Monday, October 28, 2013

NMS 2014 Yearbook

NMS 2014 Yearbooks Now On Sale!


The John T. Nichols, Jr. 2014 Yearbook is on sale now. A limited number of books will be ordered and once they're gone, that's it. 

Order yours today!

Click on the link below which will bring you directly to the order center without having to enter an order number.

Or you may call toll free at 1-866-287-3096 (M-F 8am-5pm Central).  Our school order # is 13678.  Please have this number handy when you call to order.

If you have any questions please contact Mrs. Walgreen at 508-946-2020 X205.


Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Fall Frenzy -- Friday, October 25, 2:30 to 5 PM


NMS
FALL FRENZY

Friday, October 25th 
2:30-5:00 PM
Nichols Middle School
Tickets: $5 per student

Hang Out with your Friends!
Dodgeball Tournament, Snacks*,
DJ and Dancing, Games,
Fun Photo Shoot*,
Spirit Wear*, “High-Five!” our Tiger Mascot and MUCH MORE!!!
                                         * For an additional charge

Tickets can be purchased for $5 during lunches this week!

Event Sponsored by the Nichols Middle School PTA!

Don't Miss Out on This Fantastic Event!


Friday, October 18, 2013

NMS Email -- This Weekend 10/18-10/20


NMS Email Switch-Over

This weekend, our Middleborough Public Schools email system will be moved over to another provider.

Please keep this in mind as Progress Reports come home for Trimester 1 on Friday, October 18.  If you email any faculty or staff member, they may not be getting the email until Monday, October 21.

We apologize for any inconvenience but we know this change will help in making our email system better overall.

Thanks.

Trimester 1 Progress Reports Issued Friday, October 18


First Trimester Progress Reports

Progress Reports for Trimester 1 will be issued this afternoon, Friday, October 18, and the way I think of it, the new school year is no longer just an idea; it is truly underway.  Your child will be coming home with the Progress Report as well as a receipt that needs to be signed and returned to school on Monday, October 21.

The marks that you have found on this progress report should never be a surprise to either you or the student.  Please make sure you check out the grades as well as the comments, which could mention progress for Conduct and Effort.  If you feel that discussion regarding your child’s progress or lack of it in any of these categories is needed, please make an appointment to schedule a time that would offer both you and the teacher enough time to adequately discuss your child's present situation.  We need to make sure there is an open door of communication between school and home that is necessary to bring both the teacher and you to the same page in this educational journey.  As for the progress report, it is just that:  progress.  Students should understand that the marks that are present at the halfway point of a term can change easily in either direction.  Students should recognize that they can very simply transform those grades, again, in either direction.  So if the grades were high-quality, students need to continue with the work habits they have displayed in the first month or so, and if the grades were not where they should have or could have been then that student needs to understand that a change in work habits is needed.  Remember also, please keep up with checking your child's agenda book on a nightly basis, for this will help in keeping track as to where your child's grades stand as they progress through the rest of the quarter.

Also a reminder, if you haven’t done so yet, please enter your email, to the right, so you can receive updates on any and all important information about what’s happening or will happen at school.  There is a calendar at the bottom of this page, please check it out to stay updated.

Reminder from the PTA, please return your Coupon books if you have not done so already. This fundraiser will help in making NMS even better for all of our students.

Thank you and have a great weekend.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Rally for the Red Sox and Defeat Cancer on Friday, October 18



Help NMS Defeat Cancer While Supporting Our Sox

Good afternoon Nichols Middle School community,

On Friday, October 18, the John T. Nichols, Jr. Middle School community will be participating in a very special fundraiser:  Red Sox Hat Day for The Jimmy Fund Rally and a very special Middleborough community member, Dylan Berio.


The Berio family has joined forces, again, with the students of Nichols Middle School to help strike out this horrible disease.  

Students can come to school wearing their favorite Boston Red Sox hat, gear or beards, and all we are asking for is at least a dollar donation to wear your hat during school.  


Students may make more of a donation, if they choose, for all the proceeds will go to The Jimmy Fund in support of Dylan Berio.

Dylan Berio is a five year old, who is battling cancer.  Dylan is the brother of Hayden Berio, an 8th grader here at NMS.

All proceeds raised will go to the Dana-Farber Pediatric Brain Tumor Research fund and to the Dana-Farber Brain Tumor Pediatric Patient Fund.

Please help us Rally our Red Sox to an ALCS victory (and hopefully a World Series as well) and, most importantly, strike out this horrible disease.

Go NMS!  Wear a hat!  Go Sox!  Bring a buck!  Go Dylan!  Defeat Cancer!


Picture Day is Thursday, October 17




PICTURE DAY

Thursday, October 17, is picture day for all of our NMS students.

Smile.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

NMS School Council -- 3rd Wednesday of Each Month at 3 PM; First Meeting, Wednesday, October 16, at 3 PM, in the Media Center


2013-2014 John T. Nichols, Jr. Middle School Council

Are you interested in getting involved with your child’s education in another way besides PTA or fundraising?  Would you like to be more involved in the academic aspects and decision making of your child's education here at Nichols?  If you are, then seriously consider whether you would be interested in joining the Nichols Middle School Council (also called a School Improvement Council).  By law, every school in the country has to have a School Council.  

The law outlines four major areas of responsibility for councils.  School councils are to assist principals in:  

  1. Adopting educational goals for the school that are consistent with local educational policies and statewide student performance standards; 
  2. Identifying the educational needs of students attending the school; 
  3. Reviewing the annual school building budget; and 
  4. Formulating a school improvement plan.


We meet once a month on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, except where specified below – starting Wednesday, October 16, for about an hour, beginning at 3:00 PM and ending around 4 PM, to discuss such items as our School Improvement Plan, parent involvement, how we are working with MCAS data, what we are doing to improve teaching and learning, different curricular ideas, courses, etc.  In all, the group is not like the “PTA”; it is more a group of people who are looking into school improvement and how we can get the improvement we are looking for.

The group is made up of parents, teachers, and at least one community member.  If you are interested or would just like to come and check it out, please come to the first meeting, Wednesday, October 16, at 3 PM, in the Media Center at NMS or email me at mgeoghegan@middleboro.k12.ma.us. If you have any questions, please let me know.  Thank you.

2013-2014 NMS School Council Meeting Dates
October 16, 2013
November 20, 2013
December 18, 2013
January 15, 2014
February 26, 2014*
March 19, 2014
April 16, 2014
May 21, 2014
June 18, 2014
*All dates are the 3rd Wednesday of each month - except where specified.


Thursday, October 3, 2013

September Student Recognition -- ROAR Award Winners

September ROAR Awards Handed Out


This fall NMS, and specifically Mr. McLaughlin, has begun a new program, which recognizes student achievement each month.  The ROAR award is given by each cluster to acknowledge students who have been Respectful, On-time, (positive) Attitude, and Responsible.  The goal is to recognize students who not only take care of basic expectations in class but are good citizens and role models in our community.

Award winners receive a certificate, a coupon for a free book at the book fair, bumper stickers for their parents’ cars, and their individual picture displayed in the school for the month.

The September award winners received their certificates from Dr. Weiss in a brief ceremony on October 1.

From L to R: Superintendent Dr. Weiss, Elena Freitas, Brianna Lowell, Kara McManus, Matthew Abban, Katelyn Harrington, Mr. McLaughlin, and Katrina Bingham-Maas.

The ROAR Award winners for September 2013 for each team were:

Grade 6 Challengers:  Kara McManus
Grade 6 Adventurers:  Elena Freitas
Grade 7 Explorers:  Katelyn Harrington
Grade 7 Beacons:  Katrina Bingham-Maas
Grade 8 Apollos:  Matthew Abban
Grade 8 Comets:  Brianna Lowell

Congratulations to all!  Thank you for all your efforts; you are ROARing to a great beginning of the school year!