Weekly Wildcat Newsletter - Feb. 19

This was a short week but a very busy one around Northwestern! There are a lot of updates and information in today's newsletter.

1. Our TOTY & POTY winners!
2. 4th quarter Learning Environment information
3. New Student Devices
4. Exceptional Children's week

And more!

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 Monday morning!

Congratulations to Ms. Katie Blanco, one of our 6th grade math teachers, for being selected as our 20-21 Teacher of the Year!

We're so glad Katie's family and friends could join us remotely all the way from Ohio!

Congratulations to Ms. Janette Hinton, our 7th grade school counselor, for being selected as our 20-21 Professional of the Year!

We're happy that Janette's family could join us to celebrate her this morning.

During the month of February we will be celebrating Black History Month at NMS. Each week we will be sharing African American achievements throughout U.S. history with our students during the morning announcements.

Learning Environment Commitment - Last Nine Weeks of School Year
As we approach the midterm of the second semester, FCS is requesting parents make a commitment for how they wish their child to learn – face-to-face instruction vs remote learning – for the remainder of the school year. The last 9-week period begins in March and runs until the end of the semester. No action is needed if parents are satisfied with their child’s current learning environment, and only those who wish to change should contact their school between March 1-12. The student’s learning group will remain the same as it stood on March 1, unless the school is notified.

Our students who currently have a Microsoft Surface will be getting new Lenovo Thinkpads starting March 1st. Our staff will be collecting Surfaces and chargers before checking out the new laptops by grade level during Social Studies classes (or by sign-up for remote students).

Monday, March 1 – 6th grade

Tuesday, March 2 – 7th grade

Wednesday, March 3 – 8th grade

Thursday/Friday, March 4-5 – Remote students

We will be sending out more details about how this will happen next week including how remote students can schedule an appointment to come receive their new device.

At this time, only students with a Surface will receive a replacement device. Students who have a Dell laptop will keep that device for now.

Students and staff should beginning making plans for Exceptional Children's Week during the week of March 1. Crazy Apparel, Follow Your Dream, and Super Hero day are approved student and staff dress up days!

The Fulton County Board of Health and Fulton County Schools have developed an on-line portal for FCS parents/guardians to report student COVID-19 related cases. The portal has been updated for Spanish, Korean, and Chinese. FCS parent/guardians will find a dropdown at the top right for translations. www.fultonschools.org/ReportCOVID Please make a report to the FCBOH when your student is COVID-19 positive, has a pending COVID-19 test result, or has been in direct contact with a COVID-19 positive person. Also, please use this resource for official reporting rather than alerting the school and/or teacher. If you must engage the school/teacher, please do so after you have made an official report to the FCBOH. Lastly, to ensure the protection of our school community, please do not allow your child to attend school or school-sponsored events when he/she is ill and/or has any of the above COVID-19 concerns.

We are approaching election season for new membership in our School Governance Council. The School Governance Council has one parent/guardian and one teacher position open for election. Parents/guardians of students who will be attending Northwestern Middle School during both the 2021-2022 and 2022-23 school years are eligible to run for the parent/guardian SGC positions.

Our School Governance Council (SGC) plays a critical role in the success of our school. The SGC works with school leadership and the community to help determine the long-term direction of the school, design innovative solutions to increase academic achievement, and serve as school ambassadors to the local community. Specifically, the School Governance Council has the following powers:

· Create, approve, and monitor the implementation of the school strategic plan
· Manage the Request for Flexibility process
· Approve the annual budget recommendations and related allocations
· Participate in the hiring of the principal, in the case of a vacancy
· Provide annual feedback to the Area Superintendent on principal performance

For a video with more information about School Governance Councils, please visit the SGC page on our FCS website - https://www.fultonschools.org/Page/7358.

Candidate Declaration: 2/3 - 2/26

Elections: 3/17-3/24

You can declare your candidacy on our website:

Visit the SGC website and click on Elections for a candidate guide and/or declaration.

www.fultonschools.org/elections (Opens 2/3)

Questions for our current SGC members? Please visit our SGC website to find current members and their contacts. https://www.fultonschools.org/domain/1441

Parents of Rising 9th Graders at Cambridge High School: Consider declaring your candidacy for the School Governance Council! School Governance Council is a great way to get involved in the school and help make decisions to make Cambridge the place where our kids love to come to and where teachers want to stay! The deadline to declare your candidacy is February 26th! We would love to have you on board! https://www.fultonschools.org/domain/4218

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

Important Date - Final Verifications for Milton HS are due on February 22.

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 are required 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.

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.

Don’t Miss Out

Only 230 yearbooks left to order. Click HERE to order or go to Balfour.com.

Questions can be directed to the Yearbook Team at nmsyearbookmiltonga@gmail.com

In Search of Volunteers

NMS will be switching out all surfaces for an updated school issued device from the county. We need parent volunteers to help make this surface exchange as smooth as possible for the students. Follow this link to sign up to help. Please be certain that you have complete the volunteer registration with FCS before coming into school.

Thank You Wildcat Families

Shout out to some of our Wildcat Families that donated items to the

Teacher of the Year and Professional of the Year gift baskets. Donations came from:

AV Designs http://www.avdesignsboutique.com/

Roden+Fields Consultant – Jeannie Hunt https://jeanniehunt.myrandf.com/

Rebecca Cahill - Independent Color Street Stylist https://www.colorstreet.com/rebeccacahill

Two Monkeys Vinyl Designs https://www.facebook.com/TwoMonkeysVinylDesigns/about

CoZzzy Comfy Linens https://www.cozzzycomfy.com

Also, gift cards from Vintage https://vintagepizzeria.com and Knuckies https://knuckieshoagies.com

Do You Own Your Own Business?

or Know Someone Who Does?

Northwestern Middle school invites you to partner with us to enhance the educational experiences of our students and support the needs of our teachers. Become a Business Partner and your financial donation will be greatly appreciated. In return, the NMS PTO would display your business logo to our NMS families in various communications, websites and on campus throughout the year. Click HERE to learn more about our Business Partner levels and ways to partner with us.

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

Our front office is staffed Monday-Friday from 8:25 am to 4:25 pm. From 4:25 pm to 5:00 pm an Administrator is on duty and available for phone calls in the front office.

Outside of these hours, you can send an email to our front office staff at nmsfrontdesk@fultonschools.org.

Thank you for your continued support of Northwestern Middle School!

Sincerely,

Joel - Principal

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