From the Desk of……..

Assistant Principal Marcia Cameron      

Dear Parent/Guardian:

On-going communication between school and home is an area of continued focus.  With this in mind, my Link article aims at providing you with some details about school events: 

January 16- No school (staff in-service day)

Nauset is continuously working to raise standards and expectations for students and staff alike.  To that end, Friday, January 16^th, school is not in session for students; however staff members will concentrate on initiatives related to our school goals. For example:

January 19- No School:  Martin Luther King Day

Book Bowl:

Our annual Book Bowl will kick off soon.  Book Bowl is a school wide reading competition, run for ten years now at Nauset Regional Middle School, in which teams of 3-5 students participate in a question-and-answer challenge based on 15 selected book titles.  From kickoff assembly to reward luncheon, Book Bowl runs for 10-12 weeks. Book Bowl gives reading for pleasure the kind of high profile often found only in sports activities.  Last year, our highest number of teams participated and we are challenging students to increase that number yet again.  Please encourage your son or daughter to participate this year!

National Geographic Bee Soon NRMS students’ interests will be sparked and their knowledge challenged as they participated in the entertaining and challenging National Geographic Bee. Preliminary rounds will be conducted in Social Study classes to determine the finalists who will representative their grade level at an assembly program held in our auditorium.  Representatives from each grade will demonstrate their knowledge of world geography through many rounds of questions. 

The NRMS winner will sent to the state competition and if successful there, the National Geographic Society will provide an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for an opportunity to participate in the national championship for a chance at the first place of a $25,000 college scholarship.  “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek will moderate the national finals and the program will air on television.

Interim and Term II Report Card:  Interim (half term) information is available via the X2 grading system.  We encourage parents to regularly review their child’s progress and their homework assignments posted on essign.  Friday, January 30 marks the conclusion of second term.  Report cards are scheduled to be distributed Friday, February 6.   Report cards provide information to assess how you child is progressing with curriculum and performing on standards based assessments.  This is an opportunity to review with son or daughter their home work space, study habits, attendance, and re-evaluate academic goals. 

Parent Conferences are scheduled for February 10.  The purpose of the conference is to share information about your child.  Since you, the parent, know your child best, please be prepared to talk about your child’s needs, special characteristics, or concerns.  At the conference, the teacher will give you information about your child’s work habits such as academic progress, homework, and behavioral attributes.  More information will be sent home in late January.

Security Drills:  As part of our security plan lock down drills are part of our school safety plan.  Like a fire drill, lock down drill procedures are practiced in case there is an unsafe situation at school that warrants a lock down.  The Orleans Police Department works with Nauset Middle School to ensure drills run smoothly. Our first drill went well.  In the event of an emergency, parents will be notified using our School Reach system.

School Reach continues to be our district broadcast system. This system is used when your child is marked absent from homeroom, and you have not called to report their absence.  You will receive an automated message notifying you of your child’s absence. If you have not been receiving school reach calls, contact Guidance Secretary Marge Jackman at extension 318.

Best wishes for good health, educational success, and best wishes for your family in the 2009 year!   

Mrs. Cameron

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Web Links

Are you confused with all our different links? 

X2 - Is for  parents to review their child's progress, grades, absences, assignment dates,and missing assignments. 
Web address: http://x2.nausetschools.org/

Student E-mail -  is for students to write, edit and contribute to a school assignment via the Web privately, collaboratively and safely.
Web address: http://webmail.nausetschools.net
 
Essign - is for daily and weekly homework information on-line.
Web address: http://nauset.essign.com/

 
Activities and Sports Calendars - contain information about in-school activities and clubs and upcoming sporting events
Web address: http://nausetschools.org/nrms/activitiescalendars.htm
 
 All links are also available from the home page of the NRMS Web page located here: http://nausetschools/org/nrms/
 
Any questions, please feel free to contact our Guidance Office, 508-255-0016, extension 318.


Calendar Events
2008 MCAS TESTING DATES
Please make note these dates. Attendance is imperative during MCAS.
 
MCAS Time Frames
March 30-April 14:  Grade 6 and Grade 8 Comprehension
April 1-14:  Grade 7 ELA Composition
April 7:  Grade 7 ELA Composition Make-up
May 11-28:  Grades 6, 7, and 8 Math
May 12-28: Grade 8 Science and Tech/Eng.
May 12-28:  Grade 7 History and Social Science Pilot Test
 
*Dates were last checked on the Department of Education website:  7/21/08
*Specific dates will be announced closer to the testing period.  Information was obtained from http: //www.doe.mass.edu
 
Teach the Importance of Attendance
Does your child miss school when it isn’t necessary?  Do you schedule doctor’s appointments during the school day or let your child oversleep and arrive late?
 
These actions can have long-lasting effects.  Students are committed to learning if the clear message being sent is:
School is important
Rules can’t be broken
 
Being present and on time shows respect for others and oneself.  Children can learn this habit.  Help your children develop routines that support him or her keep a regular schedule, for example, packing the back pack the night before, planning outfits, etc. 
 
Magazine Orders
Depending on when an order was received, delivery can take up to twelve weeks.  The “pink” customer receipt enables the buyer to track orders via the slip order number.  For service online: http://www.aphearst.com or call 1-800-284-9711.

Change of Bus
Parent note must state the reason for the change, the length of requested change, and state the new bus name/stop.  Students will ask teacher to go to the office to obtain.
 
NRMS  BUS Guidelines

Please review with your child/children