NMS October 2025 Newsletter

NORTON MIDDLE SCHOOL The Lancers LEAD Story October 2025

Dear Norton Middle Families,

In this month's newsletter, you will find important updates, positive highlights from the past few weeks, and a glimpse into the upcoming events and activities  planned. We believe in keeping you well-informed and engaged in your child's educational journey, and we are always here to address any questions or concerns you may have.

Thank you for entrusting us with your child's education.

Principal Hayward

First Term Progress Reports will be posted on Power School Portal Wednesday October 15th at 3 p.m. It is important when reviewing and discussing the progress report that students use the information to make necessary adjustments and improvements. In areas where students are performing well it is equally important not to become complacent. 

              Progress reports will contain comments related to your child’s performance in class. For current grade information parents should access the PowerSchool Community portal by following the link. 

New Specials start on Wednesday October 15th for Grade 7 Only

**Grade 7  Specials courses at NMS ( Music, Tech Ed, STEM, Creative Design and Physical Education) run for a 30 day cycle. 

New Specials Grades 7 and 8 (36 day cycle)  start on Thursday October 23rd

Grade 6 and 8 Specials courses at NMS ( Music, Tech Ed, STEM, and Physical Education) run for a 36 day cycle.

Due to this short time frame Progress Reports are NOT issued at the mid way point like they are for core classes that run on a per term timeline of 60 days . Grades for all first half term 1 Specials will be posted by November 1st.

 Students and parents should check the  PowerSchool Community portal  throughout the Specials cycle to see their grades and any missing assignments.**

• Grade 6  Mrs. Alison Tosches 508-285-0140 Ext 4011 atosches@norton.k12.ma.us 

• Grade 7 Mrs.  Norma Fowler 508-285-0140 Ext 4020 normafowler@norton.k12.ma.us 

• Grade 8 Mr. Christopher Maloof 508-285-0140 Ext 4010 cmaloof@norton.k12.ma.us 

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. 

Norton Middle School  Student Support “Extra Help” and Office Hours

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 STAFF email list 2025/2026

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 Parent Teacher Conferences

Save the Date Conference Registration 

• SATURDAY OCTOBER 25th  NMS will be utilizing an online parent teacher conference scheduler. CONFERENCE REGISTRATION WINDOW OPENS AT 8:00 AM. parents can go to the webpage and begin the registration process by following the link to the NMS registration website: https://ptcfast.com/schools/Norton_Middle_School  

Conference registration window closes at 12:00 pm on Sunday November 2 or once all available slots are filled.

Wednesday November 5, 2025 

• Session 1 = 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm (in person with individual teachers = 7 minutes)

Thursday November 6, 2025

• Session 2 = 1:00 – 3:00 pm (This  is an entirely virtual Conference Session)

                             (Virtual Session with entire team of Core Subjects (Math, ELA, Sci, and Social Studies -10 minutes)

                             (Specialist, Special Education and Guidance are individual and also virtual)

•  Session 3 = 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm  (in person with individual teacher = 7 minutes)

Monday November 7  -  Tuesday November 25  

Session 4 =  Remote Virtual Conferences 

We are excited to be offering two additional virtual conference hours per team and or staff member between November  10  and November 25. Specific times for these flex sessions are listed below.  These hours have been added to help accommodate the large number of students on a middle school teachers caseload. Each NMS teacher is doing 8 hours of Conferences over a period of 15 school days. 

Grades 6, 7 and 8: Will hold Virtual  Session with Team CORE Teachers (Math, ELA, Science, Social Studies, =10 minutes). Other teachers in non core areas can be scheduled individually.

Conferences are not required and communication is not confined merely to the Parent teacher conference night. 

 Strong parent teacher communication should be ongoing and as needed when issues arise. While face to face meetings are a great chance to strengthen the parent teacher connection they are only one small piece of the puzzle to improve student outcomes. PTC at the middle school level are great for meet and greets, discussing general strengths and weaknesses, overview of social skills, sharing family information, and reviewing expectations. Conferences are less than 10 minutes in length and generally are not the best venues to discuss involved or complicated matters. At the middle school level teachers have nearly 100 students and there are far less  time slots over the 8 hours of fall  conference sessions. If you are unable to meet during conferences and have a pressing matter or if you think additional discussion outside of the conferences may be required please reach out to your child’s teacher.  Here is a link to our staff emails.  NMS Teachers’ Email  Directory  

    In order to register and sign up for a conference, you will need an email address and access to the internet. If you do not have an e-mail address or access to the internet, please call your child’s counselor listed below by grade level. Counselors will attempt to register you for conferences when the registration window opens. 

The Thursday afternoon November 6, 2025 1:00 -3:00 pm session will be exclusively for remote conferences. Remote conferences for grades 6, 7 and 8 will be team based and will include all of the core subject teachers in a single 10 minute meeting. Specials teachers and non core academic staff will also be available for remote meetings during this time.  In addition each team will be offering two additional remote hours that are Team Specific. After signing up using the PTC fast conference registration a representative from the TEAM or an individual teacher will email you a link to the Google Meet. 

Parents Guide to attending remote conferences 

NMS Fall Conferences 2025 Parent Guide

Norton Middle School Student Council students help to recognize our fantastic Custodial Maintenance staff on National Custodians Day October 2nd  80-degree day in October gave our students had the chance to enjoy lunch outside on the picnic tables generously purchased for us by the NMS Parent Board. The sunshine, fresh air, and a change of scenery made for a great experience, and the kids really loved having the option to eat together outdoors. Grade 7 Students lined up to learn more about their guidance counselor Mrs. Fowler and to take on one of her lunch time challenges.  NMS Picture Make up day is Friday October 24th PBIS Lancers LEAD  Recognized by their teachers for being great examples of how Lancers LEAD! Curriculum = Welcome to Middle School  Athletics  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. For your convenience, you can access our sports schedules by following this link. Athletic Schedule  Remember to check this schedule due to rain and reschedule date Check out the NMS Volleyball team in action Click here for video NEWS FROM THE TEAMS Specials  IN THE GYM WE HAVE HAD SOME FUN WITH THE TRADITIONAL 3V3 BASKETBALL, FLAG FOOTBALL AND NOW WE ARE DOING SOME SELF AWARENESS WITH SOME FITNESS ACTIVITIES. STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO DO THEIR BEST FOR THAT DAY, NOTHING IS TRACKED. WE'VE HAD SOME GREAT EFFORTS IN ALL GRADES.WE HAVE TO MENTION A 6TH GRADE TEAM LEARNING A NEW GAME, SPEEDBALL STRUGGLED ON DAY ONE BUT IMPROVED THEIR TEAM WORK BY DAY 2 AND ENDED UP WINNING THE LITTLE TOURNAMENT IN CLASS…SO PROUD OF THEM!! CALLING ALL ART STUDENTS…. 8th grade is working on grid drawings inspired by artist Chuck Close. In the center of the grid is their chosen character or person. Each grid space is broken up by unique patterns and designs. The sections created are colored with different hues based on tints, tones, and shades. Students learn about the differences between monochromatic and analogous colors and implement them with colored pencils.   NMS Chorus is in full swing…here we get a glimpse of some of the 7th graders from 7 white. They were learning parts to a song called Adiemus….. I listened gleefully as Ms S was calling out for each section to sing their part. Such a joy! Ms. Larson and Ms. Motyl have a fuller than full art club this fall! We are so happy to see all the students and they are bringing their creativity that's for sure. Our first project is a landscape design. The students painted the background then filled in for dimension with yarn. Tech Ed with Mr. Kramer gets hands on leaning experience and practice in the design process.  Latest two projects in 7th grade Creative Design Product development, students learn to move through the process of having an idea develop into a product. The steps were research, sketch, prototype development, 3d design and  finally a 3d printed product.  The creative Design class also tried their hand at architectural design. A major part of this project was learning how to read an architectural scale ruler. From there they researched different floorplans and came up with their own designs. Every student created a scale floor plan and then created a model home of their idea.  TEAM 6 Purple Math - Mrs. Holicker We’ve mastered fractions and moved on to decimals! This month in math, we’re starting with a review of long division and then digging into operations with decimals. Before long, students will be able to put these skills into action in real-life situations, like calculating the tip at a restaurant, figuring out how much change they should get when shopping, comparing prices to find the best deal, budgeting money, and even measuring accurately in recipes or projects. It’s exciting to see math connect directly to the world around them! Folder Cleanout - Students can recycle any worksheets from our first unit (fractions) except for their pink notes page. 🙂 Science - Mr. Cummings In Science we reviewed and practiced lab safety and the Scientific Method with an assessment and initial labs. We are now moving in Life Science: characteristics of living things, biological classification, and the differences amongst domains and kingdoms. If you are walking or hiking about in nature this month, please challenge your 6th grader to describe the different signs of life all around! We will continue with our labs this month to keep honing our skills with microscopes and investigate cells. Be sure to ask your student about the Engineering Design Challenge we completed, too - we have another coming up! ELA and Math - Ms. Kelly ELA - The Sweet Shop! Students work every day on improving spelling and grammar with our weekly Caught Ya! slides show.  Students make corrections and submit their slide shows every Friday.  They also have been working on sentence stretching, using deeper vocabulary and detail to create more vivid mental pictures of their writing. A different journal prompt is given at the start of each week, and students work on it in their online ELA Journal’s for 5 minutes every day, submitting the final entry on Friday.  Ask them about the athletic cat dunking a basketball in a flaming hoop in the swamp at night!  Currently, we are reading parts of Boy: Tales from Childhood by Roald Dahl.  Students are learning persuasive writing format, where they make a claim about one of the candies described in the sweet shop (think Willy Wonka type treats!) and use evidence to back up that claim. MATH - Fraction Action Students are learning fractions inside and out!  We have reviewed adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions with the help of our fairy friends Coyote, Columbina, Bee Blossum, and King Oberon from MidSchoolMath.  Next, we will be diving head first into all things ratio!   Social Studies - Mr. Fiore Hominids Back to Life! In Social Studies on 6 Purple students were challenged to take a step back in time and imagine what a typical day in the life of a hominid would look like. Students were able to demonstrate their understanding of early hominids by depicting what hominids  achieved and what  characteristics they had in the form of a comic strip. Through visuals and narratives, we were able to learn about the challenges hominids faced in a creative way. Our next unit will be on the prehistoric humans of the Stone Ages!    ELA - Ms. Hartnett In ELA this month, students have been exploring the narrative genre through selected chapters of Roald Dahl’s memoir, Boy: Tales of Childhood. As we’ve read, students have examined how authors use imagery and sensory details, dialogue, voice and tone, and other narrative techniques to bring their stories to life. Recently, students applied these techniques creatively by transforming a chapter from Dahl’s memoir into a script. They adapted the narrative into dialogue and stage directions, then performed their scenes for the class, allowing students to deepen their understanding of narrative structure while practicing collaboration and expressive reading. The result was some very impressive performances and a lot of fun and shared laughs! Math Challenge 6P students - see Mrs. Holicker with the answer to this problem for a PBIS ticket! TEAM 6 White Science This month has been an exciting one in Science! After learning the rules of a real science lab, students created their own lab safety brochures to showcase their understanding. We also explored the Engineering Design Process through a fun team challenge—designing and building the tallest tower possible with limited materials. In addition, students began studying abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living) things, applying the 7 Characteristics of Life to classify them. To put this into practice, they conducted an engaging lab to investigate whether yeast is living or non-living. Curious about the results? Ask your child to tell you what they discovered! Social Studies In Social Studies, we have recently explored topics such as timelines, the world map, and essential map skills. Students even designed their own “My Town Map” to apply what they’ve learned in a creative way. We have also begun our unit on Hominids, where students are engaging in a variety of hands-on activities. These include building a human timeline and working collaboratively in groups to experience what life may have been like for early hominids. ELA In ELA, students are diving into our Dahl unit by reading excerpts from Boy: Tales of Childhood. As we read, they are learning to identify sensory details in the text and practice incorporating them into their own writing to make it more vivid and engaging. We are also focusing on the important skill of citing text evidence, using highlighting strategies to support answers and strengthen comprehension. Math Students have been exploring ratios and unit rates through hands-on learning activities. Each class engaged in a real-world exercise to calculate the unit prices of various items. We are also practicing how to complete ratio tables to solve problems and how to represent ratios graphically on the coordinate plane. PBIS Raffle Photos TEAM 7 Purple 7  Purple is off to a great start this year, and we are really excited about what is coming next. In English, they have wrapped up reviewing grammar and sentence structure and have been working hard on writing open-response paragraphs with quote integration. They just started the popular Amplify unit on Edgar Allan Poe, reading stories like “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” The second story will lead into their first five-paragraph essay, focusing on foreshadowing. At the end of the month, they will get to dive into the Poe Quest — always a hit! In Social Studies, the students are right in the middle of their unit on Ancient India. They just finished a cool foldable project to help them remember the Caste System and how Hinduism played a role. Up next, they will be learning about the Empires of India and the basics of Buddhism. In Science class, students have been exploring the principles of kinetic and potential energy. Recently, they completed labs involving pendulums, and they measured their own kinetic energy through various movement activities. The students really enjoyed being outdoors while learning about different forms of energy. After Columbus Day, students will showcase their understanding by designing their own roller coasters. This project typically takes about a week to finish, and it culminates with each student presenting their roller coaster design to the class. Math classes have been working on rates and proportions. They created skits to help them visualize using math in real world situations. Algebra class has been working on number sense with both negative and positive numbers  On Friday, October 10th, we walked down the street to YMCA Camp Finberg for a fun-filled day of team-building activities. It was a beautiful, sunny autumn day, and our students had an amazing time. Activities included archery, Ga-Ga ball, arts and crafts, climbing the rock wall, and the thrilling rope swing. Many stepped out of their comfort zones and tried new things, especially the rope swing. Despite some initial fear of heights, several students bravely gave it a go, and afterward, they felt proud, relieved, and excited. It was truly inspiring to see their confidence grow and their enthusiasm for new challenges. Team 7 White  Team News: Science In Science, students are well underway with their learning about potential and kinetic energy, and how these types of energy can change. We have worked through three different lab activities so far, which have helped students to visualize energy transformation. In our latest lab, students took advantage of beautiful fall weather to collect data on their movement in preparation for learning how to calculate their kinetic energy. We are working up to our unit's culminating project where students will be tasked with designing, constructing, and testing a roller coaster through which they will explore a system of potential energy converting into kinetic energy - a 7W favorite every year!  Math  In Mr. Beard’s Grade 7 Math class, students are rolling through the first section of the MidSchool Math Program (which entails Ratios and Proportions). They recently took a quiz on Constants of Proportionality and will soon begin preparing for a comprehensive test that promises to cover everything in the MSM 7.RP section. Before that, however, students will demonstrate their understanding of how to calculate win percentages by creating sports-broadcast-style videos that carefully explain how this otherwise-confusing math concept works. In addition, those in Mr. Beard’s class recently completed “The Calendar Project” – a wide-ranging assignment in which 7 White students must each create 31 unique grade-appropriate problems (adding and subtracting positive and negative integers or multiplying and dividing positive and negative integers), whose answer ultimately corresponds to the specific date on a calendar.  ELA 7 White ELA students have been identifying and applying elements of plot and other literary devices, such as theme, conflict, characterization, and irony (to name a few) to the stories they have been reading. In addition, they have learned to use the PIE format when writing open responses. Nearing Halloween, we are preparing to read a “scary” Roald Dahl story and begin an Edgar Allen Poe unit. 7W students are off to a great start!  Social Studies  It’s been a fun and busy few weeks in Social Studies as we’ve reached the halfway point on our unit covering Ancient India! So far we have looked at the geography of the region and how it impacts settlement patterns and how Hinduism is linked to the Caste System. Over the next few weeks we’ll go over the impact of Buddhism and some early rulers in Ancient India. In early November students will have the chance to enjoy one of the most well known cultural contributions from India–the game of CHESS! Students will be encouraged to bring in any chess sets they have at home, because playing against a friend is SO much more fun than playing against a computer!  Team 8 Purple  Dear 8th Grade Families, The 8 Purple team has been busy building relationships, learning routines, and adjusting to the expectations of 8th grade. We are excited about the growth we’ve already seen and look forward to continuing to partner with you to support student success. Here are a few helpful reminders for supporting your child at home: Talk with your child about what they are learning in school. Help them stay organized with their materials. Ask to see some of their work. Offer to help them study. Remind them to charge their Chromebook nightly. We are including a schedule to help you understand why students cannot always count on ICE to complete their work.  Please note, on days we end with Specials, we start with Specials the next day, leaving no ICE time for homework or studying.  Students are typically given notice of a major assessment well in advance.  Thank you for your support as we work together to make this a successful year for all of our students. Sincerely, 8 Purple Teachers      Days 1 & 5 Days 2 & 6 Days 3 & 7 Days 4 & 8 8:30 - 8:40 Homeroom Homeroom Homeroom Homeroom 8:41 - 9:37 Specials ICE Specials ICE 9:39 - 10:35 B C D E 10:37 - 10:58 C D E B 11:00 - 11:30 LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH 11:32 - 12:07 C D E B 12:09 - 1:05 D E B C 1:06 - 2:01 E B C D 2:02 - 2:57 ICE Specials ICE Specials   Math Math classes are wrapping up the number system unit in early October.  Students will build upon these skills in the next unit - Expressions and Equations!  Students demonstrated their understanding of key concepts in the Treasure Hunt lesson with thoughtful posters.  ELA What makes a great narrative?  Students are learning that good writers use sensory details, incorporate dialogue, choose precise words, describe action, and show emotions to tell an engaging story.  We continue to work on our narrative writing skills in this unit. SCI Students were busy building Rube Goldberg contraptions to reinforce Newton’s Three Laws of Motion. Civics History has come alive in Civics class!  Students are learning what led to the American Revolution and they are analyzing primary source documents, including the Declaration of Independence.  Civics students also took advantage of the beautiful October weather and completed an outdoor scavenger hunt. Team 8 White  As part of the first unit in Amplify, ELA classes are practicing narrative techniques. They recently spent some time in the auditorium to put on skits that students created based on a narrative piece they wrote in class. And a reminder that the first Independent Reading Project is due November 7th. This week in 8W civics, students did their first HIPPO assignment. HIPPO is a combined goal between Norton Middle School and Norton High School to read primary source documents effectively. Students analyzed the Declaration of Independence as an important, yet inherently biased, document and considered the impact the document would go on to have. This is one step on their journey to being scholars of history! Students are making great progress on their Personal Practice Projects in Science. They also did very well on their first lab and will be starting a second lab and an investigation inquiry soon. And in Math students used pennies to explore Perfect Square Numbers and build understanding of rational and irrational numbers.   Events  Help Shape School Meals at Norton Public Schools! At Norton PS, we’re always working to improve the meals we serve to students. That’s why we’re excited to partner with Chartwells K12 on the School Meals Report Card. This nationwide survey gives students, parents, families, and staff the chance to share feedback on school meals. The survey only takes a few minutes and is completely anonymous with no identifying information collected. It will be open from October 13 to November 7. Take the survey now, and let’s work together to make school meals even better! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SMRC2025