NHS Family Newsletter
October 25, 2020
Potential Move to Hybrid Announced
Dr. Adam Clark, our MDUSD Superintendent, sent communication out this week letting the community know he is recommending to the board that we move to a hybrid opening beginning on January 11th, 2021. The Board meets on Monday, October 26th, and will vote on this recommendation.
As a site, we have taken many steps to prepare to welcome students back safely, and can share details around this in our next informal parent meeting, Coffee with Coop, next Wednesday November 4th at 8am. These steps include measuring classrooms for capacity with a 6 foot radius in mind between students, planning for transition pathways for students to limit crowding and to allow for social distancing, ordering signage to be posted throughout the school about safety measures and instructions, and much more. We have submitted our site plan to the Superintendent for his approval, and continue to work and prepare for this exciting next step.
There will be information required of families soon, about choice of whether your student will return for a hybrid model or remain in 100% distance learning. We will be adjusting the bell schedule and the class schedules as needed to accommodate the wishes of our families, as well as accommodate our teachers as they make similar decisions. It was a deliberate and thoughtful decision, returning after the first semester and holidays are over, and that timing allows for necessary adjustments to be made with the least impact to our students in their classes and course sequencing.
Some details are still being negotiated and detailed out, including what the school day will look like for all students, at home and on site, and how students will interact with their classes when they are learning remotely. We will keep details coming to you as we have them, and I will be hosting virtual parent nights as we get closer to answer any questions and detail out school safety plans.
In the meantime, our teachers are working to deliver engaging lessons, assess learning, and assist students with meaningful feedback in the work that they are doing to ensure no one skips a beat with this very different year in education. Our teachers make me proud and thankful every day, as the amount of work that goes into what they are doing for our Broncos is staggering and exhausting, and by and large, they are doing an exemplary job.
As always, please reach out should you have any questions or concerns. Stay well, and give your Bronco a high five for outstanding work so far this semester.
Yours in partnership,
Kelly Cooper
Principal
Makeup School Photos- 9-11th grade only
School photos will be taken with several precautions in place, and families will need to sign up for an appointment. Please sign up here.
Ordering information can be found here.
SENIORS- view further down for senior portrait information.
Thursday, Nov 19, 2020, 02:30 PM
Northgate High School, Castle Rock Road, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
Senior Portraits
Current Seniors need to contact Studio One for appointments to take their Senior Portraits. Our goal date for these photos to be included in the yearbook is now the end of December. If you have any questions, please contact the Yearbook coordinator, Amber Lineweaver.
We urge families to make these appointments asap as they are limited!
Seniors can come by school to pick up their ID cards anytime between 8 and 3.
Senior Yearbook Ads- Parents submit!
Purchase before November 30th to get the best price!
NO ADS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER JANUARY 30TH.
Please see flyer below for information.
Coffee with Coop
Wednesday, Nov 4, 2020, 08:00 AM
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Testing Update- SAT etc
I have been actively pursuing being able to offer this test for our students, and District Leadership is considering allowing us to host SAT School Day, which is the test administered by school personnel, during the school day, for our seniors and possibly juniors. We will share information about this if we get approved and decide to host this exam. We would be looking at a March test.
That all being said, we also want to remind families that most universities are NOT requiring this exam for admissions, and eliminating it from acceptance consideration given the overall inequities of the test and the situation and challenges in taking the test during the pandemic. This includes all CSU's, UC's, Harvard, Stanford, and all Ivy League Schools.
Please see the several articles below speaking to these policies, with lists of "test blind" and test optional school policies all across the US.
Graduation Update- Class of 2021
Please stand by, and thank you for your patience! We are hoping for a date in the next week.
Study Buddy- Peer Tutoring Opportunity
Study Buddy is a student-led tutoring program founded in Northern California. We are a fairly new program, hoping to lend a little bit of additional help to keep students motivated and on track. Our tutoring program is completely FREE, and all students K-12 are encouraged to join. In addition, tutoring is completely online, making it easier for tutors and mentees to communicate in the midst of the pandemic. Our program is filled with a variety of academically strong high school and college students, devoted to helping your students academically succeed. We provide flexibility in terms of scheduling, and we try our best to find a tutor that can best accommodate your hours and subjects. Tutoring sessions are 30 minutes each, and a student can receive 1-3 online sessions per week. Because of our unique selection of high school tutors, we offer a wide variety of subjects! Ultimately, we hope to give students an additional tool to use during distance learning.
Study Buddy also serves as a volunteer opportunity for high school students! As juniors, we understand the difficult search for volunteer opportunities during the pandemic. With Study Buddy, tutors can receive hours virtually, without leaving their homes. Students can earn between 30-90 minutes of service per week through tutoring. We also ensure flexible scheduling for tutors, knowing they have additional extracurriculars to participate in. In addition, tutoring gives them an opportunity to interact and assist students throughout the US!
Contact Information:
Email: studybuddy925@gmail.com
Instagram: @studybuddy925
Application Website: https://linktr.ee/StudyBuddy
Seniors and Juniors Only- Military Info Opt-Out
Opt-Out Form must be completed by October 30th.
Northgate Masks- available for all!
Northgate Athletics is entirely self-funded, and our teams are not able to raise funds as usual this year.
Get a mask, represent Northgate, and help fund athletics for when our kids are able to compete again.
$10 each for an adjustable one-size mask. Washable, comfortable, and two styles of great looking masks
Contact Boosters President - Sean Mayer - smmayer11@msn.com
Northgate Athletics in the News
Parent Education Opportunities
Online Teen Group for "Taming our Anxiety"
See the flyer below for information about the teen group with NG Alum Counselor, Simi Markar.
Technology Needs
If you need to check out a chromebook for your student, please fill out this form.
If you do not have internet access in your home, and would like to apply for a Hotspot (mobile internet device), please contact Craig Bocks.
Classroom Donations
Click here for department donations!
Additionally, we have some great Bronco gear for sale- Click here for our online store of apparel!
Attendance and Google Classroom
Attendance- there are 4 levels of participation noted in Homelink.
- P - participated- your student came to the class, participated in the Zoom/Google Meet session
- 4- Student turned in an assignment that day, but did not attend the Zoom/Google Meet
- 3- Student or parent emailed someone in the office or the teacher
- A- Student was not present, nor did work in the class that day.
If you feel your student was marked in error, please contact the teacher.
If you would like to receive guardian email updates from google classroom, please email the teacher. The student cannot add you as a guardian themselves.
Food Services- Community Meals
Our outstanding MDUSD food services department continues to offer meal services at select sites.
Athletics
Now is the time to start the registration process for athletics, especially for fall sports.
If you are interested in more information about a particular Sport, please contact the coach.
You can find all athletic information, including contact information for coaches, on our athletics website.
Claycord PFLAG
PFLAG of Clayton-Concord, in its mission of support, education and advocacy for LGBTQ+ people, has initiated and sponsored the MDUSD GSA Forum for the past three years, as well as free “pizza nights” for LGBTQ+ students throughout the academic year.
We’d like to make sure that students and their families are aware of PFLAG and the community support we offer:
· Chapter meetings on the third Tuesday of each month from 7-8 PM via Zoom for all adult LGBTQ+ people, their family members and allies. This is an opportunity for parents and other adult family members to connect with others who know what it’s like to learn their child’s sexuality and/or gender identity is different than they understood. Chapter meetings are confidential, and Zoom log-in information is available either by sending me an email or a private message on our Facebook page. Membership in PFLAG is not required for attendance and there is no fee.
· A virtual drop-in space for high school students in MDUSD, as well as Clayton Valley Charter, Carondelet and De la Salle, facilitated by the youth outreach leaders of Rainbow Community Center every other Thursday from 7-8 PM. The Zoom meeting ID is 933 8545 9911 and the passcode is 837664. Each meeting includes a check-in time, an educational component (LGBTQ+ history, notable people, etc.), and a time of reflection. Registration is not required and there is no fee.
Additional Family Support Services
District Communications
Some important news and information recently released from MDUSD:
- New Page- 2020-21 School Year Guide
- See the latest Superintendent Letter Here.
- Roadmap to Reopen This website will be updated frequently with the latest district-wide announcements regarding re-opening our schools.
2020-21 Academic Calendar
Northgate High School
Email: cooperk@mdusd.org
Website: http://northgatehighschool.org
Location: 425 Castle Rock Road, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
Phone: 925-938-0900
Twitter: @northgatehs