NMS Winter Carnival -- This Fri 2/26

TICKETS WILL BE SOLD ALL WEEK IN LUNCHES.

Join us for our 4th Annual

*Winter Carnival*

Friday February 26th, 2:30-5:00PM

Featuring…

Animal World Experience (Shows at 3 and 4pm)

http://animalworldexperience.com

and more!

Henna Tattoos, Photo Booth, dodgeball, arts and crafts, basketball,  Karaoke and Minute to Win it games and music.

Refreshments will be available for an additional charge.  

Permission slip is your ticket- just $5 admission.

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I hereby grant permission for my student (name)_______________________________to stay at Nichols MS after school to participate in the Winter Carnival (parent signature)________________________________________.

I have paid the $5 admission fee to attend ________.  

NMS School Council Meeting on Tue 2/23 at 3 PM in Media Center

NMS School Council February Meeting, Moved to Tuesday, 2/23 at 3PM in Media Center

2015-2016 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 4th Wednesday of each month, except where specified below – with our next meeting on Tuesday, February 23, 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.

This month's meeting we are having at 3 PM time spot to then rotate each month between 3 and 7 PM, to hope to see if we can get more participation.  We will be discussing topics that will form our School Improvement Plan for 2016-2017.

This month's meeting is moved to a Tuesday, for I needed to move it for my participation at a conference.

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 our next meeting, Tuesday, February 23, 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.

2015 – 2016 NMS School Council Meetings

** February 23, 2016

March 23, 2016

April 27, 2016

May 25, 2016

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

Winter News from the NMS Media Center

From the Media Center

Winter News 2016

Mrs. Walgreen

Library Ext. 3599

Voice Mail 3600

Free Resources

Middleborough Public Library (www.midlib.org)

Click on Online Resources tab.

Newspapers (www.newenglandnie.com)

Click on desired newspaper then E-paper

Login: ENIE61

Password: ENIE61

Boston Herald Smart Edition

(http://bostonheraldnie.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx)

Login: student@nichols.com

password: education1

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eBooks

    

Find on MPS website under Quick Links or click on the graphics above.

Students may learn more about these resources during DIAL or after school.

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DIAL. Students can come into the Media Center during their DIAL periods. The library will accommodate up to 30 students (15 per team). The Media Center will be closed though for DIAL if Ms. Walgreen is absent.

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Something to share with your students

Because our students are so media driven I attached a link from the website Common Sense Media.

“13 Books to Read Before They're Movies in 2016”

Take a look at this web page --> https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/13-books-to-read-before-theyre-movies-in-2016?utm_source=010816+Parent+Default

It contains information about the movie’s targeted audience and when the movie hits the theaters. Also, some of the titles featured in this article may be checked out from our library.

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And finally, Does this look familiar?

Readbox for the Media Center

Dr. Melanie Gates shared this with me on Twitter. She suggested finding students to make this a project for the Media Center. I think it’s a creative way to get to some of our reluctant readers, and I have plenty of books on the library shelves that were movies. Let me know if you have any students in mind who would like to take this on.

I love the sign “Free Book Rentals with your Library Card”

Have a great day!

Mrs. Walgreen
dwalgreen@middleboro.k12.ma.us

Tori Warner -- Middleborough's 2016 Project 351 Representative

On Thursday, February 4, Tori Warner Presented to School Committee

Tori Warner, Nichols Middle School 8th grade student, presented her experience from Project 351 at the MPS School Committee Meeting from Thursday, February 4.

Tori presenting so calmly to the School Committee.

Project 351 celebrates the power of young people as a force for positive change in their communities and our Commonwealth. Through service, leadership development, enrichment, and friendship with a statewide community of peers, Ambassadors build skills and confidence, explore issues, embrace leadership, and motivate a lifetime of service.

Project 351's programmatic focus is to inspire, enrich, and enable the service leadership and civic engagement of our 8^th grade Ambassadors.  The Ambassador term spans a calendar year and includes four cornerstone platforms for development.  Launch Celebration & Service Day in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at Faneuil Hall and Massachusetts State House; Leadership Reunion for skills development and service learning; and two statewide service days -- Spring Greening with Cradles to Crayons and Fall Service supporting local food banks across the state.

We as a Nichols' faculty voted who would be the best 8th grade student to represent the Town of Middleborough at this day of service and though we had many worthy students, Tori was voted to be our representative.

When Tori spoke about her involvement with Project 351 to the School Committee, she talked about her experience, with such enthusiasm, and highlighted how honored she was to be chosen.  Tori will continue her volunteer work throughout the rest of the year as she will try to help with Cradles to Crayons, and I am sure she will continue to be selfless throughout her life.

Congrats, Tori, for representing us so well not only during your Project 351 Day of Service, or at the School Committee Meeting, but each day as a great Nichols TIGER.

Tori with her mom at the School Committee Meeting.

NMS Student Makes It National

Jenna Freitas Featured in National Magazine

Seventh Grade NMS Student Jenna Freitas has been featured in the March 2016 issue of Woman's Day magazine.

She is in "The Kindness Project" section of the issue.  

As her mother described, "Jenna, has a remarkable compassion for serving others. Last year, she spent tireless months training our 5-year old shih tzu/bichon frise mix, Maddie, to become an AKC (American Kennel Club) certified K-9 good citizen.  

Once certified, she started volunteering at a local nursing home.  She and Maddie entertain up to 30 senior citizens each month.  In addition to a well-mannered dog, Jenna has trained Maddie to sit, stay, leave it, dance, jump through multiple hula-hoops, roll over, spin, high-five and bark on command.  Right now, Jenna is working on the “play dead” trick with Maddie.  

Jenna's commitment and passion is inspirational.  We are all so thankful for the beautiful gift she selflessly gives to others."

Thank you, Jenna, for being a symbol of what being a TIGER in our community is all about, and thank you, Mrs. Freitas, for making sure we can share Jenna's story with our NMS community.

Great job.

#APrincipalsDay, February 9, 2016

Storify of #APrincipalsDay

On Tuesday, February 9, 2016, EducationWeek asked principals across the country to take pictures and Tweet (through Twitter) their pictures of their day with the hashtag #APrincipalsDay, as they (and I) had done the year before on January 7, 2015.

As the day went on, I tried to tweet out as many of my experiences as I could put in pictures and tweets.

The day, though, was a little bit different than my typical day, so unlike last January, I had some very different experiences.  

I did wake up at 5:01 AM, as I typically do.  Got dressed and ready to go to school.

Then got outside to shovel my driveway, as we had had two snow days prior to Tuesday.

I did though get on the road and have a safe ride to Middleborough, arriving around my typical 6:30 AM.

My day proceeded as normal, answering emails, tweeting announcements, greeting students as they entered, to then get myself into some classes for observing.

I then headed to Malden to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for I had been selected as a Principal to represent a guiding committee for the new MCAS2.0 assessment when it comes out next spring.

After that meeting, I was able to sneak in a few quick class observations, answer some emails, make some calls, to then drive home, shovel some more, answer some more emails, help my own son with his homework, and then get ready to run a Twitter chat, called #MSSAAchat for Massachusetts Secondary Schools' Principals and Assistant Principals on Best Practices as Administrators, which I run every second Tuesday of each month.

I finished the chat around 9:20 PM, to then kiss my boys good night, and take a breath.

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 most difficult.  Many people were outside working in the snow and cold temperatures yesterday (and everyday).  So again, I am not posting this to have anyone feel sorry for me; I am just wanting to give you a small glimpse of the life of a principal for one day, #APrincipalsDay, on Tuesday, February 9.

I hope you enjoy it.

NMS PTA February Meeting on Wed 2/10 at 7 PM in Media Center

NMS PTA February Meeting

The NMS PTA will hold its February meeting on Wednesday,

February 10, 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 to 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.

7 PM in the NMS Media Center on Wednesday, February 10!  Be There.