Dear Parents,

We are so thrilled to begin our 50th year of innovation at New Morning School! The school year will be one of great celebration and excitement. This year, as we honor the past we will also look forward to the future. Things to look forward to include community gatherings focused on our history, celebrating the 50th day of school, alumni presence at events, our “Going for the Gold” school auction and a special culminating weekend that includes a golf outing and school picnic in the spring. We’ll connect with many that have touched New Morning over the year and also welcome new faces and new families that are beginning their journey. We are so happy to have you on board with us for this special year.

Please take some time to enjoy our Welcome Back edition of the Quokka News. There is a lot of important information for you. We can’t wait to see you at our Welcome Back School picnic, on Thursday, August 25th at Millenium Park in Northville. You can RSVP below under the details.

We are especially excited about a "return to normal" for this school year. In the Quokka, you will find a link to our updated Health and Wellness Policy. You will be happy to note that many restrictions have been removed for the time being.

Let's wish us all a safe and healthy school year. It’s going to be the best year yet!

With gratitude,

Elaine Kennedy, Head of School & Pauline Nagle, Associate Head of School

School Instructional Hours

Preschool AM: 9:00-11:30am (arrival begins at 8:50am)

Preschool Full Day: 9:00am-3:15pm (Kids Club extended hours below)

Kindergarten through 8th Grade: 8:30am-3:15pm (Arrival begins at 8:20am)

Kids Club (Extended Child Care)

New Morning School is open from 7am until 6pm. If your child needs extended care services, please let your child and your child's teacher know which days he/she/they will be attending Kids Club. Students may be dropped off in the gym for morning care between 7am-8:10am. If possible, please do not drop students off between 8:10am-8:20am as our Kids Club staff is wrapping up the morning and our teaching and aide staff is preparing for the day. Thank you for understanding!

**Kids Club is often available on half-days or no school days. Keep an eye out on the Quokka or your email for Kids Club sign-ups prior to those dates!

Arrival/Dismissal Procedures

Please bring your child to school 10 minutes prior to their instructional day, 8:20am for K-8th and 8:50am for preschool. This allows time for students to put away their belongings and say hello to classmates and teachers before the day begins.

Preschool Brainstormers and Primary Explorers (K-1st grade): Caregivers should come in and drop off/pick up students at the classroom door.

Elementary Scholars (2nd-5th grade): Caregiver pick-up/drop-off at the classroom door is optional, but encouraged. If you feel your child is independent and has the skills to enter the building and get ready for the day, Scholars can be dropped off and picked up at the front porch also.

Middle School Leaders (6th-8th grade): Parent pick-up/drop-off at the door is optional. We encourage Middle School students to build their independence by being dropped-off and picked-up at the front porch after the first week of school.

Summer Work Days

Thank you to all of the volunteers that worked this summer to get our school in shape for the new school year! A special thanks to Aaron Alberts, Jimmy Besecker, and John Haas for leading the charge. Your efforts have paid off!

Health and Wellness Plan

Thank you to Hamid Ghanbari, MD, and Heather Johnson, PA-C, for guiding our Wellness plan this year. Your work and input keeps all of us safe and healthy! Thanks so much!

Plymouth Fall Festival

Thanks to all of you that have signed up for a slot to share the good news about New Morning School at the Fall Festival. A special thank you to Kristen Haas for leading and organizing this effort. If you need to sign up or have questions, please email her at kkozi3@yahoo.com. Thanks again, Kristen!

Each week you'll receive the Quokka News via email. Be sure to stay up to date on New Morning School news and events by taking a few minutes to read what's happening. Wondering why it's called the Quokka? Every four years, students get to submit suggestions and vote for a new school mascot. The quokka is the cutest marsupial you have ever seen, so who wouldn't vote for that? Our first weekly Quokka will go out on Tuesday, September 6.

School is drawing near and it's time to pick up some school supplies! You should have received an email from your child's teacher with a supply list included. In case you missed it, click on the link below for the full list of "must haves" as well as items to consider donating.

We are also asking that each family provides 5-7 of the following items OR 1 case of white copy paper.

• 1 ream of paper
• box of tissues
• paper towels
• paper plates (large or small)
• white, 13-gallon garbage bags
• glue sticks
• masking tape 1" (NOT blue painters tape)

A Technology Fee is billed to Elementary and Middle School students of $100 per student. This fund grows over time, so we are prepared when we need to switch out hardware and replace or update equipment. This fee is billed on the September statement.

First, thank you to our whole school community for your diligence during the challenging times that the COVID-19 pandemic brought us. We stayed safe, healthy and open because of the commitment from each and every member of New Morning School. At this time, it is recommended the management of COVID-19 transition from a pandemic emergency response model toward a more standard approach used in the management and control of other respiratory viral diseases, such as influenza. We will continue to monitor and revisit the plan as needed throughout the year. We ask that you to take some time to read the plan in it's entirety before school begins. Generally, we are excited to return to a normal state of school operations at the start of this school year.

Here are some items to note:

• Masks are optional, but may be required should community spread increase
• Daily on-line Code-9 screening is no longer required. Please monitor your child for symptoms.
• Arrival and Dismissal will no longer be staggered. We are returning to our regular procedures.
• We continue to be a nut-free school, please pack lunches and snacks accordingly
• We will be able to have community events with food, including pot luck picnics and pizza Fridays!
• Daily snacks continue to be individually brought from home
• No Candy and No Pop lunches please.
• If your child takes medication or uses an epi-pen, please contact Kit to be sure you have a Medical Plan on file.
• Read the Health and Wellness Plan

Welcome to New Morning School! If you have not yet attended an NMS Orientation Meeting, please plan to attend on Tuesday, August 30th at 6:00pm. We'll share all the important things you need to know about joining the New Morning School community!

Family Mentors are coming! For those families that are new to NMS, you will get connected with a Family Mentor. Family Mentors are parents who have been a part of NMS for a few years and can help you with questions and making connections. More to come....stay tuned!

Aide Meeting - Thursday, September 1 from 3:00-5:00pm

New and returning aides, please meet for training from 3:00-5:00pm for necessary updates and training on school policies, procedures and the "how to" of aiding. This meeting is required for both new and returning aides. Thanks for coming!

**Important** If you're not planning to be a regular aide, but may sub aide or aide once in awhile, please attend this meeting.

Cleaning Meeting - Thursday, September 1 6:30pm

New weekend cleaners, please meet to learn the "how to" of cleaning at New Morning School.

**These meetings are planned for adults and we ask that children to do not attend.

Thank you for understanding!

Thu, 8/25: School Picnic 5:30p

Mon, 8/29 - Fri, 9/2: Staff In-service week

Tue, 8/30 New Families Orientation Meeting 6pm

Thu, 9/1: Aide Meeting 3p, Cleaner Meeting 6:30p

Tue, 9/6: First Day of School for Preschool and K-1; Goal-setting Day for EL and MS

Wed, 9/7: First Day of School for EL and MS

Fri, 9/9: Half-Day for EL and MS, dismiss at 11:30am (Kids Club available)

Fri, 9/9- Sun, 9/11: Plymouth Fall Festival

Mon, 9/12: No School for EL and MS (Goal-setting)

Tue, 9/13: Community Meet & Greet Potluck 6:30p (ALL families attend)

Preschool Teachers:

Marisa Downs marisa@newmorningschool.com

Danielle Provencher danielle@newmorningschool.com

We are eager to come together with you, as a guide on your child’s learning adventure. Schooling is an individual journey for each child. We will play & learn, make friends, build relationships, challenge ourselves & grow our imaginations together throughout this year. Don't forget your family photo to include in our tree of love.

We look forward to & are grateful for this opportunity to nurture your little ones minds.

~Marisa & Danielle

Teacher: Lucy Bratt lucy@newmorningschool.com

K-1 Lead Aide: Shelley Blakeney

We are so looking forward to meeting our new K-1 students, as well as welcoming back a few familiar friends. The first week or two will focus on settling in, getting to know each other, learning classroom routines and feeling safe and happy. Activities will be play-based and student-led, we will spend plenty of time outside as well as in the classroom. Our first theme will be “Who Am I?” Please bring in a family photograph to share on the first day of school to share and keep at school.

We can't wait to see you on September 6th!

Teachers:

Hannah Diaz hannah@newmorningschool.com

Christine Jansen christine@newmorningschool.com
Cynthia Weber cynthia@newmorningschool.com

EL Lead Aide: Karen Staples

We hope you are having a great summer. We can’t wait to hear about all of your adventures! We are busy getting ready to start school. We are excited for all the adventures we are going to take this year and all the new friends that we are going to make.

See below for more information on Goal-setting (beginning September 6). We'll see all of you for the first full day on Wednesday, September 7th.

Teachers:

Linda Hyde linda@newmorningschool.com

Nicole Matoian nicolem@newmorningschool.com

We hope you've been enjoying your summer. We are really looking forward to welcoming back our returning students and meeting some new friends. If you didn't receive our email (from Linda) about school supplies, please let us know so that we can be sure to get you on our email list.

See below for more information on Goal-setting (beginning September 6). We'll see all of you for the first full day on Wednesday, September 7th!

Enjoy the last days of summer!

At New Morning School, we begin the year with goal-setting for grades 2nd-8th. This supports student investment in their learning and allows teachers to start the year with individualizing your child's program. Goal-setting days are when the teacher meets with your child to plan academic goals for the fall. On these days, there is no school and students come by appointment to meet with their teacher. The school calendar also includes specific dates/times for goal-setting.

Elementary Scholar and MS Leader parents: You will receive a sign-up schedule from your classroom teachers to schedule your appointment.

For Elementary, parents DO NOT attend their child's conference. This allows the goal-setting to be more authentic and come naturally from your child.

For Middle School, parents DO attend with your child. At this age, parents can provide support by having a supportive conversation as part of your child's educational team, which is your child, their teachers and you.

Fall Goal-setting Dates:

Tuesday, September 6: No School for EL and MS. No Kids Club.

Friday, September 9: Half-Day School for EL and MS. Kids Club is available 11:30am-6pm.

Monday, September 12: No School for EL and MS. Kids Club available 7am-6pm.

Office Phone: 734.420.3331

Email: nms@newmorningschool.com

Elaine Kennedy, Head of School elaine@newmorningschool.com

Pauline Nagle, Associate Head of School pauline@newmorningschool.com

Joan Barrett, Admissions Director joan@newmorningschool.com

Kit Zrull, Administrative Assistant nms@newmorningschool.com