NMS October 24 Lancers LEAD Story Newsletter

Throughout October, NMS is recognizing Dyslexia Awareness Month to promote awareness and understanding of dyslexia. Dyslexia is a common learning difference that affects reading and spelling skills, but it does not reflect a person's intelligence. In fact, approximately 10-20% of people worldwide, including notable figures like Magic Johnson, Thomas Edison, Muhammad Ali, Whoopi Goldberg, Henry Winkler, Agatha Christie, John Lennon, Steven Spielberg, Eleanor Roosevelt, Pablo Picasso and even Albert Einstein, have dyslexia. It’s important to remember that dyslexia often brings unique strengths, such as creative thinking and exceptional problem-solving abilities. These qualities contribute to diverse perspectives that enrich our school community and foster innovation. Individuals with dyslexia often approach challenges with creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, leading to unique solutions and fresh ideas. 

“I have dyslexia, and I am grateful for it. It has taught me to be patient, persistent, and creative. I believe that everyone has something special to offer the world, and I am proud to be a dyslexic person.” Charles Schwab, American businessman

Norton Middle School is proud to provide a variety of interscholastic sports opportunities for our students. As we enter the fall season, our school fields competitive teams in Soccer, Cross Country, Volleyball, and Unified Bocce. We understand that not every student may aspire to join a sports team, but these programs play a vital role in fostering school spirit and pride among our student body.
Attending sporting events as a spectator can be an incredibly enjoyable and memorable experience during middle school. It offers a chance to support your school, connect with friends, and soak up the excitement of the games. We kindly remind all of our students to cheer for our teams responsibly and to demonstrate respect towards visiting players and their fans. Our aim is to create a positive and sportsmanlike atmosphere.

The Halloween Dance will be Friday, October 25th, from 6-8 pm. Tickets will be on sale during lunches from October 21st-25th the cost is $5

Students CAN wear costumes to school on Thursday October 31st

• Costume cannot interfere with teaching and learning

• No weapons / simulated weapons

• No sound in the costumes 

• No full costume specific masks to be worn during the day in halls or stairways and as requested by teachers in the classroom. Inflatable costumes are allowed for the contest portion of the day and at the school dance.  

• Costume cannot interfere with your movement or others’ movement/traveling in halls or classrooms

• Must come to school in your costume, no changing at school

• Color hair and makeup is to be put on AT HOME, NOT IN SCHOOL.  

• No inappropriate/vulgar costumes. 

• Teachers and administration have final say as to the appropriateness of a costume.

• Costumes should follow the guidelines in the student handbook

Norton Middle School Daily Announcements

Every morning, our school broadcasts important announcements through the PA system. These announcements commence with a respectful moment of silence followed by the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. To enhance communication and keep parents well informed while ensuring students can access missed information, we have introduced an online link. The link can be found on our webpage about half you down using the icons in the purple bar. 

Did you know that the teachers at NMS have scheduled Extra Help time?

Additional help and support individually or in a small group is a key intervention to increase understanding and improve student achievement. 

Check = Times are mostly stable but can change so we advise checking the day prior if your child plans on staying. There is a link to the schedule below. 

Plan = In order to make the most of the time it is beneficial and we strongly encourage that you email the teacher prior to staying. Prior notification can allow the teacher to  review records, gather any needed materials and/or missing assignments.  NMS Teacher and Staff Email List 

Please follow this link to see when your child's teachers are scheduled and available to offer additional help and support beyond the regular school day. 

NMS Teachers' Student Support "Extra Help" and Office Hours

The link can also be found on our main webpage

Norton Middle School has some exciting news to share with our school community. After a hiatus of several years (largely due to the pandemic) Norton Middle School is pleased to announce our renewed partnership with Wheaton College and the reinstitution of our Wheaton Tutors program, which will henceforth be known as the Lancers and Lyons Learning Center. The LLLC began back in 2011 and ran with great success here at Norton Middle School up until 2020. 

The LLLC is intended to serve as supplemental support for any student who needs it across grade levels and content areas. Wheaton tutors will be available for students who need it after school, Monday-Thursday until 4pm Students may come and receive assistance with a variety of academic tasks, including help with homework, writing assignments, and quiz/test preparation. 

Here are some important things to know regarding participation in the after school LLLC:

- The LLLC will meet  in the NMS cafeteria or Library, directly after school ends

- The program runs 3-4, Monday through Thursday only

- Students must have work that they need to do, and/or are having difficulty with. 

- This program is NOT intended for any student who wishes to "hang out" after school and socialize with friends.

- This program is NOT intended to serve as an after school program for families who have no other option for their students after school

- Students who are unable to focus on academic work will be given a warning and then may be asked to leave due to non-compliance

- Students who choose to stay must either have transportation home at 4:00 or wait for the late bus which arrives at 4:15

- Wheaton students are unable to access Google Classroom or any other school based software programs

- Parents are responsible for communication with their students about permission to stay on any given day, and attendance will be taken on a daily basis

We are excited to be able to offer this excellent opportunity to you and your students. We are fortunate to have such a strong community partner like Wheaton College. We hope that students and families are able to take advantage of this opportunity. We anticipate this program beginning on Monday October 7, and running until the first week in December.  We also anticipate being able to offer drinks and snacks on select days depending on availability and participation.  

We hope to see you there! 

General Overview

CharacterStrong is a PreK-12th grade digital program (no bulk printed materials) designed to build social and emotional competence, develop character, and cultivate strong educator-student relationships. The Secondary SEL Curricula (CharacterStrong) consists of 25 to 35 lessons per grade level 6-8 Each lesson is designed to be delivered with no prep and no supplies (besides pen/ paper), with a strong focus on student voice and choice and an average delivery time of 30 minutes. The Secondary SEL Curricula is designed around 3 outcomes (Well-Being, Belonging, Engagement) using 5 primary ingredients to get there (Emotion Understanding & Regulation, Empathy & Compassion, Values & Purpose, Goals & Habits, and Leadership & Teamwork). Each lesson features a warm welcome, a community-building activity, interactive content, a character challenge to apply learning in their real lives, and an optimistic closure.

Primary Ingredients

Emotion Understanding & Regulation: How We Feel & How We Act 

Empathy & Compassion: What We Understand & How We Care 

Values & Purpose: Who We Are & What We Do 

Goals & Habits: The Dreams We Have & The Actions To Get There 

Leadership & Teamwork: Developing Agency & Working Together

Instructional Methods

Most frequently uses interactive games, activity-based learning, partner and full group discussion, writing, and skill practice

Unique Features

-Student-driven lessons built in partnership with a 60-student advisory board 

-Engaging videos featuring students and young adult role models 

-Adolescent-specific content (mental health and well-being, values, sense of purpose, teamwork skills) 

-Challenges that move away from “role-playing” and into practical application 

-All content built for in-person or virtual settings

Curriculum Scope and Sequence

One of the aims at our school is to equip young people for all the realities of today’s world. With that in mind, we have partnered with CharacterStrong – an organization that provides training for educators and curricula for students. Their work in grades 6-12 focus on 3 main outcomes: increasing a sense of belonging for all students, improving skills that support student well-being, and deepening student engagement in their academics, in their school, and in their community. 

Here’s what the data tells us:

• A sense of belonging in school is one of the most important conditions for learning and a fundamental support for social and emotional well-being. Nearly ⅓ of all students report a weak sense of belonging in their schools. Roughly half of 6th – 12th grade students say they don’t enjoy coming to school most of the time.
• Mental health challenges for teens have been increasing and 7 out of 10 teens in the U.S. (between 13 and 17 years old) have named anxiety or depression as a major problem among their peers.
• Student engagement drives learning and supports school success.