On February 11, 2021, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) updated transportation guidelines for school buses in the Commonwealth. The most significant change is that DESE has lifted capacity restrictions and physical distancing requirements on buses and vans. NPS will continue to maintain as much distance as possible between students.  However, with the transition to full time in-person learning, we do expect increased ridership on our buses.

If you are child will be using bus transportation, please review the important details on bus transportation below. To register, please login into the bus registration system (operated by MySchoolBucks) and complete the registration.

LINK TO BUS REGISTRATION 

The deadline to register is Wednesday, April 7th at 5:00 p.m.

Bus Pass

• New bus passes with seat assignments will be available Monday, April 12th.
• Bus passes WILL NOT be mailed. They will be posted to your Aspen account. Instructions for downloading the pass are below.
• Students MUST have their bus pass with them to board the bus.
• If your bus pass has not been posted to your Aspen account by Monday, April 12th, please contact our transportation department at 617-559-9051 or bus_transportation@newton.k12.ma.us
• Bus route information can be found on our website: https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/214

Seat Assignments

• The bus pass will include a seat assignment. The seat assignment will be printed on the bus pass. Students must sit in their assigned seat.
• Siblings will be assigned to the same seat number. This means that they will sit on one bench that contains two seats.
• Students may be assigned to a bench with a student that is not from the same household. NPS will do everything possible to maintain as much distance as possible between students.
• Your seat assignment will contain the letter W, C, or A. W=Window, meaning your student should sit in the seat closest to the window. C=Center, meaning your student should sit in the center of the seat. A=Aisle, meaning your student should sit in the seat closest to the aisle.

Health and Safety

• Face masks must be worn by all students and drivers at all times
• All windows will be open at least 2” on the bus and every other window during adverse weather, per the new DESE guidelines
• Buses will be cleaned and disinfected regularly

If you would like to register for the bus, please click on the link below and follow these instructions.

LINK TO BUS REGISTRATION 

The deadline to register is Wednesday, April 7th at 5:00 p.m.

We know there have been many changes in our transportation operations this year and we appreciate your flexibility. We look forward to transporting your student safely for the remainder of this school year. Please reach out to the transportation department at 617-559-9051 with any questions.

Sincerely,

NPS Transportation Department

1. It’s easy! Complete the opt-in in Aspen (here’s the link!) High school students then create an account at JCM (do it here!) for access to a QR code they use to check in their sample.

2. It’s painless! This is NOT the “touch your brain” swab! This is a sample taken from the front of your nose with a Q-tip like swab. It’s super-fast and painless.

3. It makes a difference! The more students who participate, the better data we have on infection rates in our community. This means we can quickly identify infection, reduce the risk of in school transmission, limit quarantines, and keep our schools, athletics and other important activities open for the rest of the year!.

If your child forgets that morning, please go to the South Main Office and pick up a new kit.  It’s simple, it’s easy to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our school. Thank you!

Learn more, go to the PTSO website at https://newtonsouthptso.org/frequently-asked-questions/nshs-covid-19-pool-testing-faq/