HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025!

I anticipate both the faculty and staff coming back from the winter recess well rested and ready to start the second half of the year. Semester 1 ends on January 21st, and our Semester 2 begins on January 22nd. As the semester ends, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the specific teacher for the class you have a concern or question about for assistance. Please remember that the counseling department is also available to assist you and your student.

We will start semester 2 with Dr. "The Machine" Jesse Green - Chainsaws, Cheeseburgers, and Rock n' Roll, a motivational speaker about fostering mental health, and motivating everyone to aim and achieve their highest potential. This is our 2nd time having Jesse here and we look forward to hearing his inspirational message.

I also want to take a moment to thank all of you for speaking with your students regarding picking up after themselves. We have noticed a big difference in the cafeteria and in the bathrooms and it is appreciated.

Sincerely,

Laurie Smith, Principal

A note from Kristi Montolio - Special Education Department Chair

Special Education is closing out the year in our Language Based ELA classes by creating persuasive essays and researching various topics of their choosing, while our TLC English is looking at perspective taking while reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, through the lens of a 15 year old boy with Autism.

In TLC Math, students are learning how to use Google Sheets as a budgeting tool. Students are researching the cost of items and vendors to plan and host a fictional event while inputting their findings into google sheets to ensure they remain within their budget.

ASCs are busy this time of year while students close out 2024 and organize and prepare for 2025. Many students utilize ASC class time to perfect their college essays in preparation for submission to their college of choice, while many underclassmen prepare for the closure of quarter 2 just around the corner.

A note from Christy Kervin - Science Department Chair

This month, students in our physics classes have been busy exploring the fundamentals of motion and forces. The College Prep (CP) and Advanced Placement (AP) classes focused on understanding Newton’s laws and analyzing real-world scenarios to measure forces in action. Our Accelerated students just wrapped up an in-depth unit on projectile motion, culminating in a hands-on challenge where they predicted a projectile’s trajectory to guide it through multiple rings and into a waiting box—a true test of both creativity and critical thinking!

Meanwhile, the AP classes took their learning to a whole new level by calculating the acceleration of the school’s elevator. Across all sections, students worked collaboratively—whether in small groups or as a full class—allowing them to share insights and refine their understanding of concepts like Newton’s Laws of Motion and gravitation. One notable topic was talking about how Earth doesn't just pull down on us with gravity but we also pull up on Earth with our own gravity! These discussions have generated genuine enthusiasm and curiosity, making our physics classrooms more engaging and thought-provoking than ever.

The freshman biology students recently perfected their pipetting and then used them to complete a Gel Electrophoresis. Students accurately used DNA samples from elephant tusks to determine where the tusks were poached from.

A note from Anissa Plante - Visual Art Department Chair

Students in Drawing & Painting 1 with Ms. Domings have been learning about Photorealism. They are creating food paintings from photographs. After learning how to stretch and gesso their own canvas, students began the transfer process. Once the drawing was transferred, students began working with acrylic paints. They have learned how to color mix, match, blend & shade like pro's!

To see more amazing student work from the Art department, follow us on Instagram!

@nmrhs.2d.art (Ms. Domings)

@nmrhs.3d.art (Ms. Plante)

@nmrhsgraphics (Ms. Wiechers)

A note from Mike Chew- World Language Department Chair

As part of the introduction to a new unit, Spanish 2 students in Sra. LeGrand’s classes researched different places in various Spanish cities. Students imagined their friend was going to spend a semester abroad in Spain and as a gift, they compiled a list of the best places to shop, eat, and play in their new city! Students enjoyed the search while figuring many new words in Spanish and were surprised at how differently addresses and phone numbers are written in Europe.

French students learned about the tradition of making or buying une bûche de Noël. Students recreated their own versions of these using some pastry and treats on our last day before the holiday break. Some students were brave enough to sneak in a taste, but we can't say they were un delice...

French 1 students in Mme. Cooper’s class continued working with adjectives to describe some very colorful characters.

As part of studying the cultural traditions of Christmas-time in Spanish-speaking countries, students in all levels of Profe Chew’s classes prepared some “Flores de Nochebuena”, highlighting their own traditions using a variety of grammar points from whatever level they are at, and using them to decorate the classroom for the season (they’ll be up until 2 Feb, the traditional end of the season in Mexico).

A note from Ed Logiudice - Math & Business Department Chair

The math teachers at NMRHS view teaching math as a relay race. For example, the grade 10 teachers take over where the grade 9 teachers left off during the previous year. One of the things that makes studying Mathematics at NMRHS so interesting is how connected the topics are over the first 3 years in high school. During the freshmen year, students learn various techniques to graph linear equations as well as exponential functions. Well, these same techniques are used when students are introduced to graphing quadratic equations in their sophomore year. These same processes, which are learned in grade 9, are also used to expand the students’ mathematical knowledge when they are introduced to the graphs of logarithmic functions and the trigonometric functions during their junior year.

An interesting thing happened just the other day. We have a paraprofessional who is assigned to Mr. Thompson’s Grade 10 class and Mr. Logiudice’s Grade 11 class. She noted that in Mr. Thompson’s Grade 10 class, the students are learning the basics of Right Triangle Trigonometry. You may remember this as SOH-CAH-TOA. From that class, this paraprofessional travels to Mr. Logiudice’s class where the students are using the Law of Sines and Law of Cosines to find the missing pieces of any type of triangle (not just right triangles). She was amazed at how interconnected the math courses are here at NMRHS. So, I figured I would take some time this month to point this out to our students and their families.

I would also like to take this time to wish everyone a safe, healthy, and happy 2025!

A note from Beth Romano - Counseling Department Chair

Counselors are visiting with juniors in their history classes to cover "Preparing for the College Application Process."

This is happening from December 19, 2024 through January 15, 2025.

Alumni Day - January 10, 2025

Alumni from the classes of 2023 and 2024 will be visiting a number of classrooms to share their post NM experiences with

current NM students.

A note from Jim Landry, Department Chair

Students in the CAD class used their skills to design and 3D print their own Chess

pieces. They each designed the six different pieces of a Chess set.

Many North Middlesex Students participated in the first ever “In Class”

Engineering Field Trip, sponsored by the One8 Foundation. Over 2000

Massachusetts students from various grade levels participated in the event. Our

high school students were connected with National Grid as our industry partner.

The students were asked to solve National Grid's real world problem of how to

encourage EV customers to charge their vehicles during “non-peak” electric

hours. A solution would be beneficial to the customer (cheaper electricity rates)

and National Grid (electricity production). Students worked in groups of 3 to 5

students and recorded 3 ideas to solve the problem. Each group then met with a

professional from National Grid over zoom twice. These two 5 minute meetings

were to share the ideas and refine them into their final solution. After lunch a

representative from the United States Patent and Trademark Office spoke via

Zoom to all students about Intellectual Property. The students had a great

experience and it was great to be able to connect our students to real world

professionals.

December 23rd, 2024 - January 1st, 2025 - WINTER RECESS - No School

* Saturday, January 11th - Semi-Formal - 7-10pm - NMRHS - SNOW DATE 1/25/25

* Friday, January 24th - NOLA Spaghetti Supper - 5-7:30pm - NMRHS Commons

* Thursday, January 30th - NM Play - The Play that Goes Wrong(HS Edition) - PAC- Tickets $10-

* Friday, January 31st - NM Play - The Play that Goes Wrong(HS Edition) - PAC - Tickets $10-

Please see our new K-12 Student handbook for the 2024-2025 school year.

Click on the link below to read.

https://nmrhs.nmrsd.org/for-families/student-handbook

Looking to support NM and get your own NM patriots gear, here is your opportunity!

The NM School store will now be open the 1st Friday of the month during lunches for students to purchase NM gear!

Cash or check only (made out to NMRHS)

If your student will be tardy or absent from school, please contact NMRHS on the absence phone line at 978-597-8721 or email at hsattendance@nmrsd.org. Please make every effort to notify NMRHS of your student being tardy or absent from school.

To contact your students school counselor, please call the counseling department at 978-597-8196 to speak with the counseling secretary, Mrs. Tiana Babin or contact your students counselor directly.

School Counselors

A - F - Mrs. Julia Mancini - jmancini@nmrsd.org X2453

G - M - Ms. Beth Romano - bromano@nmrsd.org X2454

N - Z - Mr. Tim Robertson - trobertson@nmrsd.org X2452

• Email: nmrhs@nmrsd.org
• Website: https://www.nmrsd.org/Page/9
• Location: 19 Main St. Townsend, MA 01469
• Phone: 978-597-8721
• Fax: 978-597-3180