Welcome to the 2023-24 School Year

NELSD Parents/Guardians,

Greetings and a Warm Welcome to the start of the 2023-24 school year! I hope you all had a fantastic summer break and are as thrilled as the Northeastern Local School District (NELSD) team is about the beginning of a new school year. 

This year is shaping up to be just as exciting as the last. With all of our students starting in their new buildings at the Kenton Ridge and Northeastern Campuses, we're delighted to see what the future holds. Our dedicated NELSD team has been working tirelessly over the summer to prepare for the upcoming school year, and we're proud to implement some more new and exciting changes.

To ensure a smooth start to the academic year, we have arranged for a staggered start for our students. Those with last names beginning with A-K will begin on Tuesday, August 29, while those with last names L-Z will start on Wednesday, August 30. All students are required to attend on Thursday, August 31, 2023. Please follow these plans. 

Safety

• Student safety is a top priority for our school district. To strengthen our efforts, we are excited to welcome Megan Forrest to our NELSD team as a school resource officer (SRO). With this addition, we will have two officers in the district, ensuring that each building has an SRO. Deputy Reaver will be serving the Northeastern Campus, while Deputy Forrest will be stationed at the Kenton Ridge Campus.
• We incorporated Raptor Background Check Technologies into our buildings as part of our safety procedures. To gain access into one of our school buildings beyond the administrative offices, you must bring a valid driver’s license or state identification card.
• In order to maintain a safe environment for everyone, please adhere to the campus speed limit of 10 miles per hour when driving on school district property. We kindly ask that you respect this limit for the safety of all students, staff, and visitors. Please note that we will be monitoring the speed limit closely and failure to comply may result in restricted access to the property. While we do not wish to install speed bumps, it may become necessary if everyone does not adhere to the speed limit.  
• Starting Monday, September 11th through Friday, September 15th, NELSD will hold its annual Safety Week. All students throughout the district will take part in a variety of activities and drills, including tornado, safety/shelter-in-place, and fire drills.

FinalForms
As a reminder, we are using FinalForms to provide the District with critical information needed for the school year. 

• Parents/guardians must complete the FinalForms student registration every school year. To update your child(ren)'s information or create a parent account, kindly click here. If you don't have a parent account yet, you can create one using the same link.
  • If you logged into your account within the past year:
    • Login to the same account by clicking the link above.
    • Complete all forms listed. 
  • If you have never logged into FinalForms:
    • Click the link above
    • Choose "Login" under the "Parent" Icon
      DO NOT CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT
    • Choose "Never Logged In"
    • Enter your email address and a confirmation link will be sent to you
    • Log in and complete all listed forms
  • If you do not receive a confirmation link or have any issues with your account, please contact the Board Office at (937) 325-7615.
• FinalForms is accessible using a mobile phone or computer. In addition, parents/guardians can update their contact information, Emergency Medical Authorization (EMA) forms, complete athletic forms, find their child(ren)’s student ID, and more using the FinalForms online student registration system.
• You can also access FinalForms at any point in the school year to update your information in the system if you have a change of address, change your phone number, update transportation information, etc.

Transportation
Our transportation routes are posted on our website on the Transportation page. 

• Scroll down below the photo and select the Bus Route Information tab. You can filter by grade band, bus # or campus as well as searching by the road name or address.  
• In addition, links to bus routes are available in our ParentSquare App by clicking > More > Links.  
• Route times are estimates. We kindly ask that students be outside at the stop 5 minutes before the scheduled time. 
• Please note that bus routes will be updated as new riders are added.

Communications

• On our Back-to-School Hub, you will find information about Open House, the 2023-24 District Calendar, Handbooks, Supply Lists, Transportation and Food Services information and more! 
• ParentSquare, our new unified communications platform designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection, is up and running. To ensure that your contact information is corrected in ParentSquare, please update your details in FinalForms.
• ParentSquare provides a safe way for district administrators, school principals, teachers, staff, and parents to:
  • Send and receive school and class information
  • Share pictures and files
  • See calendar items
  • Schedule parent-teacher conferences and much more…all in one centralized place!
  • Check out the Parents—Getting Started Video 
• Our social media accounts are another way to stay engaged with NELSD. The District has active Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube accounts. You can access these accounts by clicking the appropriate icon under our website’s search feature. Give us a follow!

I'm looking forward to the new school year and can't wait to see all our Cougars and Jets back in class. For any questions or concerns, please contact me via email at johnkronour@nelsd.org or phone at (937) 325-7615.

Respectfully,
John Kronour, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Northeastern Local School District