Superintendent's Newsletter 05.06.2024

Posted Date: 05/06/24 (10:57 AM)

Family Newsletter | May 6, 2024

Dr. Jennifer O'Neill
joneill@norton.k12.ma.us
@joneill727

Superintendent’s Message

On April 26th, NPS informed our staff of 29 position eliminations for the 2024-2025 school year. These positions are being eliminated as we plan for a 1% increase for next school year based on what the community is able to afford at this time. These positions impact all of our schools and students and will be devastating for our school community. They are:

Paraprofessionals (4)
Guidance Counselor at Norton High School
District Nurse Leader
Music Teacher at Norton Middle School
Elimination of Middle School World Language (2 teachers)
English Teacher at Norton Middle School
Math Teacher at Norton Middle School
Reading Interventionist
Math Interventionists (2)
Art Teacher at Norton Middle School
Instructional Technology Specialists (2)
Elementary Math Coach
Elementary Literacy Coach
Preschool Teacher
Science Teacher at Norton High School
Social Studies Teacher at Norton High School
Music Teacher at Norton High School
Wellness Teacher at Norton High School
Speech & Language Pathology Assistant (0.4)
Custodians (2)
Middle School Dean
School Administrator
Reductions in time for Elementary Specialists
- Elementary Art reduced 0.12 FTE
- Elementary STEAM reduced 0.32 FTE
- Elementary Library reduced 0.4 FTE
- Elementary Music reduced 0.2 FTE

As your superintendent, I don’t feel good about any of these eliminations. Every single position is needed and is a big part of supporting teaching and learning for all students. I encourage you all to continue to listen and learn more about the budget process from your elected officials and department heads. Finally, I ask if you have questions or would like additional information about any aspect of the NPS budget process, please reach out to our school leaders or myself.

Thank you to NEED & NEED Auction

Last Monday, every single member of the Norton Public School team from our central office folks, to classroom teachers and even our bus drivers received a cookie baked by Norton’s Kate Conway and donated by NEED. These cookies all came with a note of thanks and support for the dedication of our staff. Thank you to Kate and need for this sweet treat!

Additionally, NEED just launched their largest fundraiser of the year- the NEED Silent Auction! Last year, NEED donated over $20,000 to Norton Public Schools for teacher grants. Please take a moment to visit the auction website! Here is the link for the auction!

Congratulations NHS Music

In April the NHS Music department traveled to New York City through the organization World Strides for the Heritage Festival where they faced tough competition. Congratulations to the Concert Chorus on their gold placement and the band on their silver placement!

Kindergarten registration is open for the 2024-2025 school year for Norton residents and siblings of current School Choice families. Children must be five years old on or before August 31, 2024 to be eligible. All students who are entering Kindergarten must register, including those already enrolled in our Little Lancers Preschool program.

Families of incoming kindergarten students will submit registration information through our registration portal in PowerSchool. A separate form must be completed for each child. Once the pre-registration form has been submitted, it will be sent to a staff member for approval, and families will then receive an email with instructions to complete the registration process. Additional information including required documents for registration is available on our website under Student Registration in the Families tab.

UPCOMING EVENTS

May 10th

Norton High School Term IV Warning Notices Grades 9-11

May 27th

Memorial Day - School Closed

May 30th

Norton High School Class of 2024 Graduation

May 31st

Districtwide Early Release (Professional Development)

June 11th - 12th

Norton High School Early Release (Final Assessments)

June 13th

Districtwide Early Release - Last Day LGN, HAY, NMS, NHS

June 14th

Early Release JCS - Last Day JCS

VIRTUAL BACKPACK

This week's NPS Virtual Backpack flyers include:

NPS Summer Enrichment
NEED Spring Online Auction FUN-draiser
Be a Girl Scout! Your Year of Friendship for girls in PreK who are entering Kindergarten 5/7
NHS Gymnastics Booster Club Golf Tournament
Wheaton Pre-College Registration

To submit a flyer to the Virtual Backpack, please contact Pam Anderson at pamelaanderson@norton.k12.ma.us.

05.06.24