This edition of the newsletter has new and updated information (and a lot of it!). Please read carefully and let me know if you have any questions.

Please make plans to join me on Tuesday, August 2 for the Back to School meeting. During this meeting I will cover the information in this newsletter as well as other important topics. There will also be an opportunity for a Q&A session.

The NMS SY22-23 Student and Parent Handbook below will be available on our website throughout the school year. There are some updates pending as information is finalized.

Parent Portal will go live on Wednesday, August 3. Parents will be able to see their student's schedules at that time. Students will also get a copy of their schedule on Information Day.

• Tuesday, August 2 - New School Year Meeting with Mr. Peterson (6:30 pm)
• Thursday, August 4 - NMS Information Day (12:30-3:30pm)
• Monday, August 8 - First Day of School
• Tuesday, August 9 - August PTO Meeting & New Parent Coffee w/ Mr. Peterson (9:30am)
• Friday, August 12 - August SGC Meeting (7:45am)

Please make plans to join Mr. Peterson and members of the NMS Administrative Team on Tuesday, August 2 at 6:30 pm. As a convenience for our families who may still be traveling that week, and for everyone else's busy schedules, the meeting will be virtual. Families can join at the dinner table or from the comfort of your living room. Comfy clothing and a cold beverage of your choice are encouraged! This meeting will be informational and offer a Q&A for students and parents.

• Meet Mr. Peterson and the Assistant Principals
• Learn about school year 2022-23 operations and policies
• Learn about carpool procedures - everyone loves carpool!
• Q&A with Mr. Peterson and the Assistant Principals

Information Day is scheduled for Thursday, August 4 from 12:30-3:30 pm. We want to ensure your family has a quality and efficient experience. For that purpose, we are scheduling families by last name to ensure homerooms, hallways, and lines are less crowded. Please come during your alphabetically scheduled window.

Parking is available in our front lot and in the bus lot. Students and families can enter & exit through our front door or the Wildcat Den doors. Doors will open at 12:30 pm.

Information Day Schedule

Last Name A-I - arrive at 12:30

Last Name J-S - arrive at 1:30

Last Name T-Z - arrive at 2:15

There is no advantage to being in the first alphabetical group on Information Day. Homeroom teachers will randomly assign top and bottom lockers to students who have paid the locker fee prior to families arriving on the afternoon of August 4. The exception to this is for families who joined PTO at a membership level that guarantees a top locker.

What to expect on Information Day:

• Students will receive their unofficial schedule (changes are still possible before 1st day)
• Students who have paid the locker fee will be issued their locker number & combination.
• Students who have paid for a locker can bring items to store in their locker.
• Students can meet their homeroom teacher.
• Students can meet our Connections teachers.
• Students can walk their schedule in preparation for 1st day.
• Families can join our Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO)
• Families can deposit money in cafeteria accounts.
  
• And much more!

The NMS PTO is sponsoring a New Parent Coffee for parents/guardians who are new to the Northwestern community. This is a great opportunity to meet other new families, join the PTO, and meet Mr. Peterson.

Please make plans to attend on Tuesday, August 9 at 9:30 am

The NMS PTO will once again sell parking spaces in the NMS parking lot for Milton High School students. These spaces will be sold online on Tuesday, August 2 at 7:00 am. Spaces are limited! You can purchase a space by visiting the PTO website at Northwestern MS PTO - Fulton County, GA - Northwestern Middle School PTO (membershiptoolkit.com)

Families can now make payments for the student locker fee, student activity fee, and other school related fees (PE t-shirts, etc.).

The locker fee is required for all students and will be $15.00 this school year.. This fee covers the hallway locker and PE locker. Students will be required to keep their cell phone in their locker. Students will not carry backpacks to classrooms this school year.

The student activity fee is required for all students and will be $5.00 this school year. This fee will help fund our PBIS/Rrroar program. All students benefit from our Rrroar program throughout the school year.

Students who have not purchased a locker prior to Information Day will be able to purchase one during the event. Any student who cannot attend Information Day, will be able to receive their locker on Monday, August 8.

Families who purchase a locker for their student(s) by Monday, August 1 will be on the purchased locker list. If families purchase a locker after August 1, you will need a screen shot or email on your phone, or a printed copy of your Online School Payments receipt for the locker fee, before homeroom teachers will distribute a locker card.

Lockers & Backpacks. Students will keep their backpacks in their locker this school year. Students will be able to carry smaller bags - like a draw string bag (pictured below). Students will also have multiple locker breaks throughout the school day in addition to transition time. Students will not have to carry all of their school supplies all day. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact us.

Cell phone/Personal Communication Device (PCD) Rrroar Progressive Discipline

· 1st Offense – Warning – student places PCD in their locker.

· 2nd Offence – PCD confiscated and held in front office. Student picks up PCD at 4:05 pm.

· 3rd Offense – PCD confiscated and held in front office. Parent/guardian picks up PCD.

· 4th Offense – PCD agreement student/parent/school. Possible loss of PCD privilege at school.

Students may wear smart watches, fitbits, etc. on their wrist during the school day. Teachers may ask students to remove smart watches, fitbits, etc. during a test.

Students may check for parent/guardian text messages during locker breaks or at the end of the school day for things such as transportation changes, etc.

Student use of headphones, earbuds, headsets, and speakers is prohibited during the school day. Student use of headphones, earbuds, headsets, or speakers will result in disciplinary consequences in accordance with the RRRoar progressive discipline cycle.

The school is not responsible for personal electronic devices on school property.

Please enter the roundabout and pull up as far as possible. Students may exit your vehicle anywhere along the sidewalk. Students should use the sidewalk to enter the school through the Wildcat Den doors.

We have an afternoon carpool procedure designed to keep cars off of School Road and Birmingham Highway. Please review the carpool map carefully. When in doubt, follow the person in front of you. Please be courteous to fellow parents/guardians and NMS staff members during carpool.

This year the PTO is selling Platinum Memberships that include a reserved parking space at the front of the afternoon carpool line. These eight spaces are indicated on the carpool map with a yellow star. These spaces will be reserved for the entire school year and each afternoon the spaces are held until 4:05 pm for the family who purchases them from the PTO.

Before 4:05 pm Dismissal

• The first car should pull up to the front of the carpool line. This is the first spot after the 8 reserved spaces. (marked on map with red 1)
• All subsequent cars should line up on the sidewalk (marked with yellow arrows) until the line reaches the roundabout entrance/corner. (marked with red 2)
• All additional cars should follow the red arrows through our parking lot, circle back toward the roundabout and stop (stop indicated with a red 3)
• A staff member will direct any car parked behind location 2 to follow flow of traffic (red arrows) through the parking lot.

After 4:05 pm Dismissal Bell

• A staff member will direct cars who have picked up their student(s) toward the exit.
• A staff member will direct cars parked at location 3 to proceed into the roundabout toward location 1 to pick up their student(s) (marked with blue arrows).
• Students can enter their car from a sidewalk at any point in the roundabout
• Students are not allowed to enter cars who are in the carpool line in the parking lot.

Other Important Information

• No cars may enter the Bus Lot (marked red 5) between 8:05-9:15 am and 3:15-4:45 pm.
• Students may walk across the street if their car is parked at Milton HS (marked red 4)

Expected arrival time for students is between 8:25 am and 8:45 am. Our 1st period class begins at 8:55 am. All students, except for bus riders, will enter the school through the Wildcat Den doors. The Wildcat Den doors will open at 8:05 am for early arriving students. Students may arrive early for teacher help sessions. Early arriving students will be supervised between 8:05 and 8:25 in the cafeteria. At 8:25, all students will be dismissed to their grade level hallways. Northwestern Middle School cannot assume responsibility for students prior to 8:05 am.

Only students who have teacher permission will be allowed to attend a help session prior to 8:25 am. Teachers will provide permission to students in advance for help sessions starting prior to 8:25 am.

Breakfast is available in the cafeteria from 8:25-8:50 am.

"Here Comes the Bus" is a free, easy-to-use website and app that enables you to see the location of your child’s school bus on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer. This way, you know when the bus is near your stop, so you can send your child out at just the right time. No more worrying about whether your child has missed the bus!

Download the App

1. Download the Here Comes The Bus app on Google Play or the Apple App Store or visit www.herecomesthebus.com.
2. Click the "Sign Up" button
3. Enter school code: 87428
4. Click "Next" followed by "Confirm"
5. Complete the "User Profile" box
6. Under "My Students," click "Add." Enter your child's last name and student ID number
7. Once you confirm you information, you're ready to go!

How does "Here Comes the Bus" work?

"Here Comes the Bus" uses global positioning system (GPS) technology to locate and track your child’s school bus. It is powered by software from Synovia Solutions, who are experts at tracking data, which they’ve been providing to fleet managers across North America for over 15 years.

How much does it cost?

"Here Comes the Bus" is available at no cost to all families. It's free!

Car riders, bike riders, and walkers will be dismissed at 4:05 pm and exit the school using the front entrance doors and Wildcat Den doors. Bus riders will be dismissed at 4:05 pm to the gymnasium (6th/7th) and cafeteria (8th) until dismissed by staff to load their bus.

Please ensure your student(s) knows how they are getting home every day. We cannot notify students of transportation changes. Please text your student to let them know of a transportation change. Students will be able to check their cell phones during locker breaks and at the end of the school day.

Late Arrival – Any time a student arrives after the beginning of the instructional day.

• Late arrivals follow the same rules for excused and unexcused absences
• Late arrivals follow the same rules for documentation, but have different thresholds

Early Checkout – Any time a student leaves school before the end of the instructional day.

• Early Checkouts follow the same rules for excused and unexcused absences
• Early Checkouts follow the same rules for documentation, but have different thresholds

Tardy – Any time a student arrives after the beginning of a specific class period.

• Tardies will be handled at the school level with guidance from the principal

Northwestern Late Arrival Procedure: Parents/guardians should send a note with their student when he/she is arriving late to school. Students who are late arrivals must report to the front office before reporting to class. Parents do not need to accompany their students into school for a late arrival.

Northwestern Early Checkout Procedure: If a student needs an early checkout before normal dismissal time, a note from the parent or guardian requesting early check out must be sent to school with the student(s). The student will show their teacher the note to be dismissed from class at the time indicated on the note. Parents must sign out their student in the front office. In an emergency, a parent/guardian or approved individual may come directly to the office to request an early check out for their student.

Parents/guardians or approved individuals must have a government issued driver's license or picture ID to check out their student(s). Only approved individuals listed in Infinite Campus can check out a student.

No early checkouts after 3:30 pm unless there is an emergency.

Please note that we will require a photo ID every time a parent or guardian comes to school to attend a meeting, visit the clinic, or check out their student. Safety and security procedures only work if we follow them every time. Your cooperation with this procedure is requested as it ensures the safety and security of students, staff, and families.

Excused Absences – A hold harmless absence that has been documented, and relates to one of the following circumstances in accordance with State Board of Education Rule 160-5-1.10 and Georgia State Code, O.C.G.A. 20-2-690.1:

• Personal illness or when attendance in school would be detrimental to the health of the student or others
• A serious illness in the student’s immediate family necessitating absence from school
• A death in the student’s family necessitating absence from school
• Observance of religious holidays necessitating absence from school
• Compliance with a court order or an order issued by a governmental agency mandating an absence from school
• Visitation with an immediate family member who is on leave from or is being deployed to military service
• Important family events/celebrations for an immediate family member (graduation, wedding, religious ceremony, etc.)
• Compliance with an order for a pre-induction physical examination for service in the armed forces
• An absence for registering to vote or participating as an active voter in a local, state, or federal election
• A verified interview for college admission or a documented college visit
• A specialized, supplemental, or extracurricular program/event
• Other absences pre-approved by the principal

Documenting illness or the illness of family members:

• After 3 consecutive absences, late arrivals, or early checkouts a doctor’s note will be required
• After 7 cumulative absences and/or 10 cumulative late arrivals or early checkouts, a doctor’s note will be required for any subsequent illness-related absences, late arrivals or early checkouts
• If there is an on-going medical circumstance that requires a student to be absent, late, or checkout early from school frequently or intermittently, a doctor’s note will be required to address medical concerns and need for absences
• In the event of a serious illness in the student’s immediate family, schools may require students to present medical documentation regarding the family member upon return to school for validating the excused absence, tardy, or early checkout

Documentation Requirements

Documentation for any absence type must be provided within five days of returning to school for an absence to be excused. Parents and/or guardians may send an email or handwritten note to the school to document a student absence. If needed, the principal or designee will verify the email address and the credibility of the email. The following must be included in all documentation:

• Student Name
• Student FCS ID Number (lunch number)
• Parent/Guardian Name
• Parent/Guardian Email & Phone Number

Excuses will be kept on file at the school for the duration of the student’s enrollment.

Any student who accumulates seven or more days in a given school year for any reason, will be required to provide additional documentation (doctor’s note, court order, etc.) for any subsequent absence, whether that absence be excused or unexcused. This excludes days accumulated during an Assigned Remote designation.

Student attendance records shall be corrected from unexcused to excused after proper documentation is provided.

When a student is absent for any reason, a note from the parent/guardian can be brought to the front office or you can send an email with an attached note to nmsfrontdesk@fultonschools.org.

Family Events and Pre-Approved Absences

Students/families must formally request for students to be absent for family events or other pre-approved absences. These requests should be made five school days in advance of the absence. Schools should create their own procedures to collect and approve requests for absences related to family events and/or other pre-approved absences. Only the principal or assistant principal(s) can approve these absence requests.

Before approving these requests, school administration should consider the student’s complete attendance record including excused, unexcused, disciplinary, or other absence types. The school administration should also consider the student’s academic standing before approving these absences.

Northwestern Procedure: for pre-approved absences, please email your student’s Assistant Principal for approval.

NMS will not accept deliveries of flowers, balloons and other items for students, even if they are pre-paid. These items create a disruption during the school day.

NMS will not accept deliveries from Doordash, Ubereats, or directly from restaurants for students, even if they are pre-paid. The school has no way to verify these meals were purchased by a student's parent/guardian. This is a student safety issue and your cooperation is greatly appreciated in this matter.

Any item (such as lunches, instruments, PE clothes, projects, homework, etc.) delivered to school by parents/guardians will be held in the office until the student comes to claim it. Students will NOT be called to the office for deliveries, nor will parents/delivery persons be permitted to deliver items to the classroom. Parents/guardians may text their student that an item was delivered to the front office. Students may check their cell phone during locker breaks. Lunches delivered during the day will be thrown out if not picked up by 4:25 pm daily. Lunch containers will be placed in lost and found once the food has been thrown out.

The new Fulton County Schools Student Code of Conduct and Handbook 2022-2023 is now available. Additionally, it will be ready to start receiving parent/guardian signatures starting on July 25, 2022. Students ages 10 years and older and all parent/guardians who have a student attending Fulton County Schools should sign the receipt through Parent Portal.

NMS is looking for candidates to fill our Professional Assistant III/Bookkeeper position in September. If you haven’t heard, our bookkeeper Ms. Herman is retiring on September 16. Congratulations Nan!

If you or anyone you know is interested, please send a resume and letter of interest to petersonj1@fultonschools.org. I will be conducting interviews after the start of the school year.

The job description for PAIII, including pay scale, is on the FCS website.

All 6th graders (new or coming from a feeder school), all 7th graders, and any new enrollees to Fulton County Schools MUST provide TWO documents for residency verification. If you have a returning student in the 8th grade, you will need to submit proof of residency if there has been any address change.

An email address has been created strictly for submitting proofs of residence starting July 1st. Please make sure you attach a photo of your document.

· You may email your attached two acceptable documents to NMSResidency@fultonschools.org starting JULY 1st.

· Please make sure that in the SUBJECT line, you list the student’s complete name, parent’s complete name and grade.

· If you are moving into a new home, you may provide an email from the Utility company stating the following: your name, date service is to start and the current address.

· If you prefer, you may bring a hardcopy of your documents to Information Day on August 4th.

Fulton County School’s policy and the approved documentation list.

Free & Reduced Meal Applications SY22-23

The Free & Reduced Meal Benefits Program is a part of the National Child Nutrition Program. This program makes Free or Reduced priced meals available to qualifying households. Qualifications are based on the gross income of all household members and the number of persons living in the house. A new application must be completed every school year. If there is an interruption in benefits or the household does not reapply, the household is responsible for payment of meals until the Free and Reduced Application is approved. Free & Reduced Meal Applications are available in the cafeteria and anytime online beginning August 1, 2022. Visit www.fulton.schoollunchapp.com to begin the online application process.

During the week of July 25, we will be offering school tours for new students and families. These tours are specifically for families who have recently moved into our attendance zone and will be attending NMS for the first time.

The following are the available tour dates/times.

Tuesday, July 26 at 9:30 am

Tuesday, July 26 at 1:00 pm

Wednesday, July 27 at 9:30 am

Wednesday, July 27 at 1:00 pm

These tours are for new families only (families who have recently moved to Milton). These tours are not for rising 6th grade students who toured the school during the Spring.

If you have any questions about these tours, please call our front desk at 470-254-8270.

Balance Breaks are designed to provide students and their families with a break from school work while at home. During a balance break, students will not be assigned any homework. There will be no expectation for students to complete schoolwork during these regular breaks from school. Students will not have any assessments (quiz or test) during the first two school days when they return from the break. Students should not feel the need to study/prepare for an assessment during the break.

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!

Jr. Beta Summer hours

Very Important!!

This is a reminder that all 7th and 8th grade students interested in the Jr Beta Club this upcoming school year must complete 10 service Summer hours and must have an 88% grade point average to be admitted to the club.

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Myrthil

Co-Sponsor

Jr Beta Club

E-mail: myrthil@fultonschools.org

Brought to you by two former NMS and current MHS students.

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

PTO memberships are a large percentage of the total annual PTO fund raising. We have membership options available that include incentives. These allow us to raise more money for the school. Every dollar raised through PTO is spent on our students, staff and school building. Please make plans to join PTO!!

School Year 2022-23 Membership Levels

Platinum - $750.00 (only 8 available). Includes:

• VIP Carpool Parking Space
• Student Lunch With Principal (for every student in family)
• Top Locker Guaranteed (for every student in family)

Gold - $250.00. Includes:

• Student Lunch With Principal (for every student in family)
• Top Locker Guaranteed (for every student in family)

Silver - $100.00. Includes:

• Top Locker Guaranteed (for every student in family)

Bronze - $25.00. Includes:

• Online Access to Membership Directory

These prices are per family, bot per student. For example, a Silver Membership would mean all NMS students in a family would be guaranteed a top locker on their grade level hallway.

Families must pay the $15.00 locker fee to the school through OSP and purchase a Silver Membership through PTO to guarantee a top locker for their student(s).

Support North Western Middle School and purchase a PTO Membership! All funds go right back into the school to benefit teachers and students. CLICK HERE!!

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!