Welcome to North Adams-Jerome Public Schools!

As your superintendent, I will continuously plan for school and district-wide improvement. We have well educated, capable, and dedicated faculty and staff in our district. The cornerstone of our student's education is hinged upon our teachers continuing to grow and develop their skills in their field of study while constantly meeting the needs of our students.

Our community and our public school system face many challenges, and the solution to these challenges begin with us working together, valuing each other's perspective, advocating for what is right, and finding common ground that solidifies us as a community.

Together, we make our schools safe and well disciplined. Together, we will properly prepare our students for the workforce, a trade, or their college careers. Together, we will build a strong school community.

If you are experiencing any Technology or PowerSchool issues, please fill out the following Google Form and a member of the Admin Team will resolve the issue as soon as possible.

As the fall season approaches and the cooler temperatures begin to become more frequent, I wanted to take this opportunity to review the Communication Protocol for Weather Delays and School Closings. My goal is to lay out our process so you can be more informed on the how, what, when and why of our inclement weather decisions.

General Protocol For Snow

When snow falls overnight or in the early morning hours, the superintendent and the transportation director drive in different areas of the district, on both main streets and back roads, to get as complete a picture of conditions as possible. Many factors play into making important and timely decisions including:

-Amount and type of precipitation

-Temperature/wind chill

-Visibility

-Status of clearing roads and back roads

-Refreeze of melted snow/ice from the previous day

-Continued snow in the forecast

Between 4:00am and 4:45am, we go for a drive and conditions are assessed across the area including our surrounding school districts. By 5:00am, the superintendent and the transportation director discuss the conditions and the superintendent will email staff to inform them of the decision for the day. At 5:30am, a robo call will be made informing families of the school closure or delay. The closure or delay would then be placed on WILX. 

General Protocol for Extreme Cold & Wind

When dealing with the extreme cold, the process is a little different. There is no magic number for school delays/cancellations when it comes to air temperatures and/or wind chills because there are so many variables to consider. We closely monitor the National Weather Service for regular updates. 

For Extremely Cold Temperatures:

Air temperatures that are forecasted significantly below 0 degrees for 6am, when our students are headed to the bus stops, could trigger a two-hour delay.

If those temperatures are not forecasted to improve by 10am, when a two-hour delay would end, then school could be canceled.

For Extreme Wind Chill:

Wind chill prediction is more of a moving target than air temperatures because of varying wind speeds from place to place. We look at the locally forecasted wind chills for our district and if they’re predicted to fall near -10 degrees by 6am, we would consider a two-hour delay.

If wind chills are not expected to improve by 10am, when a two-hour delay would end, we would consider a cancellation.

When do you make the final call?

• The goal is to inform all staff between 5:00am and 5:30am.

• The goal is to inform families by 5:30am to ensure as much time to align work and childcare plans as possible.

• When possible, a final call may be made the evening before.

Understanding the need for additional instruction in the areas of Math and ELA, North Adams-Jerome Public Schools has applied for and has been granted money to supplement classroom instruction. This additional instruction is for students in grades 3-12 who need additional academic support during the school day and after.  

GVSU Partnership
We are currently finishing up contracts with Grand Valley State University's K-12 Connect Program which will provide our students with after school tutoring in a 1:1 or 1:3 format.  Secondary students physically attending or virtually attending the after-school academic support tutoring will receive approximately an hour of core content support.

Summer School - Credit Recovery
We are in the process of planning summer school as a credit recovery opportunity for students in grades 9-12 seeking to gain credits they previously were not able to capture. Courses offered are virtual, however all students must be present in the building to take advantage of the teacher support offered.  

If you would like more information about any of the above initiatives, please get in touch with the K-12 Principal:

James Leindecker
jamie.leindecker@najps.org

In the Fall Semester of the 23-24SY, the district mission, vision, and core values were updated to reflect the direction of the district. This is our identity and the overarching direction the district is moving in.

Mission Statement 

The North Adams-Jerome Public School District will inspire our student body to achieve academic excellence and make a positive contribution in our community.  We promote and prepare each student to be a lifelong learner. In partnership with families and the community, our mission is to provide the opportunity for all students to learn and succeed by promoting critical thinking in a safe and secure environment.  

Core Belief Statements

The North Adams-Jerome Public School District believes that all members of the school community should:

1. Promote student learning that will be enriched by family and community partnerships.

2. Engage in critical thinking to achieve high academic standards.

3. Assist students in gaining mastery of the fundamental tools for learning. 

4. Demonstrate honest and ethical behavior.

5. Foster social, physical, and emotional development as a foundation of student learning.

Vision Statement 

The North Adams-Jerome Public School District will work collaboratively with members of the community to prepare and motivate our students to utilize critical thinking skills, honesty, perseverance, and compassion in the pursuit of academic excellence and lifetime learning. We will focus on the whole person academically, socially, physically and emotionally to ensure success both in and beyond the classroom. We will foster not only the ability for each student to attain entrance in higher education, trade, military, or the workforce, but the ability to sustain and succeed in that post secondary environment.