Career Day for our 7th grade was a huge success. Thank you to the parents and community volunteers for spending time with our students this morning. A big thank you to Jeanette Hinton for her work organizing this event, and for our PTO volunteers for your assistance.

I have provided a short bio of our new Latin teacher, Mr. Will Hunter below. Mr. Hunter is hosting a Latin Information Night after spring break. The meeting will be virtual and held on Thursday, April 13 at 6:30 pm. Please see below for more information.

Next week we are hosting tours for our rising 6th grade students. Students from our six feeder elementary schools will have an opportunity to meet some of our staff and tour the school building. This is always an exciting event for our soon to be Wildcats!

If you have an 8th grade student, there is information below about ordering a Yard Sign from our PTO. Make your purchase today!

Information about course verification for next school year is below. Today is the deadline.

I hope all of our families have a wonderful weekend. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to email me at petersonj1@fultonschools.org.

I can't wait to see our students again on Monday!

• Monday, April 3-Friday, April 7 - Spring Break
  
• Tuesday, April 11 - April PTO Meeting (9:30am)
• Thursday, April 13 - Latin Information Night (6:30pm)

• Friday, May 12 - 8th Grade Dance (7:00-9:00 pm)
• Friday, May 19 - 8th Grade Block Party (6:00-7:30 pm)
• Monday, May 22 - Monday Funday (All grade levels)
• Wednesday, May 24 - 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony at Milton HS (2:00 pm)

Currently, we are asking you to review your student’s Course Requests for the 2023-2024 school year (Verification #2) one final time to ensure accuracy. This process will be completed through Campus Parent. We are depending on you all to help us. Please note, the courses that are currently requested for your student will be the courses on your student’s schedule for the 2023-2024 school year. Due to the complexity of the master schedule, we will not be able to make mass changes in August.

To view your student’s Course Requests, log in to Campus Parent. If you do not have an account, your student can access through their Student Portal in ClassLink. Directions are attached. April 12th is the deadline to view your student’s Course Requests. This feature will be disabled in Infinite Campus to allow for the scheduling process to continue.

This is a verification of courses and is not your child’s actual schedule. The courses that should appear include the following: Math, Science, Reading/World Language, Social Studies, Language Arts, and Performing Arts class if selected (Band, Chorus or Orchestra). No General Connections courses will appear until the final schedule is received in August.

If you have a question about a particular placement for next year, please consult your student’s current teacher.

IMPORTANT: If the courses you view are correct, you do not need to do anything else. We will consider no response as an approval of the 2023-2024 courses. If you need to request a change/update, please complete the Form: https://forms.office.com/r/cyq4yLNUwU. If you have questions regarding the process please reach out to the rising grade level AP, rising 6th – Amber Manganelli, rising 7th – Deana Skimel, and rising 8th Catie Simpson.

Northwestern Middle School will host a virtual Latin Information Night for parents and students. Mr. Peterson will introduce the Milton High School Latin teacher, Mr. Alex Marsh and our new Northwestern Latin teacher Ms. Will Hunter.

Mr. Hunter will share about the middle school Latin experience and answer questions from parents and students. Families will be able to make a decision about taking Latin next school year after the meeting.

The Latin Information Night is scheduled for Thursday, April 13 at 6:30 pm. A Microsoft Teams link will be shared after Spring Break and available on our school website. Please make plans to attend!

The enrollment application for the 2023-2024 Fulton Academy of Virtual Excellence is now open and will close on April 21st. Fulton Academy of Virtual Excellence serves as the Full-Time Online School option for any families enrolled in Fulton County Schools. FAVE may be a great option for students in your school who may require additional flexibility with their current daily schedule.

Northwestern Middle School is hiring Instructional Paraprofessionals for next school year.

Do you want a full time position on your kid's school schedule? Including summers off!

Do you want to make a difference for kids?

Do you want to work in a dynamic and supportive environment?

Are you awesome and want to work with awesome people?

Eleven out of ten people say Northwestern is an amazing place to work!

Please consider an Instructional Paraprofessional position at Northwestern Middle School!

Email Mr. Peterson at petersonj1@fultonschools.org if you want to learn more about our opportunities for next school year.

PBIS Rewards points earned by students will be tracked daily by their Homeroom teacher. Students can earn PBIS points in classrooms, hallways and common spaces for being Ready, Respectful, and Responsible.

The winning homeroom will earn an Ice Cream truck visit. The grade-level with the most points during March will have an outdoor picnic during their lunch period.

This notification is for parents who recently consented to Spring TAG testing. Northwestern Middle School will host TAG testing from March 21, 2023- March 31, 2023. Make-up testing will occur after Spring Break. Students, selected to test, will receive testing passes from their homeroom teacher starting March 21, 2023. Please reach out to the TAG Lead, Trinita Marshall, for TAG testing concerns.

Marshallt5@fultonschools.org or (470)-254-8534.

Peer Buddy Program

Northwestern’s Peer Buddy Program is a great opportunity for your student to make relationships and develop many skills within our special education Mild & Moderate Intellectual Disability (MIMO) department. Peer Buddies work with MIMO students and teachers. This will count as a connections class for your student. If your student participates in year-round band or orchestra, they may be limited in their availability for this program.

If your student is interested in being a part of Northwestern’s Peer Buddy Program, there will be an application posted to their homeroom TEAMS page on Monday, April 10th. The application will close Friday, April 21st. No late applications will be accepted.

Once applications are reviewed, our MIMO staff will complete interviews to complete the process. All students who are chosen as peer buddies will be notified via email and there will be rosters posted outside the MIMO classrooms.

We have a very limited number of spots and this is a tough decision every year. The buddy program is a per semester position for 7th and 8th graders. If you know of any rising 6th graders that would be a great peer buddy, please email MaryBeth Redman at redmanm@fultonschools.org.

Please send any questions to MaryBeth Redman at redmanm@fultonschools.org.

Each grade level has an assessment calendar located on our school website. These calendars can be located on the Northwestern site under Academics Home or the links are below.

The link below includes the weekly study/help sessions available for every teacher at NMS.

At Northwestern Middle School, we believe effective and timely communication is essential to our mission. NMS staff, students, and parents/guardians should maintain open, honest, and respectful lines of communication. Working together is the best way to help each student achieve success!

Parents/guardians have the ability to "turn off" attendance notifications in their Parent Portal. Click on the Silhouette on the top right and select Settings. Unclick the box for the Attendance emails.

The Curriculum Hub provides a variety of resources to assist parents in supporting their student's learning in the areas of English Language Arts/Reading, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies including:

• A year-at-a-glance for each course with the standards taught in each unit
• Unit plans detailing the specific learning targets to be mastered
• Parent resources to preview or review concepts and skills taught in each unit

Our School Governance Council has discussed the need to do more as a school community to better understand our student's use of social media and cell phones, and provide education for students and families around this issue. This school year, our students will engage in more discussions with staff around safe and responsible use of cell phones.

Representatives from Bark presented at one of our previous PTO meetings. As a company, Bark provides monitoring service and resources for families. I will be sharing information from Bark and other sources weekly in our newsletter.

There is also a Facebook group that is a great resource: Parenting in a Tech World

Parenting in a Tech World | Facebook

Northwestern will offer many clubs and student activities for our students during the 2022-23 school year. Check back often for more information!

April Parent Prep 101 Webinar Spirit Day

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND - 2 Parent Prep 101 webinar sessions on April 19 at 12pm or 7pm. This is perfect timing for you 8th grade parents who are a few short months from high school!

Parent Prep 101 is a webinar was created for 7th -11th grade parents and a WIN/WIN for you and your school. You will receive helpful information on what to expect over the next several years, a timeline to follow, and what your student can be doing now to earn FREE college tuition. You will learn about GaFutures, Grants, HOPE scholarships, Zell Miller scholarships, and when to take the ACT and SAT. You will feel more prepared and able to help your student find a college that is the right fit for them. The Northwestern Middle School session price is $55 and $10 goes back to the Northwestern PTO. The price will include a private Facebook group for additional information and ongoing support.

Once the registration form and payment is received, a zoom ID link for your session will be sent to you. If you have any questions please text Trisha Caputo at 678-777-7141 or email at Parentprep101@gmail.com.

More info: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=parent%20prep%20101

Register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfsSk_4Y-dULKjwn9v4nM7-4iqpnxlJNffBlSlZ80SDmx8i8g/viewform

8th grade yard signs are on sale now through March 31st.Yard Signs are $20 each with 3 different designs to choose from. Place your order now for pick up at the end of April. Use this link - Northwestern Middle School PTO

Milton High School Lady Eagles Fastpitch Meet & Greet will be held on Monday, March 27 at 7pm in the Milton High School media center: all interested players and parents should attend. Questions or concerns please email Coach Kinser at kinsera@fultonschools.org We look forward to seeing you there and Go Eagles! Follow our FB page Milton High School Lady Eagles Fastpitch, on Instagram @miltonfastpitch, and on Twitter @MiltonFastpitch

Attention 8th graders!
Looking for a fun summer job? Come join the Dynamo Pool Management team and work as a gate attendant at the City of Milton pool this summer. Easy hours, flexible and great place to work this summer. Text Jo at 678.910.8259 or email jo@dynamopm.comif interested. We look forward to hearing from you. You can EARN lots of money this summer so sign up today! www.dynamopoolmanagement.com/employment/apply-online

Interested in trying out for the Milton Girl's Flag Football Team?

Join us for an informative meeting about the 2023/2024 Milton Varsity & JV Flag Football Program!

Open to all rising 9th to 12th grade girls attending Milton

Wednesday, April 12th

7pm-8pm

Milton High School Media Center

This is a MANDATORY meeting for all parents & players interested in trying out.

Questions? MHSflagfootball@gmail.com

Please include information as often as possible leading up to the meeting date!

Thank you again for spreading the word!

Kelly Long

kvahalylong@gmail.com

The Always a Hawk Club is having a sock drive to benefit the Hembree Springs Elementary School’s Clothes Closet. We need mainly kid’s socks, especially boy’s size 8, but all of the donations will be appreciated. All donations should be brought to Mrs. Rindt in room 906. All the donated socks will go to the Clothes Closet in Hembree Springs where they will be put to good use.

We will be collecting donations all through the month of March,

P.S. If you went to Hembree Springs, come join us at our next meeting!

A few highlights:

• There is a parent and student information meeting at Milton HS on Tuesday March 7th at 7pm.
• Meeting is in the Blackbox Theatre on the ground floor.
• The meeting will cover the audition process, time commitment, fees etc.
• There will also be a chance to hear from current students and parents about their experience and ask questions.
• Meeting materials will be sent out afterwards to all attendees.
• Anyone interested in auditioning for Advanced Drama, Cirque Fundamentals, Cirque Performance or both AD and Cirque should sign-up to audition.
• The link is: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdwBdCGpKSOJbovP2TaKjZSUu44hOMq-_7mGK8iWTHb4mgN8g/viewform
• Students interested in Advanced Drama should also email Helen Gordon to schedule a specific timeslot. gordonh1@fultonschools.org
• Advanced Drama Auditions are Tuesday March 21 and Wednesday March 22
• Cirque Auditions are Wednesday March 29 from 4 – 8pm with a possible call back on Thursday March 30. Middle school students should arrive as soon as possible after school ends. We realize there is transit time especially from Elkins Pointe.
• For more information:
• www.MiltonTheatreCompany.com
• Advanced Drama https://www.miltontheatrecompany.com/copy-of-advanced-drama-previous gordonh1@fultonschools.org
• Cirque https://www.miltontheatrecompany.com/cirque-auditions garretth@fultonschools.org
• MASK Booster Club Miltontheatre@gmail.com

FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) meetings are back to normal at Northwestern and will continue take place on Thursdays in the gym from 8am - 8:45am. We will let you know when we will have another opportunity to join the Milton High School crew.

Students are encouraged to bring friends to the Thursday morning meetings.

The FCA at Northwestern is also hoping that some volunteers may be willing to become more active and attend FCA meetings on Thursday mornings or help with things such as picking up food, small group leading, or even character coaching. Not much is required other than attendance for one hour a week. FCA is also looking for part-time and full- time employees. If you are interested in volunteering and/or employment, please contact Denton Carter (FCA leader) via email (dentoncarter@fca.org).

Students interested in joining the NMS Newspaper Staff should contact Ms. Denna Warrayat at warrayatd@fultonschools.org.

Thank you to our PTO for having breakfast for our bus drivers this morning! They keep our kids safe on the roads and we appreciate them so much!

We have a few yearbooks remaining for purchase. You can place your order on the Balfour website. https://www.balfour.com/georgia/milton/northwestern-middle-school

The NMS PTO would like to give a BIG THANKS to our 2022-2023 Business Partners

When you see these businesses, please acknowledge their sponsorship for the school & dedication to the academic achievement of our youth!

Home of the Wildcats!

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!