Nantucket Elementary School

Dear Families,

💙 THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE NES FAMILIES FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE GENEROSITY!! ❤️ Our staff appreciation luncheon last month was delightful. We all truly felt honored and so grateful. We would also like to thank our NES School Council for organizing this Staff Appreciation Luncheon. The parents on our council are Ekaterina Maksimova-Evans, Katie Manchester, and community member Rocky Fox. They did an amazing job soliciting donations for 45 Surfside, soliciting donations of chips and soft drinks, arranging for flowers, and setting up the cafe. It was truly lovely!!

Speaking of School Council, do we have any parents out there who might be interested in serving on our School Council next year? We meet once per month on Thursdays at 3:00. If you are interested, please let me know (or you can let our front office staff know too)! Our two parents, listed above, are finishing up their terms at the end of this month. So, we need to replace these two lovely ladies for next year. We are so grateful for all of their efforts! It was a pleasure to work with them both. Katie and Kate will be missed for sure.

Lip Sync was also amazing!! Our students are all so talented. It was a wonderful night enjoyed by all. Thank you again for supporting this endeavor. Know that all funds raised go into our Student Activities accounts. We used funds from there to buy all of the student T shirts for Literacy Night this past year. We will also use funds from there to pay for Field Day Supplies.

We are now in the midst of the race to the end of the school year!! This will be our last comprehensive update for families. You have received the emails regarding Edukits from Jane Melville. Feel free to use this option to make one purchase for your child's school supplies. These kits get delivered in August to NES with your child's name on it. We will also have the lists posted online this summer for those of you who like to go shopping for all the items.

Our staff is working on placement for students for school year 2024-2025. We have compiled all the information you shared for placement, and the teachers are working diligently to set up balanced classrooms for next year. We send out teacher assignments and other back to school information in the middle of August.

It is our sincere hope that you all have a wonderful summer!! Be sure to keep reading, writing, and doing math over the summer!! Check out the ideas shared from our Interventionists below!

Thank you in advance for reading this and supporting our school!!

Best,

Kim Kubisch and Kim Albertson

Meri Lepore's Nurse's Corner

As the school year starts to wind down, here are some summer recommendations for our students.

Screen Time

There is significant research that shows extended screen time is associated with eye fatigue, dry eyes, loss of focus flexibility and nearsightedness. This summer is a great time to practice screen free days or weeks and spend more time outdoors. Nationally it is recommended that children have at least 1 hour per day of playing outside. Free play is also important to children’s development.

Ticks

When spending time outdoors be sure to avoid tall grass and do daily tick checks on your child and yourself. If you find a tick on yourself or your child, call or message your doctor’s office. If your child has a fever, rash or is not feeling well, it is a good idea to be tested for a possible tick borne illness. My favorite doctor has a saying “There is no such thing as a summer flu.” We had a relatively warm winter so the ticks will be out and active.

https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/

https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/symptoms.html

https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/on_people.html

Physical Activity

According to the CDC, all children ages 6-17 need to be active for at least 60 minutes every day, children 3-5 will need to be active throughout the day. There are so many benefits to physical activity including brain health, improved academic performance, long term improvement in health, building strong muscles and bones, and maintaining a healthy weight to name a few. It is important for us as parents to model the importance of physical activity and participate in activities with our children. Encourage your child to go for a walk with you or take them to the playground.

https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/health-benefits-of-physical-activity-for-children.html

Sun Safety

Sunscreen is hugely important for the prevention of sun burns. As our weather warms up, please be sure to apply sun screen to your child when outside. Other options to prevent sun burns include wearing clothing that covers their skin, hats with brims to protect their face, ears, and back of their necks. Sunglasses to prevent damage to their eyes from sun exposure.

https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/sun-safety.htm

Healthy Eating

Encourage healthy eating habits, focusing on eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, low fat dairy and whole grains.

https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/children/index.html

Please be sure that your child is up to date on their immunizations and all new students need a recent physical exam to start school.

Meri Lepore RN, FNP-BC

School Nurse

Nantucket Elementary School

leporem@npsk.org

Counselor's Corner

Dear Families,

It's hard to believe, but this is the final Counselor's Corner for the 2023-2024 school year! The last day of school is fast approaching, so it is time to think about strategies to help kids successfully transition to summer break. Making that switch to summer involves planning and adjusting routines to make the most of the season while ensuring everyone stays engaged, safe, and happy. Below are some tips to help your family make the break as rewarding as possible.

Establish and maintain routines: Maintaining some structure in the summer can provide a sense of stability and keep daily life predictable. Set regular times for waking up, meals, and bedtime. Relaxing the school-year routine is okay, but strive to balance structure with flexibility.

Encourage outdoor play: Enjoy the warmer weather and get your children outside! Activities like swimming, biking and playing are not just fun, but also important for their physical health and well-being.

Set screen time limits: Establish clear rules and screen time to ensure your kids engage in many different activities. Please encourage them to spend time on hobbies, playing outside, and being with friends. Encouraging your child to keep a journal on all their summer activities is also a great way to limit screen time as well as help them reflect on their summer.

Organize play dates and social activities: To keep children socially engaged and provide opportunities to strengthen their friendships and make new friends. Organize playdates and involve your children in community events. Some ideas for a social activity can include going to the library, going to a museum, or even going for a nature walk!

Practicing social-emotional skills outside of school encourages lifelong learning and reinforces the integration of SEL skills into everyday life ultimately leading to more effective self-management, communication, healthier relationships, and strengthening problem solving skills.

Best wishes to all for a safe and enjoyable summer,

Heidi Smith

Elementary School Counselor

smithh@npsk.org

Jenny Williams

Elementary School Counselor

williamsje@npsk.org

Madeleine Sybert

Elementary School Social Worker

sybertm@npsk.org

Prek Update

Happy June! This spring has flown by. PreK has had a busy May with weekly fun days that coincide with our learning themes! We have had a month of community helper visits, field day and vehicle day already. We have our Jetties picnic this week and our certificate celebration is Thursday, June 13!

Kindergarten Update

Kindergarten has a lot going on! We are finishing up our ABC countdown. We incubated and hatched chicks and are enjoying learning about them in our classrooms before they go back to the farm. We are also completing our last science unit around What do plants and animals need to live? and learning and growing caterpillars into butterflies. We are partnering with the NHA to finish a Me on the Map unit- where students are learning not only their address, city, state, and country- but about our island of Nantucket as well.

Kindergarten's last day will be Friday June 14th at 9:45 am. Students should come to school at the typical 7:50am. Then we will meet parents in the NES gym at 9:45am. There will be an optional, grade-level potluck breakfast in the cafeteria after. Please use this link to sign up to bring something: https://signup.com/go/qLhzLfw. Students will leave with families by 11am. This will be our last day of school and students will not return to school the following week. Thank you for a great year!

First Grade Update

First graders have been working hard on finishing their American Symbols books! They have been reading, writing and researching different American Symbols. During Fundations, we have been working on our sight words as well as compound words. During science we are continuing to work on how living things stay safe and grow. We are also working on a fundraiser - Coins for Change, be on the lookout for a flier coming home soon. First grade will be heading to Moors End Farm on June 18th! We are so excited!

Second Grade Update

Moving on up! It’s hard to believe the year is almost over! We are excited; and a little nervous about moving to the big school AKA NIS. To help with the transition, all second graders will visit NIS. During this visit, the students will have the opportunity to meet all the current third grade teachers as well as the support staff. We will hear from the Literacy Specialists about summer reading. After that, we will have the chance to tour the entire school including the specials classrooms. In the past, this has been a wonderful way to ease any concerns that students are having about going to third grade. We also have invited the guidance counselor from NIS to come to our building to answer any questions that the children might have. If your child is sharing specific concerns about third grade with you, please let your teacher know so that they can talk to your child about it.

Specialists' Update

As the weather warms up and we come to the end of our school year, my second grade students are finishing their work at the school garden learning about a few final body systems. Ask your student, what is a body system? Ask your student to give you an example of a body system and how we keep our body systems healthy? My first grade students are finishing their work at the school garden learning about the five food groups. Ask your student to tell you the name of a food group and examples of foods in that food group. My kindergarten students are enjoying lots of physical movement with lessons connected to the letter of the day, as possible. Thank you for all of your support with your wonderful student(s) this school year! I feel very lucky to be their physical education teacher sharing my love for health and physical activity with them. I wish you and your family a very healthy and physically active summer!

The month kicked off with an exciting opportunity for our second graders. They had the chance to experience the magic of string instruments firsthand, thanks to our resident musicians. It was a joy to witness their enthusiasm as they explored, listened to, and even tried their hands at these instruments. We were also fortunate to have our resident musicians perform for the entire school, inspiring our students with their talent and passion.

In the spirit of celebration and learning, our Kindergarteners are diligently rehearsing for their upcoming "Kindergarten Graduation" ceremony. From songs to dances, they're putting their hearts into preparing for this special event.

Meanwhile, both first and second graders are gearing up for Flag Day with spirited song rehearsals. In addition to these festivities, our curriculum continues to enrich students' musical education. Kindergarten and first-grade classes are embracing the Feierabend method, a dynamic approach to learning songs, dances, and instruments. At the same time, our second graders are diving into the world of music technology. They're exploring exciting possibilities, from creating their own music to mastering the art of playing the recorder.

Students have been learning a lot in science this past month. Kindergarteners just wrapped up their unit on force and motion. They designed their own "air hockey" games and then were able to play on a real mini air hockey table. They enjoyed learning about how engineers have to keep in mind what kind of paddle, walls, and how the puck moves when hitting a surface when designing a game. First grade has just finished their unit on the plant life cycle. We grew lima beans in a paper towel and plastic bag and then transported them into soil and watched them grow. Our plants are thriving and it is fun to see how big they are growing! Second graders are learning about erosion and how wind and water affect land. Living on Nantucket, it is important to understand how erosion works! It has been such a fun year in science and I hope that students learned and had fun with all of the activities we did!

Multilingual Learner Update

In January, students enrolled in our English learner programs took the ACCESS for ELLs language proficiency test. The test measures academic English language proficiency in the areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing for all students learning English in our school and throughout our state.

The Individual Student Report was mailed to you last week so please be on the lookout for it. This report provides information about test results for your child and this information is for you to review and keep.

Teachers in our school use this information to help make decisions about instruction for your student. Teachers also use these test scores to monitor the progress your student makes toward English proficiency.

Please reach out to your student's English teacher if you have any questions or if you'd like to discuss the ACCESS scores.

Additionally the final multilingual parent advisory council meeting (MLPAC) is scheduled for June 6 from 6-7pm in the Cyrus Peirce school cafeteria. I hope you can join us!

From the Reading and Math Interventionists

As the summer months approach, we want to remind everyone about the importance of having your children reading, writing, and practicing math facts and playing math and reading games while away from school. Research shows us that children who don’t keep their minds active over the summer months with reading and math skills regress up to two to three months.

It is important to practice math skills to keep them sharp. It can also be fun! One of the ways to practice this summer is by playing board games. Games that have dice and a game board where players move along spaces incorporate addition and counting. Some game ideas (that you may even already have) are: Monopoly, Sorry, LIFE, Trouble, Dominoes, Shut the Box, Rummikub, UNO, etc.

It is also very important to continue to support literacy with your child all summer long. In addition to reading aloud to your child and helping to provide them with books that are fun and high interest, there are so many additional ways to practice literacy skills over the summer. Writing lists, letters, thank you notes and keeping a journal are some great ideas! You can also play literacy games such as scrabble, bananagrams, word/letter memory games, Snap it Up, Bingo/Zingo, etc. Tracing words or letters in the sand, using shaving cream or sidewalk chalk, and jumping rope to rhymes, etc., are other great ideas!

Another way to encourage and foster literacy this summer is to visit the Weezie Library at the Nantucket Atheneum. Drive, walk, bike or take the free NRTA shuttle to town! Leslie Malcolm from the library is visiting Mr. Mulson’s library class to tell students about the programs the public library is offering this summer. Your child will come home with a bag with information and materials for the Atheneum reading incentive program.

During the last week of school, students in grades K-2 will be receiving a Summer Learning Treasure Map! This map will have many ideas and activities to keep your child actively engaged in learning throughout the summer months. Students are encouraged to try as many activities as they can, and bring back their map in September to claim a small “treasure” from the intervention team.

REMEMBER TO KEEP READING AND MATH FUN ALL SUMMER LONG!

Important Information - (Previously Shared)

Driving and Parking on the NES/NIS campus -

There are multiple signs in English and Spanish that say and show -NO STUDENT DROP OFF int eh First Way Lot. Remember you are modeling and teaching your students to not follow rules when you are dropping off in the back.

We have had several concerns shared regarding safety of students as they enter and exit the school recently. These concerns have been regarding parent drivers not following safety rules. These are listed below for your reference. We appreciate all of your anticipated efforts and required patience.

• NES will open in the morning at 7:35am. Students who are walking, biking or getting dropped off should go right to the doors (front one or the Kindergarten one) to come in and make their morning choice. Prek students line up outside in the front of the school.
• If parents wish to escort their child to the door, they must park their car in the Backus Lane parking lot ONLY.
• The parking lot off of First Way, behind the school is for staff only.
• All of the parking spots are assigned to staff or students at NHS.
• Parents and Guardians should not use that lot for any reason.
• This is a terrible place for students to be dropped off, this is not a drive through, and there is nowhere for any non permitted driver to park.
• Again, please stop driving in this lot. We are asking you to be a model for all children in the morning and the afternoon.
• Drive through drop off in the morning is permitted at the K and NES/NIS side entrances. This means parents stay in their car, and a staff member will open the passenger side door to help your child exit safely. Then, the car continues driving out the exit. This is for all students.
• Drive through pick up in the afternoon is permitted for all students grades 2-5 in the large circle between NES and NIS. This means parents stay in their car, and a staff member will oversee students entering cars. Then, the car continues driving out the exit.
• K and 1 students are met by parents at the back K entrance. Students will be standing in their assigned class lines.
• The circles and driveways on campus ARE NOT PARKING SPACES. An adult driver must stay in the car while waiting for students to exit or enter the car.
• At dismissal, all parents will continue to wait outside for students to dismiss from their teachers (kindergarten circle for kindergarten and first grade students, outside of the front door for second grade students).
• In the event of inclement weather (severe snow or rain), kindergarten and first grade students will be dismissed out the kindergarten and cafeteria doors to parents outside and second grade students will be dismissed out the gymnasium doors to parents outside.
• Drivers may not pull into the bus loop to pick-up their children EVER.

• Any visitors to our school need to share their identification with the front office staff in exchange for a visitor's badge. You will need to sign in as well.
• There will be no charge for lunches again this year. However, all families should complete the free and reduced lunch forms that were sent home with teacher assignment letters.
• There can be no changes to a child's dismissal plan after 1:00 pm. Be sure your children know what they are doing each day after school.

Attendance - we are starting to see some students with higher absence numbers. It is very important that you notify your child's teacher or call the front office if your child is going to be absent. You can send a message to your child's teacher through REMIND or call the front office to leave a message regarding your child's absence at (508) 228 - 7290 ext, 3. If your child needs to miss 5 or more consecutive days, you must make an appointment with the principal well in advance of upcoming absence. The NES Parent Handbook has been posted on the NES website (www.npsk.org, click on schools, click on Nantucket Elementary School). Please review the important section on attendance. Retention in the current grade level is a possibility if a child has excessive absences. Children being in school each day is a necessity.

Remind App is a wonderful tool for both educators and families! We know this. We know our teachers love being able to communicate with the whole class as well as individually. We know that you, the parents, love this tool too! It is wonderful that this tool allows us to communicate in multiple languages. One caution for us to share is that teachers may not be able to respond to messages you send during the school day. They are teaching and not hanging onto their phones. You may not get a reply until after school dismisses.

Website: www.npsk.org
Location: 30 Surfside Road, Nantucket, MA 02554, USA
Phone: 508 228 - 7290