Our students and teachers completed the first week of state testing. I am very proud of our students for trying their best on these assessments. Next week we have the math assessments for all students, and our 8th grade students also have science and social studies.

A quick update on one of our front office procedures. When parents/guardians want to make changes or additions to the approved guardians for their students, we need at least 24 hours notice before that change becomes official in Infinite Campus. We cannot honor requests to add an approved guardian the same day you need them to pick up your student(s).

I hope all of our families have a wonderful weekend. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to email me at petersonj1@fultonschools.org.

I can't wait to see our students again on Monday!

• Friday, April 28 - Music Department 7th Grade Carowinds Trip
  
• Tuesday, May 9 - May PTO Meeting
• Tuesday, May 9 - Jr. Beta Induction Ceremony (6:30pm)
• Thursday, May 11 - Chorus Spring Concert (7:00pm)
• Tuesday, May 16 - Band Spring Concert (6:30pm)
• Thursday, May 18 - Orchestra Spring Concert (7:00pm)

• Friday, May 12 - 8th Grade Dance (7:00-9:00 pm)
• Friday, May 19 - 8th Grade Block Party (6:00-7:30 pm)
• Monday, May 22 - Monday Funday (All grade levels)
• Wednesday, May 24 - 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony at Milton HS gymnasium (2:00 pm)

8th grade specific communication with more event details will be shared on Friday, May 5.

• Friday, July 28 - 6th Grade Locker Day (12:30-2:30 pm)
• Thursday, August 3 - Information Day (12:00-3:00 pm)
  
• Friday, August 4 - School Open For All Students (12:30-2:30 pm)

More information will be shared in June & July newsletters!

Six Bridges is hosting a Spirit Night for our school on Wednesday, May 3 starting at 5:30 pm. Music Bingo starts at 6:30. NMS will receive $1.00 from every beverage purchased (come thirsty!) and all proceeds from Music Bingo ($2.00 per entry).

The Music Bingo theme is Movie Songs. Bring the entire family, eat, play bingo, and support Northwestern Middle School!

We will follow a modified bell schedule on testing dates, with the exception of the Algebra I date. Please be sure to have your student(s) charge their school issued device each night. We need our students to arrive early enough on these dates to be in their assigned testing location by 8:55 am.

Monday, May 1 - Math Part 1 (6th-8th grade)

Tuesday, May 2 - Math Part 2 (6th-8th grade)

Thursday, May 4 - Science & Physical Science (8th grade only)

Friday, May 5 - Social Studies (8th grade only)

Our school is scheduled to be painted this summer. We are very excited to have a fresh coat of paint in all classrooms and common spaces before next school year. This project will require our staff to prepare their classrooms and office spaces prior to the painters arrival.

If you have any cardboard boxes that can be donated to the school, we can use these to box up items in classrooms & offices. We will take as many boxes as you can donate and all sizes are appreciated. Boxes can be dropped off in the front office by students or parents/guardians starting Monday, April 17 and until the end of the school year. Packing tape donations are also appreciated.

Thank you!!

NMS Spring Carnival Volunteers & Donations Needed

The Spring Carnival will be held Monday, May 22 and each grade has a specific time slot to participate: 6thfrom 9am-10:45am, 7th from 10:45am-12:30pm, & 8th from 2:15pm-4pm. We need A LOT of volunteers to run event stations (instructions will be provided) to make the day fun & run smoothly for students. Volunteers will need to complete the FCS short volunteer registration by May 19. https://www.fultonschools.org/volunteer

Sign up to help here: https://northwesternpto.membershiptoolkit.com/volunteer/106841

We need large quantities of snacks & beverages so the kids stay hydrated and safe in the heat, plus shade tents & coolers (these will be returned to you). Please drop off all donations by May 17th at 4pm. Help with set up & clean-up is also needed.

Sign up to donate items here: https://northwesternpto.membershiptoolkit.com/volunteer/106825

Thank you for helping us make this a special and fun end of year event for our students! Questions? Contact Victoria Tucker at victoriabuter@comcast.net or text 404-519-6751.

Mark your calendars PTO is planning "Our Northwestern Teachers are Cool!" Staff Appreciation Week which is coming up on May 8th-May 12th. Wildcat parents please consider signing up to donate supplies, food items, raffle prizes or gift cards to help us spoil our staff! Donated items should be dropped off to the front office by May 5th if not before. The ink to donate is below:

Northwestern Middle School is hiring Instructional Paraprofessionals for next school year.

Do you want a full time position on your kid's school schedule? Including summers off!

Do you want to make a difference for kids?

Do you want to work in a dynamic and supportive environment?

Are you awesome and want to work with awesome people?

Eleven out of ten people say Northwestern is an amazing place to work!

Please consider one of these positions at Northwestern Middle School:

Media Center Paraprofessional

In-School Suspension Paraprofessional

Email Mr. Peterson at petersonj1@fultonschools.org if you want to learn more about our opportunities for next school year.

The Cambridge PTSA needs you!!!!

As we approach the end of the school year, we are looking for dedicated and passionate parents to join the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) board. We believe that parental involvement is vital to the success of our school and we would love to have your support.

The PTSA board is responsible for planning and organizing school events, fundraising, and supporting teachers and students. By volunteering with the PTSA, you will have the opportunity to make a difference in your child's education and get to know other parents in the school community.

PTSA meetings are once a month usually on the first Friday of every month. If you are interested in joining the PTSA board, below are the positions that need to be filled:

1. Secretary

2. 2 Co VP’s of Student Achievement/Enrichment

We hope you will consider joining the PTSA board and becoming a part of our school community. If you have any questions or would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact Christie Estes at christierestes@me.com

Thank you for your support!

Each grade level has an assessment calendar located on our school website. These calendars can be located on the Northwestern site under Academics Home or the links are below.

The link below includes the weekly study/help sessions available for every teacher at NMS.

At Northwestern Middle School, we believe effective and timely communication is essential to our mission. NMS staff, students, and parents/guardians should maintain open, honest, and respectful lines of communication. Working together is the best way to help each student achieve success!

Parents/guardians have the ability to "turn off" attendance notifications in their Parent Portal. Click on the Silhouette on the top right and select Settings. Unclick the box for the Attendance emails.

The Curriculum Hub provides a variety of resources to assist parents in supporting their student's learning in the areas of English Language Arts/Reading, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies including:

• A year-at-a-glance for each course with the standards taught in each unit
• Unit plans detailing the specific learning targets to be mastered
• Parent resources to preview or review concepts and skills taught in each unit

Our School Governance Council has discussed the need to do more as a school community to better understand our student's use of social media and cell phones, and provide education for students and families around this issue. This school year, our students will engage in more discussions with staff around safe and responsible use of cell phones.

Representatives from Bark presented at one of our previous PTO meetings. As a company, Bark provides monitoring service and resources for families. I will be sharing information from Bark and other sources weekly in our newsletter.

There is also a Facebook group that is a great resource: Parenting in a Tech World

Parenting in a Tech World | Facebook

Northwestern will offer many clubs and student activities for our students during the 2022-23 school year. Check back often for more information!

The NMS Student Garden was established in 2011 as a permaculture and wildlife garden. It has gone through many iterations. Its most recent additions (2023) are a no-till section (which is affiliated with the Rodale Institute for Organic Research) and five new fruit trees (planted in celebration of Earth Day). If you would like to contribute (monetarily) to the maintenance of this site and its research, then you can use the link below. If you have any other questions about the site, please free to contact Dr. Bartlett at: bartlettj@fultonschools.org. Thank you for your continued support of Northwestern MS 🙂

The 8th grade dance is May 12th! Help the PTO make this event fun and memorable by donating items we need. Click here to check out the signup! The dance committee is also seeking special raffle prizes for our students. If you have any connections and can donate items such as concert tix, sporting event tix, Lake Lanier water park tix, local Gift cards or anything else that you think an 8th grader might want to win. Maybe a signed Jersey or sport ball by a local Famous athlete. If you have any items you would be willing to donate please contact Stacey Chambliss at staceylognion@hotmail.com.

Interested in trying out for the Milton Girl's Flag Football Team?

Join us for an informative meeting about the 2023/2024 Milton Varsity & JV Flag Football Program!

Open to all rising 9th to 12th grade girls attending Milton

Wednesday, April 12th

7pm-8pm

Milton High School Media Center

This is a MANDATORY meeting for all parents & players interested in trying out.

Questions? MHSflagfootball@gmail.com

Please include information as often as possible leading up to the meeting date!

Thank you again for spreading the word!

Kelly Long

kvahalylong@gmail.com

The Always a Hawk Club is having a sock drive to benefit the Hembree Springs Elementary School’s Clothes Closet. We need mainly kid’s socks, especially boy’s size 8, but all of the donations will be appreciated. All donations should be brought to Mrs. Rindt in room 906. All the donated socks will go to the Clothes Closet in Hembree Springs where they will be put to good use.

We will be collecting donations all through the month of March,

P.S. If you went to Hembree Springs, come join us at our next meeting!

FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) meetings are back to normal at Northwestern and will continue take place on Thursdays in the gym from 8am - 8:45am. We will let you know when we will have another opportunity to join the Milton High School crew.

Students are encouraged to bring friends to the Thursday morning meetings.

The FCA at Northwestern is also hoping that some volunteers may be willing to become more active and attend FCA meetings on Thursday mornings or help with things such as picking up food, small group leading, or even character coaching. Not much is required other than attendance for one hour a week. FCA is also looking for part-time and full- time employees. If you are interested in volunteering and/or employment, please contact Denton Carter (FCA leader) via email (dentoncarter@fca.org).

Students interested in joining the NMS Newspaper Staff should contact Ms. Denna Warrayat at warrayatd@fultonschools.org.

Thank you to our PTO for having breakfast for our bus drivers this morning! They keep our kids safe on the roads and we appreciate them so much!

We luckily will be receiving a few extra yearbooks for purchase. You can place your order on the NMS PTO website.

The NMS PTO would like to give a BIG THANKS to our 2022-2023 Business Partners

When you see these businesses, please acknowledge their sponsorship for the school & dedication to the academic achievement of our youth!

Home of the Wildcats!

Email: nmsfrontdesk@fultonschools.org
Website: https://www.fultonschools.org/northwesternms
Location: 12805 Birmingham Highway, Milton, GA, USA
Phone: (470) 254-2870
Twitter: @TheNMSWildcats

Thank you for your continued support of Northwestern Middle School!

Sincerely,

Joel - Principal

Northwestern Middle School: Teach Hard, Love Harder - The Wildcat Way!