News and events

We have had an amazing start to our year here at Northdale Middle School. It has been great to see our students back and into the swing of school. October will provide the first chance for us to welcome you to school with our Fall conferences. Information on how to sign up for our October 10th conferences will be sent to you in another email soon. Our October 15th conferences will be fully in person from 3:30 pm - 8:00 pm. We are looking forward to connecting with you.

Speaking of connections, many of you may have received messages from school using a new tool. Reach my Teach allows our staff to text message families and increase our communications home. This has proven to be a useful tool as there have been over 2000 texts between school and home sent so far. Our staff have enjoyed the ability to connect with families in a more efficient way. As always, we appreciate your support and teamwork as we work to make this a great year for your students.

Lastly, as a reminder, October 7th is a Staff Development Day. There will be no school that day., We will have school on October 4th, only our Elementary schools will be off that day. I hope to see you at conferences this month.

October 1st - Zupas Fundraiser - Blaine Location

October 7th - Staff Development Day - No Students

October 10th - Fall Conferences & Book Fair 3:30 - 7:30 pm

October 10th - Choir 8 at Blaine High School at 6:55 pm

October 10th - 11th Book Fair during school hours

October 15th - Fall Conferences & Book Fair 3:30 - 7:30 pm

October 15th - Band 8 at Blaine High School at 7:00 pm

October 17th-18th - MEA - No Students

October 22nd - Picture Retakes (am only)

October 24th - Orchestra 8 at Blaine High School at 7:00 pm

November 5th - Staff Development - No Students

November 14th - 15th - Fall Play 7:00 pm

November 16th - Fall Play 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm

November 22nd - End of Trimester One

November 25th - 26th - Staff Development - No Students

November 27th - Conversion Day - No Students

November 28th - 29th - District Holidays

Northdale is looking for a parent or guardian to represent NMS on the Community Curriculum Advisory Committee. What is the Community Curriculum Advisory Committee?

The Community Curriculum Advisory Committee is

facilitated by the Directors of Curriculum, Assessment & Instruction.

Purpose

• To review PreK‐16 curriculum, assessment, and instructional programming through a community lens

• To provide information to and request feedback from Parent Teacher Organizations, Partnership Teams, and Parent Advisory Committees in each building regarding curriculum, assessment and instructional programming

• To provide input and feedback to the Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Committee (CIAC)

• To provide input and feedback to the School Board regarding academic programs

Membership

• PreK family & parent representatives

• 1 family or parent representative per elementary school

• 1 family or parent representative per secondary school

• Alternative programs family or parent representatives

• Community members, 1 per cluster for a total of 5

Meeting Frequency

• Monthly Meetings from October-May from 5:30pm-7:00pm

*Dinner is provided If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, please contact Sara Evans, our volunteer coordinator.

Northdale's Battle of the Books (BOB) season is in full swing. Students have been checking out BOB books from the library and are dividing the list among their teams. An informational meeting was held in the library on Wednesday. The Northdale Battle will be held on February 11 in the cafeteria. The district battle, where all Anoka Hennepin middle schools compete against one another will be held on February 25. Northdale students interested in participating in the Battle of the Books competition should reach out to Mrs. Leighton.

Do you have a career that could enlighten students and motivate them to do their best as they work through middle school and prepare for high school, college and careers? We would love for you or someone you know to participate as a speaker for AVID! The students absolutely LOVE hearing about various careers. Students love stories of your experiences tied in with anything hands-on, interactive, or visual. You will find that your time flies by as you share your story relating to the path your life has taken to bring you to the point it is today. We would like to schedule speakers for this school year. Please contact Rebecca Aman, AVID coordinator, by email rebecca.aman@ahschools.us.

Our first Scholastic Book Fair of the year is scheduled for October 10-11 & 14-15. The fair will be open during school hours and we will have evening hours on October 10 & 15 from 3:30-7:30 pm. All purchases benefit Northdale Middle School. In-person sales earn Northdale 50% in Scholastic Dollars. If you are unable to attend the fair in-person, online purchases benefit our school and earn 25% in Scholastic Dollars from: Oct 9, 2024 → Oct 22, 2024. Help your child build their personal library and their love for reading by supporting the book fair.

Students in Spanish 1 celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month and Mexican Independence Day with some authentic Mexican cuisine; guacamole, chips, Jarritos soda, and Conchas from 3Leches local Panadería. ¡Qué delicioso! Thank you to the help from Sara Evans, and all the parents that donated to make this event successful! -Profe Katie Liekhus

Do you want to volunteer at NMS? It is never too late to register to become a volunteer. To become a volunteer, just complete the required NMS volunteer application and criminal history release.

All our current volunteer opportunities can be viewed on our website. Thank you to our awesome volunteers who support our staff and students here at Northdale! Your time is appreciated.

Conference Meal Donations
Our staff will have a long day on October 10th with Parent-Teacher Conferences. To make the day a little shorter we are looking for meal items for staff to enjoy. All items must be to school by 2:00 pm on October 10th. Items can be dropped off in the main office. If sending a perishable item with your student, please make sure they drop it off in the office right away in the morning. Sign Up.

Donations Needed
Uno Card Games (2)
Connect Four (1)
3 inch circle punch
Black Cardstock (8 ½ x 11) - 50 sheets
New or gently used games would be appreciated. They can be dropped off in the main office with a note that they are for Sara Evans. I will distribute them to the teachers that requested them.

Northdale Middle School Community Educations Athletics and Activities are off to a great start. We have a number of programs for the month of October. You can find the full list of Community Education Middle School Programs on our website.

Young Engineers ROBOTICS & STEM Program Defense Robotics and Technology Education Program - Tuesday evenings starting Oct 1. Open to grades 1-6. In the October session, learn about synchronous and asynchronous movement, friction and sensor techniques. Working independently or in pairs, build working robotic models of a military tank, landmine sweeper, commando soldier, military radar system and other military machines.

Viking Service Club/Youth for Change- After school, Tuesdays starting Oct 8. Open to grades 6-8. Do you want to join a club to feel more involved in the community and school, make new friends, design service projects for your fellow students and community? Then join the Viking Service Club. Past projects have included tie blankets, centerpieces and placemats for local senior citizen communities, card making, and a trip to Feed My Starving Children.

Chess - After school Wednesdays, starting October 9. 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.

Viking Gaming Club - After school Mondays, starting October 14. Open to grades 6-8. Calling all “gamers”! Join the NMS Gaming Club. Here is a list of some of the games we may be playing in this club: Trading Card Games (TGG) Living Card Games (LCG) such as Magic: The Gathering, Yu-gi-Oh, Pokemon, Chess, Settlers of Catan, Apples to Apples, Flux, Ninjaburger, Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit.

Girls Volleyball Gr 6 - After school, Mondays-Thursdays, starting October 21. Open to Girls in grade 6. Players will learn the basics of volleyball with an emphasis on skill development. A and B teams will be formed based on each player’s skill level. Teams practice after school and compete against other Anoka-Hennepin middle schools.

Viking Strength and Conditioning - After school Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting Oct 22. Open to grades 6-8. This Strength and Conditioning program will educate the participants on the importance of overall fitness. We will learn the proper way to use fitness equipment and design a workout routine to help you reach your personal goals. The training will focus on the areas of strength, speed, agility, mobility and injury prevention.

Halloween Dance and Costume Party - Friday, Oct 25 at Coon Rapids Middle School. Open to grades 6-8. Students must live in Coon Rapids and attend Coon Rapids Middle School or Northdale Middle School. Celebrate Halloween early! Bring your friends and dance the night away with a live DJ, musical games and prices and a Costume Party! Price includes one piece of pizza, beverage and cookie.

RC Car Racing Event - Tuesday evening, Oct 29 at Johnsville Elementary, 6-7pm. Open to grades K-8. Come join us for some fun as we explore what makes RC cars and trucks work and try them out. You will test out your driving skills and gain a better understanding of how RC Cars and trucks operate.

RC Car Open Track Time - Tuesday evening, Oct 29 at Johnsville Elementary, 7:15-8:15pm. Open to ages 5 and up. This course is for intermediate level drivers, teens, and adults that want time on the track to drive RC Cars. Bringing your own RC Cars is encouraged but not necessary, there will be RC Cars available for use.

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.

Sew Charity Fun! Foster Care Bags - Tuesday, Nov 5. Open to grades 3-8. 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.

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.