Movember 2016 Is Down to the Final Furry Five

2016 Movember Champion to be Decided from

The Furry Five Beards

The NMS Movember Competition has taken a new route to the Championship this year.

Instead of a Final Furry Four, the competition has been whittled down to the Final Furry Five by the hair on their chinny-chin-chin.

The Final Furry Five are the Teams of Mr. Candler, Mr. Donovan, Mr. Geoghegan, Mr. Minarovich, and Mr. Rothemich.  

We want to thank Mr. Brandon, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Perry, Mr. Jesman, Mr. Redpath, and Mr. Rader for putting up with the itchiness and competing for the cause.

The competition that is left is most certainly steep:

Mr. Candler is the returning Movember Champion.

Mr. Minarovich is in his third consecutive Movember Finals.

Mr. Rothemich is also in his third consecutive Movember Finals.

Mr. Donovan is the young gun attempting to take down the Champion.

And Mr. Geoghegan knows he is only in this Finals because he is the Principal (probably why the Furry Four is the Furry Five).

And he does get to pick his own Star's beard.  ;-)

No facial hairs have been hurt in this contest so far, but most of us can't wait to shave them off.

All money raised will go to cancer research based on the winner's choice.

Bring any spare change in on Wednesday, November 30th for the beard of your choice to decide on the NMS Movember 2016 Champion.

NMS Representing at Middleboro Holiday Parade

NMS Band & Builders Club in Parade

Mr. Scott Redpath and Mr. Will Candler had the NMS Builders' Club at the Middleborough Christmas Parade this past weekend.

Ms. Eliza Thornton and the NMS Marching Band also performed at the parade.

The NMS Builders Club's float ended up taking 3rd Place in the competition.  Congrats.

Thank you to all our NMS participants in the holiday tradition.

Please check out the pics of our NMS community members at the parade.

NMS School Council November Meeting, Wed 11/30 at 3PM in Media Center

2016-2017 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.

Over the past four years, our School Improvement Plan and School Council have been instrumental in helping us to change our bell schedule, adding back a second assistant principal, obtaining a consistent math program throughout the building, affecting change in all areas of our curricula, securing more technology to where we are now 1-to-1 with Chromebooks in every grade level, to just name a few.

We meet once a month on the 4th Wednesday of each month, except where specified below – with our next meeting this Wednesday, November 30, for about an hour, beginning at 3:00 PM and ending around 4 PM, in the NMS Media Center to discuss such items as our School Improvement Plan, parent involvement, how we are working with MCAS/PARCC 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 our next meeting, Wednesday, November 30, 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.

2016 – 2017 NMS School Council Meetings

November 30, 2016**

December 21, 2016**

January 25, 2017

February 15, 2017**

March 29, 2017**

April 26, 2017

May 24, 2017

** All dates are the 4th Wednesday of each month – except where specified

MHS Key Club Fundraiser & 2016 Eat to Heat

2 Fantastic Fundraisers at MHS to Support Our Middleborough Community

The Middleborough High School Key Club is selling Sachem folding chairs to raise funds for our annual "Eat to Heat" community dinner and our other service projects throughout the year. 

We are offering two designs which are selling for $30 each or $27 each if you purchase two or more.

Orders will arrive the first week of December in plenty of time for the holidays! 

They make excellent gifts for past sachems, future sachems, and your entire family of sachem supporters. 

Please email: nreynolds@middleboro.k12.ma.us to order. 

EAT TO HEAT

   

Please join us for our annual “Eat to Heat” community dinner.

When: Wednesday December 7, 2016

   5:00 or 6:30 seating

Where: Middleborough High School Cafeteria

Cost: $7 per ticket

Meal: Chicken Parmesan, Pasta, Salad, and Garlic Bread

All proceeds benefit local families in need of heating assistance.

Tickets are being sold first come, first served until sold out.

All proceeds will be donated to local families (through Middleborough Gas and Electric) who are in need of heating assistance this winter.  

As always, thank you for your support of our students and community! 

Dylan's Hot Wheels Cars for Cancer

Collecting Cars to Pay It Forward

At the Nichols Middle School, we are right now doing a bunch of "drives" for special causes.

This one is definitely one of them. We, at NMS, have had a special relationship with the Berio family for as many years as I have been here and we continue to work with the family.

We have just started a Matchbox Car/Hot Wheels toy car collection at NMS. It was started by one of our very own eighth grade students.

Here it is:

Hi, my name is Maddie Berio. I am a 8th grader here at NMS. My 8 year old cousin Dylan is battling cancer. He has been collecting Matchbox and Hot Wheel cars to bring up to the Jimmy Fund Clinic when he goes for his chemotherapy treatments to give to the kids. So far he has donated over 13,500 cars with the help of so many people around the United States since hearing about his Random Act of Kindness and Pay it Forward four years ago.

I am trying to help him continue his Random Act of Kindness and continue to Pay it Forward by having a Matchbox and Hotwheels car drive here at NMS. To help, bring in unopened brand new in the package Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars and drop them in the bin in the NMS office.  

Thank you for your support and helping bring some sunshine and smiles to the kids at the Jimmy Fund battling cancer.

Here is an article online about Dylan starting his Matchbox Collecting for Cancer.

Grade 8 Comets Team Visit to BSU

8th Grade Field Trip to Bridgewater State University

On Monday, November 14, 2016, our eighth grade Comets team visited Bridgewater State University (as our 8th Grade Apollos team did on November 7).  It was the brainchild of Ms. Cathy Kubek, Ms. Tricia Flaherty, and Ms. Nichole Flounders as we are into the third year of reading the nonfiction book, We Beat the Street about the three doctors and their struggle to make it from humble beginnings to live out their dreams and become doctors.

In the story, these doctors never keep their eyes off the prize of working hard, achieving all they want, working their way through school and college including medical school to do what some might have thought as impossible as they earn their degrees as doctors.

When discussing college with our eighth graders, Ms. Kubek and Ms. Flaherty noticed that not many of our students had ever been on a college campus, and so a field trip was planned.  Students got to walk around campus for a tour as if they would be in-coming freshmen next year.

What a sensational day of learning in action.

Thank you so much to all the faculty and staff who went on this trip as well as all the parent volunteer-chaperones.  Thank you to our NMS PTA who helped keep the price down for students by supplementing the transportation costs.  Thank you.

Please check out some of the pictures from the day as well as the students' own reflections on going on the tour and how they were influenced, inspired, and invigorated.

BSU field trip 

Amanda B.

On our BSU field trip yesterday, I liked how we got to experience and observe what college was really like for people. Everyone had their own schedule and their own plans, and I was intrigued by how independently they ran their lives. After I visited the college, I was inspired to go to a school that you can live in, because the campus had so much to offer. I loved how everyone knew what they were doing, and it made me feel like I would be ready to go to college tomorrow. After I go to high school, I can definitely see myself going to college. I don't know what I want to study or what school I want to go to, but I definitely have time to figure that out. Overall, I really enjoyed visiting BSU, and I can’t wait to visit more colleges in the future. 

Bridgewater State University

Joshua R.

From the moment I stepped out of the bus I could tell that BSU was a large campus. Students bustling, large buildings, and a lot of walking around. I liked the sense of community that not only the students, but everyone and everything provided around campus. I was intrigued mainly by the large buildings, halls, and suites on campus. The sense of community only grew as I learned that in the dorms you can live with up to three other people. I was inspired by the science and math building as that is what I want to do in the future. It looked like a great place to be, everyone seemed so happy. When I graduate high school I can see myself at this college as a science major studying to become a geneticist. There was only one thing that bothered me there, it costed 20,000 dollars a year to stay there and that was 80,000 for 4 years of college. I wonder how anyone can afford that. But all that is really important, is the learning and happiness everyone is having there and I can’t wait to join them in the future.

                                      

BSU Field Trip

Gabrielle L.

I thought the BSU field trip was fun. I liked how the tour guide talked about each building and what goes on inside. I thought it was cool that they had so much freedom, and free time. I also like how not everyone has the same classes, and not everyone is in class at the same time. When I graduate high school, I want to go to college and become a nurse. I also would like to go to college in the city.

BSU Trip

Jacob G.

During the BSU trip I liked that the tour guide was very willing to answer all the questions we asked. What intrigued me was all the different class options as well as how the classrooms were. The classrooms were smaller and less like lecture halls which I personally like. What also intrigued me was all the jobs options that they had to make money on campus. What inspired me was the science and math building. Mostly that inspired me because I would like to be a wildlife biologist. After highschool I plan to go to college and get my undergraduate degree in biology. Then I plan on getting my masters in wildlife biology and focus on studying bears.  I also plan on getting my Phd in wildlife biology and a job in wildlife biology.

BSU Trip

Megan M.

During the tour of BSU I enjoyed many things that I heard and saw at the college. One thing was that the students got to pick their schedule. You could decide when you have breaks and when you have classes. I also liked how they had many common areas where all the students could sit and study or just relax.  The school seemed big with many classes/courses you could take. The students at the school could get multiple jobs on the college campus so they can afford things. This also seemed very helpful for the students so they didn't have to go far for their jobs and rush back for classes. After high school I've always seen myself going to college to further my education. BSU has made me more excited to go to college and scared to have to pay the tuition.

BSU Trip

Margaret D.

I enjoyed the trip to BSU. I’m very excited to go to college someday and the trip definitely sparked an interest in me. Hopefully I can work hard and get there someday, whether I go to BSU or a college across the country. After high school I can see myself at college or studying abroad, something I have always dreamed of doing. I was intrigued by all of the different courses and extracurricular activities that are offered at the school and how many different facilities there were. I also thought that the dining halls were really cool, but what really interested me was the freedom each student gets. The tour guide talked about how important time management is and how you could only have 15 hours of school, giving the students a lot of free time. I am very excited for college after this trip. 

BSU Trip

Kevin V.

I thought the trip was informational and inspiring. I liked how most of the kids were working together and sitting together to get things done.They were all motivated to get their work done. I liked how there was a Dunkin Donuts on campus as well as other places to eat throughout the day. Another thing I thought was interesting was how the campus was set up and they had emergency services phone to contact the police department or care center that’s on campus. Also I liked how there were different places to do different activities and even if you weren’t on the team for that activity you could still participate in it. Another thing I liked was how they picked who is in your room with you. My visit at BSU inspired me to maybe go to college one day.

BSU Trip

Jenna F.

What I liked about Bridgewater State University is that you can easily choose what class you want and when you go to it. There are jobs on the campus so you don’t have to drive to your job like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. They had many choices in academics. Plus there are great places to take a break and do your work to relax. What inspired me was when I’m older is to always keep my grades up and try hard in school no matter what. When I graduate high school I see myself working with animals because of my empathy and kindness. That is what I thought about the trip to Bridgewater State University.