NAMS Message to Families 8/25/24
MESSAGE TO NAMS STUDENTS & FAMILIES 8/27/24
MESSAGE TO NAMS STUDENTS & FAMILIES 8/27/24
Good Morning NAMS Families,
I hope that this message finds you and your loved ones well. The first day of school for students is scheduled for TOMORROW, Wednesday, August 28, 2024. We are so excited to welcome our students back from summer vacation into an updated school.
Please know that you can be translate this message into over 180 languages above.
New Information
First Day of School - Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Drop-Off & Pick-Up
We are eagerly anticipating the return of our students tomorrow. Typically, traffic is heavy on the first day, so please leave extra time and carpool if possible. You may find the Drop Off & Pick Up map on our website or you may access the map directly here. You may also find a video showing you how drop-off and pick-up works at NAMS here. We ask that every parent/guardian exercise utmost care and patience in the drop-off and pick-up areas.
Walk or Ride to School
If your child walks or rides a bike to school, please be sure to review the safety tips found here.
Buses
Any grade 6 students who live at least two miles from school are authorized to ride the buses at no charge. Grades 7 & 8 students may ride a bus for a fee. You may find information about registering for a bus and much more on the Transportation website here. If your child rides the bus to or from school, please be sure that your child knows his/her bus number prior to the first day of school. You may find the list of bus routes and times in this folder.
Buses will either drop students off outside of the main doors or the cafeteria doors.
At the end of the school day, buses will either pick up students in front of the school or on the cafeteria side.
Students on Buses 15, 3, 4, 6, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 11, 12, 13, & 16 will load their buses and depart first.
Students on Buses 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, & 14 will load their buses and depart immediately after.
You may find maps of the 2 bus lineups here.
Calendar & Events
Open House Dates
Grade 6 - Thursday, September 19, 2024
Grade 7 - Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Grade 8 - Wednesday, October 2, 2024
NAMS Picture Day
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Make-Up Day - Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Early Release Dates & (Students are dismissed at 1:05 p.m.)
9/11
9/25
10/9
10/23
11/20
12/4
12/11
1/8
1/29
2/26
2/5
3/12
3/26
4/9
4/30
5/7
5/21
6/4
Below is the information shared with you this past Sunday.
Below you will find important information regarding the start of the school year. Please be sure to read this message in its entirety. There is an important message from our nurses at the end of this message.
What team is my child assigned to?
Students will be able to learn what team they are assigned to by logging into PowerSchool.
Student schedules are not complete. We are still in the process of updating schedules and balancing class sizes. The schedule you see in PowerSchool may not be the same schedule at the start of the school year.
Schedules will be completed by the first day of school - Wednesday, August 28th for students.
How do I log into PowerSchool?
Step 1:
Sign into PowerSchool Student/Parent Portal https://naps.powerschool.com using your PowerSchool Parent account or your student’s Google account with the following modification.
Note: Please remove the @northandoverpublicschools.com from the Google Account Username.
Google Account (Sample Student)
Google Account Username: SampleSt30@northandoverpublicschools.com
Google Account Password: Naps12345
PowerSchool Account (Sample Student)
PowerSchool Username: SampleSt30
PowerSchool Password: Naps12345
Step 2
Select "My Schedule” from the menu on the left and now you can see what team your child is assigned to and their schedule.
Notes:
If you do not remember your powerschool login information, steps to recover your account can be found here.
If you need additional assistance please submit a help desk ticket by emailing support@naps.freshdesk.com
Where do students report on the first day of school?
Grade 6 students should report to the auditorium where the 6th grade teachers will meet with teams and bring them to homerooms.
Grade 7 students should report to the 7th grade cafeteria, where homerooms will be posted.
Grade 8 students should report to the 8th grade cafeteria, where homerooms will also be posted.
What homeroom is my child assigned to?
Students will be able to learn what homeroom they are in by logging into PowerSchool on the evening of Tuesday, August 27th or they can find out on the first day of school.
Team Assignments & Supply Lists
All registered students were informed of their team assignments. You may find all of the Team’s Supply Lists here. You will see that all supply lists also include the Related Arts supply lists as well. We ask that students please bring their chromebooks to school every day, including the first day of school.
Student Schedules
We are still in the process of updating schedules and teams have been finalized. Students will know what Related Arts class(es) they will be enrolled in to begin the school year on the first day of school. You may find the Trimester schedules for the year here.
Cell Phones/Electronics
Cell phones, electronic devices, game players, smartwatches, etc. should not be used during the instructional day. If students bring these items to school, they must be turned off and stored in students’ lockers during school hours. Smartwatches should not be used to communicate with other people during the school day, similar to cell phones. We strongly ask that all parents/guardians be aware of their children’s use of cell phones, text messaging, and email with regard to sending/receiving inappropriate or bullying messages. Additionally, we ask that parents/guardians not be in communication via cell phone or smartwatch during the school day. Please understand that students may only be able to see these messages at the end of the instructional day.
District-Issued Chromebooks
Each student will be issued a district-issued Chromebook for their use at home and at school. Students will be taking their school issued Chromebook back and forth. It is expected that a student comes to school with the Chromebook fully charged, since there will not be chargers or plugs in the classroom.
Cafeteria and Food Services
All information is available at NAPS Food Services. Students may choose to bring their lunch to school. Although NAMS is not a peanut-free school, please consider not sending peanut products to school. This greatly reduces the risks for students with a food allergy.
PIN Numbers: Food Services has transitioned to a new point of sale program, Titan School Solutions. Families should create a family account by logging onto family.titank12.com. Titan's family portal allows families to deposit money, check balances and transfer funds between siblings.
All students will need to input their 4 digit pin numbers with the kitchen cashier. All families will receive an email prior to the start of the school year listing your students 4 digit pin numbers. Not to worry should your student not know their pin numbers we can easily look it up for them until they get to know it. Returning students will use the same pin number as they used with our previous point of sale system last school year. New students will receive an auto generated pin number once the Titan Family Portal has been created and you've linked your student to your account.
All meals are free for the 2023-2024 school year. Although all meals are free, families should still complete a meal application to be considered for free or reduced priced transportation, community programs, and athletics. The meal application can be found on the NAPS website or here.
Breakfast before the bell is available daily in the NAMS cafe. Breakfast is free to all students.
Dietary Accommodation Forms MUST be completed annually. We will only make dietary accommodations if a current school year's form is on file. The dietary accommodations form can be found on the Food Services Website.
Menus are available for review on the Food Services Website. All menus include both ingredient and nutrition information.
Service Animal Working at NAMS this year
There will be a service animal working at NAMS this year with one of our Grade 7 students. You may find a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about Service Animals here.
Thanks & Gratitude
The custodial staff continues to do an outstanding job preparing the building for the upcoming year. Our building and grounds will be ready thanks to the great work of our custodial staff: Tod Workman, Kevin Foster, Paul Quintal, John White, Kevin Mallinson, & our student summer helpers. Special thanks to Melissa Barron, Amelia Davis, Gail Sheldon, Edwin Gikaria, Nora Bernashe, Craig Murray, Caroline Beasley, Georgia Chute, Julie Nightingale, & Jim Gosselin for overseeing the numerous tasks associated with beginning a new school year.
Parent/Guardian Liaison
Victoria Torres is our parent/guardian liaison. If you need any support, information or guidance of any kind with the school in Spanish, please do not hesitate to contact her at 978.984.7841. Email: torresv@northandoverpublicschools.com
And finally…
A collaborative effort amongst all team players – administration, teachers, students, and parents/guardians – is necessary to ensure a successful middle school experience for your child. We are glad you and your child are members of the NAMS community and we are looking forward to a wonderful year together.
Sincerely,
Jorge Goncalves
Pronounced (George Gone+Solves)
Principal
Welcome Back to School From the NAMS Health Office!
Dear North Andover Middle School Families,
Welcome back!! We are so excited to see your children this fall and looking forward to working together with your family to keep your child healthy while at school! We’d like to offer you some information that will be helpful as you transition back to school this fall.
PowerSchool Updates
Health Information Updates: Please log into PowerSchool using your account information or through PowerSchool via the NAPS website to make any changes or to update your child’s health information. This information is extremely important so we may reach emergency contacts and help care for your student to the best of our abilities.
Illness
Illness: Please do not send your student to school if symptoms of any illness are present. Students with strep throat, impetigo, or other infectious conditions must receive 24 hours of medication prior to returning to school. Students must be free of fever, vomiting, and diarrhea without medication for 24 hours before returning to school. Here is a link for the reasons for dismissal/exclusion.
Medications
ALL medications need to be brought in by an adult and in an original container with a pharmacy label.
Daily Medications taken during school hours: Medications which must be taken during school hours on a long-term basis require a signed and completed physician’s order as well as parent consent, found here. Please contact the NAMS Health Office for details if your child will take daily medications at school.
If you need to drop off any medication, EpiPens, or supplies for your child. We will be available to receive them beginning Tuesday August 27 2024. Please call our office to arrange a drop off time at (978)557-7024
Inhalers for Asthma: Students may leave their inhalers in the health office or self carry. Medical orders are necessary from your MD. Here is the link for the medical Asthma Action Plans for inhalers.
EpiPens: If a student has been prescribed an EpiPen, it may be stored in the Health Office or your student may keep it in their backpack. All students who are prescribed an EpiPen will require a completed and signed Food Allergy Emergency Action Plan with physician orders found here. EpiPens and doctor’s orders may be dropped off by the parent/guardian or brought in by the student on the first few days of school.
UPDATES
Parents and guardians are encouraged to call the school nurse anytime they have questions or concerns especially for the following reasons:
A new medical diagnosis, or change in your child’s health status
A newly prescribed medication
A change in current medication
A serious injury, illness, or hospitalization
A fracture, sprain, stitches, or a cast
A contagious disease such as chicken pox, flu, strep throat, whooping cough, or conjunctivitis
If your child is absent for an extended period of time
If there are any recent changes in your family that may affect your child, such as a birth, recent loss, or sudden illness
IMMUNIZATIONS
GRADE 7 ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Tdap: 1 dose and a history of DTaP primary series or age-appropriate catch-up vaccination.
Polio: 4 doses; 4th dose must be given on or after the 4th birthday and ≥ 6 months after the previous dose, or a 5th dose is required. 3 doses are acceptable if the 3rd dose is given on or after the 4th birthday and ≥ 6 months after the previous dose.
Hepatitis B: 3 doses; laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable
MMR: 2 doses; first dose must be given on or after the 1st birthday and the 2nd dose must be given ≥ 28 days after previous dose; laboratory evidence of immunity accepted.
Varicella: 2 doses; first dose must be given on or after the 1st birthday and the 2nd dose must be given ≥ 28 days after previous dose; a physician documented case of chickenpox or laboratory evidence of immunity acceptable
Meningococcal: 1 dose; 1 dose MenACWY (former MCV4) required. Meningococcal B Vaccine is not required and does not meet this requirement.
Screenings
Health Screenings: Hearing/Vision, Height/Weight, Postural, and SBIRT Screenings are all done as mandated by the state of Massachusetts. If you choose to opt out of any of these screenings, a signed letter must be sent annually to the health office by October 1st. Please use this link for more information about NAPS Health Screenings.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have, and we look forward to the upcoming school year!
Best,
Your NAMS Nurses
Jessica Wolfe, BSN, RN, NCSN
Email: wolfej@nak12.com
Website: Health Services- NAMS
Phone: 978-557-7902
Dana Woodford, BSN, RN
Email: woodfordd@nak12.com
Website: Health Services- NAMS
Phone : 978-557-7902
New Calendar and Key District Dates
NAMS Building & Renovation Project
Students Not Attending North Andover in the Fall 2024
Students Not Attending North Andover in the Fall 2024
If a student will not be attending North Andover Public Schools for the upcoming school year, parents/guardians will need to notify Mrs. Barron as soon as possible by either email or coming into the main office of NAMS. At the end of the school year your student’s records will be forwarded to their new school. Please contact Mrs. Barron with any questions at barronm@northandoverpublicschools.com
