2017-2018 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 some of 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:
Over the past five 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 being a 1-to-1 Chromebook school, getting more student recognition to be a priority for us as a school, to name just a few.
The law outlines four major areas of responsibility for councils. School councils are to assist principals in:
- Adopting educational goals for the school that are consistent with local educational policies and statewide student performance standards;
- Identifying the educational needs of students attending the school;
- Reviewing the annual school building budget; and
- Formulating a school improvement plan.
Over the past five 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 being a 1-to-1 Chromebook school, getting more student recognition to be a priority for us as a school, to name just a few.
We meet once a month on the 4th Wednesday of each month, except where specified below – with our next meeting happening on Wednesday, October 18, 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 data, what we are doing to improve teaching and learning, different curricular ideas, courses, etc. In all, the group is not so much similar to the “PTA” in improving the school through fundraising; it is more a group of community members 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, October 18, 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.
2017 – 2018 NMS School Council Meetings
October 18, 2017**
November 29, 2017**
December 20, 2017**
January 24, 2018
February 28, 2018**
March 28, 2018**
April 25, 2018
May 23, 2018
** All dates are the 4th Wednesday of each month – except where specified
