NMS PTA Teacher Appreciation Luncheon ... Thank You.

Thank You in Return for Our NMS PTA Teacher Appreciation Luncheon

May is Teacher Appreciation Month, and on Thursday, May 28, the NMS PTA kindly hosted an appreciation luncheon for the NMS faculty and staff.

It was beyond well-done and incredibly tasty.

The Nichols Middle School faculty and staff most definitely felt appreciated and want to thank everyone from the NMS PTA who organized, donated, and volunteered for this event.

Thank you all.

Parent Donations
Rose Borges
Joanne Babin
Kathy Cogan
Teresa Farley
Jen Calogero
Tara Rose
Kerri McCarthy
Kim Mulgrew
Keri Nee
Kathy Melchin
Michelle Mills
Michelle Donohoe
Kristen Letendre
Lisa White
Tobey Eugenio
Lori Mederios
Lori MacDonald
Patty Delaney
Dana Trottier
Judy Cochrane
Andrea Almodovar
Anne Peddie
Ann-Marie Chrieten
Amy Brown
Anna Filiatreault
Mary Barry-Belanger

NMS Transition Meeting for Incoming 6th Grade Parents on Wed June 3 at 6 PM in HBB Auditorium

John T. Nichols, Jr. Middle School

Transition Meeting

for

Incoming 6^th Grade Parents

Wednesday, June 3, at 6 PM

In the HBB Auditorium

Come ask Mr. Geoghegan, NMS Principal, any and all questions you may have about NMS and the Sixth Grade.

* All 5^th Grade Students will be visiting NMS on Tuesday, June 9, where their questions will be answered.

This meeting is for all 5^th Grade Parents/Guardians to help in answering your questions.

Reminder: Safe Routes to School Survey -- Please Complete by May 31

Safe Routes to School Survey

The following letter was sent home with all students on Monday, May 18.  Please help us by filling out this short, simple, and quick survey.

Any questions, please let me know.  Thanks. 

May 15, 2015

Dear Parent or Guardian:

The John T. Nichols, Jr. Middle School is eager to announce its recent partnership with Massachusetts Safe Routes to School (SRTS).  SRTS is a federally funded initiative through the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.  Over 660 elementary and middle schools throughout the Commonwealth participate in this initiative with the goal of encouraging students to walk and bike to school safely.

Our first step in this new partnership is to assess walking conditions to and from the John T. Nichols Middle School.  The survey is online and will take less than 3 minutes to complete.  The site is:  http://masaferoutessurvey.org and then there are two drop-down items where you select Middleborough for school district and then our school, John T. Nichols, Jr. Middle School.

I have also attached a hardcopy version of the parent survey, provided through SRTS.  This survey will allow us to understand how each student gets to and from school, in order to plan safe and healthy transportation options for all students.

Please take a moment to fill out this voluntary survey as we work together to increase the safety, health, and physical activity of all of our students.  Surveys can be filled out electronically or on the attached hard copy, to be returned to me in the Main Office by May 31^st, 2015.

Any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know.

Thank you,

 Martin R. Geoghegan

NMS Talent Show 2015

The Results Are In ... NMS Has Great Talent.

On Wednesday, May 20, evening Ms. Sally Weaver orchestrated our 2015 NMS Talent Show, and it did not disappoint.

There were 20 sensational acts, and the judges of Ms. Jen Healy, Ms. Meghan Adams, and Ms. Taylor Dyer had the very difficult task of deciding on winners.

All student acts showed immense talent but the following were the winners in selected categories.

Ms. Weaver would like to thank all student performers for you all were incredible to put yourselves out there.

Also, Lily Nee and Andrea Harris as superb hosts introducing each act.

Rebecca Knight did a great job as stage hand.

Ms. Mayeski helped out back stage and even tried her hand performing well on stage.  Mr. Redpath helped with tickets, and Mr. Pelletier and his students took care of the video-taping.

Mr. Brandon, Ms. Buron, Ms. Ciulla, Ms. Conant, Ms. DiSpina, Ms. Enos, Mr. McLaughlin, Ms. Rich, and Ms. Tucker were all on-hand to cheer on our students.

2015 NMS Talent Show Winners

Vocal Partners Division
1st Place:  Connor Harrington, Joe Escolas, and Matt Kelliher
2nd:  Lauren Harrington, Katerina LaCroix, and Michelle Green

Vocal Single Division
1st:  Ella Ferrigno
2nd:  Meaghan Doherty
3rd:  Margaret Phillie

Non-Vocal Single
1st:  Meghan Holdsworth
2nd:  Mia Bennett
3rd:  Skyla Carrasquillo

Non-Vocal Partners
1st:  Glow Stick Dance -- Tristen Gomes, Matt Farley, Meghan LaBree, Jaida Cochran, Alexis Vanderzyde, and Shaelyn Gallagher
2nd:  Savannah Davis and Sophia Rodriguez

Most Original
Devon Avilla

Grand Prize Winner:  Carissa Chane

Awesome job, all. Thank you for shining bright for NMS!

Trimester 3 Progress Reports Go Home Friday, May 22

Third (and Final) Trimester Progress Reports

Progress Reports for Trimester 3 will be issued this afternoon, Friday, May 22.  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 Tuesday, May 26.

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 of the trimester and finish strong.  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 trimester.

There aren't many days left, so we have to, have to, have to FINISH STRONG.

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 and to the right of this page, please check it out to stay updated.

Thank you and have a great holiday weekend.

GO GRAY IN MAY!

Wear Your Gray on Thursday, May 28

GO GRAY IN MAY!

May is Brain Tumor Awareness month. Show your support and wear gray to school on Thursday, May 28, 2015. Thank you for supporting Brain Tumor Awareness Month.

If you would like to make a donation, we will be collecting for this worthy cause on Thursday, May 28. 

Reminder: NMS School Council Meeting on Wednesday, May 20 at 3 PM in Media Center

NMS School Council Meeting on Wednesday, May 20 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, May 20, 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, May 20, 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.


This is the last meeting of this current school year, but we will be looking for parents to be members of next year's School Council.  Please think about it and contact me for any information.

Grade 8 Science, Tech & Engineering MCAS Tue 5/19 & Wed 5/20

Grade 8 STE MCAS Tuesday, May 19

& Wednesday, May 20 

This afternoon I will send home an Alert-Now to our 8th Grade Parents and Guardians about our 8th Grade Students will complete the Science, Technology, and Engineering (STE) portion of the MCAS test Tuesday and Wednesday, May 19 and 20.  

I remind parents to please try to make sure your child gets a good night sleep and something to eat for breakfast during these days.  We will be providing a water to all students, but they are also encouraged to bring in a water bottle.  

Please remind your child to do their best, take their time, and show how well we know they can do.

Thank you,

M. R. Geoghegan

NMS STEM Carnival = A Great Success

NMS PTA STEM Carnival Delights

On Friday afternoon, May 15, students from all three grades participated in our 1st NMS PTA STEM Carnival.

The NMS PTA and Faculty put on a sensational event for students from all three grades.

Ms. Mayeski, our STEM teacher, worked with Ms. Rose Borges, our NMS PTA President and Ms. Tobey Eugenio, STEM fanatic and NMS parent.

Teachers from all over the building helped out in supporting this fun event for our students:  Ms. Weaver, Ms. Marino, Mr. Redpath, Ms. Kuhn, Ms. Delano, Mr. Minarovich, Ms. Dyer, Ms. Medeiros, Ms. Anderson, Ms. Falconer, Mr. Pelletier, Mr. Perry, Ms. DiSpina, Ms. Tucker, Mr. Malcolm, and Mr. McLaughlin.

Parents manned stations and helped our students every corner you turned.

There were fantastic science stations all over the building.  It was a fabulous event for all.  Thank you to all who participated.

Safe Routes to School Survey -- Please Complete by May 31

Safe Routes to School Survey

The following letter will sent home with all students on Monday, May 18.  Please help us by filling out this short, simple, and quick survey.

Any questions, please let me know.  Thanks. 

May 15, 2015

Dear Parent or Guardian:

The John T. Nichols, Jr. Middle School is eager to announce its recent partnership with Massachusetts Safe Routes to School (SRTS).  SRTS is a federally funded initiative through the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.  Over 660 elementary and middle schools throughout the Commonwealth participate in this initiative with the goal of encouraging students to walk and bike to school safely.

Our first step in this new partnership is to assess walking conditions to and from the John T. Nichols Middle School.  The survey is online and will take less than 3 minutes to complete.  The site is:  http://masaferoutessurvey.org and then there are two drop-down items where you select Middleborough for school district and then our school, John T. Nichols, Jr. Middle School.

I have also attached a hardcopy version of the parent survey, provided through SRTS.  This survey will allow us to understand how each student gets to and from school, in order to plan safe and healthy transportation options for all students.

Please take a moment to fill out this voluntary survey as we work together to increase the safety, health, and physical activity of all of our students.  Surveys can be filled out electronically or on the attached hard copy, to be returned to me in the Main Office by May 31^st, 2015.

Any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know.

Thank you,

 Martin R. Geoghegan

Information on the Cranberry Country PMC Kids Ride

Please Join for the Inaugural

The Cranberry Country PMC Kids Ride

Event Details

• Where: Oak Point (200 Oak Point Drive, Middleborough, MA 02346)
• Date: Sunday, May 31st, 2015
• Time: 9:00am-1:00pm
• Rider Ages: 3 - 16
• Registration Fee: 
• $15 online/in advance  http://www.kids.pmc.org/cranberrycountry.aspx
• $20 on-site/day of event
• Fundraising:
• Required Minimum: $25
• Suggested Minimum: $50
• Contact: Bill Goldsmith (click to contact)

Welcome to The Cranberry Country PMC Kids Ride

9:00 am - 9:45 am Registration and Check In
10:00 am - 10:15 am Ride Line Up and Opening Ceremonies
10:15 am Ride Start for Tyke Loop and Advanced Kids Loop
10:30 am Ride Start for Big Kids Loop
11:30 am All rides finish
11:30 am - 1:00 pm Post Ride Party

This will be the inaugural Cranberry Country PMC Kids Ride. Just like the adult PMC ride held the first weekend in August of each year, our Kids Ride will raise money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI). And, just like the adult ride, 100% of all rider-raised donations will go straight to the Jimmy Fund and used to support cancer research, patient care and families of treated patients.

The Cranberry Country PMC Kids Ride is a way for children to become involved in philanthropy and community activities at an early age while learning the valuable lesson of how good it feels to do something that benefits others. At the same time, the ride promotes a healthy and active lifestyle.

In order to participate, each rider must meet a minimum fundraising requirement of $25.Riders can become Heavy Hitters by raising at least $250 in charitable donations or Breakaway Fundraisers by raising at least $750. Riders who reach Heavy Hitter level will receive special recognition and a PMC Kids Ride sack pack. Riders who reach Breakaway Fundraiser level will receive special recognition and a New Balance PMC Kids Ride backpack!

Riders ages 3 to 16 will be able to participate. We have three different route options to meet anyone's needs!

Tykes Loop:A small course located in the parking lot at Oak Point for tricycles, big wheels and our youngest riders.

Big Kids Loop:A 1.6 mile loop for older children on 2 wheels and 2 wheels with training wheels.

Advanced Loop: A continuation of the Big Kids Loop for more advanced riders and 2.8 miles in length.

***While there will be a time limit for the actual ride, there is no minimum or maximum distance. Riders are encouraged to ride for as long as they feel comfortable and are enjoying themselves.

We also encourage older children (ages 14 and up) who are not interested in riding to act as volunteers during the ride. There will be adult volunteers involved in every aspect of the event.

There will be entertainment during the event to include two bouncy houses (to separate older and younger children), a WROR Street Team providing music, actors portraying Minions (from Despicable Me) and face painting.

The ride will take place rain or shine - only a thunderstorm will cause a cancellation.

Please make sure to bring a proper fitting helmet for each rider.

http://www.kids.pmc.org/cranberrycountry.aspx

Reminder: Bring in Your $5 & Permission Slip for STEM Carnival for Fri 5/15 2:30-5 PM

Nichols Middle School & NMS Parent-Teacher Association Proudly Present The 1st Annual STEM Carnival Friday, May 15th from 2:30-5:00PM Refreshments will be available for purchase Featuring… Come and be dazzled and entertained while interacting with Mad Scientists!  Foggy dry ice storms, giant beach balls floating in the air and even a special Mad Science “burp” potion will amaze you as you learn about the scientific method, air pressure and the states of matter.   Participate in our fantastic discovery stations throughout the school and earn a chance to be entered into a drawing for a  Google tablet! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I hereby grant permission for my student (name)_______________________________to stay at Nichols MS after school to participate in the STEM event (parent signature)________________________________________. I have paid the $5 admission fee to attend ________.

Any questions, please contact cmayeski@middleboro.k12.ma.us

Math MCAS for 6th & 7th Grade on Thursday, May 14, and Friday, May 15

Math MCAS for 6th & 7th Grade on Thursday, May 14, and Friday, May 15

This evening I sent home an Alert-Now to our 6th and 7th Grade Parents and Guardians about our Math MCAS testing for tomorrow, Thursday, May 14 and Friday, May 15.  All 6th and 7th grade students will take the first session of Math MCAS, tomorrow, and then finish up the second math session on Friday, May 15.  

I remind parents to please try to make sure your child gets a good night sleep and something to eat for breakfast during these days.  We will be providing a water to all students, but they are also encouraged to bring in a water bottle.  

Please remind your child to do their best, take their time, and show how well we know they can do.

Thank you,

M. R. Geoghegan