NIS News - December 22, 2021
Nantucket Intermediate School
Wishing You Health, Peace & Joy
Here we are upon our holiday break, just hours away.
Despite the uptick in COVID positive cases across the island, including our school in recent weeks, our students and staff have continued with their learning - often in the most festive of ways. This week when visiting classrooms we saw students "light it up" in grade 3 - literally! They were using flashlights to engage in their collaborative reading and related poster creation activities. It's amazing how adding a little flashlight highly motivates learners to engage in school tasks. In another grade 3 classroom a student was encouraged by his teacher and classmates to share his math answer in song - his recognized talent celebrated! Some 5th graders were diligently working to finish their created restaurant menus and restaurant floor plan designs using the math concepts including area, perimeter, measurement, decimals etc. This math application project also allowed students to demonstrate their creativity! Our 5th graders were also responsible for judging school holiday door decor using a rubric, collecting individual data and colating that data into a spreadsheet to determine the winner of our first annual door decorating contest. So many meaningful and creative learning opportunities for our students!
We wish you all a healthy, happy, peaceful school break.
See you in 2022!
Evemarie McNeil, Principal
Donna Johnson, Assistant Principal
We are Hiring! Teaching Assistants Needed!
Amazing Teaching, Learning and Happenings at NIS!
Gr. 5 Restaurant Menu
Gr. 5 Restaurant Menu
Working on the Restaurant Floor Plan!
More Partner Work in Grade 5
Lighting Up the Classroom!
Gingerbread Village in Grade 3
Vaccine News
Hello NIS Families,
The vaccine clinic last Saturday was a great success!! We had 271 people vaccinated. Saturday January 8, 2022, is the next date for 2nd doses. I am working with the State to open that clinic up to more 1st doses (Pfizer) and boosters (Pfizer) for the community. Please stay tuned and look for an email from school with more information and a link to make an appointment.
I want to wish all NIS families happy holidays and healthy happy 2022.
See you all next year!
Stay healthy,
Nancy Small, RN
NIS School Nurse
NPS Campus Master Plan - Years of Thoughtful Planning
Upcoming Events/Important Dates
* January 17th - No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
* January 18th - School Committee Meeting 6:00 PM
* January 19th - SNAC Meeting 6:00 PM
* January 19th & 20th - Kindergarten Registration
* January 20th - NIS Multicultural Night (May be postponed due to COVID)
* January 24th - NIS School Council Meeting - 3:00 PM
* January 26th - Half day of school - Teacher Professional Development
Previously Shared Information Below
NIS School Improvement Plan
No Student Drop Off on Surfside Road
Protocols for School COVID Testing
Dear NIS Families,
We are fortunate enough to be participating in the Test and Stay program which allows school close contacts to test daily (5-7 days) with the BinaxNow test (rapid covid antigen test) and stay in school with a negative test result and be asymptomatic. Students who are deemed close contacts to a positive case outside of the school setting, cannot participate in this program. They must use the protocols set by the Department of Education and the Department of Public Health. The reasoning for this is that school close contacts are less likely to become positive because of masking, social distancing and hand washing. We can control the school environment.
We are also participating in Symptomatic testing. This is another way to keep the students in school. So if your student comes to my office with a covid symptom and I have your signed consent, then I can use the BinaxNow test to help rule out covid.
There are links below for the protocols and close contacts.
My main objective is to keep my students safe, healthy, and in school. If you have not handed in the consent to test, please do so. Please reach out if you have further questions.
Stay healthy,
Nancy Small, RN
NIS School Nurse
Dept. of Education COVID-19 Flowchart Protocols (linked below)
Brrr....Cold Weather is Here
No Birthday Food Treats Please
We would like to encourage you to donate a birthday book to your child's classroom library in honor of their birthday. Other acceptable ideas include bringing in a special pencil or decal for everyone in the class if that's preferred.
Thank you for not sending your child to school with food items for the class to celebrate their birthday.
NPS Vision, Mission and Core Values
NPS Vision Draft
We commit to provide equitable, inclusive, and challenging learning experiences where every student and adult feels seen, heard, valued, and respected.
NPS Mission Draft
Nantucket Public Schools, in partnership with a caring community, will create a dynamic and equitable learning environment which engages each of us to be inspired learners and responsible citizens, prepared to meet local and global challenges.
NPS Core Values Draft
Nantucket Public Schools values collaboration, communication, and reflection that supports:
Equitable access to multiple pathways for individual and collective success.
High expectations and a student-centered educational approach that integrates academic progress, extra-curricular participation, personal responsibility, and community involvement.
Inclusive and sustained family relationships that respect all cultures and the experiences each child brings to our schools.
Challenging ourselves to embrace and advocate for the needs of every student, adult, and family within our school community.
NPS Return to School Safety Protocols - updated 8/18/21
Nantucket Intermediate School
Email: mcneile@npsk.org
Website: www.npsk.org/NIS
Location: 30 Surfside Road, Nantucket, MA, USA
Phone: 508-228-7290
Facebook: facebook.com/NantucketIntermediateSchool
Twitter: @NISlearners