which gives me more peace of mind when it comes to keeping the health and safety of our students a priority. Additionally, we recalled two paraprofessionals to support specific student needs. These staffing changes brought our staffing reductions from 29 down to 26, were done within our 1% budget as voted on at Town Meeting, and did not use any additional funding.  


At Norton High School, our team chair resigned so our Assistant Principal, Amy Benner, will be taking over these responsibilities for this school year. Mrs. Benner has a license as a special education administrator and a background in special education, which makes her a great fit for this role. This change has allowed us to hire an Early Childhood Coordinator, Maria Blackburn, who will support the Little Lancers preschool program at JCS. Again, these staffing changes were done within our original budget and did not cost any additional funds beyond what was allocated at Town Meeting. 


It is common in our society these days that rumors run rampant and social media fuels the fire. As always, I encourage you to reach out to my office with any questions, concerns, or need for clarity. I have the privilege of being the Superintendent of Norton Public Schools, but these are YOUR schools as a community. I welcome your communication and will always adhere to a transparent and collaborative approach in my role. 


I am looking forward to a great year learning together!




The Importance of Attendance  

We hope you have had a wonderful summer and are excited to welcome all of our students back! To that end, we’d like to take a moment to share with you some critical information regarding student attendance:
  • Students that attend school regularly achieve at a higher level then those students that do not.
  • Students that attend school regularly report higher levels of self-confidence and esteem.
  • Students that attend school regularly are far more likely to graduate and find gainful employment.
Perhaps most importantly, students that do not form the habit of attending school in September often struggle to attend school consistently for the year.

While the above information may appear straightforward, there has been a trend of downwards student attendance nationally, across Massachusetts, and here in Norton these past few years.

Here in Norton, we are committed to partnering with you to remove any and all barriers to school attendance. Additionally, we would like to know more about the ways we can support you this year if your child or children need additional help. 

We ask that you complete this (anonymous, if you would like) survey to help us obtain information to support our community in having all of our students attend school consistently.

If you are interested in learning more, please take some time to review the information linked below. Thank you for your trust, partnership, and collaboration.

Resources:

Attendance Works

Get Schooled!

The Effects of Chronic Absenteeism


Network Update

We are writing to provide you with an update on the network outage that the District previously advised you about that took place over the summer.  On June 12th, staff and families were notified that we detected an issue that impacted our network environment. Upon discovery, we promptly took steps to secure the environment and began an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the issue. The investigation into the incident has concluded.  


The District’s investigation determined that the cause of the incident was due to malware that an unauthorized individual downloaded to the District’s network.  As a general matter, District information technology personnel are dedicated to keeping the District’s systems and information secure.  Due to the prompt response by District personnel to the Incident, and available backup solutions, the District was able to restore connectivity quickly and with little impact to operations. At this time, the District’s investigation confirmed that no student or staff personal information was involved in the Incident.


We as a district are providing cybersecurity training for our staff. As part of the Municipal Cybersecurity Awareness Grant Program the Norton Public Schools received, cybersecurity training is available for families who are interested. This online training will teach you about common threats like phishing emails, social media scams, and mobile device security weaknesses. Learn how to spot suspicious activity, protect your passwords, and keep your family safe online. Topics included are:

  • Identify what security awareness is and why it's essential to your online safety.
  • Understand how cybercriminals use common tactics to mislead and manipulate you.
  • Learn what you can do to protect yourself and those closest to you from cyber attacks.
 Visit the following website and type in the password when prompted.
Password: homecourse
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Wellness Policy Reminder

Each year, we share our District Wellness Policy with our families to ensure that all are informed of our practices to promote student health and wellness each day. One component that we appreciate your support with is our policy on Celebrations. Please see the language below. 


Food or beverages will not be used as rewards for good behavior or academic achievement unless it is part of a student’s Individual Educational Plan or directed by a medical professional. Physical activity may be used as a reward (i.e. extra recess). All classroom parties and school celebrations (e.g. holidays,) held during the official school day will be non-food events. Families that are interested in providing an approved snack for their child’s birthday can reach out to Chartwells Food Service by contacting Mike Vaccaro at mvaccaro@norton.k12.ma.us.


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UPCOMING EVENTS

September 11th

School Committee Meeting - H. A. Yelle Elementary Library

September 17th

Curriculum Night - H. A. Yelle Elementary

September 18th

Curriculum Night - J. C. Solmonese Elementary and L. G. Nourse Elementary

September 19th

Meet the Teachers Night - Norton High School

September 25th

School Committee Meeting- Norton High School Library

September 26th

Meet the Teachers Night - Norton Middle School


This week's NPS Virtual Backpack flyers include: 
Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts Free Try-It event September 17th
South Shore Children's Chorus
Norton Parks & Rec Halloween Costume Exchange
Chartley Halloween Parade October 27th
BridgeWhiz beginnger program for grades 4-12
To submit a flyer to the Virtual Backpack, please contact Pam Anderson at pamelaanderson@norton.k12.ma.us.
09.06.24