North Pole Middle School
Principal's Update - January 22, 2021
Personal Health Check Each Day
Hello Parents and Families:
It’s almost time! All of our planning has taken place, materials have been distributed, schedules created and I’m pretty sure that we’re ready for kids to arrive on Monday, January 25th. I have to say that I’m excited. We turned our bells on this morning for the first time since March and although initially it was a bit jarring, after a brief moment, a sense of normalcy returned and smile crossed my face along with many others in the building.
Here are some final details for all of you and your kids as you prepare to return.
Items to Bring to School Daily
- A BIG SMILE and WELCOMING ATTITUDE
- MASK!
- Chromebook and charging chord
- Water bottle, all of our drinking fountains have been turned off but we do have two filling stations available.
- School supplies, if you have a binder that’s fine, if you just bring pencil and pen for now that’s fine too. We’ll figure what we need as we learn to balance electronics with real life learning.
- Lunch if you bring lunch from home.
Parents In the Building
Student Pick-Up
- Call the school, either before you arrive or after you arrive in the parking lot. 488-2271
- Let them know when you are picking up your student.
- PLEASE BRING YOUR ID
- Meet the secretaries and your student at the front doors to verify who is picking up the student and sign our Off Campus slip.
Student Drop Off (after 9:30 a.m.)
- Call the office and let us know your student is arriving.
- Let us know during that call if the absence is excused.
- We’ll let them in the front doors.
Transportation
Please remember that if your student needs to ride a bus to and/or from school that you need to register for the bus through the school district website. Here is the link for that to take place. https://www.k12northstar.org/domain/1087
When students arrive at the school our plan is to allow two busses to dismiss kids at a time. We will have staff available to help escort student groups in to the building using two separate doorways. Students who are dropped off by parents or families are welcome to use the main entrance. Once in the building students will either go to the cafeteria to get their breakfast or immediately to their first period classroom.
At the end of the day we will be allowing students to use three different front doors to exit the building and dismissing class a few minutes apart to provide some degree of separation.
Bus Deviations
A bus deviation is a request for your student to ride a bus that they aren't registered for and that they don't usually ride.
A few helpful hints on how to request a bus deviation:
- It MUST be requested in writing via notes, email (contact-npm@k12northstar.org) or fax. Students may NOT write their own notes.
- If you send one by email, you will get a reply saying we received it. If you don’t get a reply please call 488-2271. Please have it turned into the office by 1:30 pm. If you submit an email after 1:00pm, please call to confirm receipt.
-Your request needs to have the following information on it:
- Your student's name
- Bus number (route) and the name of the street it stops at
- How long the deviation is good for(just that day or for the whole school year)
- Parent's name and contact information
- Our fax number is:(907)488-9213
- Email requests to: contact-npm@k12northstar.org
Important Note - School Pickup
Mask Requirements
Breakfast/Lunch Time
Reminder that both breakfast and lunches are free for ALL STUDENTS for the remainder of this school year, no paperwork and no strings attached. If you have traditionally applied for Free/Reduced Lunch benefits we encourage you to still do that as it will get your student set up for the fall of 2021. The link for our Nutrition Services Department is here, https://www.k12northstar.org/nutrition and the on-line version of Free/Reduced Lunch program can be found on this page.
When kids arrive in the morning if they need/want breakfast they can simply go to the cafeteria to “purchase” it and then they will go to their first period classroom to eat. Students will still punch in their student number even though they will not be charged. Any “a-la-cart” items that the cafeteria may sell will be sold to students and that money will come out of their lunch account. Information about the cost of items can be found below. This link, https://k12northstar.nutrislice.com/menus-eula will take you to a list of all schools in the district so you can see each schools’ breakfast and lunch menu if you are interested.
The building will have two lunches, A and B. We have divided the building in half so about half of the building will be at lunch at one time. We’ll stagger dismissal times to lunch to help alleviate kids waiting in lines with their peers. Kids will again, “purchase” their lunch and then return to their classroom to eat. After lunch ends each student will wipe down their desk area and discard their trash.
During the lunch period kids will stay in their classroom and be able to remove their masks to eat. Some classrooms have teachers that will be eating with their students and we are thankful for that. Other classrooms will have an adult that circulates between them to help monitor students.
Morning Drop Off
A Note From NPMS Kitchen Manager
Sheila Hanson, Kitchen Manager • Sheila.hanson@k12northstar.org • 907-488-2271 ext. 40560
Attendance
If your student will be absent please call our Attendance Secretary, Hailey Standish at 907-488-2271 Ext. 40502 or you can call 907-488-2271 and push 1 to leave a message on our Attendance Line.
Virtual Homework Help Club
We have teachers ready to give one-on-one tutoring to students every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. Students can join the Zoom meeting, then will be sent to breakout rooms where our teacher tutors will be ready to work with them on their school work.
Click the button below to join the Homework Help Zoom Meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
*Students will need to turn on their video and enter the zoom meeting with First and Last Name.
District Technology Resources
The district has put together a list of technology resources that may be helpful for parents. As always if you need assistance you can call the school as well and we will do our best to assist you.