Good afternoon NAMS Families, I hope this letter finds you and your loved ones well. Thanks to the efforts and leadership of so many individuals in this community, we are looking forward to the first day of school for our students on Wednesday, September 16, 2020. Students will begin school remotely and will continue to attend classes remotely through Wednesday, September 23, 2020. Students will then be attending school in person, according to their cohort assignment beginning on Thursday, September 24th (Cohort A) or Friday, September 25th (Cohort B). Last night, the NA School Committee and North Andover Teachers Association came to agreement on start times for the school year and the NAHS schedule. There was a joint statement to the community that was shared last night following the school committee meeting. Team Assignments & Supply Lists All registered students were informed of their team assignment on June 9, 2020. In this email, families received a welcome video from the team along with resources, including a supply list. I will be emailing families again to remind them (returning families) or informing them (new families) of what team their child will be on this year. Teams have updated their supply lists this week, now that we know what the start of the school year will look like. Below are the links to the Grade-Level Supply Lists: You will see that all supply lists also include the Related Arts supply lists as well. Students will know what Related Arts class(es) they will be enrolled in to begin the school year once schedules are finalized and PowerSchool is open for student and parent viewing next week. Preparing for the 1st Day of School on Wednesday, September 16th This will be the first of many messages from the school and teachers prior to the start of the school year. This first day of school is Wednesday, September 16th and this will be a remote learning day for our students. Students will be logging into various google meets throughout the school day. Specific information regarding logging in will be shared with you next week, prior to the first day of school. Please know that our incoming grade 6 students will be provided additional information and videos about NAMS and the return to school in person on September 24th or 25th. On the first day of school, our grade 6 students will be provided a tour of the building and a review of some of our protocols and procedures. Much of this will also be available before the start of school. For our grades 7 & 8 students, they too will have time to review protocols and procedures with their team teachers. Preparing for the 1st Day of School In-Person (September 23rd or 24th) Please note that students will not be allowed to gain access to the building until 7:30 a.m. All students will also be dismissed from the building by 2:15 p.m. At this time, there are no in-person after school activities and specific protocols are being developed for the possibility of in-person and/or remote after-school activities. Again, we ask that students do not arrive to school before 7:30 a.m. and leave or are picked up at the end of the school day. We will begin cleaning and disinfecting after dismissal. We want to remain in-person and provide our students with as many opportunities as possible for as long as possible. To do so we’ll need everyone’s support in providing the healthiest and safest environment within our school. Sample Student Schedules I will be sharing sample students schedules with you soon and also include a video walkthrough of the schedules to explain them in detail. We want all of our students and staff as prepared as possible for the first day of school on Wednesday, September 16th. Welcome Letter from our NAHS Health Office and Nurses Please see this link for a welcome letter from our school nurses. It contains extremely important information on preparing for a successful school year. I have also copied this letter at the end of this email. North Andover Music Association Fundraiser Message NAPS Music Families and Friends, please help NAMA spread the love for our music programs, AND keep students and families safe and comfortable! Click the link below for information and an order form for our two new fundraising items as we continue to support our musicians. Details and order form Thank you! The North Andover Music Association
Thanks for all you've done and will continue to do to support teaching and learning at NAMS! This year will definitely be different from what we have been used to and will continue to present us all with challenges, but I encourage you to stay upbeat and positive for our children and our staff as we all embark on this journey together. We’re focused on finding the positive each day - thanks for joining us in this effort! I’m sure that you have many questions and I want to assure you that we will continue to share information and videos with you that we hope will answer many of these questions. Stay tuned for more information and lots of videos! Be well, Jorge Goncalves Principal Welcome Letter from our NAHS Health Office and Nurses Dear Middle School Parents/Guardians, We are looking forward to greeting our students and welcoming them back to our newly reopened school buildings very soon. We appreciate the fact that these past months, and especially these last few recent weeks, have been a time of many questions and uncertainty. We want to assure you that we have been working diligently to incorporate frequently changing recommendations and guidelines put forward by the Centers for Disease Control, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and in close collaboration with our local North Andover Board of Health, school physician, and administrators as we develop our school protocols and procedures. Our goal is always to do everything that we can to provide our students and staff with the safest, healthiest learning environment possible. We feel strongly that you as parents will play a significant role in helping us to make this year a smooth and successful experience for every member of our school community. We are asking each family to familiarize themselves with the new guidelines and to check here frequently for any changes. It is critical that parents screen their children for Covid-19 symptoms every day before school, and that we are provided with at least three phone numbers for contact persons who are available to pick your child up immediately if they become ill at school. Please understand that we will be dismissing any child for whom we have any reason to suspect they may be ill. Please keep your child HOME if they have any of the symptoms listed:
OR Your child had close contact with a person known to be infected with Covid-19 in the last 14 days OR: Your child has traveled outside of Massachusetts in the past 14 days (except lower risk states) Before the start of the school year, it is also important to make sure that you have rescheduled any pediatrician appointments that may have been previously cancelled, and that all of your child’s immunizations are up to date. 7th grade students are required to have a Tdap booster and a second varicella prior to returning to school. This year all students are also required to receive a flu vaccine prior to December 31, 2020. In the meantime, please continue to work with your child to find a face covering that is multi-layered, fits snugly, is comfortable, and that they practice putting it on and off by the ear loops. Please reinforce the importance of thorough hand washing/sanitizing, social distancing, and avoiding touching their face with their hands. If you do not want your child to use hand sanitizer, please read the attached letter here. While school will look and feel very different this year, we will continue to do everything that we can to promote the health, safety, and emotional well being of all of our students. As always, please feel to contact your school nurses with any questions or concerns. Sincerely, Kathleen Pease BSN, RN, NCSN Beth Hassanein BSN, MS, RN |
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