@NipmucRegional
Keeping you informed on important dates and information.
September 6, 2022
Kick-off to an AMAZING School Year!
Nipmuc Student Handbook - Signatures Required
All students and parents/guardians are required to sign off that they have read and understand the student handbook.
Please review the handbook and complete the form no later than Friday, September 16. If you have any questions you can email nipmucmainoffice@mursd.org.
You can find the sign-off form here or at the link below.
Note: Students will not be allowed to purchase homecoming tickets until this form is complete.
Photography and Military/Higher Ed Opt Out Forms
Military & Higher Ed Opt-Out: A Federal Law, commonly known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), provides that any school that receives Federal funds under this Act, such as Nipmuc Regional High School, "shall provide, on request made by the military recruiters or an institution of higher education, access to secondary school students' names, addresses, and telephone listings", Sec. 9528 (a).
The Act further provides that "a secondary school student or the parent of the student may request that the student's name, address and telephone listing described in the above paragraph not be released without prior written parental consent."
Guardians who DO NOT want their student's information shared should complete this form.
Nipmuc Student Parking
Parking at Nipmuc is available for all juniors and seniors. The cost of a parking permit is $50 for the year. The form to sign up for a parking pass can be found here. Students with parking passes can park in any spot in the main parking lot (with the exception of visitor parking). Please avoid parking along the perimeter of the school’s driveway at this time.
Once students complete the parking form, they should drop off their payment of $50 to the Nipmuc main office. Fees can be paid in cash or by check made out to MURSD. Parking passes will be assigned and available for pick-up at the end of the day in the office.
Student Attendance Updates
Please inform the main office if your student will be absent from school.
If the school is not informed before 9:00am you will receive a text message.
You may inform the school of the absence by the following methods:
Email nipmucmainoffice@mursd.org.
Call 508-529-2130 (voicemail will pick up after hours).
Medical notes can be emailed, faxed (508-529-2129) or brought to the main office upon return to school.
Students are allowed 14 unexcused absences per school year.
If your student is tardy they must check in at the main office.
Students will fill out the Late Arrival Form.
If the student is late due to a medical appointment please have them bring a note to the main office upon arrival at school.
Students are allotted 3 unexcused tardies per term without consequence. Additional unexcused tardies will result in afterschool detention(s) and (if applicable) loss of parking permit for the remainder of the term.
Dismissals:
We ask that you give us as much notice as possible for the dismissal of your child so that we may alert the teacher and give your student enough time to wrap up in class.
Students should bring a note to the office at the start of school.
The note should contain:
Dismissal time
Parent signature
Phone number where a parent can be reached during the day
Teachers will be alerted of the dismissal.
Students should sign out in the main office before leaving school grounds.
If your student is leaving school for a medical appointment please have them bring a note to the main office when they return.
Students are allotted 2 unexcused dismissals per term without consequence. Additional unexcused dismissals will result in afterschool detention(s) and (if applicable) loss of parking permit for the remainder of the term.
Students who are not feeling well should report to the Health Office to be evaluated. The nurse will contact the parent/guardian to dismiss a student from school if deemed necessary. Dismissals from the health office can be excused.
**Students who are absent or dismissed without excusal will not be eligible for extracurricular activities on the day of the absence/dismissal**
If you have further questions about absences, dismissals, and late arrivals, check out the frequently asked questions shared last week for lots of great information.
A Message from the School Nurse
Symptomatic COVID Testing at School
Parents/guardians who wish to sign their child up for symptomatic COVID-19 testing in the Health Office must complete this registration link. MURSD will be using the Simple Report platform, through the CDC, to record positive COVID test results as required by DESE and MDPH. Please contact Leslie McInnis, RN, with any questions at lmcinnis@mursd.org or 508-529-2143.
COVID-19 Information
As a reminder, K-12 schools have their own exposure and isolation protocols for COVID-19, which differ slightly from the guidance for the general public. Please click here to review these protocols.
Medication Protocol
All students requiring medication during the school day must have a written order from a licensed prescriber on file in the health office. This includes all prescriptions and over the counter medications not covered by MURSD Standing Orders. A new order is required at the beginning of each school year.
If your child had an order for a daily or as needed medication during the 2021-2022 school year, or will require medication for 2022-2023, please print and sign the Medication Order Form and/or Allergy Action Plan (for EpiPens) and have your child’s primary care provider complete it after July 1st (providers may substitute their own forms).
Physical Exams
Documentation of a physical examination by your child’s primary care provider is required for students entering 10th grade and for any student participating in athletics per the MIAA guidelines. They are also required upon transfer from another school. We encourage parents/guardians to send in documentation of updated physical exams whenever they
Rockin' for a Reason Auditions This Week
The Rockin' for a Reason concert is back! We are looking for guitar players, drummers, bass players and singers to participate in this annual rock concert and fundraiser to benefit pediatric cancer research. Auditions are Wednesday, September 7 starting at 2:00 in the Band Room. Be prepared to play/sing a rock or pop song of your choosing. See Ms. Simmonds in Room 300 (third floor, above the lobby) with any questions.
PSAT for 10th and 11th graders
This year, we are offering the PSAT/NMSQT for sophomores and juniors on Wednesday, October 12. The PSAT is representative of the actual SAT exam in content, scope, and design. It will help students feel confident and prepared when they take the SATs later in their junior year. All sophomores and juniors are strongly encouraged to sign up for the exam. You can find more information about the PSAT, SAT, and NMSQT at www.collegeboard.org/psat.
The test takes place at Nipmuc. It begins at 7:30 am and finishes before lunch.
The cost is $20. You must submit payment in order to be officially registered. The deadline to sign up is Friday, September 16. Please contact Allison Towne (atowne@mursd.org) with any questions.
You can register and submit payment here.
Save the Date!!!
DECA Cookout & Club and Activities Fair - Thursday, September 15
Another annual tradition at Nipmuc is the DECA Cookout & Club & Activities Fair where students will have the chance to take a closer look at all the different clubs and activities offered here at Nipmuc, meet with the advisors of these groups and speak with students who have participated in the club or activity in the past. This is a great way for new students to get involved and existing students to try something new.
Spirit Week - September 19 - 23
Nipmuc Homecoming 2022
Nipmuc Student Council will begin selling homecoming dance tickets tomorrow. The homecoming dance will take place in the Nipmuc gymnasium from 7-10pm on Saturday, September 24. Tickets can be purchased in the lobby during breaks through September 20. No tickets will be sold at the door.
Students must have completed their handbook sign-off (see above in newsletter) in order to purchase their ticket. Tickets are $20 each. Outside guests are allowed. Students must register their outside guests at the time of ticket purchase.
Student Lockers
Student lockers are available for use. Any students interested in using a locker in the academic halls should fill out this form. (Students must be logged into their MURSD account to submit the form.) Any locks need to be issued by the school. Locks used at Miscoe can be used at Nipmuc. Students in need of a lock can purchase them for $6.
Lockers are also available in the athletic locker rooms. Locks for these lockers are available from Mr. Schmidt (Athletic Director), Mr. DellaRovere (PE teacher), or Mr. Allen (PE teacher). Please be aware that athletic lockers must be emptied at the end of each night in order to sanitize the area.
No Food Deliveries (please)
This Week's Schedule
ESports Registration Now Open
Nipmuc Class of 2023 Graduation
While we have truly enjoyed holding graduation outside at Nipmuc since the onset of COVID-19, we wanted to address the concerns that have come up about graduation including the impact of rainy weather on an outdoor ceremony, providing accessible seating accommodations, the noise along Pleasant Street during the ceremony, and the distance of families from their graduates.
With the help of our senior class officers, we explored the Hanover Theater as an option and were so impressed with the elegance of the venue, their experience in hosting graduation ceremonies, and the way the theater will meet the needs of our guests and graduates. We're excited to have a world-class venue that will provide:
- expanded number of tickets to each graduate.
- clear lines of sight to each of our graduates on stage.
- amazing acoustics and an orchestra pit for our band will perform.
- accommodations to meet the unique needs of all attendees.
- ushers to support seating.
- a newly constructed outdoor pavilion for families to gather and take pictures.
- a reliable solution to address any weather-related concerns.
- an experienced staff that can anticipate the needs related to high school graduations.
We are excited for this new opportunity and look forward to celebrating the Class of 2023 on Friday, June 2!
Nipmuc to Host National Defense University
On Thursday, September 22, Nipmuc will welcome representatives from around the globe to our school as part of the annual visit from the National Defense University (NDU). The NDU is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s premier university for joint professional military education. The Chairman offers one-year fellowships to select senior officers from more than 50 nations for the International Fellows Program at NDU. The fellowship gives international military and civilian leaders the opportunity to study at either the Eisenhower School, National War College, or College of Information and Cyberspace.
We are looking for student ambassadors who would like to be a part of this tradition at Nipmuc and have a student from NDU shadow you for the morning and show them what public school is like in the United States. If you would like to volunteer you can find the form here. Please fill out this form no later than this Friday, September 9 so that we can begin reaching out to those students with further information.
BVExcel - Time Sensitive Student Sign-up If Interested
BVExcel is a collaborative program that offers free evening credit-bearing classes throughout the semester at local schools in the Blackstone Valley. The purpose of BVExcel is to provide non-traditional course offerings that will expose students to career options, build industry skills, and provide workforce opportunities. Each of these courses is credit bearing towards high school graduation, will be reflected on the students’ transcript, and each student will receive a grade.
Fall registration is open now! Classes begin on September 12th. BVExcel is offering the following courses:
Manufacturing I/ Intro to Welding - Tuesdays 6:00-8:00pm, Location - EdHub (Whitinsville)
Cybersecurity & Programming - Mondays 3:15-5:00pm, Location - Hopedale Jr.-Sr. High School
Food for Thought - Tuesdays 3:15-5:00pm, Location - Douglas High School
Intro to Health Careers & Care Essentials - Wednesdays 6:00-8:00pm, Location - Northbridge High School
Click here to view course descriptions and registration information.