NIS Weekly News
Nantucket Intermediate School - Sept. 14, 2020
First Week of School!
Dear flexible NIS families,
Wednesday is our very first day of school for the 2020-2021 school year. While we will be completely remote through September 30th, we are feeling the excitement of starting our school year with your children. Teachers have been learning and planning for nearly two weeks now, they've put together student supplies for you to pick up this afternoon, and by the end of the day tomorrow you will have all had a chance for you and your child to connect with their homeroom teacher and perhaps other members of our staff. We are prioritizing relationship building and classroom connections these first days and weeks in an effort to build classroom community. We know students are ready to learn when they feel well-liked, accepted and supported by their school adults.
Today from 3:00 - 5:00 PM we will be distributing school materials to all NIS students. Teachers have created these bins of materials specific to the teaching and learning that will take place. Once we are in-person, your child's bin will travel between home and school so please help your child to keep all of their materials organized and ready for our October 1st and October 2nd return to hybrid learning. Please enter our campus through Backus Lane and drive into the car loop. We will retrieve your child's materials and bring them to your vehicle. Important log-in information will also be in each child's bin.
If your childen do not have a school Chromebook or did not get one on Friday last week, we will distribute those today with the materials bins.
Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions. We are extremely grateful for your flexibility and understanding as we all pivot from hybrid learning to remote learning and back again hopefully for October 1st and 2nd. In the days and weeks ahead we fully expect to reflect on how it's all going and what we can do to further refine the teaching and learning so that student success increases. Your voice will be so important as you will know how it is going for your child. Please be sure to stay in close contact with your children's teachers and provide them with the feedback they need to support and enhance your children's educational experience.
Grateful for your partnership,
Evemarie McNeil, Principal & Donna Johnson, Assistant Principal
Materials Pick Up Today!
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Enter through Backus Lane and drive through the car loop.
Materials bins will be brought to your car.
*If you can't make it today, please come by the school tomorrow (Tuesday) between 7:30 and 3:00 and we will give you your materials.
Tech Help Desk Access en Espanol
Video # 1
Steps for TECH HELP DESK REQUEST/Pasos para SOLICITAR AYUDA TÉCNICA
Loom | Free Screen & Video Recording Software — Watch Video
Navigating NPS Website en Espanol
Video # 2
How to navigate Nantucket Public Schools web pages/Como navegar las página Web de Las Escuelas Publicas de Nantucket
ASPEN Verification en Espanol
Video # 3
How to VERIFY, update information and forms in ASPEN/Cómo actualizar información,verificacion y formularios en ASPEN
NIS Welcome Back Newsletter
District and NIS Return to School Safety Protocols
Mask Wearing on School Grounds
Per health and safety requirements, our students will be required to wear masks all through their school day. There have been recent reports about which masks are safest to wear: "Of the 14 masks and other coverings tested, the study found that some easily accessible cotton cloth masks are about as effective as standard surgical masks, while popular alternatives such as neck gaiters made of thin, stretchy material may be worse than not wearing a mask at all." Click HERE for a link to that Washington Post article.
It will be important that students have had some practice wearing a face mask for longer periods of time just to get used to it. Here is a video to help your child learn about how to appropriately put on and wear a mask: For Kids - Masks for Older Kids We thank you for all you have done to keep our island safe through social distancing and wearing your masks when expected!
Supporting our NIS Community - Parent Initiative!
Thank you Kate!
Chromebooks and Returning to School Q & A
1) Do I need to return the Chromebook before school starts? No, but you need to fill out the Verification in the Family Portal for the Chromebook to be enabled before school starts.
2) My child is going from NES to NIS or from NIS to CPS. What do I do with my chromebook/charger? Please keep your Chromebook and charger unless/until you are provided with a new one and bring it to your new school.
3) I don't have a school issued Chromebook. When do I need to get one? You will be provided with a Chromebook right before school starts (we will have a family pickup), but you must have complete the verification in the family portal to do so.
In order to receive the new device or continue to use any device beyond August 1, families must log onto the Aspen Family Portal (https://www.npsk.org/domain/1321) and verify the student information. You may begin doing this at any time.
Please reach out to the Technology Help Desk if you need assistance. Here is the LINK
Leaving Nantucket Public Schools?
First step is to complete the survey sent to you to indicate you will be leaving NPS.
Next, you will want to email Sarah Erichsen at erichsens@npsk.org and copy murphye@npsk.org. Sarah will provide you with a withdrawal form.
Library books should be returned to NIS as well.
We wish you all the best this school year and will miss you.
COVID-19 Travel Order
Effective August 1, 2020, all visitors and returning residents entering Massachusetts must follow new travel orders. The Commonwealth has made great progress to slow the spread of COVID-19 and gradually re-open the economy, and all visitors have a responsibility to help us keep transmission levels as low as possible.
All visitors entering Massachusetts, including returning residents, who do not meet an exemption, are required to:
- Complete the Massachusetts Travel Form prior to arrival, unless you are visiting from a lower-risk state designated by the Department of Public Health.
- Quarantine for 14 days or produce a negative COVID-19 test result that has been administered up to 72-hours prior to your arrival in Massachusetts.
If your COVID-19 test result has not been received prior to arrival, visitors, and residents must quarantine until they receive a negative test result.
Failure to comply may result in a $500 fine per day.
Please find more information, including the list of lower-risk states, exemptions, business guidance and other details at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order
For NPS District Information
Be sure to check the www.npsk.org website for specific District communications and updates.
Nantucket Intermediate School
Email: mcneile@npsk.org
Website: https://www.npsk.org/NIS
Location: 30 Surfside Road, Nantucket, MA, USA
Phone: 508-228-7290
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nantucketintermediateschool/
Twitter: @NISlearners