NMSHS Panther Post

Nederland Middle-Senior HS Community,

When the second semester begins, we start to look toward the end of year. We have several priorities: 1) ensuring that our seniors are in great shape and ready for graduation in May; 2) having our Advanced Placement end-of year assessments ordered and student prepared for excellent performance; and 3) reviewing our student interim assessment data for students in our English Language Arts classes and Math classes - we use the data to see that our students progress toward academic growth and readiness for the spring CMAS assessments in April.

Nederland Middle-Senior High School has experienced positive academic continuous improvement over the past few years and we want to continue that trend this year. Teachers plan instruction in each grade level and subject area to ensure that students are learning what they need to be ready for the next grade level of instruction. In addition to formative assessments that happen daily and after each unit of instruction, we assess students to see their level of progress throughout the school year. These assessments are staggered at the beginning of the year, at the middle of the year and at the end of the year. The assessment system we have in place helps us to see where students are performing and what areas need additional support and improvement.

The state assessment for high school students is the PSAT 9 and 10 and SAT. These tests provide students a requirement measure for graduation and provide a college entrance score that can help them when applying for college admissions. The CMAS (Colorado Measurement of Academic Skills) is given in the spring and assesses student performance in Math, ELA and Science. Teachers work very diligently to teach their grade level content so that students will have the learning necessary to be successful on these tests. One of our fundamental goals as a school is to provide great experiences for students, and especially strong academic experiences so they can perform on our assessments, the district assessments and state assessments. At Ned we take pride in our effort and work to set our students up for success. As we end the first few weeks of the second semester, we are all looking to teach our students everything they need to succeed and grow and to be ready for what is coming next on their educational journey.

Have a great weekend,

Gavan

he/him/his

Nederland won second place and Skyler Nicholson earned a medal as a High Scorer in the Unified Bowling tournament on Thursday!

During last week’s race, the High School Alpine team placed 3rd for the second week in a row, including strong skiing from Eva Wrobel, Grayson Shurr and Cedar Shupe. Way to ski fast!

If you can make it out, we have several home events next week:

• Tues. 1/28/2025 MS Girls & Boys’ Basketball vs. Platt @ 5 pm

• Wed. 1/29/2025 HS Nordic at Eldora @ 2 pm

• Wed. 1/29/2025 HS Basketball vs. Loveland Classical - BJV @ 4 pm, GJV @ 5:30 pm, BV @ 7 pm

Go, Panthers!

Scholarships: Our local scholarship list contains opportunities that are advertised to Nederland High students. The list is updated as we receive them. See the list here. These are also shared with eligible grade levels, through the Nederland High google classroom.

Boulder Tec application is open. The priority dates are January 23 - February 20th. Ms. Jill encourages anyone interested to apply EARLY, spots will fill up quickly. To apply visit the Boulder Tec website. Use your IC student username (without the @bvsd.org) and IC password. tec.bvsd.org

Seal of Climate Literacy. Do you have a passion for the environment, weather, sustainability, energy or social change relating to our climate? If so you may be a perfect candidate for the Seal of Climate Literacy. This credit appears on your high school transcript and earns you an additional honor at your graduation. A celebration event is held at the district, for students who are achieving the Seal.

Right now, students need to fill out the Seal of Climate Literacy @BVSD Interest Form link below to get started; which notifies BVSD and gets you connected to the program. You can begin to build your portfolio of your climate experiences, and there are 2 video workshops being held, which can help you along your way. The dates are:

• Optional Video Meeting/Help Session #5: Thursday, February 13. 6:00 – 7:00pm Link access.

• Optional Video Meeting/Help Session #6: Tuesday, February 20. 6:00 - 7:00pm Link access.

You’ve probably heard about the new BVSD district wide cell phone policy: “Phones put away, for the day.” You can read more about the cell phone policy and the benefits to students on the policy site here: Distraction free BVSD.

Internship Opportunity: The Renée Crown Wellness Institute is a research office at CU Boulder. The Institute is offering an internship for BVSD students aged 14-18 to get involved in critical Title IX evaluation work. This is pronounced as “Title Nine”. Title IX relates to the federal law that prohibits gender based discrimination and harassment in public education. Interns will collaborate with researchers to refine focus group questions related to Title IX experiences within Boulder Valley Schools and help develop ways to share findings with the BVSD community. Participants will receive a $200 stipend payment. Find the application QR code and information on their flyer.

Body Image Discussion @ CU Boulder: The Renee Crown Wellness Institute at CU Boulder is hosting a free talk on Body Image on Wednesday, January 29th, from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. This session will cover risk factors for body dissatisfaction and share research on eating disorder prevention. See the flyer for information.

College Scholarships! See the local scholarship list for the latest scholarships advertised to us for our students, including: Nederland Lyons Club, Boulder Community Hospital Foundation, and Elevations Credit Union of Boulder.

Is your student participating in the college credit option in Mr. Geels’ Precalculus or Calculus AB course? Are finances a constraint in choosing the credit option? If so BVSD is encouraging families to apply for assistance with that fee. See the tuition assistance application here.

Boulder JCC is providing an exhibition The Bias Inside Us, which is an exhibit visiting the Boulder JCC from the Smithsonian Institute from February 22, 2025 - March 23, 2025. The exhibit explores the science of internal bias and its effect on our daily lives. There is no fee to visit this exhibit. The Boulder JCC is located at 6007 Oreg Avenue Boulder, (303) 998-1900

Bias Inside Us.pdf

Need a Boulder-based summer camp or child care for a week or more? Check out BVSD’s Summer Camp option on their site. Options are available for full day or half day, aimed at ages 5 -16.

New Teens Inc Nederland program for opening for 7th-9th graders. See this flyer for QR code and information. This program is designed to foster confidence, belonging, and leadership among 7th-9th graders. Through carefully structured activities spanning 22 days over a six month period, participants engage in outdoor recreation and skill-building that challenges them to take healthy risks, learn from peers, and develop problem-solving skills. Youth will receive gift cards for participation.

• Orientation weekend (overnight in cabins) - March 8th-9th OR March 15th-16th

• Service day with City of Denver Parks and Recreation (day trip) - April 12th OR April 13th

• Rock climbing day (day trip) - May 17th OR May 18th

• Wilderness First Aid course (day trip - no overnights) - June 4th-6th (both cohorts together)

• 5 day front country camping trip, possible activities include rafting, climbing, hiking (maybe mtn biking) - activities will depend on youth interest and input (overnight in tents) - June 9th-13th OR June 23rd-27th

• 8 day front country and backcountry camping trip, possible activities include backpacking, paddle boarding - activities will depend on youth interest and input (overnight in tents) - July 7th-14th OR July 21st-28th

• Closing weekend and celebration at Lincoln Hills - youth will create a collaborative capstone presentation about experience/learning and share with families at celebration (overnight in cabins) - August 2nd-3rd OR August 9th-10th

Please submit an application only if you are confident you want to participate in the program and can attend 80% of the in-person events.

2025 Spring College Fair in Denver is on Sunday, March 09.

1:00 - 4:00pm. See details, including a list of participating colleges, here.

Visit with admissions representatives and find out about the latest majors, campus life, scholarships and more.

Seniors: To be evaluated for college financial aid, students and families need to apply for the FAFSA now. Nederland seniors graders will apply for the 2025-26 FAFSA, because they enter college in FALL of 2025. The actual FAFSA is not open yet. - View the official Dept of Education FAFSA video here.(10minutes). BVSD hosts drop in FAFSA help, see BVSD FAFSA help page, or connect with Ms. Jill for assistance.

Feeling stress? Need information? See the 2024-2025 BVSD Mental Health Referral Provider List for a list of local psychologists and clinics serving in a variety of specializations, including educational consult services, family consultations, eating issues, substance use and others.