@NipmucRegional

As our students returned from spring break the Class of 2022 came back to a decorated lobby as we begin the countdown to graduation. Thank you to our amazing parents that volunteer to put this together for our seniors and volunteer their time and donate to make the next few weeks very special for our senior class.

Prior to vacation, we put a focus on technology and phone-use in class. We had an activity in the main lobby during breaks where students could come and share their ideas writing them down on a cell phone which was later displayed in the main windows. We had more than 100 responses to the prompt, “Being a responsible digital citizen means…” Many of the students focused on being respectful with teachers and using technology responsibly in class. It was a good way to open this conversation with kids and faculty. You can find all the responses here.

Following up on our culture conversations, we have put together a plan to address phone use in a positive way during term four and to focus on tech use as we head into next year.

Over the course of the past month, all school-owned iPads have been updated, including receiving cases with bluetooth keyboards. As we make our way back from vacation, we are asking all students to be sure that their iPads are charged and ready for use each day.* The iPads - especially with the bluetooth keyboards - provide better support of teaching and learning and limit the distractions found on personal phones.

This morning we made an all-school announcement reminding students of the expectation to have their iPads fully charged and ready for use. We will provide several more reminders this week as we work to limit the distractions of phones and help students to set healthy limits on their own phone use.

*Those students who bring their personal laptops or tablets may continue to use these devices.

As we prepare to flip the calendar to May in less than a week we begin our countdown to graduation and all of the exciting events leading up to the special ceremony for our seniors. We have put together a senior events timeline (linked at the button below) for families so they can save the date for the different events.

Some members of the senior class are participating in “Senior Knockout”. Please be aware that this is not a school-sponsored activity and is not allowed on school grounds. Any student bringing water guns to school will have them confiscated and parents will be contacted.

This week we will be holding a planned fire drill in cooperation with the Upton Fire Department. Teachers will confirm that it is a drill when practicing the evacuation during the drill.

Prom is just around the corner and we know students and families are looking forward to having our traditional junior/senior prom back this year. We wanted to provide you with more information on both Prom and The After Prom Party which can be found here.

The After Prom Party Committee is well underway with this year's party. They are asking for your continued support and help as they finalize the plans. You can find a detailed list of volunteer opportunities here.

Attention all students - are you looking for a way to get involved in leadership at Nipmuc. Nipmuc’s Lead Learner Workshops may be a fit for you! Lead Learner Workshops are Nipmuc’s most important leadership opportunities. They occur monthly and are open to any staff and any student. They are a great way to work with other members of the school community in helping to chart the course to the future of life and learning at Nipmuc. The next Lead Learner Workshop will take place on Tuesday, May 10 from 2:10pm - 3:10pm in the Nipmuc PDC.

During April vacation in 2023, Nipmuc students will have the chance to visit Peru. We will explore Cuzco and Machu Picchu. All current Nipmuc students are eligible to travel. There is a $100 discount available to students who sign up before April 29, 2022. Please see Ms. Reardon in room 239 or by email (kreardon@mursd.org) if you have questions. You can find the itinerary here.

Food Service started offering bottled water to sell in our cafeteria during breaks and lunch periods beginning today April 25, 2022. We will be selling the waters daily through the end of the school year. The cost of the waters are $1.00 for a large and .50 cents for a small. We ask that you please log in to your child's myschoolbucks.com account and add money to have available to make these purchases. We would like to move away from using cash at the registers as it slows the lines down considerably.

If you do not have a myschoolbucks.com account yet, please log onto that website and follow the prompts. If you have any questions, please call Dianne Mucci at 508-529-2146 or email her at dmucci@mursd.org.

During term 4 we will return to typical guidelines for arrival at school. We have not enforced the guidelines for arrival at school since March 2020 and recognize that this will be a change for students and families. Included below is a summary of key points about the attendance policy.

• Students need to be in their first block class (not simply in the building) prior to 7:30am.
• Students are given 3 tardies per term without consequences.
• Tardies 4 - 6 will result in after school detentions, loss of parking for the remainder of the term (if applicable), and ineligibility for after school activities on that day.
• Tardies 7+ result in a Saturday detention per tardy and ineligibility for that day's after school activities.
• Term 4 begins on April 6 and runs through the end of the school year.

Although we have not issued consequences for the late arrival to school, we continue to track all students' attendance. You can access this information in PowerSchool.

FAST is coming back! We are planning the return of FAST to take place on May 19. For those who are not familiar with Faculty and Students Together (FAST), this event is one of the highlights of the year. Led by our student council, FAST consists of class competitions, fun activities, and the chance to celebrate Nipmuc pride. We typically host FAST on the day before Thanksgiving but have moved it to take place this spring. This is the first time in two years that we’ve had the event. It will look a bit different but we’re excited to bring it back. Here are some details:

• Date: May 19 (Rain Date: May 24) - We selected this date so that it occurs after AP testing and math MCAS.

• Schedule: We’ll run a modified half-day schedule with classes that are approximately 40 minutes in length. An all-school lunch will take place outside on the front field at approximately 11:30am. FAST activities will take place after lunch through the end of the day.

• Locations: Most FAST events will be scheduled to take place outside on the athletic fields and in the courtyard.

• Pep Rally: A pep rally will close the day. This will take place outside on the front field.

• Class Colors: Most students wear their class t-shirts or class colors during FAST. Class colors are as follows:

Class of 2022 - Purple

Class of 2023 - Pink

Class of 2024 - Red

Class of 2025 - Light Blue

• More details about events and activities will be shared with students as the date approaches.

APRIL SEPAC MEETING! 4/25 at 6:30pm at Nipmuc, and virtually via Zoom here.

In addition to regular SEPAC business, at our April meeting we’re hosting special guest speaker Bonnie J. Delongchamp (LSW, C.A.S., MMFT) Executive Director of The Whole Child in Upton. The Whole Child’s mission is to support the healthy (physical, social, behavioral and cognitive) development of children and empower their families through education, coaching, opportunity and consultation. Bonnie will discuss some of the services that The Whole Child provides to local families.

What is the MURSD SEPAC? The MURSD Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is a group of parents and guardians of children who are supported or who are seeking special education support in the Mendon-Upton school district. Our SEPAC not only provides a support network for other parents, but a forum for open communication about special education in our district, an opportunity for collaboration with district leadership, and more. To be added to the SEPAC email list, please reach out to mendonuptonsepac@gmail.com.

More information here: Mendon-Upton SEPAC | Mendon-Upton Regional School District (mursd.org)