Gearing Up For 2020-21: First Day, Request A Device, School Supplies, Meals And More

From the Northshore School District:

August 19, 2020

The 2020-21 school year is almost here! Below you will find some easy steps you can take now to get ready for the new school year! We will continue to send updates throughout the year to help you be successful.

First Day of School & Community-Building

All K-12 students will start on Wednesday, Sep. 2. This is a change from previous years when Kindergarten would begin a few days after all other grades. We are calling the first three weeks of school Community-Building Days. During this time teachers have an opportunity to get to know students and learn about the family’s interests and culture, while answering important questions and addressing any concerns. Visit our Calendar webpage and download an updated one-page calendar.

District-wide Learning Management System

Northshore is implementing a single district-wide learning management, which provides one place where students and families can find everything, including class Zoom sessions, homework, grades and more. In the coming days, you will receive information on Schoology (pronounced “Skoo-luh-jee”) orientations, which will be led by our Technology Department.

Request a Computing Device or Hotspot

Students and families will begin using our new learning management system Schoology. For Schoology to work best, our Technology Department recommends that each student has their own computing device. If your student needs a device or internet access, please submit Device Request form.

Food & Nutrition Survey

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been providing free meals to any child age 18 and younger. Due to federal regulations, meals this fall will only be available to students enrolled in the Northshore School District. Meals will also be charged based on free and reduced-price meal eligibility. To help our Food & Nutrition Department prepare for the upcoming school year and meet the needs of our families, please complete this short Food & Nutrition survey.

Free and Reduced-Price Meals

We are now accepting free and reduced-price meal applications for the 2020-21 school year. Has your financial situation changed? Did you qualify for free or reduced-price meals last school year? If so, be sure to complete an application. Remember: families must reapply every year! Submit a Free or Reduced-Price application.

School Supplies

At this time we ask that all students have writing utensils, paper for note taking, and a way to organize their subjects (bins or boxes, a notebook, an accordion folder, etc). We also request that elementary students have crayons, colored markers, glue sticks, and scissors. In addition to paper and pencils, middle and high school students may need additional items, such as highlighters. Check your school’s website, or look for their guidance in newsletters and parent communication in the coming days. Specific classes in middle and high school, like art, may also have additional items that will be used for specific experiences throughout the year. Visit our School Supplies webpage to learn more.

The Northshore Schools Foundation is generously providing in-home school supply kits for families in financial need. Complete the Northshore School Foundation’s In-Home School Supply Kit form to request supplies.

Childcare

We are exploring childcare options with our community partners and will share the plans and pricing as soon as that information is available. Are you interested in childcare? Complete this childcare interest form and we will send you the details when they are ready!

ParentVUE and StudentVUE

With the ParentVUE and StudentVUE, families can access information on attendance, class schedules, report cards, course history, graduation status and more. Don’t have a ParentVUE account? Visit our website to learn how to create one.

While we finalize class lists and course schedules, ParentVUE and StudentVUE logins have been temporarily disabled in the Northshore School District mobile app. However, families can still access ParentVUE and StudentVUE through a web browser or the official ParentVUE and StudentVUE mobile apps.

Daily Schedules

We’ve created standard daily schedules that will support switching from distance to in-person learning. Visit our Daily Schedules webpage to familiarize yourself with the schedules and download helpful printable versions.

Public Parent & Guardian Directory

As we begin the year in a virtual setting, we are looking for ways to support our families who wish to connect and build community for their students and themselves. We are considering the possibility of creating a public directory of parent and guardian contact information by school and grade. We are also exploring the possibility of "room" or "class" parents for each school and grade to lead this community-building effort. Please complete this form if you are interested in sharing your contact information. If it is decided to not create a directory, the information you provide will not be shared.

Social Media

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to make sure you don’t miss any important updates, positive stories and helpful videos, such as Superintendent Reid’s morning news.

This press release was produced by the Northshore School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.