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North Pole Middle School

Principal's Update - April 28, 2021

North PoleMiddle SchoolPrincipal's Update - April 28, 2021

Personal Health Check Each Day

As part of your daily routine please check with your student each morning regarding how they are feeling. If students are exhibiting COVID like symptoms please keep them home. In the event that your student exhibits COVID like symptoms here at school your student will be assessed by our school nurse who will then make the decision on whether or not your student can continue their day at school or if we need a parent/guardian to pick them up. Staff will also be expected to follow this daily protocol regarding self-assessment for their health.

NPM DAILY BELL SCHEDULE

Important Note - School Pickup

It is a district policy that we ask for parent/guardian ID when picking up a student from school.This is not intended to be inconvenient but it helps assist us in providing a high degree of student safety.

Hello Parents and Families

Spring has finally sprung and what a welcome sight it is. I hope everyone is able to enjoy the warm temps and sunshine, and that your snow is melting quickly. Speaking of quickly, the end of the school year is quickly approaching, less than four weeks away and with that comes a variety of information that you and your student will need.


COVID Update:

With the recent community increase of positive covid cases we are seeing a few more student cases as well. Please remember to keep your student home if they are feeling ill and if they have any covid like symptons (see updated decision tree) and if your student has come in contact with someone who has been diagnosed as positive please keep them home as well and inform our school nurse. We sincerely appreciate your cooperation as we near the end of the year.


Last Student Day:

May 20th, with the additional snow day a few weeks ago an additional student contact day was added.


Library Books:

The last day for student check out of library books from North Pole Middle School is April 30th. If you have library books at home please bring the by the school to have them checked in.


Device Collection:

We were happy to be able to loan out chromebooks to students during this school year and it is now time to think about their return. In-person students should have their chromebooks returned on May 18th and our remote and eLearning students should have their chromebooks turned in on May 19th. Please have your student locate the following items as each one plays an important part for future chromebook use and distribution.



  • chromebook in good working order
  • charger, if somehow your student has more than one school charger at home please bring them all in
  • the pouch that the chromebook was issued in



Fines will be created in individual student PowerSchool accounts for missing/damaged chromebooks and chargers. Please help us reduce the number of fines having to be created by returning all items in good working order.

Academic and Behavior Incentive

In years past one of our end of year incentives has been a walking field trip lunch. Kids have earned the right to walk to NP and have lunch at a fast food restaurant of choice, with chaperones in tow, of course. This year because the local establishments aren’t able to accommodate us in large groups we’re taking a different approach to getting at the same goal, students earning C’s and above and no discipline referrals.


On May 14 we have three local food trucks who have agreed to come to North Pole Middle School during our lunch time to reward students who have no D’s or F’s and no discipline referrals. A big thank you goes out to:


  • Wild Wings and Things
  • Hot off the Press
  • Roaming Wolf Grill


who have all agreed to be a part of this incentive for students. Each vendor has agreed to put together a small menu (2-3 items) that are kid friendly and create a “meal” for them consisting of an entre’, chips and drink for $10. Students are by no means required to participate even if they meet the conditions and our regular free school lunch will be offered that day for students to partake in. As the date gets closer look for more information.

TEACHER/STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK

Help us celebrate May 3-7 all of the staff members who keep North Pole Middle School up and running.

Bus Information

Due to the shortages that First Student is experiencing with their drivers expect to see routes being combined and occasional late buses. If you ever have any questions regarding a late bus in the morning or afternoon you can call the Bus Barn at 907-488-4477.

Items to Bring to School Daily

  • A BIG SMILE and WELCOMING ATTITUDE
  • MASK!
  • Chromebook and charging chord
  • Water bottle, all of our drinking fountains have been turned off but we do have two filling stations available.
  • School supplies, if you have a binder that’s fine, if you just bring pencil and pen for now that’s fine too. We’ll figure what we need as we learn to balance electronics with real life learning.
  • Lunch if you bring lunch from home.

Bus Deviations

A bus deviation is a request for your student to ride a bus that they aren't registered for and that they don't usually ride.


A few helpful hints on how to request a bus deviation:


  • It MUST be requested in writing via notes, email (contact-npm@k12northstar.org) or fax. Students may NOT write their own notes.
  • If you send one by email, you will get a reply saying we received it. If you don’t get a reply please call 488-2271. Please have it turned into the office by 2:00 pm. If you submit an email after 1:00pm, please call to confirm receipt.



-Your request needs to have the following information on it:

  • Your student's name
  • Bus number (route) and the name of the street it stops at
  • How long the deviation is good for(just that day or for the whole school year)
  • Parent's name and contact information
  • Our fax number is:(907)488-9213
  • Email requests to: contact-npm@k12northstar.org

Mask Requirements

The district has indicated that masks are required both on the bus and throughout the day in the building. As I mentioned in a previous newsletter the proper wearing of masks is a deal breaker. If students are not wearing their mask the classroom teacher will make several requests for them to do so and educate them on why wearing their mask is important. If the student continues to not wear a mask the student will be referred to the administration and we will follow the same process with the student and notify the family. During that notification administration will be requesting the family's assistance in helping the student comply with the mask requirement. During that call we may or may not discuss other learning options for your student if compliance with wearing the mask is not possible. Our intent is not to punish kids for not wearing masks but to also maintain the safety of the entire building so we can all come to school for as long as possible.

After School Activities

In order to provide students with multiple opportunities to stay involved in school activities, we are hosting the following activities after school in 2-week sessions:


April 26 - May 7

  • Track & Field
  • 7-8 Girls' Volleyball



The following forms are required to participate in a sports activity:

  • Sports Physical
  • Activity Consent & Emergency Medical Info form
  • Concussion Information form
  • Covid-19 "opt-in" form


The following forms are required for non-sports activity clubs:

  • Activity Consent & Emergency Medical Info form
  • Covid-19 "opt-in" form
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In Person Homework Help

Every Tuesday and Thursday 3:15 - 4:15 p.m. students can sign up at the front office for FREE in-person After-School Homework Help. Students receive a snack and supervised help with their homework from teachers and staff. Transportation for students must be arranged and students must be ready to leave the building no later than 4:30 p.m. Contact the front office to get an information packet. You need a permission slip signed and returned before you can attend.


If you have questions, feel free to contact Lori Dodson at lori.dodson@k12northstar.org

NPMS front office @ 488-2271 or Holly Cervin Assistant Principal ext. 40511

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District Technology Resources

The district has put together a list of technology resources that may be helpful for parents. As always if you need assistance you can call the school as well and we will do our best to assist you.

Technology Resources for Parents

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Internet Connectivity Project

Bright Futures Fairbanks, Fairbanks Council of PTAs, and Fairbanks Native Association- with support from the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, have launched an effort to provide internet funding to low-income families currently without internet access.


Schools have reopened their doors to all students however, many families have chosen remote learning due to the continued risk that Covid-19 presents to students, families, and the community. In-person students also face disruption to their learning due to quarantine and isolation procedures. There will be credit recovery options over the summer months which also will require internet access for some families.

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Transportation

Please remember that if your student needs to ride a bus to and/or from school that you need to register for the bus through the school district website. Here is the link for that to take place. https://www.k12northstar.org/domain/1087


We've been informed that we should expect a variety of bus route combinations causing late busses for both arrival at school and arrival at home for the end of the day. First Student is working diligently to meet route demands with proper staffing but delays should be expected until the end of the school year.

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Breakfast/Lunch Time

Reminder that both breakfast and lunches are free for ALL STUDENTS for the remainder of this school year, no paperwork and no strings attached. If you have traditionally applied for Free/Reduced Lunch benefits we encourage you to still do that as it will get your student set up for the fall of 2021. The link for our Nutrition Services Department is here, https://www.k12northstar.org/nutrition and the on-line version of Free/Reduced Lunch program can be found on this page.


When kids arrive in the morning if they need/want breakfast they can simply go to the cafeteria to “purchase” it and then they will go to their first period classroom to eat. Students will still punch in their student number even though they will not be charged. Any “a-la-cart” items that the cafeteria may sell will be sold to students and that money will come out of their lunch account. Information about the cost of items can be found below. This link, https://k12northstar.nutrislice.com/menus-eula will take you to a list of all schools in the district so you can see each schools’ breakfast and lunch menu if you are interested.


The building will have two lunches, A and B. We have divided the building in half so about half of the building will be at lunch at one time. We’ll stagger dismissal times to lunch to help alleviate kids waiting in lines with their peers. Kids will again, “purchase” their lunch and then return to their classroom to eat. After lunch ends each student will wipe down their desk area and discard their trash.


During the lunch period kids will stay in their classroom and be able to remove their masks to eat. Some classrooms have teachers that will be eating with their students and we are thankful for that. Other classrooms will have an adult that circulates between them to help monitor students.

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Misc Dates

March 30-April 30: PEAKS Testing

May 20: Last Day of School