NWMS Weekly Parent Update

Good afternoon,

I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday! This is the final week of 2nd Quarter - the school year is going by very quickly! Teachers will begin finalizing grades on 1/27.

Should we experience remote learning days this coming week due to weather, I want to remind everyone that our teachers will be available for Live Check-In/Virtual Teaching from 9:00-11:00 am on Remote Learning Days. Students will also be expected to complete assignments posted to Canvas on Remote Learning Days. Students can access the Live Link for each of their teachers on each teacher's Canvas Page.

Soon our school will be outfitted with two new safety measures. Teachers will be trained this week on a hall pass system called SmartPass. This system will allow our staff to monitor student passes for traveling to the bathroom and other locations throughout the school. Our school has also recently been outfitted with Vape Detectors in our bathrooms.

The deadline for purchasing a Yearbook is getting close. Don't forget to order your Staff Copy and also remind students and parents to order their copies by Jan. 28th! To order a Yearbook go to the website ybpay.com and enter the NWMS Code 14429725. The cost is $38.00 for students (I think there might be a discount for Staff but I am not certain of that cost). It is a hard cover book.

Let's make it a great week,

Mrs. Francisco

Vikings - as many of you may now know, PE Teacher - Ms. Cindy Thomas, will retire at the end of this month. Ms. Thomas is so deserving of a wonderful retirement! I want to share just a few highlights from an outstanding career:

Ms. Thomas began teaching in 1981 in Virginia; certified in PE, Health, and Biology from UNC-Greensboro. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher and has her Masters in Education from NC A&T State University! This is her 37th year at NW Middle - she began in 1988. Ms. Thomas was Teacher of the Year twice at NWMS!

At NW Middle she has coached Girls Basketball, Girls and Boys Soccer and Softball. She has been our Athletic Director at NWMS for 36 years! She has served on the NWMS Leadership team multiple times. Ms. Thomas has always worked extremely hard and helped out wherever she could - always passionate about her work! NWMS is a better school due to the work of Ms. Thomas and she will be greatly missed!

Please see below for a short message from Ms. Thomas to our Viking Community:

To the NWMS Community:

Sometimes it seems like it was just yesterday that I became a PE Teacher, Coach and Athletic Director at NW Middle. In reality, I am retiring on Feb.1, 2025 after well over 30 years working in this great community. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for all of the support you have given me over the years. It has been my honor and my pleasure to teach and coach so many exceptional young people at NW Middle. I wish you all the best and again Thank you for making my years at NW Middle special.

Proud to be a Viking,

Cindy Thomas

Monday, 1/20

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - Holiday - school closed

Tuesday, 1/21

• Chess Club before school
• FBLA before school
• Basketball @ Kiser
• Wrestling @ Home

Wednesday, 1/22

• Jazz Band before school
• Purple Star Club before school
• Girls who Game Club before school
• Zoology before school
• Interim Assessments: 6th grade ELA, 7th Grade Math & Acc Math 7, and 8th Grade Math & Math 1
• Speech and Debate Club after school
• Math Club after school

Thursday, 1/23

• Impact Club before school
• Battle of the Books after school
• FCCLA after school
• Zoology Club after school
• Basketball @ Southwest

Friday, 1/24

• 7th and 8th Grade Band (select students) at Durham School for the Performing Arts
• End of 2nd Quarter
• Astronomy Club at Oak Ridge Town Park Shelter #2 @ 7:00 pm

Upcoming:

• 1/27 - Staff Workday
• 1/28 - Basketball @ Home
• 1/28 - Wrestling @ Eastern
• 1/28-1/31 - SpongeBob Auditions
• 1/28 - NWEA ELA Assessment
• 1/29 - NWEA Math Assessment
• 1/30 - Basketball @ Home
• 1/30 - Wrestling @ Jamestown
• 1/31 - Basketball and Wrestling Pictures after school