CPS Weekly Parent Update
Week of April 5, 2021
In-person for All Students Offered starting Wednesday, 4/28/21
CPS Parents,
We are close to finalizing a return to school schedule for April 28. We are working on a least disruptive schedule as possible. This means that encores will probably stay 'as is' for each grade-level. All Wednesdays from 4/28/21 through the end of the year will be in-person half days. Students who remain in Cohort D for remote learning will have remote half-days on Wednesdays. This Wednesday, 4/7 is a district-wide half-day with dismissal at 11:50am.
Summer School MAY be offered to more students this year to 'recoup' lost time. Some students may be REQUIRED to attend summer school to make up missed days and classes.
Selecting encores for next year will happen in May 2021.
Video Version of CPS Weekly Parent Update - 4/5/21
Thank you,
CPS Admin Team
Michael Horton, Adriene Lombardi, and Tracy Mailloux
BUS Survey
Grade 6 Math
Grade 6 Mapping a Cell with Clay
Grade 7 Popsicle Project
REPEAT REMINDERS ARE BELOW
Trimester 3 started Monday, March 22
As it was at the end of trimester 1 back in December, school administrators will become academic 'coaches' for students who failed courses for trimester 2. CPS admin will set-up up individual meetings with students to set some goals to pass courses for the year.
Grades and Athletic Eligibility
CPS students may not fail ANY subject for a trimester to be eligible for the upcoming 'fall 2' (Football) season and spring sports after April vacation (Baseball, Softball, or Lacrosse). One F on a report card will make a student athlete ineligible to participate in team GAMES for the season. Students may still practice with their teammates, and are encouraged to do so.
An F is a final trimester average below 60% for the trimester.
Students may appeal to the CPS principal by proposing an academic probation plan.
MA Travel Order / When can students remote in?
From the Superintendent's Office:
Per Governor Baker's COVID-19 Travel Order, individuals must either quarantine for 10 days or have a negative COVID PCR test (NOT a rapid antigen test) within 72 hours of returning to the state of Massachusetts from any state that is not deemed "lower risk". For children under the age of 10, a parent/guardian with whom they traveled must have a negative PCR test within 72 hours of returning to Massachusetts, or the child must quarantine for 10 days. If parents, guardians or children are waiting for COVID test results, they must quarantine at home until the results are available.
The Nantucket Public Schools are not responsible for enforcing the MA Travel Order; however, if a parent/guardian chooses to disclose to the school district an intention to travel internationally or to any high-risk state, we expect that they will follow the law and abide by the COVID-19 Travel Order and the school nurse or district COVID Liaison may follow up with the parent/guardian.
ABSENT: NO. If a student is absent on the day that they are supposed to be present in-person, they cannot remote in that day. They are marked absent since they are not physically present for their in-person class. This is too last minute and disruptive to class rosters changing on a daily basis.
VACATION/LONG WEEKEND: NO. If a student is going away for a vacation or weekend event early on a Friday, we do not provide remote links. They are also considered absent and must make-up any missed work as has always been the district policy when families extend weekends or vacations. The state requires that students be physically present within district boundaries (the island of Nantucket) to attend 'school'. The MA DESE does not differentiate in-person learning from remote learning, as both are considered 'school'. So students off-island are consider 'absent' from NPS.
QUARANTINE ORDER: YES. If a student is asked to quarantine due to a positive Covid-19 test result or close contact to someone else who is positive, we can temporarily set-up links for the student to remote-in to their current schedule (if they feel well enough) - without switching their entire schedule since the switch is temporary and finite (10-14 days).
MOVING to COHORT D for LONG TERM: YES. If a family feels that in-person is unsafe, they may request to move their student to Cohort D for all remote links with a remote team of teachers. However, please know that moving back to an in-person Cohort A, B, or C schedule is not a simple switch, so a request to Cohort D is for at least a month, possibly longer.
If a student is going to miss more than 5 consecutive days for vacation or travel, a parent must schedule a meeting with the principal.
CPS Lobby Left Display Case
CPS Valentine from Art Class
CPS Lobby Right Display Case
Schoology Support
Schoology is a learning platform that CPS teachers are using for daily 'playlists' and class activities. We are starting to use Schoology for recording grades for assignments. If any parent is having trouble logging into Schoology, please email Michael Horton for support:
We can reset a password/username or add a parent to a student account. Once in, the program is relatively simple to navigate to your student's courses.
Note: Although we are starting to utilize Schoology to share student grades during the term, it is not replacing Aspen. Report cards, schedules, and other components must still exist in Aspen for state reporting. Aspen is a student information database.
As a learning platform, Schoology is more of a replacement for Google Classroom.
Flu Vaccine Requirement CANCELED by MA DESE
Here is a link to the MA Governor's information on required school immunizations: Required Vaccinations
Nantucket Cottage Hospital is offering the flu vaccine: NCH Link
Extra Help Available on Wednesdays
Please contact Adriene Lombardi to sign up: lombardia@npsk.org
Report Cards Posted in Aspen Friday, March 26
After logging into the Aspen parent portal, report cards will be under the 'Pages' home tab and then under the 'Published Reports' box in the lower right corner of the screen.
Report cards will also be mailed home.
If parents have trouble logging into Aspen, please either click the forgot my password link on the log-in page. An email will be sent to the parent's private email that was provided when your student was registered for school.
Or, contact the NPS Tech Department:
Or, contact Kristen Holdgate in the CPS front office: 508-228-7283
Moving Ahead - Supporting Students
1) Students should use their school-issued device to attend remote classes. When not in the classroom, Go Guardian is the best way for teachers to keep students on task and provide direct support for what to do or where to go. If a device is not working, contact the front office to arrange a loaner while a repair is done: Kristen Holdgate 508-228-7283 x1408
2) Students should keep their cameras on as much as they can. There are many benefits for teachers to 'see' student faces: attendance, engagement, and positive interaction with peers.
3) Parents should check on student progress. Schoology and ASPEN are open to parents as ways to check for missing assignments and updated grades.
4) CPS administration is examining why students failed classes for trimester one and then suggesting ways to support students for trimester two: extra help, tutoring, intervention classes with teacher assistants, and check-ins with school counselors or other support staff.
Principal note: Don't be afraid to ask for help!
Food Service Update - The Food Truck
Any families struggling with food or winter fuel costs, should consider enrolling in the Free & Reduced Lunch Program. Although lunches are free for all students through June 2021 (US Department of Agriculture) other assistive services are available during the pandemic through the Free & Reduced program.
Please contact Sarah Erichsen for more information: erichsens@npsk.org
Sarah is our data coordinator and can answer questions about the Free & Reduced Lunch Program. (It is much more than lunches these days...)
2020 Sound Bites Awards - PSA First Place to Nantucket Students
Outdoor Learning
Waiting for Front Doors to Open at 7:45am
Remoting In...
Accessing ASPEN or SCHOOLOGY...
During the trimester, please contact Michael Horton if you are having trouble logging into SCHOOLOGY to view grades on daily or weekly assignments and assessments:
Contact Tracing Procedure
1) Teachers of the Covid positive student are asked for seating charts.
2) Teachers of the student are asked to report if anyone in their class was in close contact* with anyone else while in their class.
3) Anyone who is determined close contact will be contacted by Sara Brooks and will be encouraged to get a Covid test.
4) Regardless of the test result, that student or staff member must quarantine out of the school building for 8 days since last contact.
5) Further information will be provided through a letter from the Superintendent.
*The NEW CDC close contact definition is defined as being within 6 feet of a Covid positive person for more than 15 minutes. The 15 minutes is cumulative for the day and it does not matter whether wearing a mask or not.
The name of the Covid positive school community member (staff or student) is not released.
LUNCH MENU - School Lunch FREE for ALL students through June 24, 2021
CPS is under 'Secondary' with the high school menu
Per the US Department of Agriculture, School Lunch will be FREE for ALL students for the rest of the school year.
Breakfasts now available; must pre-order: petersonl@npsk.org
Nantucket Public Schools also offers Breakfast & Lunch for all remote learners. Pick-up available Monday - Friday
9:30am - 12 noon
Location: Right side of Cyrus Peirce Middle School. Drive through gates at school entrance, Food Truck located on the left-hand side of driveway, by the ramp, door 23.
Be Safe, Wear A Mask, Practice Hand Washing & Social Distancing 6 Feet Apart
NO LOCKERS Assigned for the Year - BACKPACKS have been donated.
The Nantucket Rotary Club and Sheriff Jim Perelman have joined together to donate backpacks to students who need a backpack to navigate the halls of CPS. Please let me, a teacher, or the front office (Kristen Holdgate) know if your student needs a backpack.
We would also like to consider assigning lockers to students in the next month when the weather gets colder.
CPS Attendance Line: 508-228-7283 option 2
Student DROP-OFF and PICK-UP is in the back of CPS
CPS Enrollment Update: 424 (+2 since the 3/29/21 report)
(+13 since June 23)
3 return enrollments and one withdrawal this past week
CPS School Council Parent Members
Pauline Cronin croninp@npsk.org
Jessica Douglas jessicadouglas2145@gmail.com
Kristen Dussault kmd0630@verizon.net
Vanessa Larrabee vanessa.larrabee@gmail.com
Brent Tartamella btartamella@gmail.com
Meghan Washington meg.flaherty.mf@gmail.com
Cyrus Peirce Middle School
Email: hortonm@npsk.org
Website: www.npsk.org
Location: 10 Surfside Road
Phone: (508)228-7283