Weekly Wildcat Newsletter - Sept 29
Northwestern Middle School News and Notes
Happy Friday Wildcat Country!
I hope everyone had a great week! The mornings and evenings are getting cooler. I hope everyone has something fun planned outdoors this weekend!
Our Wildcat Pink Out event is coming soon! Please see below for event information and the link for our Pink Out store. Deadline to order is this Sunday, October 1st. Pink Out is our Fall semester fundraiser and school-wide event. Last year was so much fun and we were able to donate several thousand dollars to Susan G Komen Foundation! Let's do it again this year!
We have one more week remaining of our 1st quarter of the school year. Students will start new Connections classes on October 12th after the long break.
As a reminder, with the long weekend coming up our last checkout on October 6th will be at 2:30pm.
I hope all our families enjoy their weekend. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to email me at petersonj1@fultonschools.org.
Upcoming School Events
- Monday, October 2 - Wear Royal Blue for National Bullying Prevention Month
- Wednesday, October 4 - NMS Soccer vs. FAST (5:30 pm)
- Wednesday, October 4 - 7th Grade Band Concert at Milton HS (6:30 pm)
- Thursday, October 5 - Chorus Concert (7:00 pm)
- Friday, October 6 - NMS Soccer vs. Crabapple MS (5:30 pm)
Northwestern Pink Out
Our 2nd Annual Pink Out Event will be held on October 20th! Our PTO PINK OUT store with gear to support our campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness is now open. The deadline to buy is October 1st! All proceeds will go towards the Susan G. Komen Foundation. A grade level competition is at play as the homeroom with the most participants will be winning a lunch party! A school wide competition is also at play too! When our goal of $2,000 per grade level is reached, the APs will dye their hair pink for PINK OUT and when we reach over $6,000 Peterson's hair will turn pink too! This event was created and dedicated in honor, in support and in memory of those who have battled and currently fight breast cancer within our Wildcat community.
DEADLINE TO PURCHASE PINK OUT GEAR is OCTOBER 1st! Don't wait, PURCHASE PINK OUT GEAR TODAY!
Morning Traffic Pattern Change
Our School Police Officer will be in the intersection at 8:30 am each morning to enforce a right turn only coming out of our carpool line.
School Police has not informed us of the start date, but we wanted to communicate this change to you now. I will share the start date as soon as I know.
*The map below was provided by FCS School Police.
Northwestern Lunch Menu
MAP Testing
MAP Testing at NMS
7th Grade students will take the Map Growth Assessment during their regularly scheduled
ELA and Math classes.
Math MAP – Week of September 25
Reading MAP – Week of October 2
Student Emergency Contact Information
At Fulton County Schools, we prioritize student safety. Emergencies happen. When they do, preparedness is the key to handling them well. We ask that all parents or guardians who have not listed an emergency contact to update their emergency contact list to include one person who is not the parent/guardian. If the parent or guardian is not accessible due to an emergency, it is important that the school has an approved person to contact regarding your student.
Thank you for updating your emergency contacts at your earliest convenience.
Here are step by step instructions for updating your student’s emergency contacts and a link for doing so in the Parent Portal:
EMERGENCY-RELEASE-STUDENTS.pdf
Link to parent portal:https://www.fultonschools.org/infinitecampus
FCS Nutrition
FCS Nutrition is looking for feedback
on some new menu items!
If you have tried these new items -
Fish Tacos (on 9/22) or Street Corn (on 9/27)
scan the QR code and tell them what you think!
Lost & Found
Northwestern MS Website
Under the Academics Tab, you will find a list of department chairs, a curriculum guide, as well as the assessment calendars for each grade. Take a look to see any upcoming test or quizzes for your student. A list of all study sessions available to students is provided, as well. Links for the website, Assessment Calendars, and Study Sessions are below.
Math Tutoring
2023 - 2024 Yearbook
8th Grade Yearbook Ads
SY23-24 Student and Parent Handbook
Communication at NMS
Important PTO Information
From Co-Presidents Victoria Tucker & Tracy Lynn Drye
Please join us for the October PTO meeting on Tuesday, October 17 at 9:30 in the Media Center. Our guest speakers will be Sherri Wylie, NMS Math Department Chair to share changes to the math curriculum, placement levels & future pathways. Also featured will be Kate Smith, our school based counselor from our Business Partner Summit Counseling.
Volunteers Needed!!
Please complete this short survey to indicate your volunteer interests & we will reach out soon with planning meetings!
https://northwesternpto.membershiptoolkit.com/volunteer/114130
Volunteers Needed - Filling PBIS Bags
Our students earn points through the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program every day. Students then can shop & spend their points in the ROAR Trading Post for fun items store once a month. Volunteers are needed the week of October 2 for each grade level & MIMO to fill students orders.
Training Sessions for filling orders with PBIS Co-Chairs Ms. LaFon & Ms. Carson will be October 2 & 3 from 10:30-11:00 in room 611 (600 hallway). Volunteers can come in any time the remainder of those days and any time October 4 or 5 to fill bags. Orders will be delivered to students on October 6.
Sign up: https://northwesternpto.membershiptoolkit.com/volunteer/118057
Lost & Found Clean Up Volunteers Needed
This is an opportunity once a month for several people to clean out the lost & found closet. It should take approximately an hour. Sign up link with the full instructions is below. Please reach out to Victoria Tucker (victoriabuter@comcast.net) with questions.
Sign Up: https://northwesternpto.membershiptoolkit.com/volunteer/117964
Business Partners
PTO is currently recruiting new Business Partners for the 23-24 school year. Do you own/work for a small business and would like more exposure for your services while at the same time supporting your child’s school? This is also a great opportunity for real estate agents, lawyers, accountants, etc. to support our school in many meaningful ways and receive promotion for your business through multiple channels reaching NMS families. Please email northwesternmspto@gmail.com for more information on partnership levels & benefits or sign up here: https://northwesternpto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/237949
Bed Linen Fundraiser
Exciting Opportunity to purchase some super soft bedsheets while supporting PTO
*****Sheets will be directly shipped home****
Atlanta Falcons Tickets
****** RISE UP! WILDCATS******
NMS PTO is partnering with the Atlanta Falcons this football season!
With each ticket sold, your generous support will support our special programs like Student Enrichment, Staff Support, Red Ribbon Week, and much more!!
Sunday, OCTOBER 15th - Falcons vs Commanders Game
All NMS families will be seated in the same section so kids are enjoying watching the game with family and friends together!! Tickets can be purchased directly through the link below - $5 of each ticket purchased will be donated to PTO by the Atlanta Falcons.
Tom's Place - Our Wildcat Food & Clothing Pantry
Tom's Place came at the request of several teachers wanting to go beyond just meeting the standard academic needs of a student and wanting to be able to help meet their social, emotional needs as well. Some students at Northwestern do not have access to the basic necessities, which directly impacts their academic success. Providing these essentials exemplifies compassion and care for these students on a personal level, which will have a positive impact on their academic standing. Tom's Place is designed to provide a discrete and individualized care space where teachers and other staff members can help these students. Tom's Place will become a place to display the passion and dedication of the NMS Staff, parents, and community to ALL students that attend Northwestern Middle School!
If you would like to donate items to Tom's Place, please use the link below to sign up. Donated items can be dropped off in the Tom's Place bin in the front office.
Moe's Taco Kits - Tuesday, October 3
Welcome to Moe’s School POP-UP!
$5.00 from each kit sold goes to your school for 1 to 50 kits sold!
$10.00 from each kit goes to your school after you reach 51 kits sold!
Moe’s Southwest Grill will be delivering to Northwestern Middle School on Tues. 10/3 at 4:30. Order and pay online in advance, drive up to 12805 Birmingham Hwy., (front of school round-a-bout) and we will put the order into your car and off you go.
Moe’s Taco Kit- Feeds 4 to 6 people
White Meat Chicken, Ground Beef, Black Beans, Rice, Shredded Cheese, Shredded Lettuce, Sour Cream, Pico, Salsa, Queso, Chips, 12 Flour Tortillas
ALL ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY: Mon. 10/2 by 12:00PM
Use the link below to place your order.
If you have any questions, please call or email:
Lisa Caprio
470-991-0853
Stock the Candy Jar!
The front office likes to have a stash of chocolate and candy (non chocolate) for the staff to access and get them through the day. Please help us keep their stash stocked. After all, most of us can relate to stress eating! Sign up here: https://northwesternpto.membershiptoolkit.com/volunteer/111882
NMS Spirit Wear
Business Partner Spotlight
NMS Clubs and Student Activities
Northwestern will offer many clubs and student activities for our students during the 2023-24 school year. Check back often for more information!
If you have a question about starting a new school club, please email Beth Wylie at wyliee@fultonschools.org.
Jr. Beta Club
Milton Junior Eagles Competition Cheer
Extramural Sports
Mean Girls, Jr.
Northwestern Middle School FCA
Northwestern Garden and Environmental Club
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 🙂
NMS Music Programs
Innovation Academy Stem Saturday
Innovation Academy will be hosting a free STEM Saturday for all 7th and 8th grade students who are eligible to apply on 11/4/2023 from 9am-12pm.
This day each student will engage in STEM activities that will be led by our students and teachers. Registration for the day will begin at 8:30 with activities beginning at 9:00am.
Deadline to apply is 10/22/23.
Any questions, please reach out to quraishyh@fultonschools.org
Looking forward to a great day!
Spin With the Eagles
Milton Parks and Recreation Financial Aid
NMS Student Newspaper
Family Resources for Social Media & 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
Northwestern Middle School
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!