NP³ Elementary 2021-2022
Matey Message Week 2 August 9-13, 2021
"Be a pineapple. Stand tall, wear a crown, and be sweet on the inside."
"
Dear Matey Families,
I sincerely hope you enjoyed your weekend. Your families earned some much-needed rest after a very busy, hot, and dusty first week back. Although it was a unique first week, it was so fun spending time with the kiddos. The students that we have not seen since Quarantine have grown up so much and our new students have brought new energy and excitement that is contagious.
Thank you all for your questions and feedback about NP3 and our transition to the Del Paso campus. It has been quite an adjustment going from an enclosed space to an open one. And, believe it or not...an adjustment to grass! Below I will address some consistent topics and concerns families have shared with NP3 Administration. If at any time you have more questions or need to chat, feel free to reach out to me by email or give the front office a call!
Leader in Me:
This week our teachers will spend time in class reviewing Leader in Me content with their students. Weekly I will include resources that can support the Leader in Me learning and practices at home. See the attached Parent Resources below!
Construction Updates:
I am sure you have noticed the trucks and excavators on campus. The underground work continues to move along and over the weekends (when students are not on campus). Mr. Rutten (NP3 Schools Executive Director) and Mr. Mcguire (NP3 Head of Facilities) attend construction meetings every Tuesday. Currently, construction is on time.
Ms. Baker and I met with the design team for the new school. This was a follow-up to a meeting I had with the team earlier in the summer. We discussed the look of the front office and several wall spaces. The design team has done an excellent job listening and learning who NP3 Elementary is. You can expect light, bright, open, consistent, and forward trending spaces ...all things NP3 E!
Restrooms* and Wash Stations:
The new temporary restroom trailers have been installed. There are a total of five restrooms for female students and six restrooms for males.
One trailer features 1 restroom identified for females only (with two stalls) and 1 restroom identified for males (with urinal and stalls). The other trailer features three stand-alone gender-neutral restrooms (each with a urinal and toilet). In addition, there are bathrooms in the N building. The female restroom has two stalls and the male restroom has two urinals and one toilet.
Staff uses gender-neutral restrooms, as well as two adult restrooms in the N building and the two adult restrooms off the cafeteria. Parents who visit campus or volunteer use these restrooms.
Wash stations or sinks are available in each of the restrooms (1-2). We also have our portable wash stations (from East Commerce) that we used last spring with our cohorts. Those are located outside the first grade. third grade and fifth-grade classrooms. Those wash stations are maintained and managed by our NP3 custodial staff.
There are also portable wash stations outside of the temporary restrooms. Those are maintained by Natomas Unified School District (NUSD).
We do have a sink in the front office (as well). If staff, students, or families need to use that sink, they are more than welcome.
*Our East Commerce campus featured one student restroom for girls and one student restroom for boys (five and two urinals/four stalls).
Morning Drop Off and Breakfast:
Unless a student is in MAP, NP3 Elementary students and parents are not permitted to be on campus before 7:45 am. There is NO SUPERVISION until 7:45 am.
Blackbird Park Gate opens for students at 7:45 am. If a student would like breakfast, they can walk to the cafeteria and pick up their breakfast. All teachers engage in a morning routine that allows for students to finish their breakfast. If this is not happening--please let me know.
Car Drop-Off does not open until 7:45 am. Even if you give me those cute puppy dog eyes early in the morning, there is no supervision until 7:45 am. We will help students out of the car. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE have them ready to go when you turn into the parking lot. Kids can put on their masks while you wait in line. This will help the morning go more smoothly. Students who would like breakfast can walk straight to the cafeteria. Everyone else should walk to class. Nope, parents are not walking students to class.
Now, you may see a parent out with their child. This may be for a specific reason.
If you use MAP, park in the spots closest to the exit gate Mr. Gene is waiting outside to check your students in.MAP offers breakfast to all students at 7:45 am.
Afternoon Drop Off:
Woo-hoo...every day is getting better! We will get this. Learning the campus has helped us make adjustments.
Walkers can meet their students at the kindergarten grass space (similar to how we used the gym at East Commerce). Students will walk to that space and wait for their walking siblings/families. Do not encourage them to come to you. We want to make sure the students are safe.
Blackbird Park is going well. Our only hiccup is when your child does not know you are meeting them there. Please make sure the students know where you are going to be.
Car pickup. This is going smoother. We have asked our kindergarten teachers to line up earlier than other grade levels. And then we will stagger a little bit. First grade and then second. We have colored flags for the students to stand by. DO NOT ENTER that area. It confuses staff and the students. I am blocking parking spaces on purpose. We are going to try to create two lanes to leave from (after the students are in their car). When turning into the car loop (right and left), please be kind and patient. If you are picking up a middle school student (as well), please consider coming around 2:45 pm. Your middle schoolers are not there yet.
Be patient. I know parents can get a little anxious if they do not see their children right at 2:30 pm. After teaching for 20+ years, I can tell you...there are so many reasons kids can take a minute. They may have forgotten something and needed to head back to class. Sometimes they go to the restroom. I have also kept a few spaces open for cars to pull in and wait. Just listen to staff for directions. Please trust them.
Students who attend MAP meet in the amphitheater. They are walked there. If you need to pick up your students from MAP, the parking lot has not been cleared until 3:00 pm. It will get faster. MAP parents should have learned their new code/check out. Come to the front office and pick up your kiddos.
Walking School Bus is wonderful! Daily, we see our kiddos walking in through our gates and in a timely manner. They are always there with enough time for breakfast. If you are doing the math...Waking School Bus seems to be your best bet. You can drop off between 7:15 and 7:25 am. It's free. The kids are exercising. AND, they are getting to school with enough time to eat a free breakfast. Did I mention...you do not have to wait in that car line????
Playing nice with others is something we encourage with our students. When you are waiting to get into the parking lot, it might be nice for our families to practice that. Maybe one car turns into our lot from the right and then another turns in from the left. Might be nice? We have contacted Sacramento Police to see what we can do.
Lunch:
This comes up every year. The kiddos always need a little bit of transition time to get back into their school eating schedules. All lunches are at the same time all week. Within the next couple of weeks, their little bodies will adjust. For some of them, they are on their Quarantine schedule and for others, they could eat all day. Hang in there.
If a child needs more time to eat, they can take it. There is a digital clock in the cafeteria, signs with eating times, and staff time warnings (5 more minutes, 2 more minutes). When students clean up and we notice a student who needs more time, we allow them to stay. The first week is always wonky for some students. It will all work out.
Hot lunch is free. If you packed to most amazing lunch ever for your child, they will (sometimes) ask for a hot lunch. It is hard to compete with the nuggets and pizza. We encourage the students to eat their home lunch. However, they will ask to have both lunches. If you do not want your child to have a free lunch, please notify your teacher. I (along with the other lunch staff) will be on the lookout.
Chocolate and while milk is free (as well).
Supervision:
Kindergarten and first grade use the front grass area of the school for all recesses. Kindergarten PE also takes place on the grass. The four instructional aides or the four teachers monitor the students during play.
Second-fifth grades have the option of using Blackbird Park or their classrooms for recess. Teachers and/or Instructional Assistants (IAs) monitor their recesses (just like East Commerce).
Lunch recess takes place on the grass area (formerly the softball fields). IAs and the administration monitor lunch recess (and the cafeteria).
We have secured high school interns to assist in PE (with supervision) and in other classrooms throughout the day.
Without a doubt, the pandemic has made things harder. We would love to have parents or family members help with supervision on the playground and in the cafeteria. Hot lunch is now individually wrapped, making it harder for the littles. without playground equipment, the students are using hula hoops, jump ropes, and soccer/footballs more. We would love for family participation--jump rope twirlers, referees, goalies. The kids would love it!
We just need to ensure you are vaccinated and that you have an NUSD volunteer application on file (see below).
Water Filling Station:
There is a water filling station on campus (behind the middle school/near the grass field used for lunch). The students line up (right next to it) for lunch on the blacktop behind the middle school. They are more than welcome to fill their bottle up at any time, but we can help them at lunch.
There will be another one on our campus (once it is built). If your kiddo needs to find it, we can help them with that.
Important Dates to Remember:
August 11,18, and 25 Early Release Wednesdays 1:00 pm
September 6 Labor Day NO SCHOOL
COVID-19 SAFETY PLAN:
Please review the COVID-19 Safety Plan link below. It has been updated and contains new information about masks.
https://natomasunified.org/content/uploads/sites/16/2021/08/2021-22-Covid-Safety-Plan.pdf
Matey Afterschool Program (MAP) Is Looking for Help!
FYI: Mr. Gene is actively recruiting new members to join his MAP Team. If interested, please contact Mr. Gene at mailto:efelise@natomasunified.org