1st Grade: Ella E-M- Short Story: The Adventure of Bowie
2nd Grade: Charlotte C- Short Story: The Swimming Sisters
3rd Grade: Lucy S- Short Story: The Triplets Amazing Adventure
4th Grade: Hanai W - Short Story: Tabitha and Liz in the Enchanted Forest
5th Grade: Ashton-Lee D- Short Story: One Fruit, New World & Megan R- Poem: Quitting
Nantucket's entries were submitted to the Anne Arundel County Literacy Chapter and the top winners will advance to the state-level competition for the contest.
For morning arrival, as an additional courtesy to our car rider parents/guardians, the bus loop is open to drop off car riders. The school property is not designed to have the bus loop used for car rider drop off. If we are going to continue to have this bus rider lane open as a courtesy to our car rider parents/guardians, the following must occur:
Drivers must follow the directions of the staff members and volunteers on duty. If you are asked to pull all the way forward, please do so.
Only buses and day care vans are permitted to make a left turn when exiting the bus loop onto Nantucket Drive. All cars must turn right when exiting onto Nantucket Drive.
Please see the pictures below that provide direction about exiting the bus loop.
If you need to turn left onto Nantucket Drive and head toward Riedel Road after dropping off your Starfish, use the car rider lane by the school marquee. The crossing guard is there to direct traffic and assist drivers with safely turning left onto Nantucket Drive.
As the weather outside becomes "frightful", here are some reminders:
Please make sure students are dressed for the weather at arrival and dismissal. Doors do not open for students in the morning until 7:45 AM and students who arrive early will have to wait outside.
When the temperature gets colder and rainy, we have more car riders than walkers. Please plan accordinly and leave for school earlier. Students should be in school and ready for instruction when the bell rings at 8:00 AM. Students arriving at 8:01 AM or later are marked tardy.
As long as it is not raining and the temperature with windchill is greater than 32 degrees Fahrenheit, students can expect to go outside for recess. Please make sure they have appropriate outdoor clothing - warm coats, pants, hats, scarves, and gloves.
#BePresent is a community/school partnership designed to increase and improve community relationships within schools. Mentors and volunteers will assist school-based staff and administration with ensuring a safe and orderly school environment by being present during the school’s daily function. Mentors and volunteers are invited to have a greater presence in schools as a way to enhance relationships and make school operations safer and more efficient.
What will you do in a school? Although each school has unique needs, some possible activities might include:
helping with arrival and dismissal.
assisting staff during lunch and recess.
being present in hallways during class changes.
supporting specific programs/activities.
mentoring a student or small group of students.
reading with a student
Are you interested in learning how you can #BePresent to support Nantucket's Starfish? Please contact our School Counselors Mrs. Dring and Mrs. Brauer for more information!
As we move closer to the winter season, we all need to be prepared for virtual learning due to weather related closures. In the event of inclement weather, the Superintendent of Schools may recommend schools shift to a Virtual Instruction Day. When this happens, students will access instruction online. All students will need access to a device for learning. If your child does not have access to a device, you can apply for a loaner device through AACPS.
AACPS Student Device Loaner Program
Registration for the AACPS Student Device Loaner Program, which provides a device to students that need a device to support learning at home, is now available. If approved for participation in the program, students will be assigned a Chromebook that will need to be transported back and forth between home and school as it will be used by the student throughout the school day. Complete information about the program can be found at www.aacps.org/deviceloanerprogram.
The DIBELS Middle of the Year (MOY) Assessment Window opens for students in grades K-3 on January 6 through January 21. Read below to learn more about DIBELS. For more information, contact your child's teacher or our Literacy Teacher Ms. Kasulke.
What are DIBELS? DIBELS are measures that help teachers and schools determine how students are performing on important reading skills.
How often are students assessed? Students in grades K - 3 are given the DIBELS test three times a year, in the fall, winter, and spring.
How are the results used? A student's scores on DIBLES measures give the school information about whethe or not a student is on track for grade-level reading success. Teachers can review scores on DIBELS measures for all students in a class to make decisions about how to prepare their day-to-day reading lessons.
How can you support this assessment? There is no preparation needed for this assessment. Please make every effort to ensure your student is present and available to participate in the assessment during the assessment window.
The WIDA ACCESS for ELLs language proficiency test will begin on January 8th and run until February 18th. A letter with testing information was sent home with all students in the ELD program this evening and an Announcement will be posted on Rooms with practice resources tomorrow. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Makadia (K-1) or Ms. Ahmed (2-5).
Our instructional hours are 8:00am- 2:25pm. Students may start entering the building at 7:45 am. Please note that there is NO adult supervision prior to 7:45 am. Students must be in the building by 8:00 am in order to not be marked tardy. Any student who arrives after 8:00 AM must enter through the main entrance. Dismissal will begin at 2:25 pm. Please note: Tardies and early dismissals are recorded on a student's PK/K progress report/ Gr. 1-5 report card.
Please review our arrival and dismissal procedures found on our website.
Car Rider Arrival Reminders:
Car Riders must be able to independently be able to enter and exit the vehicle. Drivers should not get out of the car.
When dropping off your student, you should pull up as far as you can go before your student gets out of the car. Do not stop to be close to the door.
Follow the direction of the adults on duty who are guiding you to move your car forward.
Parents always have the option of parking in a parking lot and using the crosswalk to walk their student to the sidewalk instead of being a car rider.
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.
Greetings from the Health Room!
Welcome back! 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 Elementary recognizes that birthdays are a special day for our students. In order to maintain a safe environment for all of our students, food items WILL NOT be accepted to distribute to classmates. Parents may send in small non-food treats to be distributed to students at the end of the day. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping all of our students safe at Nantucket Elementary.
Additionally, please note that teachers and staff are unable to participate in distributing communications/invitations or email addresses related to birthday celebrations. All planning for birthdays needs to happen outside of school so that it does not take away from the purpose of instruction.
All students participate in 30 minutes of recess daily. Please make sure your children come dressed appropriately for the weather. If the temperature is 32 degrees or below or if the wind chill makes it feel 32 degrees or below, the students will not go outside for recess. If the weather dictates indoor recess, students will participate in 30 minutes of indoor recess in their classrooms.
During recess, students are not permitted to engage in any form of tag-like game playing or football playing. These games tend to lead to misunderstandings that result in big emotions.
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.
At our Attendance Committee Meeting in December, the committee discussed all students who have 8 or more cumulative lawful and unlawful absences and 16 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.
Great job to our students and families for improving our Chronic Absenteeism when comparing December 2023 (9.86% chronically absent) and December 2024 (7.66% chronically absent)! Goal 3 on our School Improvement Plan (SIP)is for 90.9% of our students to NOT be chronically absent in the spring of 2025.
Let's keep focusing on this goal. Students need to be present to learn!
Students should be in the building and ready to learn by 8:00 AM.
Students arriving to school starting at 8:01 AM or later are tardy and missing valuable instructional time. Students who are tardy must be signed in the office by an adult. Tardiness and early dismissals are a part of a student's office school record and are recorded on a student's progress report (PK/K) or report card (K-5).
1/6 DIBELS K-3 Asssessment Window Opens
1/8 WIDA Access Assessment Window Opens
1/10 PBIS Quarterly Celebrations;
PTA Movie Night at 7:00 PM
1/14 Strings concert beginning at 6:00 PM
1/15 Band/Chorus concert beginning at 6:00 PM
1/16 End of 2nd Marking Period - 2HR Early Dimissal at 12:25 PM; Vision and Hearing Rescreening
1/17 End of 2nd Marking Period - 2HR Early Dimissal at 12:25 PM
Food and Nutrition Services
