NHS Students and Families,

I hope you are enjoying the remaining days of summer and are looking forward to coming back to school regardless of the pathway you have chosen. School will look different as we take precautions to keep our students and staff as safe as possible. Our Guiding Coalition has met a few times this summer to discuss precautions, etc., and Mrs. Hau and her team have been working diligently to prepare and provide us with safety measures. Our new safety measures are included in this newsletter and can change if necessary.

Our theme for the year is RISE UP, TOGETHER. We felt this theme is reflective of the work that we need to do this school year. We will all need to work together and Rise Up above all the challenges that might come our way! Please feel free to reach out to us by email or phone if you have any questions or concerns!

Together everything is possible!

Mrs. Beer and Mr. Hull

Racer Refuel will be held every day for the 20-21 School Year. Students will be required to report to their Advisory teacher's classroom listed on their schedule every day. Racer Refuel is time for remediation, enrichment, advisory, assemblies and club meetings. All freshmen and sophomore students are required to attend Racer Refuel. Juniors and Seniors are required to attend if they have an on campus class 3rd hour or 4th hour.

All students have been issued a school email account. Email addresses are formatted as IDNUMBER@NEWCASTLE.K12.OK.US. The student’s initial password is set as the following: first 3 letters of student’s first name, first 3 letters of student’s last name, six (6) digit birthdate; example for Joe Racer, joerac010120 Students should communicate with their teachers using their assigned school email only. Students should check their school email at least once per day. Teachers will be contacting students using their school email only.

Students are also required to check their IC Student Portal regularly. Student who cannot access their IC Student Portal should contact, Crystal Williams, cwilliams@newcastle.k12.ok.us.

Our Racer Rev Up day will be split into two days. On Wednesday, August 12, ONLY Freshmen and Sophomores will report to school. On Thursday, August 13, Freshmen and Sophomores will have a virtual day. On Thursday, August 13, ONLY Juniors and Seniors will report to school. On Wednesday, August 12, Juniors and Seniors will have a virtual day. On the virtual day, students are required to complete virtual assignments that will be posted in their teachers' Google Classroom. Assignments will be posted on the assigned virtual day. Students enrolled in Full Time Virtual will not be required to attend. Students in grades 9 and 10 in the Blended Learning Pathway should attend if they feel comfortable. Students attending Mid America Technology Center should report to their campus on Wednesday and the high school campus on Thursday.

On the day students report to school, they will need to report to the auditorium by 8:00 a.m. This includes students with concurrent classes. Attendance will be taken on both days. On the virtual day, students will be marked absent in classes where the virtual assignment wasn't completed. ALL students in grades 9-12 are expected to attend Racer Rev Up unless they are participating in the Full Time Virtual Pathway. Students do not need to bring supplies, backpacks, etc. to school.

During the morning, students will rotate through various workshops specifically designed for each grade level. Students will be able to buy lunch from food trucks (Chicken n' Waffles, Tacoabout It, and Hurts Donuts are all confirmed.) Students should bring $10-15 if they want to eat from the food trucks. The cafeteria will also be open for students to purchase lunch, and students can bring their own lunch. During the afternoon, students will rotate through their schedules. All students should log out of the IC Student Portal and log back in to see their most updated schedule.

If you still have your ID, please bring it, and it's going to be hot so dress for the weather! Bring a mask!

High School students will be required to wear masks in our Mask Up Zones. The Mask Up Zones are:

• On the bus.
• In the cafeteria when not eating.
• Transition times.
• Passing periods.
• In all classrooms and common areas where social distancing isn't possible.
• Choir room.

All students will need a device other than a cell phone for the upcoming school year. Teachers in all subject areas will be using Google Classroom and will be integrating technology throughout their lessons. Chromebooks are preferred because they work well with our platforms and are the least expensive of all the devices. Students will need to bring their device starting on Monday, August 17. Students in the Face to Face pathway that do not have a device should complete the following Google Form before Monday, August 17.

Student's class schedules were released through the Infinite Campus Student Portal. ALL students should log out and log back in to IC before August 12 to see their current schedule. Paper copies of the student schedules will only be printed upon request through our front office.

ALL students must provide two proofs of residency. The documents can be uploaded through Infinite Campus (see the district web page for directions) or can be dropped off at the main office. Parents with children at different school sites only need to take the documents to one of the sites. Students who do not prove residency by Monday, August 17, will be dropped from enrollment. Please take care of this important step as soon as possible.

All students are responsible for the procedures and expectations in the Newcastle High School Student Handbook. Please note the following changes in our handbook for the upcoming school year:

• Valedictorian Policy
• On Campus Driver's Permit
• Off Campus Lunch for Sophomores

Do you have any school textbooks or library books at your house, in your car, or in other random places? If so, please return all textbooks or library books that were checked out during the 19-20 school year to the library as soon as possible!

Juniors and Seniors who are taking college courses must email Mrs. Warren, mwarren@newcastle.k12.ok.us, their Fall schedule before Monday, August 17. We are asking students to submit college schedules again so that we can verify no changes were made since submitting the first schedule.

All students new to Newcastle must complete the following EL form. If you are new and haven't completed the form, please do so as soon as possible. This is a form required by the State Department of Education.

In order to avoid overcrowding in the cafeteria we are allowing Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors to leave campus for lunch. Students are encouraged to drive safe and follow all traffic laws when leaving campus.

The cafeteria seating is limited to 48 students to maintain social distancing. Students are allowed to eat outside at any of the picnic tables that were donated by Victory Family Church or in the Racer Pit Stop. School administrators will be monitoring the seating capacity and will make changes as needed. We ask for your patience with us the first few days of school!

Students are asked to bring a water bottle to school to avoid drinking from the water fountain. Help us stop the spread!

Breakfast To Go will be available during passing between 1st and 2nd hours in the cafeteria. Breakfast will also be served before school in the cafeteria.

Due to Covid-19, students are not allowed to eat or drink in the classrooms. The only exception will be during the beginning of second period to allow for students to eat breakfast. Water is acceptable to have in the classrooms.

Schools receive additional funding based on the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunches. To make the process easier, the applications can be filled out online. The link will be available soon on our district website. Students are encouraged to complete the form even if they don't plan on eating in the cafeteria. Please help us our school by submitting an application.

Please check our website and social media for current and updated information regarding Covid-19

Students will be expected to sanitize their hands before entering a classroom and when leaving a classroom.

Kim teaches our middle and high school ID students. Her classroom has been at the elementary building. We are excited to have her students at the high school with their peers. Kim has taught at Newcastle the past four years. There will be two para professionals assigned to her room, Jennifer Schmidt and Teresa Shepherd.

Kim is married to Scott, and they two daughters Scotty, who is a sophomore at NHS, and Jordan, who is a Senior at OU.

Her why is because she loves the kids, and the love they show her and others.

Paul will be working with our DRIVE (Dedicated Racers for Individualized Education) students and our credit recovery students. Paul is a certified special education teacher and has taught at Santa Fe High School in Edmond since 1995. Paul created a "SOAR" program to help students who were at risk of dropping school. His goal was to help them obtain their high school diploma. Paul will also serve as our Head Girls Basketball Coach. Paul has taken his teams to the state tournament 13 out of 14 years. He has 11 straight tournament appearances. He has 2 State Championship and 2 State Runner Up trophies. He has had teams in the final four for five years at the State Tournament.

Paul is married to Lou Ann, and they have a daughter, Katy, who is the Head Girls Basketball Coach at Mustang High School.

Paul says teaching is first and coaching is second. He loves teaching and enjoys it when kids get excited about learning something new and the light bulb comes on.

Dr. Craig is coming to us from Tuttle Public Schools where she has spent the last 4 years as the assistant band director for grades 6-12. Dr. Craig also serves on various state committees such as the Oklahoma Band Master's Association, Southwestern Oklahoma Band Association, and the Oklahoma Small School Band Director's Association. Dr. Craig will be teaching HS and MS Band and Elementary Band/Music.

She is married to David, and they have two dogs, Dolce and Sadie.

Her WHY is to inspire others through music.

Lauren Dansby will be teaching Art Basic, Painting, Drawing and Ceramics. She will also serve as an assistant girls soccer coach. Last year, she taught at Monroe Elementary School in Norman and has taught in Vero Beach, Florida. She has served as a Senior Art Designer and Art Director. She launched her own small business, Itty Bitty Kickers. She has 6 national level coaching licenses and has won numerous soccer championships.

Natasha will be beginning her teaching career at NHS. She graduated from UCO in May with a degree in Mathematics Education. Natasha completed her student teaching at Yukon Middle School in the Fall of 2019. She will be teaching Algebra I and Pre-Calc. She will also be serving as an assistant girls basketball coach.

Her WHY is because she loves math and basketball. She enjoys teaching others to have an appreciation for math and basketball as well.

Peyton will be our secondary Native American Tutor and assistant girls basketball coach. She will divide her time between the middle school and high school working with our Native American students. Peyton comes to us from Santa Fe High School in Edmond where she worked as a teacher's assistant and coach for the past three years. Peyton attends UCO and is a year and a half away from earning her degree in Special Education with an emphasis in Math.

Her why is because she loves working with girls at this age level. She enjoys watching them grow and she loves to encourage them to continue playing at the next level.

Bryan will be returning to teaching after spending the last 5 years working at Arrow Exterminators and Safety Kleen. Prior to working in industry, he retired from teaching after 26 years. He taught at Carl Albert Middle School, Bethany, and he spent two years in Las Vegas. He will be joining our Science department and will teach Biology and Earth Science. He will also spend three hours at the middle school teaching Science.

Bryan is married to Kim, and they have a dog named Bode.

His WHY is because he retired and has spent the last five years away from education, and he knew he needed to come back to what he loved. Teaching is a feeling that he wouldn't leave!

Kaisha is our new DRIVE and NVLA (Newcastle Virtual Learning Academy) Coordinator. Kaisha was a Purcell Dragon for the past 14 years. While at Purcell, she served in the capacity of English Teacher, SPED Teacher, Alt. Ed. Coordinator, and HS Counselor.

Kaisha is married to Gus, and they have one daughter, Kimber (3), and two sons, Gunner (10) and Gage (7).

Her WHY is because she wants to help students get through challenging times and become successful members of society.

Bryce Nelson is coming to us from Tecumseh High School where he has spent the last 8 years. He will be teaching English III, Adaptive PE, and Strength and Conditioning. He will be coaching Varsity Football and Varsity Track. He will also serve as our our FCA sponsor.

Bryce is married to Liz, and they have 2 children, one boy Nolan (5) and one girl, Charlie (2).

His WHY is the biggest people who have impacted him is former teachers, and he wanted to do the same!

Casey Rainbolt is our new College and Career Advisor. Casey is coming to us from Norman Public Schools where she was a middle school counselor for 3 years at Whittier Middle School. She has previous experience at ASTEC Charter School as a high school counselor. She has taught Psychology and Sociology.

Casey has three children, two girls, Sadie (10), Kennedy (6) and one son, Liam (3) Sadie and Kennedy will be attending Newcastle ECC and Elementary.

Her WHY is to make a difference because she has been supported by different mentors throughout her life, and if it weren't for their guidance, she wouldn't have had the opportunities that she has had throughout her life. She wants to be the change that you wish to see for her students.

Amy is our new Head Volleyball Coach. She will be teaching one section of English I, Leadership and Senior Capstone. Amy will also serve as our Leadership/STUCO advisor. This is Amy's first year teaching. For the past year and a half, she coached Division II volleyball at Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory, NC.

Amy has a lab named Rudy.

Her WHY is because volleyball has always been a part of her life and she wants to share that passion with others.

Ryan is coming to us from Okarche Public Schools where he served as the Head Band Director for the past three years. He graduated from SWOSU. He is a woodwind/percussion specialist.

Ryan is married to Maddison, and they have one daughter Emma (1 1/2).

His WHY is because he loves the impact he can make on students. Teaching others how to play an instrument is a life skill that can be continued after high school. Ryan knows that many students don't have someone in their lives that care about them, and he wants his students to know there are others who love them and is fighting for them.

Madison Warren is coming to us from Mid-America Christian University where she has served as the Assistant Director of Admissions for the last 2 years and was an Admissions Counselor for the 2 years prior. Madison has a Master's Degree in Counseling, and she holds an LPC license.

Madison is married to Joshua, and they have one son, Griffin (6 months).

Her WHY is because she wants to serve students and the community. Promoting and encouraging social and emotional well being is her top priority.

Tommy spent last year teaching and coaching at PC West. He has also been at 1, before Anadarko, Southmoore, and Southeast High Schools. He will be teaching Oklahoma History and coaching football and girls golf.

He has four kids, Peyton (22), Thomas (17), Maggie (16) and Olivia (14).

His WHY is he because he enjoys being around high school kids and adults, and teaching and coaching is something he has always wanted to do.