Nantucket News and Notes
March 21, 2024
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:
- 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.
- Have you noticed the new sign at the end of our Bus Loop? If you are exiting the Bus Loop, ONLY buses and childcare vans are permitted to turn left. Turning left is considered a traffic violation and you are subject to warnings and tickets from county police. If you need to turn left on Nantucket Drive and proceed toward Reidel Road, please utilize the Car Rider line for drop off in the morning. The bus loop is meant for buses only. If we cannot utilizes this loop safely with cars at arrival, then we will have to close the bus lane to cars during arrival.
PowerSchool Parent Portal
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.
Make sure to register for PowerSchool Parent Portal to access your child's marking-period progress. Contact our school secretaries at 410-451-6120 for assistance in accessing your pin number to create an account.
Yearly Emergency Card Verification
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.
School Attendance
At our Attendance Committee Meeting in March, the committee discussed all students who have 14 or more cumulative lawful and unlawful absences and 28 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.
Cell Phones and Smart Watches
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.
Glass Water Bottles and Lunch Containers
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.
Change of Clothes in the Locker
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.
School Meals
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.
