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December + Holiday Greetings
December is a busy month but this year seems particularly jam-packed with only three weeks between breaks. Our STARs returned on Monday to a fifteen-day sprint as we look to closeout this calendar year of 2024. Our Winter Break begins on Monday, 12/23 with our final day of school being Friday, 12/20. Additionally, (and ironically), 12/20 is an early, 12:20pm release day for all of our students.
This December update is streamlined to get you the dates and information you need between now and our return on Monday, January 6th. With special consideration of the many holidays and celebrations this month, our North team wishes you and your family the happiest of holiday seasons. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve you as part of our North community.
Happy December and goNorth!
Upcoming Dates/Events of Note:
This Month at North:
- 12/2: World Language Assessment: Part I (select/preregistered students)
- 12/11: World Language Assessment: Part II (select/preregistered students)
- 12/13: Winter Orchestra Concert (7:00pm/Everett Civic Auditorium)
- 12/20: 12:20pm Dismissal Day
- 12/23 - 1/3: (NO SCHOOL) Winter Break
Future Dates of Note:
- 1/6: School Resumes (normal schedule)
- 1/10: North PTSA Family Night w/ Bingo/Lotería (Time TBD)
- 1/20: (NO SCHOOL) Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, National Day of Service
- 1/21: Winter II Athletics Begin
- 1/21: North PTSA Meeting (6:30pm/Library)
- 1/21: Winter Choir Concert (7:00pm/Everett Civic Auditorium)
- 1/22: Theater Arts Semester I Showcase Event (6:00pm/Commons)
- 1/30: End of Fall Semester
- 1/31: (NO SCHOOL) Grading/Semester-End Day
- 2/3: Start of Spring semester
2024/2025 EPS Cultural & Religious Observances Calendar
Athletics Schedules:
SPARK Club Toy Drive is Ongoing
As they have done in recent years, our North Middle SPARK Club is collecting gently used or new stuffed animals and brand new toys across these first few weeks of December. Students can turn these in to their second period, STAR block teacher anytime between now and Friday, December 13th. These items will be donated to Christmas House in an effort to make the holidays a bit more joyous for all.
If you can, please consider helping a family in need through this local organization, Christmas House, that has been helping our community for over 40 years!
Coming Soon: Winter II Athletics
December is a full month in every regard, including athletics Currently, we have six teams in action across three sports. Come Winter Break, our Winter I season will conclude and we'll turn our attention to the forthcoming Winter II season. Winter II includes Girls Basketball and Coed Wrestling.
Girls Basketball is limited to two teams, seventh grade and eighth grade. Sixth graders can participate in wrestling as a practice-only sport. Seventh and eighth grade wrestlers do participate in meets and while sixth grades cannot compete against other schools, this practice-only season provides a great opportunity to learn and grow in the sport.
Should you have any questions about this upcoming season, please see our North Athletics site or contact our North Office during regular business hours. Student-athletes must have full clearance to participate in practices, beginning in late January.
December STAR Update
Our November/December STAR Celebration will take place next week, on Friday, December 13th. As we have done in previous months, students with passing grades and minimal missing assignments, tardy incidents, and cell/personal technology violations will be honored and invited to participate.
This week, as part of our Friday STAR Block, our students will reconnect with how to calculate their GPA. With our fall semester ending in January, we want our students to gain a clear view of their standing in each class.
As always, families can check class grades/progress anytime utilizing our Home Access Center.
Phone + Earbud/Earphone Reminder
As a school, we continue to adhere to our school/district policy pertaining to cell phones and earbuds/earphones. Not only do we standby this policy but also earnestly believe in our students learning the value of knowing when and how to utilize personal technology. Daily violations are down but still, we continue to pick-up phones and earbuds/earphones on a day-to-day basis.
If your child is continually struggling with using their cell phone on campus, we will reach out to request assistance. In addition, we support parents/guardians choosing to keep their child's phone at home to eliminate the potential distraction. As a third option, we also support a "check-in/check-out" practice to hold phones in the office for students who are unable to keep their phone off/away during regular school hours.
If you are seeking options or assistance in this regard, please reach out as we would be happy to partner in this effort.
Resources for Winter + Holidays
The winter/holiday season is upon us and, as needed, please consider utilizing the many amazing family resources that we have in our Everett and North communities. These include several of the community partners listed below as well as those listed as part of the 2024/25 Snohomish County Winter Resources guide.
Additionally, the Salvation Army Everett and Volunteers of America of Western Washington are partnering to provide Christmas Assistance to families in need. The Salvation Army will provide toys and gifts for children 17 and under, and the Volunteers of America will provide Christmas food baskets for each family.
Winter/Holiday Community Partners:
Snohomish County Cold Weather Shelters
2024 Snohomish County Dinner and Toy Distribution Resources
Local Winter / Holiday Help Guide
Global Holiday Traditions Event, Hosted by EPS Natural Leaders
Welcome all! You are invited to join our Everett Natural Leaders Program on Friday, December 13, 2024, from 5:00pm to 7:30pm at the Community Resource Center (3900 Broadway, Everett, WA 98201) for our first annual Global Holiday Traditions event. It’s going to be an evening of community, joy, and celebration of the wonderful global holiday traditions that make us unique. For more information, please click here (English) (Spanish)
Due to limited space, please register today at https://forms.office.com/r/h2fHeD4Yqm.
December Edition of EPS News Links
Each month, our Everett Public Schools produce a district newsletter specific to Everett families. Please CLICK HERE to access this month's edition of News Links
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Thank you again for taking the time to read our December edition of North News. On behalf of our entire North team, we wish you and yours the absolute best across this month of holidays and celebrations.
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