Nantucket News and Notes

If you are planning to move over the summer or have already moved and will be attending another school, you will need to notify us and be provided with a transfer packet. Marjorie Woodings, school secretary, will be the point of contact for transfer packets and withdrawals. To receive a transfer packet, please complete the Google Form found here for each student transferring.withdrawing. Please contact her at 410-451-6120 or at mwoodings@aacps.org with any questions.

Class configurations are compiled by the administration and staff. This is a difficult and complex task and many factors are taken into account. When grouping children, we consider students’ abilities, work habits, and social skills. We try to place students where they will be able to work successfully with their new team of teachers and classmates, thereby maximizing their potential.

Requests for a specific teacher will not be accepted. The Nantucket Elementary staff feels strongly about demonstrating mutual respect for all teachers. We have a staff with various experiences and styles, and we feel all have something to offer to our community of learners.

The safety of our community is of vital importance. The arrival and dismissal procedures below are shared and we ask that you follow them for the safety of all members of our community.

Quick Reminders:

• Have you noticed dismissal has changed slightly? To make sure our K-2 Front Door and Back Door Walkers are able to get out of the building without the older students causing a stampede behind them, we have tried dismissing the students in grades 3-5 first. This allows the olders students to exit and get out of the way before we release the K-2 students safely. Also, older walkers are able to get to their meeting locations to get their younger siblings.
• Parking in our local neighborhoods and blocking driveways is not allowed and is monitored by police. Students should not be dropped off and picked up in local neighborhoods at arrival and dismissal time.
  
• At the end of the day, all students should be picked up on time, by 2:45 PM. If you are unable to pickup your child by 2:45 PM, it is important that you make an alternate plan for someone to pickup your child. There is no one to supervise children in the office after 2:45 PM because teachers are engaged in professional development, collaborative planning, and meetings.
• Only individuals with Handicap License Plates and/or hang tags are permitted to park in designated Handicap spaces. Parking in these spaces without appropriate plates or tags may lead to ticketing by Anne Arundel County Police. We have asked the Police Department to help enforce this as a courtesy to our community members.
• In order to help ensure a safe and orderly departure from school for all students, early dismissals must be done prior to 2:05 PM; otherwise, the regular dismissal procedure will need to be followed. Students will not be dismissed between 2:05 and 2:25 PM.

Arrival Procedures

Arrival Procedures in Spanish

Dismissal Procedures

Dismissal Procedures in Spanish

Let's celebrate our school's rich cultural diversity together!

We will be holding our fun-filled family event again this year- NES Heritage Night. Families will have the opportunity to share their cultural traditions through food, fashion, music, language, crafts, and more!

The event will be held on Monday, May 20th from 5:00-6:30 PM.

If you'd like to attend, please complete the RSVP form by clicking this link or scanning the QR code.

PowerSchool Parent Portal is a powerful, easy-to-use, secure communication tool connecting parents/guardians and schools. Using the PowerSchool student information system, the Parent Portal allows collaboration to improve student achievement.

Online access to student schedules, forms, assignments, class grades and attendance information makes it easier for parents to monitor progress of students, in Kindergarten through grade 12, in real time.

Contact our school secretaries at 410-451-6120 for assistance in accessing your pin number to create an account.

Each year parents/guardians are asked to verify their child's current information from the Student Information System. This is important because we need to have the most up-to-date contact information for you if there is an emergency at school. You will need your child's birthdate, student number, and the 5-digit pin number that was emailed to you previously. If you no longer have this pin number, please contact our secretaries at 410-451-6120. Access the Emergency Card Verification Report here.

At our Attendance Committee Meeting in May, the committee will discuss all students who have 18 or more cumulative lawful and unlawful absences and 36 or more tardies and/or early dismissals.

Chronic absenteeism includes students who miss 10% or more of enrolled instructional days. AACPS recognizes a direct correlation between attendance and other academic measures, including grades and state test scores, so monitoring, communicating, and supporting families is necessary for improvement. Even if your student has had lawful absences and you have provided doctor's notes, you may be contacted about your child's chronic absenteeism.

Regular school attendance is very important to your child’s academic progress and success in school. Please try to schedule dental/medical appointments and other commitments for after school hours whenever possible. Please read the Attendance Section in our Family Handbook for more information regarding Attendance.

Nantucket's rule for cell phones is that they must be off and out of sight. Smart Watches may be worn; however, students may not use them throughout the day for communication or to take photographs. We have had a recent increase of students using both cell phones and Smart Watches throughout the day. If students are found to be using devices throughout the day, they will be asked to check their device in/out with staff at the start and end of day.

Please refrain from communicating with your child(ren) throughout the day on their device. If your child contacts you using their SMART Watch or cell phone, please ask them to call from the office or health room if they are sick.

Please do not send students to school with glass water bottles or food containers. We have had a number of incidents where shattered glass needs to be cleaned up. For the safety of all members of our community, please only send in plastic water bottles and food containers.

Students of all ages get dirty at recess, spill food on themselves, and have accidents. To limit missed instructional time, please send in a change of clothes for your child to keep in their locker. When they use the change of clothes, please send in a replacement set.

Breakfast is available in the school cafeteria each morning. Breakfast cost is $1.50 full price and is free for students qualifying for the free/reduced priced program.

Lunch may be purchased at school for $2.75. Milk may also be purchased during lunch for $0.55. You may pay for lunch in advance and use them as you like. This is encouraged as it avoids “lost” or “forgotten” monies. Checks/cash (payable to Nantucket Elementary Cafeteria) will be accepted in the school’s cafeteria or Meal Pay Plus offers you a convenient, easy, and secure way to make prepayments using your bank account or your Visa or MasterCard. Visit mealpayplus.com for more information and registration.

Application forms for free or reduced lunches need to be filled out online at the beginning of the school year. Families may qualify according to the federal income eligibility guidelines. All applications are kept confidential and are accepted at any time during the school year. If you were eligible for Meal Benefits last year, your benefits expired in October. Please make sure you reapply at the link above if you believe your family continues to be eligible.

Have we found your child's lost item? Our lost and found is growing each day. We have shoes, hat, jackets, sweatshirts, water bottles, umbrellas, etc. Any unclaimed items at the end of the year will be donated. Stop by school to locate your missing belongings!

Greetings from the Health Room!

Nurse Lauren and Mrs. Gina are excited to be back at Nantucket! Nurse Lauren splits her time with another local elementary school but is accessible by email nurse3282@aacps.org. Mrs. Gina, our Health Assistant will be here to care for our day-to-day needs. Our phone number is (410) 451-6135.

If your child requires medication during the school day, or for emergency purposes, please remember to have the student's doctor complete the Parent Request to Administer Medication at School form. A copy of the form can be found here. If you have a student with other healthcare needs or you have any questions, please reach out to our Nurse Lauren via email. Please check your student's take-home folder, we may be sending things home that may require your signature and need to be returned. Please remember that students may not carry medications at school without express consent from the health room. Medication drop-offs need to be an adult-to-adult transfer, please have a trusted adult bring the medication to the health room.

Be sure to send an extra set of clothes for your child to be kept in their locker. This helps ensure a quick return to class for students of any age. Spills, trips, and mishaps happen! Please help us and your student be prepared to face life's unexpected challenges.

Nantucket's Health Room is currently in need of some supplies as we proceed into the second half of the school year. If you are interested in helping our Health Room with the supplies needed for the next half of the school year, please click on the wishlist found here.

• May 17: 2nd Grade Field Trip
• May 20-28: PTA Book Swap book collection
• May 20: Heritage Night at 5:00 PM
• May 21: Kindergarten Field Trip, PTA sponsored Ledo's Spirit Night at 4:00 PM
• May 22-24: 1st Grade Field Trip
• May 22: Chorus Concert at 6:30 PM
• May 23 - 24: No Pre-K/K classes due to Pre-K and K Parent-Teacher Conferences
• May 27: No School for Memorial Day
• May 28: Field Day, Menstruation Awareness Event for 4th/5th Grade
• May 29: Band Concert at 6:00 PM, 4th/5th Grade Strings Concert at 7:00 PM
• May 30: 5th Grade Field Trip, 3rd Grade Strings Concert at 6:00 PM

• Nantucket Elementary School Website
• 2023 - 2024 AACPS School Calendar
• 2023 - 2024 Nantucket Family Handbook
• 2023 - 2024 AACPS Student Handbook
• 2023 - 2024 AACPS Parent Handbook
• Food and Nutrition Services
• Apply for Free and Reduced Meals
• Create an online Meal Payment Account with MyPaymentsPlus
• Parents Request to Administer Medication at School (PRAM)
• Chaperone/Volunteer Information