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NORTON -- Most Norton Middle School parents missed hearing the applause coming from the school cafeteria last week.

So, Principal Christopher Baratta told them about it - during his new podcast.

Middle school students finally getting to sit with their friends at lunch last week is among the news Baratta shared in his latest podcast, an audio series about, in this case, school news.

The first-year Norton principal is believed to be the only Norton school administrator recording school-related podcasts.

Baratta has done four, starting Sept. 12. His latest one aired last Friday. Running about three to four minutes each, the podcasts are available at http://npsmultimedia.norton.k12.ma.us/nmsweb/pages/audio.htm , through the Norton public schools' Web site.

"From what I've heard from parents, it's a good outlet. Very often, they don't hear from the building principal. It's kind of nice to hear what's going on in the school this week," Baratta said.

Baratta said the podcasts grew from technology integration specialist Susan Kiley and technology education teacher Mike Kramer introducing themselves to him this summer.

The three educators discussed the technology-student relationship.

"The next thing you know, I'm doing a podcast," Baratta said.

Each episode covers at least one week of school news. A weekly podcast is his goal.

Baratta said he scratches notes on "what I see and what I observe."

"I try to make sure I hit the different parts of the building and see what's going on," he said.

He then sets aside time to record his online newsletter using the microphone connected to his office laptop.

The latest podcast covers weeks five and six of school. Baratta told parents that Kim Spence and Barbara Nado's sixth-grade social studies classes were learning cartography.

"The essential life skill will most definitely come to importance in the spring, as the Norton Middle School plays host to the National Geographic Geography Bee competition," Baratta said.

In grade eight science, Rachael Garrigan, "dressed in her white lab coat," taught lessons on the eruption of volcanoes.

"That was quite a head-turning activity. Why would you say it's head turning? That is because as the grade six and seventh-grade students were proceeding through the hallway on the way to lunches, all of their heads were turning back, looking into the eighth-grade wing, trying to figure out where those smells were coming from," Baratta said.

"Those smells were the results of an erupting volcano."

Baratta said he hasn't received feedback from the students.

However, "I know people who have said, 'I've heard it.'"

Baratta said he sees the podcast as a way for parents to learn about school happenings, "instead of kids coming home and parents asking, 'What did you learn today?"

After hearing the podcast, parents can then engage their kids with, "I heard you guys did this," Baratta said.

"On a week-to-week basis, I think it builds a tighter link between the family and the school, in a real-time setting," he said.

MICHAEL GELBWASSER covers Norton for The Sun Chronicle. He can be reached at 508-236-0439 or at mgelbwasser@thesunchronicle.com.