Newtown Middle School
Info and Dates
NMS MESSAGE
Trick or Treat! Or should we say this year Trick or Trick? As you know 2020 has been limited on providing us many treats, just look at the Philly sports teams. In any event, Happy Halloween!
As I was driving to work this morning, I heard Kenny Chesney's song Don't Blink on the radio. If you have never heard it, the message in the song is to enjoy the moments and to take everything in because "life goes faster than you think." Even during this difficult time, stop and pause to take in the many blessings and unique opportunities surrounding us every day.
For example, the high school my children attend is also following a hybrid schedule. On Tuesday of this week, when my kids were scheduled for an asynchronous, virtual day, my son went fishing with a buddy and my daughter went to breakfast with my wife. Both were home and working on school work by 10:00 AM. My family would all like to be back to school full time - it’s my son’s senior year, but we are balancing what we want with trying to embrace the opportunities when presented and enjoy the extra time with our kids.
It is hard to believe that we coming to the close of October. Parents, we know that this time has had its share of stresses, but please know we are extremely proud of how Newtown Middle School students have elevated themselves to meet these challenges head on. They are working hard academically and they are persevering through this time with grace, understanding, empathy, and resilience.
To help you navigate the coming month please review some dates and helpful information below.
“Naw, don’t blink, life goes faster than you think.”
Have a great rest of your day!
Tim
STUDENT SUPPORT
CAMERAS ON
It is still a challenge to get your child to keep their camera on during class; this makes it difficult to assess their level of engagement and makes connecting on a personal level much more challenging. We understand that there is a variety of reasons for this, including students reporting they do not like to see their face on the screen. Below are some helpful hints:
“Pin” the teacher on the screen
Turn on background blur
Adjust camera to partial view
Pop in and out to let us know you are active and involved
DROPPING OFF ITEMS
ATTENDANCE
It is important whether your child is virtual or attending school on a given day that they are present and on time. This means they are in their homeroom by 8:05. ALL STUDENTS are required to show up at 8:05 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Virtual students must be logged on to their teacher's google meet at the start of each class in order to be marked present. If your son/daughter is late to class, they may be marked absent.
Absent calls will be going home daily around 11:30AM. If you get a call, your son/daughter was marked absent for at least one of the first three periods of the day.
Below are some Attendance Tips:
Please email nmsattendance@crsd.org for any and all attendance related information:
Absence Notes:
All absences need an excuse note sent to nmsattendance@crsd.org within 3 days of the absence.
Leaving Early:
Hybrid
Parent/Guardian must send in a note with your student so they may receive a pass for early dismissal.
- You must come in to sign them out
- If returning to school, they can sign themselves back in
Virtual
Please email nmsattendance@crsd.org with a sign out time and if/when student will return
Accessing Student Attendance in HAC
Access attendance through HAC by putting your cursor over the date of absence. You will see what period(s) your student was marked absent.
Student Trip Forms
Must email nmsattendance@crsd.org or turn in at least 5 days prior to the trip for approval.
PARENT CONFERENCES
Parent conferences will be held virtually on November 23rd, 24th, and 25th,
More information will be provided next week.
MARKING PERIOD
CHROME SUPPORT
Effective Monday, October 26th, students may begin using our help desk system
by using this link:
https://crsdstudent.sherpadesk.com
The system will allow students/parents to submit a ticket for help. It will also allow them to check the status of existing tickets. Please remember, your child's student ID is required to submit a ticket.
The first time you use the system, you will need to setup your account.
We will continue to monitor the chromesupport email address, but will refer parents/students to the ticketing system if they have an issue or problem that needs to be resolved.