Weekly Wildcat Newsletter - Jan. 15

I am so excited to have our students and teachers back to school on Tuesday! We will welcome back about 67% of our students to F2F classrooms next week. This is a smaller percentage of F2F students than we had during the Fall semester.

If a parent/guardian wishes to request a change to their student's learning environment (F2F/remote), please contact your grade level Assistant Principal. The learning environment selection was/is intended to be a 9 week commitment. Any request for future changes in a student's learning environment will need to be approved by our Zone Superintendent. Our Assistant Principals will assist parents/guardians in these situations.

Report Cards are finalized and can be viewed in Infinite Campus. I have directions below.

Picture Remake Day is scheduled for Thursday, January 21. Remote students are scheduled to take their pictures during a different time slot than F2F students. Sibling pictures will also be taken on the same day.

Please check out the PTO updates below for important news and information.

I hope your families enjoy the long weekend and Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday.

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 Tuesday morning!

Parents should use this reporting site to share if their students have tested positive, are awaiting the outcome of test results, or if their students have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The reporting mechanism assists school/health officials as they conduct contact tracing and is not a diagnostic tool nor a place for reporting potential symptoms.

Report Cards have been finalized and parents/guardians can view the Semester One Report Card in Infinite Campus. Please follow the directions below to view your student's Report Card.

Our team has started working with our feeder Elementary Schools and High Schools on next school year's scheduling. Important information and dates to remember are shared below. The timelines are different for our feeder high schools.

During this process we will continue to update and provide information to parents/guardians and students. These communications will be sent home through messenger by our Counselors and Grade Level APs, as well as updates in our Weekly Wildcat.

Questions?

Rising 9th Grade Parents/Guardians - contact Ms. Euodia Harris at harrise1@fultonschools.org

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

Northwestern Middle School has scheduled Picture Remake Day for Thursday, January 21st.

Remote Students

9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Picture remakes will be set up in the Wildcat Den. Remote students can access the Wildcat Den from the Wildcat den doors, just to the left of the main entrance, accessible from the front carpool lane. Parents, please remain in your car while you wait for your student. Signs will be posted directing students where to enter the building. Each picture will take 1 minute. One student will be allowed in the building at a time.

F2F Students

Pictures will be set up in the Wildcat Den beginning after remote student pictures are completed. Students will be called by their last name for pictures throughout the school day.

Please contact Katherine Wickliffe at wickliffe@fultonschools.org.

During Spring Semester, attendance will be taken by the teacher for all students each class period. For F2F learners, students who are in class will be present. Students who are not in class will be marked “absent”. For remote learners, when the class is being taught live (synchronously), teachers will mark students who log in and actively participate, as “participated”. If a student does not log in to a live (synchronous) class or does not respond when called upon, he/she will not be marked as “participated”. If a student experiences a technical issue which prohibits him/her from logging into a live class, a parent or guardian should email the grade level Assistant Principal to resolve the absence within five school days.

6th grade: Amber Manganelli – manganellia@fultonschools.org

7th grade: Deana Skimel – skimel@fultonschools.org

8th grade: Ashley Poston – postona@fultonschools.org

Attendance for offline (asynchronous) classes will be determined by work submission and as defined by the teacher. If you do not have attendance alerts set up in Infinite Campus, please take time this evening to set them up, so you will be immediately notified if your student is not attending classes.

NMS Expectations for Remote Participation

Live/Synchronous Lessons

• Remote students should be in class (online) on time each period.
• Remote students will communicate/answer questions as directed by their teacher
• Remote students will have their camera on as directed by their teacher.
• Remote students will remain in class (online) as directed by their teacher.

Offline/Asynchronous Lessons

• Remote students will submit class work/assignments as directed by their teacher.

The Student Success Skills Inventory will be used to measure student growth across success skill standards as a result of ReThink Ed lessons. Students will complete the 15-20 item inventory between January 6, 2021 - January 29, 2021 and will take about 15 minutes to complete. The inventory will be pushed out to students in grades 3-12 using the Illuminate platform.

Students can choose to opt out of the Student Success Skills inventory. If you choose to opt out for your student(s), please send an email to the grade level Assistant Principal, with your student’s full name and student ID number.

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 will be expected 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.

The Media Center will be closed to students until further notice. Students will have the opportunity to check out books online. These books will be delivered to students by our Media Center staff.

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.

Do you love riding horses and want to participate in equestrian competition and instruction? NMS is interested in forming an IEA team to participate in local Hunt Seat competitions with other middle school IEA teams. If you have a student that is interested in learning more, please email Christine.e.nix@gmail.com. The deadline to form a team is November 1st so please reach out soon. Once interest levels are gauged, additional information will be sent out about the trainer/coach, team practices, and show schedules.

During the January PTO meeting, all in attendance, voted Gina Kellis as the new Co-President. Gina will fulfill this role for the rest of the 2020-2021 school year and continue into 2021-2022. Please take a minute to congratulate and graciously thank Gina on her new role in the NMS PTO.

Located in the Wildcat Den on Thursday, January 21st. Remote students are anytime from 9-11:30am. F2F students are scheduled throughout the day by last name. We could use a couple of helping hands to help make the process a smooth one. Please follow this link to sign up to volunteer.

Special offerings to our 8th graders: upload your student’s baby pictures for free, purchase a shout out or ad to honor your special 8th grader. There are lots of options – check them out on the Balfour website when you order your yearbook.

Deadline for purchase is February 1st

Go HERE to read more about the offerings.

Questions can be directed to the yearbook team at nmsyearbookmiltonga@gmail.com

We need your help - The yearbook team is looking for pictures submitted by you in the following categories:

• First day of school pictures. Either first day of URL or F2F.

• Pictures of your Wildcat during URL- What does ‘school at home’ look like for your Wildcat?

• Pictures of your Wildcat after school, i.e. what activities are Wildcats involved in? Submit a picture of them doing what they love: football, cheer, swim, playing an instrument, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, etc.

**NMS students only PLEASE**

Submit your picture via the Image Share app- project number 125612 or via email (full size please) to nmsyearbookmiltonga@gmail.com

Deadline for submission/purchase is February 1st.

Let's grants some wishes for some little things to help our teachers teach. Some items, such as the rubber ducks, are used for student rewards while other items, such as LED lights, help create a better learning environment.

We have included a link to the specific wish item and the price at the time this list was created. But, as we all know, Amazon prices can change in the blink of an eye -- sometimes for the better.

You can have items shipped directly to the school (Northwestern MS: Attn PTO, 12805 Birmingham Highway, Milton, GA 30004) or have your student drop the item off at the front office. Use this Amazon Smile link to place your order and NMS will get a percentage of the total purchase price.

Follow this link to view and sign up for wish list items https://northwesternpto.membershiptoolkit.com/home

Northwestern Middle School will be open 8:15 am - 3:45 pm daily.

Email: nmsfrontdesk@fultonschools.org
Website: https://www.fultonschools.org/northwesternms
Location: 12805 Birmingham Highway, Milton, GA, USA
Phone: (470) 254-2870
Twitter: @TheNMSWildcats

Thank you for your continued support of Northwestern Middle School!

Sincerely,

Joel - Principal

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