NMSHS PANTHER POST

Nederland Middle-Senior HS Community,

Gosh darn it! It is great to have students back in the building this week. Our sixth graders arrived on Wednesday and were provided an orientation. Unfortunately, due to illness among our High School 360 leaders we needed to push off the orientation for 9th grade. Everyone from 6th through 12th grades arrived on Thursday and from my eyes and ears it looked to go very smoothly.

This being my second year in Ned, I will be starting to push in the direction of finding ways for us to build toward continuous improvement. While we are very stable and strong in areas, we also have plenty of opportunities and challenges to address. Throughout the year I will bring forward the thinking and the action plans to help make this the best school it can be, and to let you know where we are going and why. The PTA and School Accountability Committee (SAC) are also great places for parents and guardians to hear about our strategic thinking and actions being proposed and enacted.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at Back to School night on Monday, August 21st at 5:00.

Typically we will not include a ton of specific information on a weekly basis. So please pardon the length of this week's Principal Message.

School Expectations and Safety and Security Updates

Starting next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I will be meeting with students regarding school expectations and making sure every student is aware of the important safety and security structure we have in place here at Ned MS/HS. So far, the students have been great about getting to class on time and being fair and respectful with each other and the staff. See this link for the principal’s school expectations talking points.

Free and Reduced Lunch Application

Yes, school meals are now free! Other important cost savings available for families who qualify and complete the Free and Reduced Lunch Application Thanks to Colorado voters, school meals will be free for all BVSD students beginning in the 2023-24 school year.

Even though lunch is now free, it is still very important that families complete the free and reduced meal application, as it waives and reduces fees district-wide for families, can impact transportation for some families, and impacts important funding for individual schools.

Visit the Free and Reduced Price Meals webpage for more information.

Wildfire Preparedness

Given the recent news regarding the wildfire in Maui and the experiences we have had in our own backyard with the Marshall Fire, I want to give families a brief update regarding safety and evacuation plans in place for the school. Our staff works with the BVSD Safety, Security and Emergency Services department, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Boulder County’s Office of Disaster Management, and the Nederland Fire Protection District to create a plan in case of a local wildfire or other natural disaster.

BVSD and Nederland Middle Senior High School follow the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) developed by the iloveyouguys foundation for evacuation drills and incidents. Our Nederland Middle/High School Emergency Operation Plan, which is updated annually, identifies how our staff and students will evacuate the school if needed, our transportation plans during an evacuation, as well as evacuation and reunification locations for our school. Additionally, general information about the SRP, including helpful videos are available on the BVSD website at https://www.bvsd.org/parents-students/be-ready.

Additionally, BVSD’s Safety, Security, and Emergency Services department has collaborated over the past year with Boulder County’s Office of Disaster Management, and local fire and police agencies to put in place cohesive plans from lessons learned from the Marshall Fire.

Please make sure you are signed up for emergency alerts from your local first responding agencies here for the most up to date information regarding emergency incidents.

For specific information from Nederland Fire Protection District, including open Board Meetings, and their Community Wildfire Protection Plan, please visit https://www.nfpd.org. If folks have any other questions about wildfire preparedness, let me know.

Have a great weekend!

Gavan

he/him/his

High School Students & Parents: Wednesday Night Meetings Online Google Meets with Ms. Jill: Starting next week - Ms. Jill will hold Wednesday night online meetings @ 7:00pm for high school students and their parents.

Upcoming Topics include:

August 23 @ 7:00 Graduation Measures,

August 30 @ 7:00 Boettcher, Coca Cola, Daniels, QuestBridge, Gates Scholarships and More

September 6 @ 7:00 College Application Criteria: Common App, Direct App and Others

Coming soon: College Searches, Concurrent Enrollment, PSAT-SAT-ACT exams and much more. Watch your email for a link to join.

Monarch High School, Superior. Wednesday October 04, 6:00 - 8:00 pm. Public and Private Colleges. Monarch hosts an in-person college fair offering contacts with out-of-state college representatives. More information here: https://www.strivescan.com/greaterdenver/

NACAC College Fair (National Association for College Admissions) Denver Coliseum Colorado Convention Center Sunday November 5, 1:00 - 4:00 https://www.nacacattend.org/23Denver

Faith Based Private Colleges: FCHS Arvada. Wednesday, September 20, 6:00 - 8:00 FCHS hosts an in-person college fair for faith based universities. Students should preregister if interested in attending: https://gotocollegefairs.swoogo.com/registration

Looking forward to a bright year!

• Our student parking for Juniors and Seniors is in the front of the school in the parking spaces facing Eldora Rd.; our staff parking is in the spaces facing the school. There is overflow parking behind the field on the left side only for students and staff.

• Morning drop off is in the left lane of the drive through in front of the school. The right lane is reserved for buses only, until after the buses have left around 8:20 am. Drop off works best when students quickly exit the vehicle and parents continue to drive through to the exit.

• Afternoon pick up: If you arrive to pick up your student after school before buses depart around 3:55pm, please pull straight through the west side drive to the back parking lot behind the field and pull into the right hand lane. You can wait for your student to meet you there.

• Students being picked up by a parent/guardian in the back parking lot, may exit the building through the west doors that you use to get to the soccer field. You do not need to exit through the front door.

• After all the buses have departed around 3:55, you may pick up your student in the circle drive in front of the school. Please do not use either lane of this drive until after 3:55 or the buses are gone.

• We will have school personnel stationed in the back parking lot to ensure student safety.

• Please always use caution in the school parking lots. Students - do not cross in front of buses or cars except in crosswalks. Parents and student drivers - watch for students at all times, especially when backing out of parking spaces.

Thanks to Colorado voters, school meals will be free for all BVSD students beginning in the 2023-24 school year.

Even though lunch is now free, it is still very important that families complete the free and reduced meal application, as it waives and reduces fees district-wide for families, can impact transportation for some families, and impacts important funding for individual schools.

It also qualifies families for a 50% reduction in Lifelong Learning tuition, and waived tuition for BVSD Online classes (excluding the $50 registration fee). Child Care families will continue to apply for financial assistance through the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).

Visit the Free and Reduced Price Meals webpage for information on applying for free or reduced meals or contact your school directly.

Read more at BVSD.org.