NES WEEKLY UPDATE
MONDAY AUGUST 31, 2020
Latest Information
Happy Monday!! Today was our first day back with all staff. We had a few glitches. The staff was allowed to work remotely for today and tomorrow, and we had professional development planned to do remotely. Low and behold, several staff members came into the school to do this work in their classrooms. And wouldn't you know it, our internet was down!! This is where I would insert the smacking my head emoji!! Instead, we took this as a sign of the much needed patience and grace that we all need to show each other. We know that this has happened for several of you last spring, and we know there will be kinks to work out as we all get back into school for this unique learning year.
You have received your child's cohort assignment via email last week. Thank you to those of you who called to double check things that were incorrect. Jane has been so diligent in working on this extremely time consuming task. By the end of this week, we hope to email your child's teacher assignment to you. After that (early next week), we will send the Back to School envelope. In this envelope, you will receive the teacher assignment, information about our safety protocols at NES, supply lists, lunch information, and other items. If you have any questions about the email or the mailing, please feel free to call Jane Melville at 508 228 7290 ext. 2104.
If you are interested, you can also access the supply lists on the NES page on the www.npsk.org website. Pre-purchased edukits have arrived at school and will be delivered to your child's desk. School supplies will not be shared or communal in classrooms. Each child will have their own. Also, included in the letter will be a welcome from your child's teacher and information about when the child should come to school to visit. We will also be providing log in information on the visit and sharing a device with you if this is needed. We cannot however, hand out a device if the family portal section of Aspen is incomplete. See number 1 under tech updates below to access the verification form that must be complete to receive a device.
Please keep in mind that on the days that students come to school for in person learning, they will be lining up outside the school. PreK and second grade will be lining up in front of the main entrance to NES. First Grade will line up by the cafeteria doors and Kindergarten will line up outside the kindergarten door. We will have line spaces for each class. Teachers will be coming outside to pick up their students and take them into the building safely and maintaining 6 feet distances. It is important for you to know that there will be no before school supervision, and breakfast buddies is also not available at this time. I share this with you because it is important that no student arrive at school much before 7:45. There will be no adults outside to supervise students. We will be blocking off the Kindergarten circle. No one can drive through there, but the cross campus drive will be open.
I hope you are continuing to help your children build their stamina for wearing masks. As we will be expecting all students to wear masks in school, it is important that children start growing accustomed to wearing them for longer periods of time. Know that gaiters will not be allowed to be worn. The best masks are two ply cotton ones. I hope the practice is going well!!
https://drdarria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/KidsMask-Wearing.pdf
Thank you in advance for your anticipated and continued support and understanding. I am so grateful!
Warmly,
Kimberly Kubisch, Principal NES
Office Hours
Office hours have officially ended for the summer. Thank you to all of the parents who joined me over the summer. Please know that you are always welcome to email me or call the office to be in touch. I am happy to answer questions, hear your feedback, or support you in whatever ways I can.
Our NES School Council met last week. We will be meeting again in mid-September. We will post our agendas, minutes, and contact information for our members on the NES website.
Parent/Community Advisory Committee
Dr. Hallett has convened a group of community and NPS parent members to meet weekly to discuss all re-entering information. Should you have any questions or concerns feel free to email them. They will share your ideas with the entire committee. We will use this information to help inform our District planning. There is an open invitation to all parents/guardians who want to attend the September 1, 2020 virtual meeting of this committee at 6:00 PM. Please reach out to kubischk@npsk.org if you would like the link to this meeting.
Members to Contact
Rocky (Anthony) Fox
Nantucket native, business owner, substitute
Vanessa Rendeiro
NES bilingual parent
Jean Witt
NES/SNAC parent
Micajah (Wiley) Mastriano
NES parent
Tech updates and Devices
1. We will be sharing devices with our students. If you are in need, we will have these available for you before school starts. More information to come.
2. Very important tech information - Chromebooks that were shared in the spring of 2020 were disabled for those students whose parents or guardians have not completed the Aspen Family Portal verification. Please direct any requests for assistance to the Tech Team. From the website,
the Verification guide located under the Parents & Students top tab from the District website has forms for you. Parents will need to sign the forms.
https://www.npsk.org/domain/1321
3. Complete the US census. This gives accurate information to the government to help support our schools and hospitals with funding, to reflect the numbers of people living here so we can get proper representation at the State and Federal government levels, etc. Please do your part to answer the census.
ABOUT NES
Principal
Kimberly F. Albertson
Assistant Principal
Email: kubischk@npsk.org
Website: www.npsk.org
Location: 30 Surfside Road, Nantucket, MA, USA
Phone: 508 228 7290
Covid - 19 Relief fund through Immigration Resource Center
If you need a helping hand through this difficult time, please click on the link below!!
Traveling to and From Massachusetts
Remember to be mindful of any travel you may have planned for August. You will be required to follow the regulations that go into effect on 8/1. These include:
All visitors and Massachusetts residents returning home — including students returning to campuses this fall — must fill out a “Massachusetts Travel Form” and quarantine for 14 days. People can also text MATraveler to 888-777.
Exemptions include travelers from lower-risk states and people who can show a negative COVID-19 test administered no more than 72 hours prior to arriving in the Bay State. The current low-risk states are New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Hawaii.
People must remain in quarantine until they receive negative test results, except for when going to get their test.
Failure to comply can result in a $500 fine per day.
Exceptions include people passing through or commuting across state lines for work, military personnel, critical infrastructure workers, and people seeking or receiving medical treatment.