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Our Opening Day is just over one week away on Wednesday, September 4th. This week, we host Welcome Back Week on campus, beginning with Orientation on Monday (8/26). Our campus is ready and after months of preparation, we are ecstatic to welcome our STARs for the 2024/2025 school year.

As you prepare as family, please consider this Back-to-School resource for updates and important information. Please also know that our traditional First Day Packet will be entirely digital this year and will be sent to families on our first school day (9/4). This digital packet will include a number of required and optional pieces of information for your consideration. For now, please see the below for upcoming dates and important back-to-school information.

Para obtener una versión de este boletín en español, haga clic aquí.

Back-to-School Dates/Opportunities:

With our first official day of the 2024/25 school year on Wednesday, September 4th, we will be off an running into the new year. A full, finalized school calendar for the coming year is expected mid-next week (please see EPS link for updates). However, the below Back-to-School dates have been confirmed.

• Orientation 2024: Monday, 8/26 (1:30pm to 6:00pm)
  
• Labor Day: Monday, 9/2 (office/campus closed)
• First Day of School: Wednesday, 9/4
  
• Fall Sports Begin: Monday, 9/9
• School Picture Day: Tuesday, 9/10
• Curriculum Night: Thursday, 9/19 (6:00pm)

Finalized 2024/25 Student Calendar (forthcoming)

Our 2024 Orientation is Monday, August 26th from 1:30pm to 6:00pm. This is a stop-by-whenever-convenient event as all are welcome anytime. Copies of student schedules will be available. Additionally, students can tour the building to spot their classrooms and learn more about athletics, clubs, and other opportunities here at North. If you cannot make it, please do not worry - Student schedules will be available online via our Home Access Center on Monday afternoon.

During orientation, you will be able to...

• Tour parts of our North campus
• Pick up a copy of your 2024/2025 class schedule
• Learn about our North athletics program and check your clearance status (important for fall sports)
  
• Meet and learn more about becoming a member of our North PTA
• Skip the line for any payments by using our online payment system here. You can pay for yearbooks, ASB cards, and athletic fees.
• Turn in medications and health forms (including any of the below forms, as needed). Please remember that we cannot accept medications without the below, required Medication Authorization Form (below, #1).
• Note: Student/school pictures will not be taken as part of orientation. Our fall picture day is 9/10 and student IDs and ASB cards will be updated at this time.

1. Medication Authorization/Order Form: For all medications (includes prescribed and over-the-counter medications).
2. Epinephrine & Antihistamine Authorization Form: For treatment of life threatening allergies only.
3. Gastrostomy Tube Treatment Authorization Form: For gastrostomy feedings.
4. Diabetic Order Form for injectable Insulin & Diabetic Insulin Pump Orders for insulin pumps.

• North Office Hours: Our North Office is currently open each day, from 8:00am to 3:00pm. Beginning Tuesday, 9/3, we will shift back to our regular school year hours, opening each day at 7:30am and closing at 4:00pm.

• Class Schedules: Class schedules for the 2024/2025 school year will be available our Orientation (8/26) and via our Home Access Center. If you are new to our district, please contact our school office to ensure your child's registration. Additionally, you can click here to view our counseling website for your grade level counselor and additional information.

• Bell Schedules: Schedules for the year are available here. These schedules closely resemble our bell schedules from last year including the same start and end times. Schedules include six content periods and a two-block lunch option during our fourth period (11:18am to 11:48am for our 6th graders and two concurrent, rotating lunches for our 7th and 8th graders from 12:17pm to 12:47pm). Please remember that both school breakfast and lunch are available to all of our students at no cost.

• Supplies: Please click here for our school supplies list. Should students have any needs in this regard, our team will work to provide accordingly.

• Transportation Needs: As your family prepares for the coming school year, it is important to create a transportation plan for before and after school. We ask that each student/family clearly understands how they will be getting home each day (bus, walking, or getting a ride from an adult). For North specific arrival/dismissal information, please click here. Should you need help with bus/transportation information, please click here to access EPS Transportation and our district partner, Durham Transportation. Bus routes for the 24/25 school year will be updated across the coming weeks.

• Before/After School: Please remember that classes begin at 8:15am. As such, our students should not be on campus before 7:50am unless they are involved in a designated academic/arts activity. Additionally, we work to make sure that our students are either on their way home or involved in a school related activity by 3:00pm each day. If your child plans to stay on campus beyond 3:00pm, they will need to be part of a North sports team, club, ASB or have made previous arrangements with a teacher for academic help. We ask that families remain consistent in their after school plans. Should emergencies arise and changes need to be made to after school plans, notifying us by 12:00pm/noon helps ensure that this information will be clearly communicated to/with your child.

• Accessing School Information through Home Access Center (HAC): Are you already signed up for Home Access Center (HAC)? HAC provides access to information such as student schedules, teachers' names and emails, attendance, and transportation. If you need access, please send an email to LMS@everettsd.org with your name, student name(s), student ID#, and the school(s) they attend. LMS will respond with your login/password to the email you have on file with the school. For more information, please click here.

• Immunizations: Current immunizations are required and help ensure a successful start to the new school year. Sixth grade parents should be aware that several immunizations expire between the 5th and 6th grade years. If you haven't already, please take the time over the coming weeks to make sure your child receives any immunizations that are due so that you can provide the documentation when you register your child. It is challenging for students who are not current on their immunizations to attend school consistently. For all Health Services information, please click here.

• NorthWear: Information related to North school gear is forthcoming as we are working with a new, local vendor and will include new, seasonal designs.

Picture Day '24 is scheduled for Tuesday, September 10th. All students will take pictures on this day including the image needed for our school identification cards. Families can order pictures online at mydorian.com before our 9/10 picture day and up to four days afterwards. Please take a moment to consider the Dorian site before our forthcoming school pictures date.

This year, North welcomes four new teachers to our North team. Aimee Doughty and Jesse Nelson join North as science teachers. Both will specifically focus on Science 7 and Science 8. Aimee Doughty joins us most recently from the Lake Washington School District but has also taught in California. Jesse Nelson joins North from Granite Falls and is a proud resident of North Everett.

Lacy Lundberg is joining our North team as one of our Math 7 and Math 8 teachers. She most recently joins us from the Edmonds Public Schools. Joining our English-Language Arts and Social Studies teams is Cody Linklater. Many of you may be familiar with Cody as he has been part of our North team for the past three years. Cody has been working to complete his educator certification, an accomplishment he completed this past spring.

We are thrilled to welcome Lacy, Aimee, Jesse, and Cody to our North team and look forward to the many contributions that they will make to North across this 24/25 school year, and beyond. We are also excited for you to meet each of our teachers as part of our forthcoming Curriculum Night on Thursday, 9/19.

On Monday, September 9th, our fall North athletics season begins with our three sports. Cross Country, Girls Softball, and Boys Football will all begin practice on Monday, September 9th. Cross County is coed and open to students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. However, Softball and Football are limited to 7th and 8th student athletes.

In order to be eligible for our fall teams, students/families must complete a couple of crucial steps. Please see the below-linked resources and click here for more information related to pre-season specifics.

To help with back-to-school, below are a few questions/answers related to the fall.

When will my child receive their class schedule? Students/families may receive their 24/25 class schedules at the above-referenced orientation (8/26 from 1:30pm to 6:00pm). Additionally, schedules are also likely to be live on the Home Access Center (HAC) for viewing on 8/26.

Where can I find information related to arrival and dismissal at North? Please click here for our arrival and dismissal procedures. This information was also included in our mid-summer update (July) and is available from our main North website.

How can I find out bus information for my child? For bus-specific questions/information, please click here for our EPS Transportation site. More specifically, to learn more about your child's 24/25 AM/PM bus route, please click here. To learn about bus routes that service North Middle (including bus number and stop/drop times), please click here.

Are backpacks required for all students? Yes. At North, we do not utilize lockers beyond PE. Backpacks are critical for carrying needed supplies/materials including Chromebooks and class specific folders. If your child needs a backpack for the coming year, please contact our office (phone or email) and we will quietly and happily connect with them to provide several middle school specific options.

What is the best way to meet/connect with each of my child's teachers? Teachers are always interested in connecting with families and two important opportunities in this regard occur shortly after the start of our school year. Please pencil Curriculum Night on your calendars for September 19th (6:00pm). Additionally, our Fall Conferences are due to be scheduled for fall. Conference dates have not yet been set but will be determined as the 24/25 calendar is finalized.

Are cell phones, earbuds, and other forms of personal technology still not allowed at North? Per EPS Policy 3246 and Procedure 3246P, cell phones, earbuds, and other forms of personal technology must remain stored/powered off during school hours. At North, students are required to power off and store any personal technology before entering our building. They are free to use these devices again after our 2:50pm dismissal bell (1:35pm on Fridays). We strictly enforce these personal technology expectations as the absence of these devices is beneficial to our needed teaching/learning and social-emotional environments. Please look for specifics in our student and family handbooks (online with revised versions forthcoming this August).

Is there a school store for purchasing food during the school day? North does not have a school store. Snacks are currently available for individual purchase via vending machine. A school store is a possible development but is not an active/current part of our school.

At North, some of our classroom learning environments utilize a collaborative instructional pairing known as "co-teaching." This approach involves two or more teachers working together to co-lead the same learning environment in the same classroom. This collaborative approach allows us to enhance student learning, especially for students who may be coming to school with increase needs.

Co-teaching only occurs within a handful of our North classrooms but continues to be a instructional practice that shows promise in helping us meet the needs of all of our learners. For additional information on co-teaching, please see the below, related documents.

We are grateful for your partnership in ensuring that our STARs arrive prepared and ready for the day, including wearing clothing/attire that is appropriate for their learning and the learning of others.

Our dress code expectations are specifically aligned with our Everett Pubic Schools, specifically Policy 3224 and the related procedure, 3224P. As such, our North students should be able to dress in a style and manner that positively represents themselves and others. Clothing (style and manner) that creates a material and/or substantial disruption to learning will not be permitted. If student dress is not in compliance with the above-noted policies, they will be required to make appropriate corrections which may involve families delivering new articles of clothing that align accordingly with our school/district expectations.

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Thank you again for your time in reading this Back-to-School update. We look forward to seeing you soon as we collectively celebrate the opening of our 2024/2025 school year together.

With Gratitude,

Holly, Drew, & Tyler

North Middle School

hsullivan@everettsd.org - abaewilliams@everettsd.org - tream@everettsd.org

Phone: 425-385-4800

Web: www.everettsd.org

North Middle School

2514 Rainier Ave.

Everett, WA. 98201