News and events

November 1, 2024

Happy November. One of the designations November gets is National Family Literacy Month. The idea behind this month is to encourage reading as a family. Reading helps with vocabulary, writing skills, attention span, memory, and teaches us about other times and places. So I encourage you, especially this month, to find a good book as a family and sit and read it together.

I would like to invite you to our annual Fall play, "15 Reasons to Not Be in a Play" which will be held on November 14th - 16th. Our students always do a great job and put on a wonderful show.

This month seems to always fly by as we approach the end of the first trimester, which is at the end of November. Please check in with your student regularly about their progress in their classes, check ParentVue, and reach out to their teachers with questions. There is no school the last week of November. We have a Staff Development Day, a Staff Planning Day and then the Thanksgiving holiday. On behalf of all of the staff at Northdale Middle School, I wish your family a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

November

5 - No School, Staff Development

12 - Culver's Fundraiser (Blaine Location) 5:00 -7:00 pm

14 - School Play @ 7:00

15 - School Play @ 7:00

16 - School Play @ 4:00 & 7:00

25 - No School, Staff Development

26 - No School, Staff Planning

27 -No School

28 - No School, Holiday

29 - No School, Holiday

December

3 - Orchestra 7/Fiddle/Chamber@ 7:00

5 - Orchestra 8 @ Northdale @ 1:00 p.m.

5 - Band 7 @ 7:00/Band 8 @ 8:00

6 - Choir 7 & 8 @ BHS @ 7:00

10 - Band 6 & 7:00 & 8:00

12 - Orchestra 6 (D1) @ 7:00; D2 @ 8:00

17 - Choir 6 @ 7:00

20 - No School, Staff Development

23 - January 1, 2025 No School, Winter Break

NMS theater is performing the fall play 15 Reasons Not to be in a Play on Thursday Nov. 14, Friday Nov. 15 and Saturday Nov. 16 at 7:00 pm. There will also be a Saturday matinee performance at 4:00pm. This comedy is about the many reasons-- from cell phones to ninjas-- why one should decide not to be in a play! Tickets are $5 per person or $20 per family at the door.

FCCLA (Family, Career & Community Leaders of America), an after school club at NMS, is doing a community service project. Students are making chemo caps to be donated to Children's Hospital and as we hear of NMS families affected by cancer.

If you would like to donate fabric, we will use 1/2+ yards of a knit fabric, solid colors. It can be a mix of colors because the body can be one color and the top another. If you have questions you can email Ms. Herman at amanda.herman@ahschools.us. Fabric donations can be given to Ms. Herman or dropped off in the office.

Spanish 1 will be discussing the history and traditions of Día de los muertos, "Day of the Dead". They will have the opportunity to try Pan de Muerto from local bakery, Tr3 Leches, as well as Horchata, a traditional beverage. Thank you to all the parents who continue to donate to make learning memorable for students.

Northdale Community Education has wrapped up most of our Fall Sports. We have a number of programs for the month of November and our Winter/Spring Athletics are open for registration. You can find the full list of Community Education Middle School Programs on our website.

November Activities and Winter Athletics

Ski/Snowboard Club - Friday evenings. Open to grades 6-8. This club gives Anoka-Hennepin School District Middle School students the opportunity to ski and snowboard as a group and develop their skills in these exhilarating sports. Ski/Snowboard Club strives to provide a venue for wholesome outdoor activity for our young people during the winter months. The club will visit Trollhaugen on December 13, January 10, January 31, February 14, and February 28. Membership is open to Middle School students regardless of their skill level. Equipment rentals are available at the ski hill and will be paid for on the day of the trip at the ski hill. Students will be transported by bus to and from the ski hills. Please contact the NMS Community Education Office if you have a season pass at Trollhaugen.

A-H Community Education Open Chess Tournament - Saturday, Nov 2. Open to grades 1-8. A tournament is a fun way for students of all ages to learn and improve their chess level and a great way to test their skills. Chess tournaments are not only competitions, but social events as well. Participants will meet peers with a similar love for the game.

We will be using the Swiss Tournament System.

Dungeons and Dragons Tournament - Saturday, Nov 16. Open to grades 4-8. Join us for a special D&D Tournament! Multiple teams will enter, but one team will come out on top. Each team will play timed scenarios and must complete the tasks to win special coins. The coins will unlock the final round.

Sew Charity Fun! Foster Care Bags - Tuesday, Nov 5, 9am-12pm. Open to grades 3-9. Do you know how to sew and like making things for other people? This class is for you! We’re going to sew tote bags for children being placed into foster care. You'll will go home with a bag for you and the rest of the bags we make will be donated. An added bonus is that the Northdale Vikings Service Club is having a drive to collect personal care and other needed items to fill the bags with before we donate them. Please bring two yards of cotton fabric.

Open Sewing Lab - Tuesday, November 5, 12:30-3:30 pm. Open to grades 3-9. Sewers, do you have that project that you have always wanted to try but needed help? This class is for you. Bring your own project and we will assist you. If you need an idea for a project, contact Anna Heinrich anna.heinrich@ahschools.us or Nikki Hassel nikki.hassel@ahschools.us. The prerequisite for this class is that you know how to use a sewing machine.

Young Engineers ROBOTICS & STEM Program - Aviation and Ground Robotics Education Program - Tuesday evenings, starting November 12. Open to grades 1-6. In the November session, learn about transmissions, power and speed gears and elastic energy. Working independently or in pairs, build working robotic models of a rescue helicopter, airplane, forklift, unloading truck and other machines.

Safety Awareness - Wednesday evenings, starting November 20. Open to grades K-8. This program is designed to enhance self-esteem, self-discipline, defense and safety awareness. It isn't sport karate, although you can progress to a yellow belt or higher. Parents are encouraged to observe class instruction and practice the skills with their children at home.

Classes for new, returning and advanced students are available. Students registering for the "Returning Student" course must have completed the "New Student" course. Students registering for the "Advanced Student" must have completed the "Returning Student" course to progress to the "Advanced Student".

Fall Dance Clinic - Tues-Thurs, starting December 3. Open to grades 6-8. Interested in joining the school's competition dance team? This dance clinic will work on various skills and choreography. Dancers will improve their flexibility, endurance and skills such as turns and leaps. This is a great opportunity to get more individual help with dance technique and other important aspects of dance like performance, timing and execution of moves. The students will be taught skills, not routines.

Chess - After school Wednesdays, starting December 4. Open to grades 6-8. Challenge yourself! Play chess! Exercise your brain! This is an excellent opportunity to develop better chess skills this fall. Impress your opponents and increase your IQ while having fun playing chess. Compete for different prizes and end of the year trophies. All chess levels are welcome. Presented by Twin Cities Chess Club.

NMS Winter Athletics - Northdale Community Education offers the following athletic programs this winter:

• Boys Basketball Gr 7/8

• Girls Basketball Gr 7/8

• Ping Pong

• Performance Cheer

• Dance Team

• Boys Basketball Gr 6

• Girls Basketball Gr 6