Q & A
Northport Middle School
PERSONAL BELONGINGS
Q- How will students retrieve their personal belongings from their gym and music lockers?
Parents will have the opportunity to bring their child to retrieve belongings on Tuesday, January 21 from 4pm-8pm and on Wednesday, January 22 from 2pm-8pm. If any parent is unable to retrieve their child’s belongings, arrangements will be made. Additionally, the parent portal will be updated to reflect your child’s schedule by Wednesday evening.
Q- Will lockers be provided for students in their new building?
ENMS will have lockers available for seventh grade students. Norwood and the High School will not have lockers for students to use. Arrangements will be made for students to store their items in their classrooms.
TRANSITION PLAN AND FIRST DAY
Q- How will students be greeted at their new school?
Each of the new buildings will host an assembly to welcome students and staff. Key faculty and staff members will be introduced. NMS faculty and administration will be present as well.
Q- Will parents have the opportunity to see their child's new building?
Each school will host an open house or meet and greet at their building and invite parents. Details will be shared with parents.
Q- Will eighth graders have identification that is different than high school students?
Yes, students will be given new IDs that differ from high school students.
Q-Will students maintain their current schedules?
Schedules, for the most part, will remain the same. However, there may be some circumstances where a student’s schedule was altered. Families will be able to access student schedules by the evening of Wednesday, January 22nd.
TRANSPORTATION
Q- Will bus routes change?
Most students will not have a change to their existing pick up route. Students will ride their original buses and then transfer at The William J. Brosnan Building (WJB) to buses that will take them to their new buildings. However, if a route change is necessary, families will be notified prior to Thursday morning.
Q- Can eighth graders ride the HS bus routes if they have parent consent?
No, NMS students will maintain the NMS eight period day schedule; their schedule is slightly different than the high school schedule. Eighth graders will not be taking the high school buses.
Q- Will parents be able to transport their eighth grade child to Northport High School or will this add to the congestion at the high school?
Yes, parents may transport their eighth grade child to Northport High School. The high school day begins earlier than the eighth graders’ school day.
Q- Will parents be able to transport their sixth grade child to Norwood or seventh grade child to ENMS?
Yes, however, this is not recommended since Norwood and ENMS will be congested at drop off and pick up times.
Q- Will parents be able to transport to or from the transfer site (WJB)?
No, due to potential congestion, parents are advised not to pick up or drop off students at WJB. If parents need to retrieve their child prior to drop off time, they will need to go to the child’s building for pick up. The only exception is for families who drop students off to zero period music or other classes.
STAFFING
Q- Will Dr. Hoss remain as my child’s principal?
Yes, Dr. Hoss will remain the principal of all NMS students. His office will be located in the H wing of Northport High School, but he will maintain a presence in all three buildings.
Q- How will the NMS administration manage students since they cannot be on site in all buildings?
What about the counselors? The administration will work in collaboration with other building administrators at Norwood, ENMS, and NHS to support students and staff. Each of the three counselors serves a grade level and will work directly with NMS students.
Q- Will there be teacher changes?
The majority of students will not have any changes in their schedule/teachers. There are a few exceptions and those students will be informed of the changes.
Q- How will teachers who teach in multiple grades be able to work with students in different buildings?
Most of our staff will be able to travel to other buildings to work with students. There are some circumstances where this was unavoidable and students will have a change to their teacher. However, we are working to minimize this as much as possible.
Q- Will this change affect class sizes?
No, there will be no substantial change to class sizes.
HEALTH & SAFETY
Q- Will I have to provide new medication or prescriptions to my child’s new building?
No, all of the medications have been sent to the new buildings.
Q- Will there be any increase in security at each school with the increased student population?
Yes, we will redeploy NMS security to the three buildings.
Q- Will there be changes to the crossing guard assignments/ locations?
Yes, NMS crossing guards will be redeployed within our district, by the Suffolk County Police Department.
Q- How will students in eighth grade be escorted while in the HS?
Students in eighth grade will attend classes predominantly in the lower H wing of Northport High School. When a class requires the use of a specialized space (science lab, gym, cafeteria, technology room), students will be escorted to that location by a staff member.
Q- How will lunch be implemented in the relocated schools, specifically for the sixth and eighth students?
All student accounts in Nutrikids/ MySchoolBucks have been transferred to their respective buildings.
EVENTS
Q- How will assemblies and PTA events be offered to the students who are originally from NMS?
NMS will still hold the upcoming events at alternate locations. Details for the China Dance and motivational media will be shared in the near future.
Q- What other upcoming planned events can NMS students expect in the future?
NMS will still hold the Canteen and Battle of the Grades in alternate locations. Details will be shared as these events get closer.
MUSIC
Q- How will students participate in orchestra, band and chorus when they are in different schools?
All ensembles will remain intact and rehearse during Zero Period, which is now from 7:40 AM-8:20 AM at the William J. Brosnan Administration building.
Q- When will zero period resume?
As we set up and prepare for the transition, all ensemble rehearsals, instrumental music lessons, and choral lunch/sectionals will resume on Thursday, January 30th. Transportation details are stated above.
Q- Where will our concerts take place?
All NMS concerts will take place at alternate locations; parents and families will be given plenty of notice.
Q- Will Choraliers continue to rehearse together?
Yes. Choraliers will continue to rehearse together, however, they will now rehearse Monday evenings at Northport HS from 7 PM-8:30 PM in the music wing (this will also allow for collaboration with the NHS Tour Choir which rehearses at the same time.)
Q- When will lunch chorus sectionals take place?
o Grade 6-2nd half of period @ Norwood
o Grade 7 1st half of period @ ENMS
o Grade 8 2nd half of period @ NHS
PHYSICAL EDUCATION & ATHLETICS
Q- Will eighth grade students be assigned Physical Education classes with high school students?
No.
Q- Will eighth grade students use PE lockers?
No, students will not be required to change for PE classes. They will however, participate in a variety of physical activities that align with the NYS Learning Standards.
Q- Will there be any changes to the sports teams or intramural sports?
Winter II Athletics- NMS- Tryouts will begin on Thursday, January 23rd.
Q- Will there be a continuation of clubs and intramurals for NMS students?
Yes, clubs and intramurals will be continued to the extent possible.