Superintendent's Newsletter 8.15.2025

Universal Free Meals

In Massachusetts, universal school meals are still free for all students in public schools for the FY2025-2026 year.  This means students can receive ONE free breakfast and ONE free lunch.

Your students may qualify for reduced fees such as Athletics, Transportation or AP Testing.  If you have not received a notice of direct certification status for this school year from NPS by Wednesday, August 27th via email, we urge you to apply through the online application. 

For the first 30 days of this school year direct certification status of families will carry over from where it was at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.  If you are new to the Norton Public Schools or did not have a free or reduced meal status at the end of last year and do not receive a letter of direct certification next week, you may complete an application.  If you have any questions, please contact Kristine Hadfield, School Business Administrator, at khadfield@norton.k12.ma.us.

Again, if you receive communication from the Norton Public Schools that your student(s) directly qualified via direct certification from the state, please do not complete an application.

Combined Calendar

This year, we are happy to share our integrated calendar for Norton Public Schools. This calendar, located at the bottom of our District website main page, brings in events from all five schools as well as district wide events so that families and staff can get a quick overview of what is happening. We hope that this integrated calendar will help us avoid booking multiple major events on the same date as well as draw in more families and community members to the great events that are happening across the district

Back to School Events

NMS Grade 6 Welcome Social – August 27th  5:00-6:00 p.m. 

NHS Freshman/Transfer Orientation – August 27th, 5:00-6:00 p.m. 

Updated DESE Special Education Webpages

Please see the following updated shared by the Department of Education Office of Special Education Planning & Policy.

We are excited to announce that the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will launch an update to the Special Education webpages this Summer 2025! 

This update has been carefully designed with families in mind, and reflects DESE’s strong commitment to accessibility, equity, and user-centered design. Whether you’re exploring resources for the first time or looking for specific guidance, the new layout will make it easier than ever to find the information and support you need. 

What You’ll Find: 

• Family-friendly navigation to help you quickly locate topics like the IEP process, student rights, and available services 

• Clearer pathways to information about your rights, options, and ways to be an active partner in your child’s education 

This update is part of DESE’s broader effort to ensure all families — regardless of background, language, or digital experience — have equal access to the tools and knowledge they need.  

The launch is just the beginning. Your feedback will be essential to help us improve and grow these pages over time. We will share another notice once the update is published, and we encourage you to explore and complete a feedback form which will be shared at that time. This will help shape future updates to better serve all families. 

Thank you for your continued partnership and support in building a more inclusive and accessible educational experience for every child. 

Warm regards,

The Office of Special Education Planning & Policy