Nishuane News

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Nishuane School News
September 15, 2023


Happy Fall Nishuane! As we enter the fall season, we had another wonderful week at Nishuane filled with learning and fun! Our learners embraced our word of the week “Kind” by performing acts of kindness and filling many buckets! Additionally, learners continued to celebrate Hispanic and Latiné Heritage Month. More information regarding Nishuane’s ongoing celebration of this special month may be found below.

We thank all caregivers that attended our first PTA meeting of the new school year. We look forward to partnering with you at future PTA and SATp events throughout this school year. A calendar of the many upcoming happenings may always be found within the Nishuane Family Calendar.

This upcoming week each grade level will participate in our first Nish Family Meeting! At this monthly meeting, we will come together to meet as a family, celebrating the glows, as well as setting grows and goals that we can revisit throughout the month.

As a reminder, the district is closed Monday, September 25th in observance of Yom Kippur. We wish a meaningful fast to all observing Yom Kippur.

Hispanic & Latiné Heritage Month
This past week, students explored Hispanic and Latiné Heritage. Our exploration is centered upon the theme “We Are Many! Not Just One!” This week’s lessons featured several read-alouds including: Pepe and the Parade by Tracey Kyle, Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal, as well as Maybe, Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood by Rafael Lopez.

An enrichment activity will also be sent home with students. This enrichment activity invites learners and families to share a Latiné recipe with others. Please be sure to look for this activity in your child’s backpack!

We encourage you to view videos of these read-alouds and to engage with the enrichment activity to extend the learning experience at home! Additional information regarding Nishuane’s month-long celebration of Hispanic & Latiné Heritage Month may be found here.

SNAPshots September 2023 Newsletter
Please click here to read the SNAPshots September Newsletter. This newsletter highlights all of the exciting happenings in Nishuane’s SNAP classes!

Arrival & Dismissal Reminders
Arrival: We kindly ask visitors not to ring the Nishuane doorbell outside of the Main Entrance (Door A) while morning announcements are taking place between 9:25 am-9:30 am.
Signing Students Out Before the End of the School Day: Notification of an early dismissal must be made in writing in advance by the student’s caregiver and should state the reason for an early release from school. No student shall be permitted to leave the school before the close of the school day unless they are met in the school office by their caregiver or a person authorized by the caregiver. Any adult that is not a part of the student's Genesis file, must bring identification during the pickup. The school secretary will make a photocopy of the ID and file it in the school’s confidential records. All students being released early must be picked up from the school office before 3:15 pm and signed out before they leave. Students will not be called out of class after 3:15 pm—this is too close to dismissal and causes confusion for the classrooms. It is important that students are getting home safely and last-minute changes make supervision more difficult.
Changes to Dismissal: Changes in dismissal must be in writing to the classroom teacher. Please do not call the office to change dismissal arrangements. Plan in advance and send a note to the teacher beforehand. Calling into the classrooms to announce changes disrupts instruction and can lead to confusion for the children at the end of the day.
Arrival & Dismissal Safety: Please always remain mindful of important Nishuane School arrival and dismissal protocols. These protocols and safety precautions must be carefully followed at all times to ensure a seamless and safe arrival and dismissal.

Nishuane Visitor Form & Protocols
Please click here to review Nishuane’s visitor protocols. Visitors must complete the visitor form prior to a visit.
○ Please remember that visitors must report only to the location of the building that was indicated on the visitor form. Visitors may not visit other locations in the building. Thank you for your support with this important safety measure!
○ Please do not prop doors open under any circumstance.
○ Please do not hold open the door for anyone behind you when entering or exiting the building.


Nishuane Instagram
Nishuane is on Instagram! Follow us @nishschool for a peek into the learning and fun we have in our community. Our account is private for everyone's safety. When requesting to follow us, please send a message with your child's name and we will accept you.

Spirit Wear Fridays
Every Friday at Nishuane is School Spirit Day! On Fridays students may participate by wearing blue and white, as well as Nishuane spirit wear. Spirit wear is available for purchase through our PTA.

Important Dates: Mark Your Calendars! 

Latine & Hispanic Heritage Month: September 15, 2023-October 15, 2023
First Day of Fall: September 23, 2023
Yom Kippur (District Closed): September 25, 2023
Nish Grade Level Family Meetings for Students:
Grade 2: September 26, 2023 at 2:50 pm (Gymnasium)
Grade 1: September 28, 2023 at 2:50 pm (Gymnasium)
Kindergarten: September 29, 2023 at 2:50 pm (Gymnasium

SATp Walk, Bike & Roll to School: September 28, 2023 (Arrival)
Nishuane Family Gathering: September 29, 2023 at 6 pm-7 pm (Nishuane Outdoors)

School Action Team for Partnerships (SATp) News & Upcoming Events
https://nishuane.montclair.k12.nj.us/administration/school_action_team  
What is SATP? SATP brings together parents, teachers, and community leaders to enhance our children's academic and social/emotional development. We work on the School's Improvement Plan, targeting gaps in math and literacy, and promoting cultural responsiveness and inclusion.

Ways to get involved:
Latiné & Hispanic Heritage Month
● Volunteers to help with the Latiné Heritage Month event (music, dancing, food and more!) on 10/6 at Hillside from 5:30-7. Sign up here https://bit.ly/3LoF2Zi
● Volunteer to help with the Latiné in school Assembly on 10/13 where we showcase Central American, South American and Caribbean Latiné culture. Help organize community members and volunteers. Email [email protected]
● We’re also looking for chairs for Parent Palooza, Native American Heritage Month, AAPI/AANHPI Heritage Month and the Winter Holiday Festival. Click here to sign up: http://bit.ly/3LnYR2F

Ride, walk or roll to school next Friday, 9/28 with Mr. Sedita and Mrs. Coe. Meet at the firehouse on the corner of Harrison & Cedar Ave to start heading to school at 9am.


Hillside SATP Social Justice Committee started a Book Club this year open to Nish, Hillside and Glenfield families. There are 3 open slots and the books are free if you join. Teachers and Caregivers are welcome! If you would like more information or to sign-up, please email Christina Wallace at [email protected] *NOTE: meetings will be bi-monthly.

School Action Team for Partnership (SATp) Meeting: Thursday, October 5, 2023 at 7:00 pm (Hybrid: Library/Zoom). Please attend and engage with the SATp to inform our School Improvement Plan and goals for the 2023-2024 school year!

Questions? Ideas? You may contact the SATp at the following email address: [email protected]

PTA News & Upcoming Events
www.nishuanepta.org 

Join the Nishuane PTA Facebook group!
Join the Nishuane PTA WhatsApp group!

Explorers:
Thank you to the Explorers Committee -Kate Delano, Maddy Polton, Alexis Collins, and Eli Genao for your countless hours of work. You put together an incredible enriching assortment of classes for our children to enjoy this Fall.

Caregivers, a few reminders about Explorers:
Registration will be open until 9/22 at 5pm
REGISTRATION LINK
Classes begin the week of October 2nd and run for six weekly sessions
● Families will receive weekly emails with the class schedule for that week.
● All classes are held at Nishuane School. Morning classes will be held 8:10a- 9:10a; afternoon classes will be held 3:45-4:45p
Schedule and course descriptions LINK

Scholarships: The PTA is committed to ensuring that any student who would like to take a class is able to do so, regardless of financial circumstances. To receive a scholarship, please email Ms. Williamson, Nishuane School Counselor, at [email protected]

Family Picnic will be held at Nishuane Field on September 29th 5:30p-7:30p ) for the annual Nishuane Family Picnic.

You can bring your own picnic OR enjoy pizza, snacks and drinks provided by the PTA.
To get a proper headcount, please sign up for pizza here: https://bit.ly/453bzLx
To help out during the event (of course we need you, volunteers!) click right here: https://bit.ly/48puJOj

SAVE THE DATE! AND VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! NISHUANE’S ANNUAL PANCAKE BREAKFAST - NOV 4TH!
Mark your calendars Nish Families….and Let’s Go!
Saturday, November 4th from 9am-12pm.
Nishuane’s Annual Pancake Breakfast…our largest school-wide Fall Event will be held the first Saturday in November! And the planning has begun!

We need Volunteers! Please sign up to Captain an element of the Event or sign up as an Hourly Volunteer. If people can commit to an hour…everyone gets to share part of the morning with their family...

More details to come as the planning develops…but in the meantime…sign up to volunteer here!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A49AFAB2CA0FB6-44035523-2023#/

Grow Lab:
Nishuane’s Grow Lab is a schoolwide gardening and hands-on science program funded by the PTA, run by engaged parents, and supported by teachers.
Grow Lab brings students outdoors and uses experimental learning and scientific inquiry to help them observe and understand the natural world, practice environmental stewardship, and form healthy eating habits.
Sign up to be a Grow Lab Classroom volunteer: https://forms.gle/ettF6jW2HWnXRJ9E7

Become a Class Partner! Class Partners support our teachers with classroom communications and in planning events. We still need a few class partners (see chart).  To sign up or for more information, please visit: https://montclairpta.org/nishuane/class-partners or email [email protected]

Class Partners Still Needed      
 PreK Kindergarten 1st Sp. Ed.
       Wentzell (1)
 Mino (1) Paolazzi (1) Seaman (1) Mrs. K (1)
 Castillo (1) Keller (1) Santiago (2) Supel (1)

 
Please JOIN the PTA or RENEW Annual Membership

Visit the Nishuane MemberHub store to activate/reactivate your PTA membership today. PTA Membership must be renewed annually.
We have two membership types - individual ($10 - one parent/caregiver) and family ($20 - two parents/caregivers).

2023-2024 PTA Meeting Schedule
● Thursday, September 21 at 7pm
● Thursday, October 12 at 9:30am
● Thursday, November 2 at 7pm
● Friday, December 1 at 9:30am
● Thursday, January 4 at 7:30pm
● Friday, February 2 at 9:30am
● Thursday, March 7 at 7:30pm
● Friday, April 5 at 9:30am
● Thursday, May 2 at 7:30pm
● Friday, June 7 at 9:30am

District-Wide Updates 

MFEE
https://mfee.org/

● SEPAC
https://montclairpta.org/sepac/
SEPAC Update - Lynn Mendelsohn & Marisa Lazatin are our new SEPAC Parent Liaisons for Nishuane. Please reach out to them directly by either emailing Lynn at [email protected] using this Google Form for any questions or concerns you have about Special Education at Nishuane. We will use the questions to create an FAQ sheet and plan any future forums.
Mark Your Calendar: Please mark your calendars for our next meeting on Monday, October 23rd at 7:00 pm via Zoom. Members of the Pupil Services Team will join to introduce themselves and their roles for the 2023-24 school year. After the introductions, Suzanne Olimpio will report/debrief parents/guardians about her observations and recommendations following the district program review that she recently completed.
SEPAC Parent/Caregiver Guide: This link will allow you to access the most up to date version of the recently published SEPAC guide. We will update this guide as new information becomes available.
 
Digital Backpack: Please click here to view community and organization events in town.
Housekeeping: Please check the district website for district policies and school procedures (In our Family Handbook on our website).

Our Vision: Nishuane School is a diverse school that develops creative, curious, and confident learners through academic exploration, healthy relationships, and exposure to the arts.



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