@NipmucRegional

Wellness Week kicked off over this past weekend with the "wind-down weekend" where students had a homework-free weekend and were encouraged to spend time with friends & family and do something they enjoy. The Nipmuc School Counseling Center will be hosting the Spring Wellness all week this week April 11- 15. The purpose of Wellness Week is to spread awareness of wellness practices, promote healthy lifestyles, and learn ways to cope with and decrease stress. Our hope is that spreading awareness of wellness practices will result in healthier minds and bodies for our Nipmuc community. You can find this week's schedule below for Wellness Week.

The English Language Arts Night will be held this Wednesday, April 13 from 6-8PM at Nipmuc. This event is both a showcase for student work and an induction night for new members into Nipmuc's chapter of the National English Honors Society. During the evening, we will offer our community a peek into the hard work of our students through presentations, readings, panels, live podcasts, and production viewings. This event is open to students, parents, and community members of MURSD. We hope to see you there!

Is your child ready for the next chapter of their life after high school? What are the best options for a child that has struggled emotionally? What should be in place to support successful independence and health? All of these questions will be presented and answered with many resources during a YouTube Live session.

Join the conversation (or just watch) with a hand-selected panel consisting of a clinical social worker at the Center for Counseling and Psychological Health (University of Massachusetts Amherst), a director of school counseling at a public high school, and a Boston University student (and BRYT alum) speaking on what helped her succeed in college.

There will be a Q&A portion of the program for you to have your own questions answered. We hope to see you there! This virtual event will take place on April 13 at 7pm. Learn more about the Ready to Launch event and access the YouTube live link 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.

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.

Nipmuc Regional is excited to be a member of The Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC), a community of schools across the nation that are reimagining the way we recognize, report, and celebrate student learning.

Did you know that…

• Nipmuc is one of only 387 schools (153 public schools) to be admitted to MTC.

• The Mastery Transcript is a digital, clickable, and dynamic transcript that showcases student learning rather than grades.

• MTC is helping students gain admittance to schools such as MIT and Harvard by sharing their stories of learning.

• MTC are leaders of the growing movement away from standardized test scores as a meaningful way to determine if a student should be admitted to a college or university.

• The Mastery Transcript can be used to showcase student learning and not merely to record a student’s course of study.

In term four, Nipmuc will take our next steps in exploring MTC by running a pilot of up to ten members of the Class of 2023 who will create a mastery transcript that can be used to share their personal stories of learning with colleges, universities, and the community.

Any interested juniors can submit their interest here. Students must be logged into their MURSD account to complete the form.

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.

Each year, Nipmuc has the opportunity to elect two student representatives to the Regional Student Advisory Council (RSAC). The RSAC is a group of students elected by their peers from schools throughout Massachusetts who are helping make decisions about state educational policy and student rights.

This group of students meet four times a year, generally in October, December, February, and April, plus regional orientation meetings to introduce new members to the council and elect regional leadership.

Students that are elected to the regional council for 2022-2023 will learn more about the council at the RSAC orientation meeting on 4/28; including roles and responsibilities of RSAC delegates and hold elections for RSAC officers on 5/17: regional chairpersons, regional communications coordinator, and delegates to the state council.

Central MA RSAC council meetings will most likely be held at Hudson High School in Hudson, MA. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from meetings.

If you would like additional information about the RSAC, you can visit the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website here.

If you are interested in running for this elected position, please contact Mr. Clements and Mrs. Moran at nipmucprincipals@mursd.org to express your interest by April 19, 2022.

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)

We are excited to announce that after two years of being on hiatus due to the pandemic we will be bringing back FAST (Faculty And Students Together.) This is a highlight of the year for many faculty and students as we celebrate our Nipmuc pride. We are working with the Nipmuc Student Council in setting a date and hope to announce it soon. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.

The Math Acceleration Program will be back for April vacation. As you may know, MURSD has received a grant to host a Math Acceleration Academy over both February and April vacations. This week-long academy is an academic program designed to accelerate student learning through hands-on, project-based lessons. The April academy is designed to support students in grades 3-10 in advancing their understanding of mathematics concepts learned over the course of the last two years. Our hope is that students will not only get the support they need but will also build confidence around the mathematical skills and concepts that will support their success in the classroom.

Based on a range of data sources as well as recommendations from their current math teachers, students who could benefit from the academy were identified and families were recently contacted. Eligible students must be willing to commit to attending the academy for the entire week (Tuesday, April 19 - Friday, April 22 from 7:30am - 1:15pm each day). The academy will be run by MURSD faculty and staff.

If you believe that your child may be eligible for the academy or are interested in learning more, please contact Amy Gilchrist (agilchrist@mursd.org), math educator and department chair at Nipmuc.