CPS Weekly Parent Update
Week of January 19, 2021
Getting Back to Hybrid
CPS Parents,
With Cohort B returning in-person today, we are about mid-way through our transition back to our hybrid schedule. We look forward to seeing Cohort C students in-person this Thursday and Friday. We continue to enforce Covid -19 protocols in the building and thank parents for their cooperation and understanding when we determine that students need to quarantine due to close contact.
Video Version of CPS Parent Update - 1/19/21
Thank you,
CPS Admin Team
Michael Horton, Adriene Lombardi, and Tracy Mailloux
Flu Vaccine Requirement CANCELED by MA DESE
Here is a link to the MA Governor's information on required school immunizations: Required Vaccinations
Nantucket Cottage Hospital is offering the flu vaccine: NCH Link
Cohort Requests - Thank You for Being Patient
Please respect that we need a full cycle to transition back before making any cohort switches. Some will be possible, but the district has asked for changes to be put on hold for now.
Please also recognize that if a parent requests cohort D for their student, that switch is 'set' through the end of trimester 2 in mid-March. We cannot keep flip-flopping back and forth while we have multiple options open.
Extra Help Available on Wednesdays
Please contact Adriene Lombardi to sign up: lombardia@npsk.org
Schoology Support
Schoology is a learning platform that CPS teachers are using for daily 'playlists' and class activities. We are starting to use Schoology for recording grades for assignments. If any parent is having trouble logging into Schoology, please email Michael Horton for support:
We can reset a password/username or add a parent to a student account. Once in, the program is relatively simple to navigate to your student's courses.
Note: Although we are starting to utilize Schoology to share student grades during the term, it is not replacing Aspen. Report cards, schedules, and other components must still exist in Aspen for state reporting. Aspen is a student information database.
As a learning platform, Schoology is more of a replacement for Google Classroom.
Art - Music Switch
ART is swapping with MUSIC
Students in grade 6 who have had ART for the first half of the year, will now have MUSIC instead.
Students in grade 7 who have had MUSIC for the first half of the year, will now have ART instead.
Percussion will continue for 6th graders for the year.
Spanish will continue for 7th graders for the year.
Oceanography will continue for 8th graders for the year.
Wellness will continue for all grades.
Please stay tuned for the exact changeover date, as it will depend on our timeline of returning to in-person learning. We would like to have some closure in-person with students, before changing courses. The tentative date is February 1.
January 6, 2021 Capitol Building Event
Here are two articles if parents need help addressing difficult questions at home:
Aspen Absent Letters
Attendance is important as it is difficult to teach students who are not present. This is a concern of CPS staff - especially for students who are not showing up for remote classes.
Example of 'Absent 6 days of a Trimester' (10% of the 60-day term):
Dear CPS Parent/Guardian,
According to our attendance records, your student has been absent at least 6 times since the beginning of the second semester which began on 12/14/20. This does not include any missed days from the first trimester. From the Attendance section of the CPS Parent/Student Handbook: “A student who is absent eighteen (18) times in a year-long course (or 10% the number of days of a shorter course) could potentially not earn ‘credit’ for the course.”
You are receiving this letter because 6 days is 10% of the length of trimester 2 (60 days). We hope to work together to improve attendance for your child for the remainder of the year.
The Nantucket Public School district believes in the importance of regular attendance by all students. Consistent attendance contributes to success in school, while prolonged absences often lead to lower levels of achievement. It is difficult to educate students who are not present for their classes.
According to Massachusetts General Law (School Attendance, Chapter 6, Sections 1-47), all children between the ages of six (6) and sixteen (16) must attend school each day that school is in session unless unable to do because of illness or other extenuating circumstance: observance of a religious holiday, death in the family, court appointment, Covid-19 quarantine order, or a school-sponsored trip or athletic contest.
Regardless of the reason, missing a class does not excuse a student of assigned work. When a student returns to school, they are expected to make-up missed assignments in addition to new classwork and homework. Therefore, repeated absences compound the workload and place extra stress on students to catch-up. When a student is absent for a day or two, they should check Schoology and/or Google Classroom for missed assignments.
If a student is going to be absent for more than five consecutive days, a parent must schedule a meeting with the school principal. When a student returns to school, they are expected to make-up the missed classwork and homework within one week. On a related note, parents are strongly encouraged to not schedule family trips outside the vacation time that is already built into the school calendar. Teachers are not required to prepare assignments in advance of extended absences.
As a reminder, according to MA General Law, the responsibility of getting children to school ultimately falls on the parents or guardian(s). In Massachusetts, excessive truancy carries a fine of up to $50 for each missed day and the filing of a CRA (Child Requiring Assistance) in court. If more than 18 days are missed for the school year, additional requirements for students MAY include: an additional school assignment to demonstrate knowledge, attendance of additional school days over a school vacation, Saturday make-up days, summer school, or the repeat of identified classes the following year.
If you are experiencing difficulty getting your child to school, please contact the CPS Counseling department through the main office: 508-228-7283 We acknowledge that remote school days may be challenging to some students, but each day is still considered a state-mandated day.
Sincerely,
Michael Horton
CPS Principal
Travel Order
When can students remote in?
ABSENT: If a student is absent on the day that they are supposed to be present in-person, they cannot remote in that day. They are marked absent since they are not physically present for their in-person class. This is too last minute and disruptive to class rosters changing on a daily basis.
VACATION/LONG WEEKEND: If a student is going away for a vacation or weekend event early on a Friday, we do not provide remote links. They are also considered absent and must make-up any missed work as has always been the district policy.
QUARANTINE ORDER: If a student is asked to quarantine due to a state travel order or local contact tracing protocol, we can temporarily set-up links for the student to remote-in to their current schedule - without switching their entire schedule since the switch is temporary and finite (10-14 days).
MOVING to COHORT D for LONG TERM: If a family feels that in-person is unsafe, they may request to move their student to Cohort D for all remote links with a remote team of teachers. However, please know that moving back to an in-person Cohort A, B, or C schedule is not a simple switch and the MA DESE is now giving schools up to 6 weeks to make the return transition.
A reminder that if a student is going to be traveling for more than 15 days, they will be withdrawn from school and re-enrolled upon return. No guarantees that they would be returned to their original cohort or 'pod'. This is past practice to deter families from traveling for extended periods of time that would cause their student to miss school. NPS administration recognizes that families are going to travel, we just can't provide remote options and students are going to have to make up work upon return.
If a student is going to miss more than 5 consecutive days for vacation or travel, a parent must schedule a meeting with the principal.
Grades Have Been Posted in Aspen
After logging into the Aspen parent portal, report cards will be under the 'Pages' home tab and then under the 'Published Reports' box in the lower right corner of the screen.
Report cards were also mailed home over break.
If parents have trouble logging into Aspen, please either click the forgot my password link on the log-in page. An email will be sent to the parent's private email that was provided when your student was registered for school.
Or, contact the NPS Tech Department:
Or, contact Kristen Holdgate in the CPS front office: 508-228-7283
Trimester 2 - Moving Ahead - Supporting Students
1) Students should use their school-issued device to attend remote classes. When not in the classroom, Go Guardian is the best way for teachers to keep students on task and provide direct support for what to do or where to go. If a device is not working, contact the front office to arrange a loaner while a repair is done: Kristen Holdgate 508-228-7283 x1408
2) Students should keep their cameras on as much as they can. There are many benefits for teachers to 'see' student faces: attendance, engagement, and positive interaction with peers.
3) Parents should check on student progress. Schoology and ASPEN are open to parents as ways to check for missing assignments and updated grades. Parent tip sheets are coming out this week for Schoology.
4) CPS administration is examining why students failed classes for trimester one and then suggesting ways to support students for trimester two: extra help, tutoring, intervention classes with teacher assistants, and check-ins with school counselors or other support staff.
Principal note: Put forth extra effort to START the new trimester on a positive. Many students worked very hard to complete missing work, retake tests, and pull their grades up over the last three weeks of trimester one. Keep the MOMENTUM going! Start off on the right foot to avoid digging a hole here at the beginning of trimester two.
Food Service Update - The Food Truck is back!
Any families struggling with food or winter fuel costs, should consider enrolling in the Free & Reduced Lunch Program. Although lunches are free for all students through June 2021 (US Department of Agriculture) other assistive services are available during the pandemic through the Free & Reduced program.
Please contact Sarah Erichsen for more information: erichsens@npsk.org
Sarah is our data coordinator and can answer questions about the Free & Reduced Lunch Program. (It is much more than lunches these days...)
Grades and Athletic Eligibility
CPS students may not fail ANY subject for a trimester to be eligible for CPS winter sports: Basketball, Ice Hockey, Swimming & Diving. One F on a report card will make a student athlete ineligible to participate in team GAMES for the winter. Students may still practice with their teammates, and are encouraged to do so.
An F is a final trimester average below 60% for the trimester.
Winter Sports began on 12/14 and any student ineligible from a report card distributed on 12/18 will not have another chance to earn eligibility until the end of trimester 2 in March 2021, essentially missing the entire winter sports season.
Students may appeal to the CPS principal by proposing an academic probation plan.
2020 Sound Bites Awards - PSA First Place to Nantucket Students
Outdoor Learning
Waiting for Front Doors to Open at 7:45am
Remoting In...
Accessing ASPEN or SCHOOLOGY...
GRADES 7 & 8: ASPEN
Once in ASPEN, please go to the ACADEMICS tab and under the CLASSES side tab, click the course you would like to view under 'description'.
GRADE 6: Schoology
For parents of 6th graders, please contact Michael Horton if you are having trouble logging into SCHOOLOGY to view grades:
Contact Tracing Procedure
1) Teachers of the Covid positive student are asked for seating charts.
2) Teachers of the student are asked to report if anyone in their class was in close contact* with anyone else while in their class.
3) Anyone who is determined close contact will be contacted by Sara Brooks and will be encouraged to get a Covid test.
4) Regardless of the test result, that student or staff member must quarantine out of the school building for 8 days since last contact.
5) Further information will be provided through a letter from the Superintendent.
*The NEW CDC close contact definition is defined as being within 6 feet of a Covid positive person for more than 15 minutes. The 15 minutes is cumulative for the day and it does not matter whether wearing a mask or not.
The name of the Covid positive school community member (staff or student) is not released.
LUNCH MENU - School Lunch FREE for ALL students through June 24, 2021
CPS is under 'Secondary' with the high school menu
Per the US Department of Agriculture, School Lunch will be FREE for ALL students for the rest of the school year.
Breakfasts now available; must pre-order: petersonl@npsk.org
Nantucket Public Schools also offers Breakfast & Lunch for all remote learners. Pick-up available Monday - Friday
9:30am - 12 noon
Location: Right side of Cyrus Peirce Middle School. Drive through gates at school entrance, Food Truck located on the left-hand side of driveway, by the ramp, door 23.
Be Safe, Wear A Mask, Practice Hand Washing & Social Distancing 6 Feet Apart
NO LOCKERS Assigned to Start the Year - BACKPACKS have been donated.
The Nantucket Rotary Club and Sheriff Jim Perelman have joined together to donate backpacks to students who need a backpack to navigate the halls of CPS. Please let me, a teacher, or the front office (Kristen Holdgate) know if your student needs a backpack.
We would also like to consider assigning lockers to students in the next month when the weather gets colder.
CPS Attendance Line: 508-228-7283 option 2
Student DROP-OFF and PICK-UP is in the back of CPS
CPS Enrollment Update: 420 (-2 since 1/11/21 report)
(+9 since June 23)
CPS School Council Parent Members
Pauline Cronin croninp@npsk.org
Jessica Douglas jessicadouglas2145@gmail.com
Kristen Dussault kmd0630@verizon.net
Vanessa Larrabee vanessa.larrabee@gmail.com
Brent Tartamella btartamella@gmail.com
Meghan Washington meg.flaherty.mf@gmail.com
Cyrus Peirce Middle School
Email: hortonm@npsk.org
Website: www.npsk.org
Location: 10 Surfside Road
Phone: (508)228-7283