Northern Middle Newsletter 9/10/23
Weekly Update 9/10/23
Bobcat Nation:
We hope that everyone has had the opportunity to enjoy the weekend with their families. There is a lot of information in this week’s update – Open House, Picture Day, Required CCPS Student Annual Update Form, etc. Please take the time to look over these items.
As we commemorate the anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11, I encourage parents/guardians to share their memories of these events with their children. These conversations can help our students build context and an understanding of the world in which they live, as well as their future as citizens of our community and country.
As a reminder, CCPS schools have a two hour delayed arrival on Wednesday, 9/13.
We look forward to seeing families at Open House on Monday. Have a great week!
Mr. Webster, NMS Principal
Open House/Back-to-School Night will occur on Monday, September 11th
We would like to remind families that the NMS Open House/Back-to-School Night will occur on Monday, September 11th at 6:00 p.m. Back-to-School Night provides an excellent opportunity for parents to meet with their child’s teachers. During Open House, parents will visit classrooms and learn information concerning curriculum, homework procedures, classroom policies, and upcoming events. There will be many parents attending and in each classroom. If you feel the need to meet with your child’s teachers about individual needs, please schedule a conference through our Counseling Department.
Attached below is a letter which contains the schedule for the evening. Students will be provided with a paper copy of this letter and asked to fill in the portion with their class schedule for their parents.
PTO/PBIS Back to School Bash - Mon, 9/11 - 5:00 - 6:00 prior to Open House
Prior to Open House, the NMS PTO and PBIS team will be holding a Back to School Bash from 5:00 – 6:00 pm. Come out and enjoy the Bobcat community with music and games. Purchase a sweet treat from the Rita’s truck. PBIS will have pizza and drinks for sale.
IMPORTANT & REQUIRED INFO NEEDED FROM FAMILIES - CCPS ANNUAL STUDENT UPDATE FORM - Please complete by 9/22/23
If you have already completed the Annual Student Update for your children, thank you! If you still need to complete it, please follow the attached directions below. The same message was sent to parents/guardians by CCPS on September 5th. The direct link to access HAC to complete the update is https://ccpses4hac.calvertnet.k12.md.us.
This year, you will need to log in to your Home Access Center (HAC) account to complete the Annual Student Update form electronically for each child who lives with you by Friday, September 22, 2022. This process replaces the emergency form and several other permission forms and acknowledgements that are required each school year. Only one guardian for each child may complete this process, which is critical to school operations. Once each child’s form is done, it will be marked complete in eSchoolPlus, our student information system.
NMS Picture Day - Monday, September 18th
Students will be provided with picture day order forms to bring home. The easiest way to order is to submit and pay for pictures online. Pre-order access will expire 48 hours after picture day.
Skip the Order Form & Pre-order Before Picture Day
https://vando.imagequix.com/J9FRB96
Online Code: nmscalvert23
Questions? - please contact Classic Photography at: (800)869-9515 x112
Car Riders - Arrival & Dismissal
Please note that students who arrive as car riders starting at 8:00 am are tardy to school and will need to sign in at the main office.
NMS parents who drop off their student(s) are asked to turn left onto Flint Hill Road then left into the parking lot near the NMS cafeteria. The drop off and pick up zone for students extends from the sidewalk by the NMS cafeteria, continues along the sidewalk towards the NMS office, then continues along the sidewalk in front of the Mary Harrison Center. Please pull up to the furthest spot in the drop off zone so that we can allow as many vehicles into the zone as possible. Students should be ready to exit their vehicle quickly so that we can keep traffic flowing. Upon students exiting, vehicles follow a route that allows them back onto Flint Hill Road.
Afternoon Dismissal
In the afternoon, if there are no additional spaces on the sidewalk before the cafeteria entrance, please park in a parking space so that we do not have cars blocking traffic on Flint Hill Road.
Student Locker Requests
- Students can request a hallway locker for storage of books, coats, and school-appropriate belongings.
- You do not need to request a hallway locker if you do not plan to use one.
- Students can request a locker at this time by going to https://tinyurl.com/BobcatLockers23.
- During the school year, students having issues with their assigned locker can stop by the main office to fill out a Locker Help form. You can also use the form to request a locker later if you change your mind about using one.
Forms to Sign & Return
There are forms that need to be signed and returned for each student. Thank you to everyone who has already returned the forms. They were included in our First Day Folders so parents would receive a paper copy. Attached are copies of the forms in the event that you need to print them out. Students should return the signed forms to their 1st period teacher.
- CCPS Code of Conduct Statement of Understanding
- CCPS Personal Cell Phone, Electronic, & Communication Devices Registration Form
- NMS Technology Expectations Form
Student Laptops
Student have been provided with a laptop and charger by Calvert County Public Schools. 8th graders will continue to utilize the laptop this school year that has been previously issued to them and was taken home over the summer. 6th grade and 7th grade students have received new laptops.
It is important that students take care of their device and charger. While normal wear and tear is acceptable and expected, intentional damage or damage caused by neglect is not covered under the accidental warranty. These types of damages will require an investigation by school administration and may result in a student obligation for the repair costs. We would like to avoid parents being responsible for these costs, as they could hundreds of dollars depending on the damage.
Technology Expectations
Learning Expectations with Devices
- CCPS/CHS device brought to school every day – fully charged before school begins.
- Used as the official electronic device in all classrooms
- Use CCPS Office 365 account to save assignments, projects, notes
Device Safety:
- Accounts, usernames and/or passwords are never to be shared with another student/individual
- Laptop devices should never be loaned to another student/individual
- Personal, identifiable information should never be posted on the internet
- Never leave devices unattended
Device Care:
- No decorations, stickers, drawing or writing on the device
- No eating or drinking near the device
- Do not expose the device to extreme heat, cold or rain
- Clean with a dry soft cloth only
- Do not drop or slam the device on any surface
- Do not places papers or other objects between the keyboard and screen and close shut/use as a folder
FREE/REDUCED PRICE MEAL BENEFIT APPLICATION
Some students may qualify for free or reduced-price meals. A new application must be submitted each school year. Eligibility is typically determined by household size and income. To see if your household qualifies, please complete, and submit one meal benefit application per household. Applications will be sent home with students in the beginning of the school year folders but may also be completed online at https://LinqConnect.com. Applications are available in many languages on the LinqConnect site but are also available on the USDA’s website at http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/translated-applications. More information is also available on the CCPS website at Departments – Child Nutrition or at https://www.calvertnet.k12.md.us/departments/child-nutrition.
NMS Extracurricular Opportunities
Willy Wonka Auditions Coming Soon!
NMS - Fall Athletics Clinics Start This Week
Fall Sports Clinics have begun for soccer (coed) and volleyball. Attached is a calendar of clinic dates. Please look for which grades participate each day. In order to participate in the clinics, students will need to submit a completed physical, Athlete Clinic Form (with the clinic fee), and a School Insurance Waiver Form. These documents can be turned in at the main office.
- Required Athletics Forms - https://www.calvertnet.k12.md.us/departments/athletics/middle-school-athletics. Copies are also available in the main office and cafeteria.
If you have any questions, please contact our Athletic Director, Ms. McGuire, at 443-550-9230 or at mcguireta@calvertnet.k12.md.us
Northern Middle School PTO
Update from the NMS PTO
Welcome back NMS families. We hope all the NMS staff and students had an enjoyable summer with their family and friends.
Our PTO school year has already been busy supporting our staff and all they give to our students and community. The PTO provided a Welcome Back picnic this week. We appreciate all the donations and volunteers that showed their support this week for the luncheon and first day folder organizing.
We would like to invite you in considering joining the NMS PTO as we need the support from the parents and families at NMS. No matter how you support us: with your time, your item donations or your financial contribution please know it goes directly to the students and staff at NMS.
Also please look out for additional information in the first day folder or sign up with us at the Back to School Bash and Family Fun event being held on September 11th at 5:00 pm. Rita's will be available for purchase and fun yard games will be available to entertain your crew before the Open House.
Join the NMS PTO! Membership link below:
Resource Flyers and Opportunities for Students and Families
Strategic Planning Community Forums
Save the date! We are seeking input from our parents, students, staff, and community members to help guide our next strategic plan. This is your opportunity to share your thoughts on the profile of a graduate, strengths, focus areas, and future outlook for our school system. Please make plans to join us at one of our Community Forums being held at 6 p.m. on September 18 at Huntingtown High School and at 6 p.m. on September 19 (Patuxent High School). Thank you for your support!
CCPS Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee (SECAC)
Recurring Resources for Families
CCPS Reopening Plan
CCPS SCHOOL LUNCH MENUS
NEW ONLINE MEAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
To provide parents/guardians with a better user experience, the CCPS Child Nutrition Program has transitioned from www.MySchoolBucks.com to https://LinqConnect.com for its online meal management system.
Student purchases and account balances may be monitored by signing up online for a LINQ Connect account at https://LinqConnect.com. There is no fee to sign up for an account. From this one site, parents/guardians will be able to apply for meal benefits (no registration required) and to register their student(s) if they wish to monitor Café purchases, view balances, set low balance reminders and make deposits. In addition, parents/guardians will also now have the ability to transfer funds between their student accounts and may choose to place spending limits/purchasing maximums on these accounts. Online deposits will still incur a fee of $1.60, but that fee will now include all deposits made during a single transaction.
Please note that all previous account balances automatically transferred into the new system, however, any special notes regarding snack/á la carte purchases and limits did not and will need to be re-entered vis https://LinqConnect.com or by contacting the Child Nutrition Office at 443.550.8680.
Here Comes the Bus - A School Bus Tracking App for Parents
Here Comes the Bus (HCTB) is an app with tracking features for the bus(es) your child(ren) is assigned to ride. They include
- Showing the real-time location of your child's bus on a map
- Scheduled and actual arrival times at home and school for bus routes
- Push and email notifications when the bus is near
Click this link for more information on getting the app - https://www.calvertnet.k12.md.us/departments/transportation/bus-status/here-comes-the-bus
To create an account, you will need to know your child's ID number and the school district activation code 87557.
PARENT ACCOUNTS IN SCHOOLOGY
Schoology accounts for parents are view only accounts. They were created for parents who have an email address in Home Access Center (HAC). For more information about how to access your Schoology parent account click: https://www.calvertnet.k12.md.us/departments/instruction/programs/digital-learning/schoology-for-parents
Technology Support
If students have questions about their device (laptop/computer), they can get help from a member of the CCPS IT team at helpdesk@calvertnet.k12.md.us or call 443-550-8146. Students needing assistance can also drop off their laptop in the main office and fill out a paper Help Desk ticket.
Supports are also available on the CCPS website using the Technology Support button (pictured below) on the main page. This resource provides links to submit help desk tickets, frequently asked questions, and other resources students can use to solve issues.
Become a Volunteer
Calvert County Public Schools uses Raptor for visitors and volunteers to sign in and sign out. Volunteers must apply annually to be an approved volunteer. All volunteers will need to review the volunteer handbook and watch the volunteer training video before completing and Online Volunteer Application. Volunteers must be approved before they may begin service as a volunteer in any school buildings.
CCPS Online Volunteer Application & Process: https://www.calvertnet.k12.md.us/departments/human-resources/become-a-volunteer