Monday, February 29, 2016

NMS's Take on "The Classroom of the Future"



NMS 8th Grade Students Go To Harvard

On Friday, January 22, a few of our 8th Students from the Apollos Team went to the LearnLaunch Educational Technology Conference at Harvard University with Mr. Redpath, NMS Science Department Leader, and Mr. Geoghegan.




The students: Aiden Gallagher, Aiden Croke, Matt Mokeler, Colby Little, Domenic Langton, and A.J. Wood, all wanted to present what their view of the future should look like for the classroom.

The Classroom of the Future was a session, where the students presented their vision and then had to talk with conference goers about their vision.  Here is the description of the event:  LearnLaunch is excited to introduce The Classroom of the Future! Sixteen teachers and student teams stepped forward to showcase emerging models of teaching and learning for the future. Classroom of the Future uniquely presents the voice of students and enables diverse groups – entrepreneurs, investors, policy makers – to see applications of edtech in real learning environments. We hope it will inspire you. At the same time, we all recognize there is still a long way to go to ensure all students have access to effective, cutting-edge educational technology that enables personalized learning.

Students from all over the country applied, and NMS was one project that was selected.  The description of NMS's project:  V.I.C.T.O.R.-E is below:

V.I.C.T.O.R.-E Classroom of the Future John T. Nichols Jr., Middle School – Middleborough, MA Lead Teacher: Scott Redpath

"We envision V.I.C.T.O.R.-E Classroom of the Future, which stands for Virtual Innovative Classroom Technology for Open-curriculum Education. It combines a state-of-the-art physical space that is adaptable for multiple uses including several types of vocational shops or “maker-spaces” such as electrical, rapid-prototyping, carpentry, metal working, CAD/CAM, research space, small group work spaces and most importantly a virtual, holographic learning space. It incorporates this “holo-deck” type space so students can participate in a virtually immersive environment of classrooms around the world, or participate in fully immersive 3D virtual field trips. Student will also take advantage of an “ala-carte” open-curriculum menu of class choices that are offered from schools around the world. We envision these classes to be more specific and focused on a student’s particular interests and demonstrated talents. Examples of class offerings could be: Math for Carpentry, Chemistry for Culinary Arts, Earth Science of the Grand Canyon, Literary features in Graphic Novels, History of the Pyramids, Violin with the Boston Pops, Renaissance Art in Venice, and Engineering for Theatrical Entertainment."

Students then presented to the MPS School Committee on Thursday, February 4, which they did a fabulous job doing.

Below are the students' slides and then pictures from the day at Harvard and from the School Committee Meeting.

Awesome job, TIGERS!  You are what we want to be in the future.





CHECK OUT THEIR GOOGLE SLIDE SHOW HERE AS IT PLAYS ...






























Much Fun Had at the 2016 NMS Winter Carnival


Winter Carnival Fun

Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade Students shared some fun at the NMS PTA-Sponsored Winter Carnival on Friday, February 26, after-school.

Whether students were playing Dodgeball in the Gym ...


Dancing to the DJ in the cafe ...



Buying concessions in the cafe ...




Or playing "Minute to Win It" games ...







Or making 3D Snowflakes ...





Or trying to win the Candy Cake Walk with their friends ...



Or getting Henna tattoos ...



Just overall having a good time ...












Much fun was had.

Thank you so much ...
                                     to the PTA for hosting;
                                     to Ms. Rose Borges for organizing;
                                     to Ms. Babin & Dr. Gates for photos;
                                     to the NMS faculty and staff for helping;
                                     to Mr. Rothemich and Ms. Hudson &
                                            the NMS StuCo for helping to 
                                            organize;
                                     and to all or our NMS parents & 
                                            community members who made this
                                            event possible.



Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Don't Forget to Buy Your 2016 NMS Yearbook

Buy Your Yearbook Weblink.png





ORDER YOUR 2016 NMS YEARBOOK NOW!

Don’t miss out!
It’s time to purchase the 2016 NMS Yearbook.
Hard cover, 60 pages, all color.
Save $$$ if you order early.


If you order now $22
After May 2, $25

If you don’t order, risk possibility of not getting a yearbook. :(




Questions, please contact Ms. Debbie Walgreen, our NMS Yearbook Advisor at dwalgreen@middleboro.k12.ma.us

Monday, February 22, 2016

ROAR Award Winners Posted for December 2015 & January 2016

December 2015 & January 2016 ROAR Awards Handed Out*


* Sorry for the late posting.

A couple of years ago, NMS 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.

This year we have also connected the ROAR program with our TIGERS culture-building protocol.  We are specifically looking for students who are Trustworthy, have Integrity, are Generous, are Empathetic, are Responsible, and show Strength. 

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 Main Office for the month.

The December and January award winners received their certificates from Mr. Geoghegan, Ms. Rae, and Mr. Thomas in a brief ceremony.


The ROAR Award winners for December 2015 for each team were:

Grade 6 Adventurers:  Robert McNaughton
Grade 6 Challengers:  Owen Kidd
Grade 7 Explorers:  Jasen Nunes
Grade 7 Beacons:  Justin Plausky
Grade 8 Apollos:  Lauren Harrington
Grade 8 Comets:  Mariah Cobbs
Unified Arts:  Neil Wells, Jr. (6th Grade)


The ROAR Award winners for January 2016 for each team were:

Grade 6 Adventurers:  Amber Boivin
Grade 6 Challengers:  Julie Mulloy
Grade 7 Explorers:  Sophia Rodriguez
Grade 7 Beacons:  Camryn Morano
Grade 8 Apollos:  Nathan Curpenski
Grade 8 Comets:  Madison Osbourne
Unified Arts:  Emily Kelliher (8th Grade)

Congratulations to all!  Thank you for all your efforts; you are ROARing as you continue to have an excellent school year!

NMS 2016 STEM Fair -- Open to All!



Nichols Middle School
2016 STEM Fair


We want YOU, Future Scientists!


Dear Students and Parents,

The 60th annual Middleboro S.T.E.M Fair (formerly the Science Fair) will be held on Wednesday March 16th at the John T.  Nichols Middle School.  Participation is now voluntary and is open to all students’ grades 6-8. NMS science teachers will be available to guide and assist any student who is interested in participating.

There are four categories of projects: ILLUSTRATIVE, ENGINEERING/DESIGN, EXPERIMENTAL, and PLANT SCIENCE. 

Illustrative/Research projects answer a scientific question or process through research and illustration.  For example: the life cycle of a butterfly; how do bees make honey; our solar system; how the human circulatory system works.  

Inventions (Engineering Design/Technology Build) are solutions to problems that were developed using the steps of the Engineering Design Process.

Controlled Experiment projects prove a theory through the use of the scientific method (question, hypothesis, experiment to collect data, conclusion). 

Plant Science Controlled Experiment projects prove a theory related to plant growth and agriculture. This is a special category sponsored by the Williams Trading Post.

You should register your child NOW. It is important that you register soon.  We need to know who will be participating so we can order tables and medals. We also need a count of students so we can begin to know how many judges we will need the day of the fair.  

A web site has been set up with additional information: http://nicholsmiddleschool.oursciencefair.com/SchoolHome.aspx

Please see your science teacher to get the proposal/outline which is necessary to complete in order to indicate your desire to participate in this year’s science fair.  Return it as soon as possible to your science teacher. Contact your child’s science teacher with any questions. 

Please note:  no live animals, peanut products, hazardous materials or flames are allowed at the fair.  We hope you encourage your children to pursue science in this fun and exciting hands-on way! A cash prize and trophy will be given to the first place winners in each category. Trophies will be given for 2nd and 3rd place finishers, and every child who participates will receive recognition for their hard work.  We look forward to seeing you there!


Thank you,

John T. Nichols Middle School Science and Technology Department