Dear Families,

It is with great excitement that I welcome you back for the 2024-2025 school year at Northside Middle School. I hope your summer has been enjoyable and relaxing. Our first day of school is Thursday, August 15, 2024, beginning at 8:20 and ending at 3:25.

We have had a busy, but enjoyable summer at Northside Middle School preparing for the 2024-2025 school year. I look forward to students and staff returning to our outstanding school. I would like to commend our students and staff on a very successful 2023-2024 school year. During the Summer of 2023 Northside Middle School received The Virginia Department of Education’s Exemplar Performance Award for Continuous Improvement in Reading and Mathematics. We were one of only 4 middle schools in Virginia to receive this award at that time. Our students did an outstanding job again last school year, which was evident by their strong performance on SOL testing in multiple areas. We will continue to build on this tradition of excellence that makes us one of the best schools in the Commonwealth. We are also excited to continue our behavior initiative this school year called Norsemen Gold. Information on this initiative is included in this newsletter.

You may access any of the newsletters this school year by going to the school website which is www.rcps.us/NMS. If you do not have access to the internet and would like a newsletter mailed to you, please contact the front office at 540-561-8145.

There are few places more dynamic or exciting than a middle school. My administration and I greatly value your student’s education and overall experience at Northside Middle School. I want Northside Middle School to be a place where students are safe and happy. I also want to make sure they can receive an education that will help them build on their future and pursue their dreams. If I can be of assistance, please do not hesitate to call me or stop in and say hello. Once again welcome back and let’s all work together at making this another fun, exciting, and successful year at Northside Middle School!

Sincerely,

Paul N. Lineburg, Ed.D.

Principal

562-3900 ext. 33002

This school year Northside Middle School will continue to implement Norsemen GOLD. This is a school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program that encourages students to focus on academics, follow school expectations, and treat others with respect. We know that when good behavior and good teaching come together, our students will excel in their learning. We are proud to be a part of Roanoke County’s initiative to implement Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports throughout the school system.

As part of our Norsemen GOLD initiative, we will establish several clear expectations and rules for the behavior expected in all areas of our school. We will explicitly teach those expectations to the students and acknowledge them frequently with positive comments and incentives for their great behavior. The expectations for all student behavior will be clear throughout our building and grounds, cafeteria, gymnasium, restrooms, and classrooms. You will be able to ask your student, “What are the rules in your school?” “How do you follow those rules?” “What happens when a teacher sees you following the rules?” Please see the Behavior Matrix below.

Our school expectations and rules will help provide for a safer school environment and give more time for instruction. We will apply consistent consequences and positive reinforcement for all kids. By defining every expected behavior and teaching to kids in a positive way, we will provide a common language for everyone in our building, including students, teachers, front office staff, paraprofessionals, families, and the community.

We believe that by helping students practice good behavior, we will build a school community where all students have an environment where they can succeed and grow.

We would like your input and your involvement. Please contact us at school if you have any questions or need further information. Thank you for your support of Norsemen GOLD!

As part of the Norsemen Gold behavioral program, staff members award students with GOLD tickets for GOLD behavior. Our school store opens once a week for students to cash in their GOLD tickets for snacks, trinkets and school supplies. There are even fun activities like cutting the principal's tie available.

Carina Hughes, Assistant Principal and Athletic Director

chughes@rcps.us; 540-562-3900, Extension 33004

Athletic Passes will be sold for all 2024-25 home middle school events for $55 for adults and $15 for students. If interested, See Mrs. Nicole Weaver, School Bookkeeper.

Individual game ticket prices – Adults - $5, Students - $2

Volleyball

Facebook – Northside Middle School Volleyball

Please visit the NMS website-Athletics-Volleyball, for information about open gyms in July. Students in grades 6 – 8 are eligible to play volleyball. You must have an updated (dated May 1, 2024, or later) VHSL Sports Physical for 2024-25. Bring water and appropriate shoes and attire. Volleyball Tryouts start on August 1st at 6-8pm. See the NMS website Athletics/Volleyball or the Volleyball Facebook page for updates.

Football

Northside Middle School Football will be having open fields throughout the summer for anyone interested in playing football this year. Grades 6-8 are eligible to play football. Students must have a completed VHSL physical dated May 1, 2024, or later, on file with the school. Equipment pickup will be July 25 from 6 – 7pm behind NMS. All interested players are asked to bring their team fee ($60) and their completed VHSL 2024-25 sports physical. Practice will begin on July 29th at 3:30 – 5:45pm. Contact Coach Fisher at fisherab712@gmail.com with questions. Please go to the NMS website football link for more information.

Sports Physicals suggestions:

• Medexpress, Williamson Road. 540-265-8294 - $45.00
• American Family Care Urgent Care – 540-774-0000- $25.00

First day school forms must be completed online using Annual Verification (ANVER) which is accessed through your ParentVUE account. Parents will receive an alert in early July to log into their ParentVUE account to complete the Annual Verification for their children. The Annual Verification (ANVER), (formerly known as Student First Day Forms Online) will open July 18th and stay open through August 9th. We ask that one parent per student log into their ParentVUE account and complete the Annual Verification. This process is extremely important since this is where you update your contact information, emergency contact information, student health information and accept all needed acknowledgments. Parents will no longer receive a SNAP code letter in the mail; ANVER is done completely through your ParentVUE account. If you can’t access your ParentVUE account or have any questions, please contact your child’s school.

More information is available on the RCPS website: https://www.rcps.us/Page/356

Northside Middle will have a computer set up in the front office for those who do not have the ability to complete the forms at home. Please call Mrs. Glass at (540)561-8145 to make an appointment.

On July 18, 2024, both Parent Vue and Student Vue will open for the 2024-2025 school year. In order to be able to view your child's schedule, ANVER must be completed. If something appears incorrect, please contact the school counseling department for correction. Student schedules will be released on August 2, 2024 for those who have completed ANVER. Please keep in mind as classes continue to be balanced prior to the first day of school, you may see your child’s schedule change. For 6th Grade students, we will mail schedules home August 5, 2024.

When:

Monday, August 12, 2024, 9-11am

Where:

6810 Northside High School Road

Roanoke, VA

More information

There will be an orientation meeting for ALL 6th graders and those 7th & 8th grade students NEW to NMS. Students will report to the Pope Gym at 9:00 a.m. for a brief meeting before touring classrooms. We ask that parents come and stay with their students at orientation. We look forward to seeing all of you.

When:

Monday, August 12th , 1-6pm

Where:

6810 Northside High School Road

Roanoke, VA

More information

We will have an Open House for all returning 7th and 8th graders from 1:oo p.m. - 6:00 p.m. You will be able to visit your teachers during this time. Student schedules will be available for those who need one. We look forward to seeing all of you.

6th, 7th, and 8th Grade

Ear Buds - If your student will be using AirPods, please be sure they are labeled in some way. This is a commonly misplaced item and hard to identify the owner due to all appearing the same in the original case.

Pencils

1 Large Binder

Pens

Glue Sticks

Pocket Dividers

Scissors

Colored Pencils

Highlighter

Pencil Pouch

Expo Markers

Composition Notebook (Journal) - 6th grade only

Donations

During the school year, we use lots of tissues, cough drops, cleaning wipes and feminine products. If you would like to donate any of these to our school, we would greatly appreciate it. Please drop these items off in the front office and we will distribute them as needed.

Providing laptop computers for instructional use by students is an exciting venture. Students in all grade levels will be provided a laptop computer. Certain guidelines are necessary to protect the laptop and the school network and ensure that this technology serves as an effective instructional tool. ANVER will contain a laptop loan agreement that you must sign prior to your student receiving their laptop. Please make sure that you review this agreement with your student and sign so that we can distribute laptops in a timely manner.

School Counselors and the Life Counselor will be working with students on Expect Respect. This presentation is anti-bullying and will be taught to all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. 7th and 8th grade students worked with this program last year so this year’s presentation will be an abbreviated version for 7th and 8th graders.

School Counselors will also be working with students to develop their Academic Career Plans. This program starts in 6th grade and by 8th grade students have developed and completed the Academic Career Plan which includes sessions on Learning Styles, Personality traits, Investigating Career Choices, and a Program of Studies for courses to take at the high school level.

7th and 8th graders will be taking field trips to the Salem Civic Center and Burton Center for Arts and Technology. The 7th grade field trip will be held in September at the Salem Civic Center and will introduce 7th graders to the many career opportunities available to them in the Roanoke Valley. The 8th graders will visit Burton Center for Arts and Technology in October and learn about all the programs and opportunities that will be available to them during their high school career. Once school begins, we will send the field trip forms home with students. Please fill these forms out as soon as possible and return them to the school counseling office.

We look forward to working with all our students in the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. We hope everyone has an amazing school year.

All the Best,

School Counseling Department

The front office of a middle school is a bustling place. As Northside Middle School's Administrative Assistant, I'm here to take the helm. I'm Beth Glass, this will be my third year at NMS. As a resident of the community, Northside is important to me because my own children have or will go through our school. I make it a goal every year to learn the names of every student and to connect with each of them in some way. I'm excited for this school year because the 8th grade class will be the first group I have seen start and finish middle school.

ANVER will open on July 18, 2024 for completing first day forms. I will have a computer set up in the front office to assist families who do not have the ability to complete the online forms at home. I will return from vacation on July 26, 2024 and begin appointments at that time. Please call the school to schedule your appointment if necessary.

Here are a few tips and reminders to help make the 2024-2025 school year run smoothly:

• Students may use the office phone to call home if needed.
• Lost and Found is located in the front lobby. Items of value such as instruments, electronics, and glasses are kept in the office.
• Feminine products are available in the front office, attendance office, and the school nurse.

Here is to an amazing 2024-2025 school year. Please do not hesitate to call, I will do my best to answer your question or find the person who can.

Mrs. Beth Glass

Administrative Assistant

(540)561-8145

My name is Desirae Nagel, BSN, RN and I am excited for my second year at Northside Middle School as the School Nurse! When I am not serving my community, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my husband and daughter.

As a School Nurse, I strive to keep all students and staff healthy and safe!

A few reminders:

-Please encourage your child to eat a healthy breakfast daily. The school/clinic is unable to provide snacks.

-If your child is sent home due to illness, please follow Roanoke County’s recommendations regarding when to return to school. Always feel free to contact me to clarify any questions.

Students are encouraged to carry their own supply of cough drops and lip balm as these are things the school clinic cannot typically provide. Students may not carry any other over the counter or prescription medications to school. Prescription and over the counter medications MUST be brought to the school by the parent/guardian in the original container or pharmacy prescription bottle. The only exception to this requirement concerns students needing diabetes medicine and supplies, asthma medications and severe allergy medications. If your student requires medication at school, a Medication Administration Consent form must be completed. Additionally, a physician signature is required for all prescription medications and herbal remedies/supplements that are not approved by the FDA. Students with asthma, diabetes, seizures, or life threatening allergies will need an action plan completed and signed by their doctor. All health forms can be obtained by going to https://www.rcps.us/Page/411. These forms are also available at the school. Please call me with any questions!

CHANGES IN Tdap VACCINE REQUIREMENTS

In the past, students were required to have a Tdap vaccine prior to entering the 6th grade. Under new guidelines and recent state legislation, the Tdap booster vaccine is now recommended for children who are 11 years old and will be required for entry into 7th grade. Students who received their Tdap at age ten will not need another Tdap vaccine to enter 7th grade. Once your rising 6th grade student has their 11th birthday, please make an appointment for the Tdap vaccine with their healthcare provider or the health department. Please obtain documentation that your child received the vaccine and send a copy of the documentation to your child’s school. Student’s will not be permitted to be in class on the first day of school without this documentation.

I am here to help you and your child the best I can! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns at any time during the school year. I am accessible by phone or email. Please let us know if your child has an ongoing medical condition requiring daily or weekly attention/medication such as migraines/headaches, severe allergies, gastrointestinal issues, nose bleeds, changes to home medications, etc. Our goal is to keep students in the classroom and out of the clinic, so we may need to develop a plan to best assist each individual situation. Looking forward to a great school year!

Nurse Desirae

Clinic Phone: 540-562-3900, ext 33039

Email: dnagel@rcps.us

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the 2024 - 2025 school year. I look forward to meeting each of you. My office is right inside the middle front doors. We use a Raptor Sign-In/Out system, and we will need to scan your driver’s license when you come to visit or check out your child. Please make sure you bring it with you when you come.

I also wanted to let you know of some school attendance policies. If your child is absent from school, please email me as soon as the decision to stay home is made. You can also call, then send in a letter with your child upon return. The direct number to the Attendance Office is (540) 562-3420. You can call any time of day or night. My phone has voicemail, and I check it regularly. A note or doctor’s note is required when your child returns to school and any time they are tardy. Please include your child's first and last name on the note. The note can be sent with your child or faxed to (540) 561-8152.

If you know that your child will miss school due to an out-of-town trip, please send a note with your student listing the days and the reason for the absence IN ADVANCE. There is a form available to fill out for PRIOR excused absences. Out-of-town absences must be PRE-APPROVED by the grade level principal, or they are UN-excused. Your child must have the principal and all of their teachers sign the prior form, and then return it to the Attendance Office.

You may write a note or call ahead of time to have your child ready for pickup. All changes to transportation must be received prior to 3:00 pm to ensure that your student can be notified of the change. When checking your child out, please do not park in front of the school as this is a fire lane. If you pull to the side, you will be past the fire lane, or you can park to the right of the school and walk up the sidewalk to check your child out.

Thank you very much for your help! I’m looking forward to seeing you this school year.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Beverly Orange

Meet our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Nicole Weaver. Mrs. Weaver keeps track of all money received at the school. Her office is located in the back of the front office. We accept cash, personal check, money orders and credit card payments through School Cash Online.

School Cash Online (credit card payments online for school purchases)

We are excited to inform you that Roanoke County Public Schools will now use SchoolCash Online as our preferred method of payment for all school fees, this will replace MySchoolBucks.

You will continue to have the option to pay by cash and check in person at your school.

Registering for your free SchoolCash Online account takes less than two minutes!

1. Visit https://roanokecounty.schoolcashonline.com/ and click Register.

a. Type your first name, last name, and email address, and create a password.

b. Select a security question.

c. Select YES to receive email notifications. You will not receive any marketing emails.

Selecting YES enables the system to send you fee notifications.

2. SchoolCash Online will send you a confirmation email. If you do not receive it, check your

Spam folder.

3. Use your email address and password to log in.

How to add students to your account

1. Sign in to SchoolCash Online: https://roanokecounty.schoolcashonline.com/

2. At the top of the page, navigate to MY ACCOUNT.

3. From the dropdown menu, select My Students.

4. Click to add a student:

a. Type in your School Board Name.

b. Select your school’s name from the list.

c. Enter student details. The system is fully secure, with PCI certification.

d. Click Confirm.

5. You may add up to eight students on your profile.

How to make a payment

1. You will be able to view any available items attached to your students that are set up on your

account. You will also be able to view any public items that are available, but not necessarily

attached to specific students.

2. Select the item which you would like to purchase and click "Add to Cart."

3. Once you have finished adding items to your cart, select "Check Out" to make a payment.

Should you encounter any difficulties, please contact the SchoolCash Online parent help desk

by visiting schoolcashonline.com/Home/Support or call 1-866-961-1803.

Drama Team

Are you passionate about or interested in acting or working behind the scenes? Our school drama team is the perfect place for you! We’re excited to announce that we’ll be putting on a spectacular school play this year, and we need talented and enthusiastic students to make it a success. Whether you’re a seasoned performer or just curious about getting involved, we welcome all students to join us. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of something amazing! The interest meeting is September 9th right after school in the auditorium and auditions are September 11th. Mark your calendars and get ready for a fantastic experience with the drama team. See you there!

Archery Club

We are about to begin our 2024 - 2025 NASP Archery season and we are looking forward to seeing all the new faces that will be joining our team. I hope that our returning archers are ready to lead the way to another very successful season. Practices will begin Sunday Sept. 8th from 2pm to 4pm.

We will try to make this program as affordable as we can and try to offset major expenses with fundraising events sponsored by our archery club along with weekend tournaments where we charge an $8 archer entry fee and a $5 admission fee for spectators 12 years old and over. We may need parent volunteers to help with registration, scorekeeping, and help on the shooting range. We will get you information on what help we need as we get closer to hosting tournaments.

The average costs to participate in the Northside Archery Club will include registration fees for the various tournaments which range from $8 for the local shoots, to $35 for the State, National or World championships plus travel expenses to attend these events. An Archery Club member is not required to be on any travel team. The top 24 Acher’s scores based on local tournaments and the state qualifier will make up the travel team for the state tournament. Scores shot in the state tournaments that meet the qualifying minimum will qualify for nationals. All archers can shoot in local tournaments regardless of their abilities, in fact parents are welcome to shoot in the local tournaments along with their child for the same $8 entry fee provided you have learned the NASP rules, safety and whistle commands.

We will provide all needed equipment at no additional cost, but if an archer would like to purchase their own bow and arrows, we can get you the information as to what type of bow and arrows are needed to be legal for NASP competition and practices. Having your own bow can be beneficial because it will remain the same throughout the year. Using the club’s equipment, you can run into issues where the draw weight gets changed due to other Archers using it and may need to be adjusted multiple times throughout season.

You may contact us at the following for more information:

Head Coach Billy Perkins at 540-521-5013 or email at bcperkins70@gmail.com

Assistant coach Jo Ann Foster at 540-309-5810 or email at joannfoster100@gmail.com

SCA

A student council is a group of student leaders who work with an adult advisor to collaborate with others to impact their school community, which impacts their city or town, which impacts our state, which impacts our country, which changes the world. SCA members at NMS organize schoolwide activities such as food drives, bus driver appreciation and pep rallies. Look for more information about how to join on the video announcements once the school year begins.

Other :

Chess Club

German Club

Both of these clubs are sponsored by Mr. Alan Strecker and are held at the high school. More information will be available on the video announcements when the first club day for the 24-25 school year is decided.

At Northside Middle School, our students enjoy morning announcements in a video format with regular anchors sharing school news. Announcements may be watched on the News at Northside channel, this will allow students to re-watch any information they may have missed, provide students who are absent a way to stay updated, and provide parents a way to stay connected with what is happening at the school. Each day, the announcement video will be posted by 8:15 at newsatnorthside.com.

• Join the PTA: Help us meet our goal of 100% this year for only $5.00 per parent. The PTA helps fund many events and other needs in our school.
• Like us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063650076201

Northside Middle School's first fundraiser of the year will kick off on September 18th! We are excited to announce that we will once again be offering Virginia Diner peanuts along with other items. Due to the positive feedback from last year regarding the prizes we are bringing back this fundraiser!

Each student will receive an informational packet and additional order forms will be available in the front office if needed. Orders will be accepted from September 18th to October 8th. Once the orders are received from the vendor, which typically takes about 4 weeks, all orders will be sent home with the student who placed the order. Please note that orders will only be processed upon receipt of full payment so please make sure to collect payments when accepting the order.

Order forms and collected money can be submitted to the front office anytime before October 8th. Thank you for your support!

We have partnered with Kroger to earn money for the school but we need your help! It is as simple as linking your Kroger Plus card to Northside Middle School so we receive a percentage of the purchases you make. NMS will not see the purchases you make but Kroger will send us a percentage of the purchases when you use your Kroger Plus card. Follow these steps to sign up:

1. Go to https://www.kroger.com/account/communityrewards/

2. Log in with your Kroger account log in information

3. Under find my organization search for one of the organization numbers listed below that you would like your rewards to go to:

Band - JQ575

Boys Basketball - UG850

Cheerleading - WU145

Football - HR489

Girls basketball - QY022

Northside Middle School - QW346

Volleyball - WW041

4. Click enroll.

5. Any transactions moving forward using the Shopper’s Card number associated with your digital account will be applied to the program at no cost to you.

6. Northside Middle School will receive a percentage of all sales made on Shopper’s Cards that are linked to our any of our organization numbers.

It’s that easy! Please consider sharing these organization numbers with anyone you know that shops at Kroger who may not be associated with any other organization for these rewards.

Northside Middle School T-shirts will be available for purchase on orientation day. We currently offer two designs, both priced at $15 each.

Visit Us:

6810 Northside High School Rd.

Roanoke, VA 24019

Get in Touch:

Phone: (540)561-8145

Fax: (540)561-8152