The Patriot Premier
The Weekly Update for NPHS families, Apr 6 - Apr 10, 2020
New Recommendations
Hello Patriots,
First, an update: Dr. Anne Zink, Chief Medical Officer for the State of Alaska, as of April 3rd, is now recommending the following:
• Wear a cloth face-covering in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies).
• Make sure the face-covering covers both the nose and mouth.
• Do not remove the face covering until you return home.
• When removing the face covering, avoid touching the front of the face-covering (because it may be contaminated). Remove it by grasping the ear loops, ties, or bands and immediately discard or place in a designated container for laundering.
• Wash your hands immediately after removing the face covering and before touching anything else.
• Wash face coverings in hot, soapy water between uses.
• Do not wear N-95 or surgical masks; these are needed by health care workers and first responders.
• Do not rely on face coverings as the primary way to prevent COVID-19 transmission, and be careful to avoid developing a false sense of security through the use of face coverings. Continue to follow social distancing measures, including maintaining at least six feet between yourself and others, staying at home, avoiding touching your face, and washing your hands frequently.
This past week at NPHS, as we were distributing locker materials, Chromebooks, and paper packets to students and families, we were practicing social distancing and are starting to wear face coverings. If you still need to get something from the school, there is still time, but you need to click here to sign up to do this (we are finishing up our distribution process on Tuesday, April 7th).
So I hope your first week of remote instruction went well last week. Students, please remember to practice appropriate online etiquette when you log on with your teachers for synchronous instruction (see the online expectations below). In addition to Monday's posted teacher office hours (see the yellow box in the chart below), each teacher has also created two other times during the week for office hours where students can connect, ask questions, etc. Also, the school district will be putting out the guidelines for grading this coming week, so stay tuned for that.
Seniors, for now, we are planning to have a graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 14th: we just don't know what that will look like right now (it will not be at the Carlson Center which has now been converted to a field hospital for COVID-19 patients, see picture below). We have a committee working on the ceremony details and we welcome your input (if you have ideas please email
Ms. Iannarelli at Dina.Iannarelli@k12northstar.org or
Mr. Ballek at Christopher.Ballek@k12northstar.org
Finally, Patriots, in all of this, try to look for the positive, and the opportunities, and stay healthy,
John Fink
Interim Principal
This Week: April 6th - April 10th
Synchronous Online Remote Instruction Etiquette
Online Meeting Expectations for Students for Remote Instruction.
1. Find a quiet place
2. Show up on time
3. Mute yourself after logging on
4. Wear school appropriate clothing
5. Use the chat box appropriately (asking questions, etc.)
6. Be respectful, be responsible, ready to learn.
Pictures From Last Week [Click the Picture to Enlarge]
Practicing Safety
Table Transfers
Distribu-tion Central
Give it Up for Patriots!
Cloth Face Covering
Field Hospital
Quick-Links: One Click Gets You There !
Of Interest...
• NPHS YEARBOOKS: Not the entire year was taken from us! Quarters 1-3 are captured in the 2020 yearbooks, which are still being printed and shipped. As of March 20, they are still expected to arrive in North Pole the first week of May. About 90 remain for sale at yearbookforever.com Click this link to get yours!
• Paper Packets: Every Friday from 7:30 am - 2:30 pm is for students and parents to drop off any paper assignments at the school for their teachers, and to pick up any paper assignments from teachers (see pink columns in the chart above). This provision is for students unable to do their work online. We ask that when you turn in your paper assignments that you place them in a plastic bag. Since we practice safely, we will then not touch the paper assignment until Monday to allow any bad bugs on surfaces to die out over the weekend. The turn around time for feedback on paper packet work is approximately 10 days.
Email: john.fink@k12northstar.org
Website: https://www.k12northstar.org/northpoleH
Location: 601 NPHS Boulevard, North Pole, AK 99705, USA
Phone: (907) 488-3761
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorthPoleHS/