Dear NIS Families,

As we embrace the season of celebration, I want to extend my warmest wishes to all of you for a joyful close to 2024. This time of year brings so many opportunities to reflect on what makes our community special, and I’m excited to share some of the wonderful moments our NIS students have (or will have) to enjoy:

• The Joy of Giving: Thanks to your incredible generosity, we surpassed our goal of collecting over 1,000 pounds of donations for the Food Bank!
• Learning and Tradition: Before Thanksgiving, the Nantucket Historical Association visited to share the history of Tony Sarg, Morton the Monster, and the Macy’s Day Parade's connection to Nantucket.
• Creative Expression: Our classrooms are busy creating ornaments to decorate downtown trees this week.
• Celebrating Together: Before the holiday break, we’ll hold a whole-school meeting of celebration songs with a welcome by a Jam Band performance by some of our talented NIS staff.

These and I am sure many other traditions and experiences bring our school and community closer together and help to create lasting memories for our students.

This week marks the start of NIS Family-Teacher Conferences, which will be held Wednesday afternoon and evening, and again next Wednesday afternoon. If you haven’t yet scheduled a conference, I encourage you to reach out to your child’s classroom teacher. Building a strong partnership between school and home is one of the most important contributors to your child’s success.

During conferences, we’ll also be sharing a new Handbook Highlights page, created by the School Council this fall. This handy overview of the full NIS Handbook is designed to be a quick and helpful resource. Copies will be distributed at conferences, posted online, and available to view below as well.

• NIS Handbook Highlights 2024-2025 (English)
• NIS Handbook Highlights 2024-2025 (Spanish)
• NIS Handbook Highlights 2024-2025 (Portuguese)

Both Mrs. Donna Johnson, our assistant principal, and I will be in the office during conference times. Please feel free to stop by to say hello, ask questions, or share how we can better support you and your family this year.

Thank you for being part of our NIS family. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Warmly,
Becky Janda
NIS Principal

This is a friendly reminder that the Surfside Road NIS parking lot is designated for NIS staff only, and the circle is reserved exclusively for buses.

Our additional staff members park in the Backus Lane lot in spaces marked in yellow as "Staff" and numbered. To ensure our staff can rely on these spaces being available each morning, we kindly ask that families and visitors refrain from parking in these designated spots.

We appreciate your cooperation in keeping these "Staff" spots available for NIS staff so they can be present and ready to support our students each day.

Thank you for your understanding and partnership!

The upcoming weeks continue to offer opportunities for you as families to participate in your child's school experience in the following ways.

1. Parent Conferences: Families will be invited to sign up for times on either Wednesday, December 4th or Wednesday, December 11th to meet with your child's teachers for a parent conference to share ways your child has grown and will continue to grow this year.

All visitors must check in at the front office upon arrival at the school.

During school hours, visitors are required to present an ID for a visitors badge. You may not enter the school without a valid form of ID and a visitor's sticker.

There have been several unsafe conditions created with cars coming into the Surfside Road parking lot to drop off or pick up children. This is NOT the correct location for drop off or for pick up. Please ONLY use the Backus Lane entrance/exit to reach the drop off/pick up circle.

December 4 - Early Release at 12pm

- Parent Teacher Conferences

December 6 - Trimester 1 Ends

December 11 - Early Release at 12pm

- Parent Teacher Conferences

December 13 - Report Cards Posted

December 23 - January 3 - No School - Holiday Break

January 6 - School is in session! Return from Holiday Break

January 20 - No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 22 - Early Release at 12pm

Celebrating a birthday is such an exciting day for our students and we want them to be and feel special on their celebration day. However, at NIS families and students are encouraged not to bring in sweet food items to celebrate their birthday with their class. There are some great alternatives to bringing in sweets that may contain allergens or abundant amounts of sugar. We would like to encourage you to donate a birthday book to your child's classroom library in honor of their birthday. Other fun ideas include bringing in a special pencil, a healthy treat like a fruit tray or a sticker for everyone in the class.

In addition families and students cannot bring in balloons or other large items to celebrate.

NPS Vision Draft

We commit to provide equitable, inclusive, and challenging learning experiences where every student and adult feels seen, heard, valued, and respected.

NPS Mission Draft

Nantucket Public Schools, in partnership with a caring community, will create a dynamic and equitable learning environment which engages each of us to be inspired learners and responsible citizens, prepared to meet local and global challenges.

NPS Core Values Draft

Nantucket Public Schools values collaboration, communication, and reflection that supports:

• Equitable access to multiple pathways for individual and collective success.

• High expectations and a student-centered educational approach that integrates academic progress, extra-curricular participation, personal responsibility, and community involvement.

• Inclusive and sustained family relationships that respect all cultures and the experiences each child brings to our schools.

• Challenging ourselves to embrace and advocate for the needs of every student, adult, and family within our school community.

30 Surfside Road

Nantucket, MA 02554

Telephone: 508-228-7290

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