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School Start Times Changed
MNPS has announced new start times for almost all of the district’s middle and high schools. The start times will take effect August 11, 2008, the first official day of the 2008-09 school year. Elementary school start times will remain the same as last school year, with the school day beginning at 8 a.m. However, almost all middle and high schools will have new start times, with accommodating bus routes. For the 2008-2009 school year, most middle schools will begin 10 minutes later than previous school years at 8:55 a.m., while most high schools will start 10 minutes earlier than previous school years at 7:05 a.m. Magnet schools, which do not receive bus transportation, are unaffected by the changes. The district believes these varied start times will assist drivers as they navigate through the heaviest parts of the morning rush hour and get students to school on time. For a complete list of schools and their start times, click here.
Standard School Attire
Standard School Attire – The dress code for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, commonly referred to as “Standard School Attire” will continue with a few minor changes for 2008-2009.
- MNPS will allow fleece fabric for sweaters and lightweight jackets to be worn indoors.
- Students in grades PreK through second will be exempt from the belt requirement.
- Schools that chose to select fewer than four additional shirt colors from the standard blue and white, will be allowed to add colors, up to the limit of four, for the 2008-09 school year. Families should check with their individual schools for the most current list of approved colors.
- Hoodies of any type are not allowed for indoor wear.
As a reminder, MNPS revised its dress code in 2007. Standard Attire includes navy blue, black or khaki slacks, shorts or skirts and white or navy blue shirts with short or long sleeves and a collar. As indicated above, each school may also select up to four additional colors for shirts.
School Orientation Schedule
Many Metro Nashville Public Schools will offer parents and students a preview of class schedules, room assignments and faculty for the upcoming school year during school orientation days. This year, the orientations are being scheduled by individual schools. For a running list of school orientations, click here. Please note, this list is not final, times are still being scheduled.
“Orientation days are an exciting time for our schools,” said MNPS Interim Director Chris Henson. “It’s a time when parents get to meet the faculty and administration, see the building and get a feel for their child’s upcoming school year. This year, the district opted to let schools set their own orientation dates to allow more flexibility to meet the needs of their families.”
Principals as well as other staff will be present at orientation for students and parents to answer any and all questions. This allows students to learn classroom locations, meet their teachers, and become familiar with building changes; helping create a smooth transition into the new school year, which officially begins Aug. 11.
New Schedule for Enhanced Option Schools
Beginning in the 2008-2009 school year, MNPS Enhanced Option Schools will extend the regular school day by 45 minutes. These extra 45 minutes will replace the 20 days previously added on to the end of the school year.
MNPS Enhanced Option Schools, which include Bordeaux, Buena Vista, Caldwell, Fall-Hamilton, Glenn, Kirkpatrick, Napier, Park Avenue, and Warner, will use the additional minutes in a variety of ways. Schools might use the time to delve deeper into specific subjects, for built in academic interventions, for development and enrichment activities, or to establish new learning programs. For specific information about a particular enhanced option school, please contact the school. For general information about enhanced option schools, including how to enroll your child, please call the MNPS Customer Service Center at 259-INFO (4636).
SLC High School Late Arrival Days
The new district calendar shows eight SLC high school late arrival days. On these days, the first of which is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 15, high schools that use district transportation will begin the day at approximately 9:40 a.m. The reason for the late start is to provide faculty and administrators time for common team planning and professional develoment, two factors crucial to the success of Smaller Learning Communities (SLC).
Smaller Learning Communities are just that -- smaller, more personalized learning communities. They aim to provide rigorous curriculum, relevant learning, and closer student teacher relationships. SLC's come in the form of Freshman Academies, a 10th Grade Academy at Pearl-Cohn, and Career and Thematic Academies. For more information about the redesign, how it will impact your child's learning, or new offerings at MNPS comprehensive high schools this fall, click here.
MNPS, State Department of Education announce changes
MNPS and the Tennessee Department of Education have announced a reorganization of some MNPS central office staff and functions. The Department of Teaching and Learning will be transformed into a newly structured Department of Curriculum and Instruction; it will be led by six cabinet-level curriculum specialists who will have oversight of the schools under them. Read more.
In addition to central office changes, several principal and assistant principal reassignments for the 2008-2009 school year have also been announced. To view the elementary school changes, click here. To view middle school changes, click here. To view high school changes, click here.
Sports Physicals for 7th and 9th graders Not Required:
A Proposed Rule Change Delayed.
A proposed rule change that would make sports physicals a requirement for 7th and 9th graders has been delayed. In the meantime, the State Board of Education still recommends that 7th and 9th grade athletes get the well-child checkup/EPSDT screen. Until the rule-making process is complete, however, either exam (the traditional sports physical or the comprehensive well-child checkup/EPSDT screen) will be accepted by the State Board of Education and by TSSAA.
Sports physicals are good exams for clearing students to participate in sports, but this represents only a part of a student’s total health. It is important to also address the physical, social and emotional well-being of children. The state feels this is best accomplished through the full well-child checkup.
Given that the intent of the proposed rule is to improve children’s health, the State Board of Education still recommends that athletes in these two grades get the comprehensive well-child checkup/EPSDT screen. This checkup should be done by the athlete’s primary care provider—this is the doctor or nurse practitioner who takes care of them when they are sick and when they need a checkup.
The Interscholastic Sports Examination Form is the only form needed for these students. TSSAA is accepting this form for these students (and TSSAA will accept this form for students in any other grade as well). Although the comprehensive EPSDT/well-child checkup is recommended, it is not required that athletes have this box checked on their clearance form.
You can download the form from the TSSAA website (http://www.tssaa.org/Forms/forms.htm#Physical ) or the TN Department of Health (http://health.state.tn.us/Downloads/sportsphysicalform.pdf ).
For more information:
--About service providers, EPSDT program:
Pam Baggett, Dept of Health: 615-532-3101
--About medical questions related to physicals:
Dr. Michael Warren, GOCCC: 615-741-5192
--About the proposed rule change or processes related to local schools or the State Board of
Education (SBE):
David Sevier, SBE: 615-741-2966
--About athlete eligibility, which sports require clearance, or other sports questions:
TSSAA, 615-889-6740
What School Does My Child Attend?
If you are new to the area, have recently moved, or your child is transitioning to a new grade, there are several tools to help you find out what school your child is zoned to attend. You can plug your address into an MNPS map that will show your child's zoned school, or you can call the Customer Service Center at 259-INFO (4636).
If you have questions about transportation services provided to and from your child's school, contact the MNPS Customer Service Center at 259-INFO (4636) for school bus transportation questions, Metro Transit Authority at (615) 562-5950 for inquiries about city bus routes and fares, or visit the district school transportation web page by clicking here.
MTA Bus Route Changes
$1.78, $1.85, $2…..
It has been too long since people have seen these numbers on gas station signs. Now it is more common to see gas at four dollars a gallon! Due to these extreme increases in prices over the past years, MTA board of directors has held several meetings and public hearings in May to discuss how to continue to provide bus and AccessRide transportation for Nashville citizens. The solution for MTA is to increase fares for riders and eliminate less used routes to avoid more severe cuts in transportation service. As of July 1st , bus fares have increased by twenty-five cents and AccessRide fares are fifty cents. Also, all Night Owl Service will be discontinued, but no reductions in service for people with disabilities.
Effective July 6th are new adjustments for 2- Belmont, 8- 8TH Avenue South, 6- Lebanon Rd, 14- Whites Creek, 17- 12TH Avenue South, 22- Bordeaux, 24X- Bellevue Express, 26- Gallatin Road, 28- Meridian, 35X-Rivergate Express, 44- MTA Shuttle routes, and 93- Music City Star West End Shuttle. The new adjustments for most routes have to do with arrival and departure times on school days only as well as changes for wider coverage by each route. Changes were made to these routes to compensate for the seven eliminated routes which include 13 Sylvan Park, 31X Harpeth Valley Express. 1 Vine Hill, 45X Oak Hill Express, 16 Madison/Old Hickory, 30 McFerrin, 37X Tusculum/McMurray Express, as well as reduction of a portion of 8TH Avenue South which were the lowest performing routes.
Flyers describing the specifics of the route changes were distributed at the Information Booth on the Downtown Transit Mall on Deadrick, the MTA Customer Care Office on Nestor St., the library on Church St., City Hall and other Nashville locations. New schedule changes are also posted at www.nashvillemta.com. All questions concerning this information can be answered by contacting MTA Customer Care at (615) 562-5950 between 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sundays. |
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