NMS Winter Carnival POSTPONED from Friday, 1/30

NMS Winter Carnival POSTPONED from Friday, January 30 to Date TBD

Due to the weather, the NMS PTA and I decided to postpone our NMS Winter Carnival from this Friday, January 30, to a date to be determined (probably in March).

We will discuss this and other important information at our next PTA Meeting on Wednesday, February 4, at 7 PM in the NMS Media Center.

Hope to see you there.

Thank you.

#LearnLaunch Conference 2015

Mr. Geoghegan's Experience at an #EdTech Conference

This past weekend, Friday, January 23 through Saturday, January 24, I helped organize, participated, and engaged in a phenomenal conference at Harvard University, LearnLaunch15.

The conference's was called "Across Boundaries: Delivering on Edtech’s Promise."  The purpose of Across Boundaries is to promote dialogue about digital learning.  Their 3rd annual conference examined how the most promising digital tools are being implemented in educational settings to increase student learning.  The conference brought together a diverse set of voices to discuss the most challenging questions facing the educational technology industry today.

The conference had over 600 attendees who are passionate about edtech, including entrepreneurs, educators, investors, students, and industry experts.  This year’s focus was on empowering the edtech community to build, use, and deliver effective and engaging digital tools and learning experiences.

LearnLaunch Institute is a non-profit dedicated to increasing student achievement through the adoption of digital technologies. LearnLaunch Institute connects educators, entrepreneurs, learners, investors, and industry affiliates in the education innovation ecosystem. It offers conferences, meetups, classes, and other services to the edtech community.

I have personally been involved with LearnLaunch since I went to the conference in January of 2014.  This year I was able to help put together the conference as well as I was the moderator and participant in the Principal's Hot Seat panel, where we had principals from across the Commonwealth explain how we are attempting to utilize Educational Technology to gain more student learning.

I tried to Tweet out my experience at the conference.  Below is my Storify of those Tweets.

I hope you can see what our vision is for the Nichols as well as what we are attempting to do with our Google School, WiFi access, and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD).  They are all connected to try help us engage, teach, and empower our students to be more successful learners in their lives.

I hope you enjoy.

Thanks,
M. R. Geoghegan

No School, Wednesday, January 28, for MPS

Snow Day for Wednesday, January 28

I am having a hard time logging into the NMS Twitter account to say that there will be NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, January 28.

Again, please stay safe and warm.

Expect an AlertNow message from Dr. Weiss later today.

Snow Day Video

Check Out This Snow Day Video

Now I think of myself as a pretty creative principal, but this principal really goes over and beyond.

It kind of reminds me of how we hope to have our Winter Carnival this Friday afternoon.

Anyway, I hope everyone is safe and warm in their houses.

Be well.

Enjoy the video:  "School is Closed."

NMS Winter Carnival on Friday, January 30 from 2:30 to 5 PM

Nichols Middle School 2015 

Winter Carnival

Friday,  January 30, 2015

2:30-5 PM at Nichols Middle School

Tickets $5 per person

Hang Out with Your Friends!

Elsa and Anna from Frozen, 3D Snowflakes with Ms. Tucker, Volleyball, Make a Commercial with Burt Wood Theatre, DJ (Ben Sangiolo), Dancing, Photo Booth*, “Minute to Win It” challenges, Refreshments* and MORE cool activities!!!

*Denotes an additional charge

Permission Forms will be available in the Main Office and handed out in during lunches.  They will need to be returned to Student Council members at lunch along with your $5.  We will also accept at the start of the Carnival on the 30th. 

Sponsored by the Nichols Middle School PTA

Please Come to ... NMS School Council Meeting on Wed, Jan. 21, at 3 PM in NMS Media Center

NMS School Council Meeting on Wed, Jan. 21 at 3 PM in Media Center

2014-2015 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 3^rd Wednesday of each month, except where specified below – with our next meeting on Wednesday, January 21, 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 next meeting, Wednesday, January 21, 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.

2014 – 2015 NMS School Council Meetings

January 21, 2015

**February 25, 2015

March 18, 2015

April 15, 2015

May 21, 2015

June 17,2015

** All dates are the 3^rd Wednesday of each month – except where specified

December 2014 ROAR Award Winners

December 2014 ROAR Awards Handed Out

Last fall NMS, and specifically Mr. McLaughlin, began a new program, which recognizes student achievement each month.  The ROAR award is given by each cluster and Unified Arts to acknowledge students who have been Respectful, On-time,  (displaying a 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 December award winners received their certificates from Mr. McLaughlin in a brief ceremony on January 12.

The ROAR Award winners for November 2014 for each team were:

Grade 6 Challengers:  Tim Crowley

Grade 6 Adventurers:  Aiden Wagner

Grade 7 Explorers:  Tori Warner

Grade 7 Beacons:  Eric Baldwin

Grade 8 Apollos:  Katelyn Harrington

Grade 8 Comets:  Zachary Silvia
Unified Arts:  Jacob DeLuca (7th Grade)

Congratulations to all!  Thank you for all your efforts; you are ROARing to a sensational school year!

#APrincipalsDay, January 7, 2015

Storify of #APrincipalsDay

On Wednesday, January 7, 2015, EducationWeek asked principals across the country to take pictures and Tweet (through Twitter) their pictures of their day with the hashtag #APrincipalsDay.

As the day went on, I tried to tweet out many of the happenings that occurred for me.

It was a fun day; nothing too out of the normal.  I started at around 6:30 AM, coming in the dark cold and I left around 8:30 PM, leaving in the dark cold.

I am not telling you this to feel bad for me.  I am telling you because the tweets make a nice little story that I used this online software, Storify, to create a little slideshow of.

Being a principal isn't the easiest job in the world, and it most certainly is not the hardest.  I only went outside that day for a few minutest to grab my dinner; many people were outside working in those frigid temperatures.  So again, I am not posting this to have you feel sorry for me; I am just wanting to give you a glimpse of the life of a principal for one day, #APrincipalsDay.

I hope you enjoy it.

Superintendent's Coffee on Tuesday, January 27, at 6:30 PM at MHS Media Center

Coffee with Dr. Weiss

on Tuesday Evening, January 27,

at 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM

at MHS Media Center

On Tuesday evening, January 27, at 6:30 PM until 7:30 PM, at the Middleborough High School, our superintendent, Dr. Roseli Weiss will be on hand to chat about academic progress here in the district.

Please come and talk with the Superintendent to hear about how we are progressing as a district academically.

NMS 2015 Yearbook Sales Due By Jan.19, 2015

NMS 2015 Yearbook

Attention Parents! If you plan on ordering a 2014 NMS Yearbook for your child, please order online or mail your payment no later than January 19, 2015. 

To order online please Click Here or you may pick up an order form from Mrs. Walgreen in the NMS Media Center.

The cost of the yearbook is $22.00. Your child will not be guaranteed a yearbook unless ordered now. 

If you have any questions please email Mrs. Walgreen at dwalgreen@middleboro.k12.ma.us.

January NMS PTA Meeting on Wednesday, January 7, at 7 PM in NMS Media Center

January Meeting of the NMS PTA

The NMS PTA will hold its monthly meeting for January on Wednesday, January 7, in the NMS Media Center at 7 PM.

Please come and support NMS.

Hear from Mr. Geoghegan, and hear about all the great things NMS PTA does support all of our students year-round.

Visit the NMS PTA website as well:  NMS PTA Blog

Come meet this helpful group of parents, who are working hard to make sure the Nichols Middle School is a sensational experience for each and every student.

NMS PTA meets on the first Wednesday each month.

7 PM in the NMS Media Center on Wednesday, January 7!  Be There.