Weekly Wildcat Newsletter - Mar. 5

We had a busy week at Northwestern. This newsletter has a lot of new information and updates. Please review thoroughly.

If you have any questions, you can email me directly at petersonj1@fultonschools.org.

Have a GREAT weekend! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone Monday morning!

The "Yes I Can" award is presented each year to recognize children and youth with exceptionalities who have demonstrated their determination and achievement in multiple ways.

Our 2020-21 Yes I Can Award winner is Jeffrey Brogan! Congratulations Jeffrey!!

Jonathan Thai, a 6th grade student at Northwestern, was chosen along with other middle school, high school, and college students to be part of a video called “Youth for Change” which is a project sponsored by the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of International Affairs.

Jonathan appears at the 3:41 mark of the video that is linked below.

Teachers have completed Course Recommendations for the 2021-2022 school year. At this time, we are asking you to review your student’s Northwestern course requests for the 2021-2022 school year (Verification #1). Face-to-face student have received a printed copy of Verification #1. For virtual students, this process can be completed through Campus Parent. We would like to stress the importance of completing this process because due to the complexity of the master schedule, we will not be able to make schedule changes in August. Please note, the courses that are currently requested for your student will be the courses on your student’s schedule for the 2021-2022 school year.

To view your student’s Course Requests, log in to Campus Parent. If you do not have an account, your student can access through their Student Portal in ClassLink. Directions are linked below. The deadline for Verification #1 is Friday, March 19th. This feature will be disabled in Infinite Campus to allow for the scheduling process to continue.

A few things to note: This is a verification of courses and is not your child’s schedule. The courses that should appear include the following: Math, Science, Reading or World Language, Social Studies, Language Arts, Health, and a Performing Art (Band, Chorus, Orchestra) if selected. No general Connections courses will appear until the final schedule is received in August. A course with a .2 indicates a TAG course, 40/60 at the end indicates advanced, .9 indicates a team-taught class (students with an IEP), and .8 indicates a resource class (students with an IEP). If your child is in the Services for Exceptional Children Program, course placement will be based upon your child’s most recent IEP. If your child is not presently in this program, team-taught classes may not be requested.

To confirm your student’s placement recommendations or to make changes/updates, please complete the Form: https://bit.ly/3uOwnFl.

At this time, you may request your child be placed in a lower-level course than what appears on the form/in Infinite Campus, or you may request that he/she be moved from World Language to Reading. You may also request a change in the World Language Selection or the Fine Arts Connections class. If you desire to place your child in a higher-level course, against the teacher’s recommendation, the Waiver Form, https://bit.ly/3boAn6G, must be completed and emailed to manganellia@fultonschools.org.

Please note: TAG placement is determined by the elementary school, you may not request TAG classes in subjects for which your child has not qualified.

If you have a question about a particular placement for next year, please consult your student’s teacher.

The final deadline for submitting any changes/updates to your student’s course recommendations for Verification #1 is Friday, March 19th. If approved, updates will be visible during Verification #2.

Thank you for helping us ensure your student’s schedule is correct in the Fall.

Questions?

Rising 6th-8th Grade Parents/Guardians - contact Ms. Amber Manganelli at manganellia@fultonschools.org

Please make plans to join us on March 9 at 6:00 pm. This will be a Microsoft Teams Live Event.

Mr. Peterson is currently working with a group of students, staff, and parents to consider options for this year's 8th grade ceremony. The committee is meeting again next week and details will be shared in the near future.

Learning Environment Commitment - Last Nine Weeks of School Year
As we approach the midterm of the second semester, FCS is requesting parents make a commitment for how they wish their child to learn – face-to-face instruction vs remote learning – for the remainder of the school year. The last 9-week period begins in March and runs until the end of the semester. No action is needed if parents are satisfied with their child’s current learning environment, and only those who wish to change should contact their school between March 1-12. The student’s learning group will remain the same as it stood on March 1, unless the school is notified.

Please use the button below to complete a survey if you need to change the learning environment for your student(s) for the 4th quarter.

All requests for changes need to be made by Friday, March 12.

If you do not need to change the learning environment for your student(s), there is no need to complete the survey.

Please click the link below for the latest update from Dr. Looney's Parent Advisory Council.

A Milton High School student is conducting research for their AP Research course. This study has been approved through the IRB process. The study is focused on the lack of sleep for adolescents. Please complete the survey below to support the MHS student's research. The survey does require parent/guardian consent that is embedded in the survey.

The majority of our students received new devices this week. Thank you to Mary Deininger, Gandhi Satsangi, and Debra Fowler for your work on this project. Thank you also to the several parent volunteers who assisted with deploying these new devices.

The new device is a Lenovo ThinkPad 11e. We have included some information below including the FCS 2020-21 Student Device Agreement for your reference.

If your student is a remote learner who has not turned in their FCS Surface yet, please make sure to drop it off at the NMS carpool lane during one of the following times:

Wednesday March 10

9:30-11 a.m.

4:30-6 p.m.

Please bring the Surface and charger with you. If you choose to receive a new FCS device, bring your student’s log on information. You will need to log on before you leave the Fulton County wifi.

If you have not already picked up your pictures from Lifetouch, please stop by the front office any day between 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.

The Fulton County Board of Health and Fulton County Schools have developed an on-line portal for FCS parents/guardians to report student COVID-19 related cases. The portal has been updated for Spanish, Korean, and Chinese. FCS parent/guardians will find a dropdown at the top right for translations. www.fultonschools.org/ReportCOVID Please make a report to the FCBOH when your student is COVID-19 positive, has a pending COVID-19 test result, or has been in direct contact with a COVID-19 positive person. Also, please use this resource for official reporting rather than alerting the school and/or teacher. If you must engage the school/teacher, please do so after you have made an official report to the FCBOH. Lastly, to ensure the protection of our school community, please do not allow your child to attend school or school-sponsored events when he/she is ill and/or has any of the above COVID-19 concerns.

Dear Future Bears,

I am SO EXCITED to welcome you to BEAR COUNTRY! To help gear up for your first year at Cambridge, I am buying you each a t-shirt. But not just any t-shirt – some Cambridge swag designed by YOU – our future Cambridge Freshman. Between now and April 23rd, I will be accepting t-shirt designs from you. The top 3 t-shirt designs will win a prize and be voted on by the entire Rising 9th Grade class. The final winning design will be announced at our Bear Hunt event at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year where EVERY Rising 9th grader will receive the shirt! So, get out your artistic Bear side and get ready to make your mark before you even walk in the door. All t-shirt submissions should be emailed to agans@fultonschools.org by April 23rd at 4pm. The top 3 design winners will be announced on April 30th. I cannot wait to see what you create and I cannot wait to see you wearing your new t-shirts as you walk through the doors of Cambridge next year! Bear Country can’t wait to welcome the Class of 2025! GO BEARS!!!

Fulton County Schools is providing a temporary pay incentive to substitutes starting December 1st through the remainder of this school year. The following are the added incentives:

• Add an emergency substitute daily rate incentive (see below) that expires as of May 31st.
• If occurs, FCS will pay a quarantined individual substituting in the (teacher role only) a $75 flat daily rate for a maximum of 10 days during the quarantine period. The quarantine must be directed by a FCS COVID-19 Response Team nurse and the result of a direct contact with a positive COVID-19 staff/student while substituting at a FCS school. This is a one-time incentive.
• Increase the maximum number of substitute workdays per month from 17 to 20 days for the remainder of this school year.

New Substitute Rates with incentive

• Students are required to wear a face covering/mask while at school. Staff are also required to wear face coverings.
• If your child is sick, please keep them at home and make sure they are fever free for at least 24 hours before return.
• If anyone in your household has tested positive for COVID-19 and you have been advised to isolate or quarantine, please adhere to the public health guidance and do not send your student to school until after the noted timeframe.
• Encourage your student to wash hands frequently.
• If your child becomes sick while at school, you will be expected to be pick-up your child immediately.
• Please alert school administration of any COVID-19 related concerns.

We are attempting to limit visitors to the school and ask that our community only visit for essential reasons. We will make allowances for student who have forgotten things at home. There is no charge for breakfast or lunch in the cafeteria at this time, so parents/guardians do not need to deliver food for their students.

When visitors come to the school, they will be asked to complete a health assessment before entering the building. Wearing a mask is required and visitors will have their temperature checked upon entering the building. If you have to pick up your student or visit the school, please plan for these additional steps and come early.

Medications may be brought to the school. Prescription medications must be in the original container and labeled. All medications must be accompanied with proper medical forms. Please go to https://www.fultonschools.org/Page/7525 for forms and healthcare plans. Medications will be accepted by appointment only. Please call Mary Crandall at 470-254-8514 or send an email to crandall@fultonschools.org.

• In the event that your student has been exposed to Covid please inform an Administrator and your concern will be forwarded to Student Health Services for further evaluation.

• If your child develops a fever while in school, they will be isolated and you will need to pick them up immediately.

Northwestern is excited to offer a variety of clubs and activities this school year. Please visit the NMS website’s Quick Links and select Student Clubs and Activities to learn more about our offerings.

Please join us for our March PTO meeting via ZOOM. On Tuesday, 3/9 at 9:30AM. All are welcome.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87089479426?pwd=RTNKWURBOVU0WVZHdkcrSmlZdUNmQT09

Meeting ID: 870 8947 9426 Passcode: 779540

Minutes from past meetings are available on the PTO website, https://northwesternpto.membershiptoolkit.com/home

Wednesday, March 10th, Knuckies will give 20% of all sales from 8:30am-7:00pm in store and online orders; excluding 3rd party (UberEats,DoorDash,etc). Knuckies offers breakfast hoagies and brown bags for to go lunches. Knuckies is located in downtown Crabapple near The Green. Here is a link to their website and menu https://knuckieshoagies.com

This year we are looking forward to revitalizing the Northwestern Middle School garden with vital native plants. This open-air space will provide an outdoor classroom as well as countless teaching opportunities on the importance of native plants in our area. From serving our butterfly and insect population, to providing beauty to our campus, these plants will thrive in our environment for years to come. We hope you will partner with us and create a lasting legacy in honor of your student’s time here on our campus. Follow this link to sponsor a flower(s) in the garden https://northwesternpto.membershiptoolkit.com/NMSGarden

The 7th Grade Career Fair will be virtual this year and we need volunteer speakers and helpers. The fair will consist of a variety of speakers answering pre-set questions on videos posted securely on FlipGrid. If you are interested in sharing your career path and want to learn more, please contact Michelle Cardillo at michcard74@hotmail.com.

We will also need volunteers to help pull the videos together. If you have experience with FlipGrid, video editing, interviewing, or simply want to help out, please contact Michelle at the above email address.

Parents of 8th graders - Are you interested in getting more involved in the school community? Consider serving on the 2021/2022 MHS PTO Board! We are currently seeking individuals to serve in the following roles:

- Vice-President

- Secretary

- Vice-President of Community

- Vice-President Ways & Means

We also have more specific committee openings in various areas. If you would like to submit your name for a Board position or if you would like more information about serving in the PTO, please comment below or send us a message or you can email: miltoneaglespto@gmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you! Asking for more information does not imply any obligation :)!

Do You Own Your Own Business?

or Know Someone Who Does?

Northwestern Middle school invites you to partner with us to enhance the educational experiences of our students and support the needs of our teachers. Become a Business Partner and your financial donation will be greatly appreciated. In return, the NMS PTO would display your business logo to our NMS families in various communications, websites and on campus throughout the year. Click HERE to learn more about our Business Partner levels and ways to partner with us.

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

Our front office is staffed Monday-Friday from 8:25 am to 4:25 pm. From 4:25 pm to 5:00 pm an Administrator is on duty and available for phone calls in the front office.

Outside of these hours, you can send an email to our front office staff at nmsfrontdesk@fultonschools.org.

Thank you for your continued support of Northwestern Middle School!

Sincerely,

Joel - Principal

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