NCMS Newsletters

PRINCIPAL'S UPDATE: 5/3/2010

To All Parents/Guardians of 8^th Grade Students: I hope this letter finds everyone in good health and spirits. With the end of the school year quickly approaching, I wanted to write this letter to confirm dates and times for 8^th grade activities and events. Please keep in mind that students must adhere to school rules regarding academic and behavioral expectations to participate in the following activities and events:

On Thursday, June 10, 2010, 8^th grade students from both NCMS and McCourtMiddle School will be traveling to the High Meadows Recreational Facility in Granby, CT. The High Meadows Recreational Facility offers a wide array of games and activities for students. There is a cost of $50 per student for this trip to cover the expenses associated with the facility and buses. This cost includes all meals, snacks, and activities. The only exception is for horseback riding, which has an additional cost of $20 per trail ride, if students choose to take part in this activity. Information regarding the facility can be obtained at: http://www.highmeadowresort.com. The permission slip in this packet must be signed and returned with payment if your child will be participating in this activity. Please click here to download the permission slip for High Meadow.

On Friday, June 11, 2010, from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m., the annual 8^th Grade Dance will take place at McCourtMiddle School. 8^th grade students from both NCMS and McCourtMiddle School will be able to attend the dance. There will be a catered buffet meal and a DJ. The cost associated with the dance in order to cover expenses is $20 per student. There is also a permission slip for this activity that needs to be returned with payment if your child will be participating. Please click here to download the permission slip for the 8th Grade Dance.

*Tickets for these activities will go on sale from May 3 through May 21, 2010. Please note that we do not want cost to be a prohibitive factor for any eligible student who wants to participate in these activities. If cost is a concern, please feel free to call or email me so we can discuss some options.

On Tuesday, June 15, 2010, at 7:00 p.m., 8^th Grade Awards Night will take place in the NCMS cafetorium. This is a night reserved to recognize 8^th grade students for academic achievement and participation in extra-curricular activities. In addition, there are a number of special awards that are given out that evening.

On Monday, June 21, 2010, at 9:30 a.m., 8^th Grade Promotional Exercises will take place. Please click here to download a copy of the Promotional Exercise Form. Weather permitting, this is an outdoor ceremony that will take place behind the school. However, please note the plan for inclement weather if we cannot hold the ceremony outdoors that morning: the ceremony would take place at McCourtMiddle School later that same evening at 7:00 p.m. If indoors, we cannot hold this ceremony at NCMS given fire code restrictions. Hopefully we do not need to utilize the inclement weather plan, but if we do, a benefit of holding the ceremony at McCourt will be that we do not need to limit the number of guests per student.

Attention 7th Grade Parents: Next year, most 8^th grade students will have the opportunity to take either French or Spanish every other day for the entire year. The only exception will be if the student takes reading instead of a foreign language due to reading test scores or teacher recommendations indicating that the student is below grade level in reading. We are giving you and your child the opportunity to select a preference as to which language they would like to take next year. We will try to honor all requests; however, please keep in mind that final scheduling decisions are at the discretion of the NCMS Administration. Please click here to download a copy of the "World Language Selection" Form. If your child does not have a preference for a language, or does not return this form, he/she will be placed in a class where there is the most availability. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the World Languages Program for grade eight, please feel free to contact myself or your child’s guidance counselor by phone or e-mail.

May, 2010 The Principal’s Corner

Dr. Richard Drolet richard.drolet@cumberlandschools.org

Some of the highlights for the month of May at NCMS include:

*During the week of May 3^rd – May 7^th, we will be celebrating Faculty & Staff Appreciation Week at NCMS. The PTO has many great activities planned. Please encourage your son or daughter to let our teachers and staff members know how much they are appreciated. On May 12^th, we will be announcing the 2009-2010 NCMS Teacher of the Year.

*The following is going on with our Band: (1) On Friday, May 7^th, the Band Boosters will be having a dinner fundraiser from 4-8 p.m. in the NCMS cafeteria; (2) Mr. Bowser and the Band will be playing the National Anthem at the beginning of the 6 p.m. Pawsox game at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket on Saturday, May 15^th. A proceed from each $7 ticket sold will go towards Band. Please contact Mr. Bowser or Mrs. Kunis, our Band Boosters President, if you are interested in tickets. (3) The Spring Band Concert will take place at NCMS on Tuesday night, May 25^th, at 7 p.m. in the gym.

*The two Drama Club end-of-year performances will be held on Saturday, May 8^th, at 11 a.m. and noon in our cafeteria. These performances are always great and reflect the hard work and dedication of our Drama Club students, their instructors from Trinity Rep, and our parent volunteers. A special thanks goes out to our Drama Club Advisor, Mr. Andraly Horn.

*Please join us at our May PTO meeting on Tuesday night, May 11^th, at 7 p.m. Mrs. Staci Crooks, a parent and member of our PTO, will be giving a presentation at this meeting about planning for college, financial literacy, and financial aid guidance.

*There will be a school-wide dance (the last one of the year) sponsored by the Student Council on Friday, May 14^th, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. This dance will end our “Spirit Week.” Thanks go out to Mrs. Morin for coordinating Student Council and Spirit Week. Here’s the schedule for student attire (optional, of course) for Spirit Week:

Monday, May 10^th: “Sports Day”

Tuesday, May 11^th: “Crazy Hat Day”

Wednesday, May 12^th: “Wacky Wednesday” (mismatched clothes, crazy hair)

Thursday, May 13^th: “Pajama Day”* *$1 donation to go to a local charity

Friday, May 14^th: “Team Color Day”

*Our Spring Book Fair will be held from June 1^st – June 4^th. The book fair will be coordinated by Mrs. Anne Oldmixon. Summer reading books and a selection of popular titles for middle school students will be available for purchase.

March, 2010 Dr. Richard Drolet

The Principal’s Corner richard.drolet@cumberlandschools.org

Congratulations go out to the following February “Students of the Month”: Jaycie Columbo (Tie-Dye Team - gr. 6); Caroline Cardosa (Pioneer Team - gr. 6); Seana Pomfret (All Star Team - gr. 7); Margaret Keefe (Extreme Team - gr. 7); Alex Southiere (Aviator Team - gr. 8); Jack Farrell (Team Evolution - gr. 8); Philip Pendleton (Team Unity – gr. 6); Jennifer McCarthy (Team Unity – gr. 7); and Richard Goodreau (Team Unity – gr. 8).

Attention 8^th grade parents: Cumberland High School will be holding a parent info session for next year's 9th graders (our current 8^th grade class) on Tuesday, March 9^th, at 6 p.m. in the Cumberland High School cafeteria.

3^rd Quarter Progress Reports will be mailed home during the week of March 15^th. The 3^rd Quarter Marking Period will come to a close on April 9^th. Also, the last day of the 2nd trimester will be on March 19^th; this is when students will switch unified arts classes and rotate through their health/PE classes.

Our 8^th grade History Fair will take place here in the cafeteria and gymnasium on Tuesday evening, March 23^rd, from 5 - 6:30 p.m. The History Fair packet was e-mailed to all parents on the ListServ. 8^th grade students have also received the packets in their respective 8^th grade social studies/history classes. Please contact Mr. Therien, Mrs. Mailloux, or Mrs. Sarah McLellan (8^th grade social studies/history teachers) if you are interested in being a judge. Parents are invited at 7:30 p.m. to hear the winners announced.

We are pleased to announce that we are now rolling out iParent! iParent is an online grade reporting system so that parents can check their students’ progress (as well as their attendance and scheduling information) live. In the March 15^th 3^rd Quarter Progress Report mailing, you will receive a double-sided sheet with your highlighted iParent Access Key and for directions on how to set up your iParent account. Please allow teachers a 2 week period of time following the due date of an assignment or from when a test was administered before expecting a grade to be posted on iParent. Please e-mail Mrs. Holmes donna.holmes@cumberlandschools.org or call her at 333-6306 with any iParent questions in the future.

The Pennies for Patients Collection Drive, which benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, will run from March 8^th until March 26^th. The Drive is once again being coordinated by Mrs. Christine Szymanski with help from the NCMS PTO. Students can donate loose change or other cash into their homeroom collection box. Each year, NCMS raises a generous amount for this worthy cause. We hope to continue that trend this year.

Tryouts for Spring Sports (baseball and softball) will begin on March 8^th/March 9^th. We are pleased to welcome back veteran coaches Mr. Bob Crozier for softball and Mr. Steve Cardoso for baseball. We wish their teams luck!

We recently received the results from our Fall 2009 NECAP (New England Common Assessment Program) Assessment. Parents should receive individual student results in the mail with these 3^rd quarter Progress Reports. Our school results improved to 87% of our students proficient in Reading and 77% of our students proficient in Mathematics!

The March Parent Coffee meeting will take place on Monday morning, March 29^th, at 10 a.m.

Congratulations go out to the following January “Students of the Month”: Joshua Brodeur (gr. 6 – Tie-Dye Team); Colin Cannata (gr. 6 – Pioneer Team); Zachary Morin (gr. 6 – Team Unity); Lavendar Horn (gr. 7 – All Star Team); Justin Wood (gr. 7 – Extreme Team); Sarah Arribas (gr. 7 – Team Unity); Robin Snead (gr. 8 – Aviator Team); Jordan Eastman (gr. 8 – Team Evolution); and Nicholas White (gr. 8 – Team Unity).

NCMS Teacher of the Year 2010 – All members of the NCMS community (staff members, students, and parents) can submit nominations. Please forward a one page (250 words or less) essay to me explaining why you feel the nominee should be the 2009-2010 NCMS Teacher of the Year. Nominations should be forwarded to me and will be accepted until the end of April.

Our Variety Show will be held on Friday, April 9^th, at 6:30 p.m. in the CHS auditorium this year. Students have already had the opportunity to audition/practice for the Variety Show. Please contact Mrs. Emery rachel.emery@cumberlandschools.org with any questions concerning the Variety Show.

NCMS's 3rd annual Clam Cake Festival in support of our Band will be “ALL YOU CAN EAT!” It will take place in the NCMS cafeteria on Friday, May 7^th, from 4:30 – 7 p.m. Ticket costs: Adults $8.00; Children: $6.00 (10 and under); and Children under 3 are free. Mr. G's will be serving clam cakes, chowder (red and white), chicken fingers and fries. Starting mid-March, you can buy tickets in advance from a Band member, fill out an order form available in the NCMS main office, or just pay at the door the night of the event! Please e-mail Mrs. Kunis, the Band Boosters President, at normak@cox.net with any questions.

February, 2010 Dr. Richard Drolet

The Principal’s Corner richard.drolet@cumberlandschools.org

We are now officially halfway through the school year! Here is some updated school-wide information:

Congratulations to our December (2009) Students of the Month: Kate Foley (Tie-Dye Team – gr. 6); Kaitlyn Hamilton (Pioneer Team – gr. 6); Tyler Calabro (All Star Team – gr. 7); Kyle Benoit (Extreme Team – gr. 7); Alan Sprang (Team Aviators – gr. 8); Emily Hill (Team Evolution – gr. 8); Thomas Paoletti (Team Unity – gr. 6); Matthew Vallee (Team Unity – gr. 7); Meaghan Bessette (Team Unity – gr. 8)

The last day of the 2^nd quarter was Friday, Jan. 29^th, 2010. 2^nd Quarter Report Cards were mailed home on Thursday, Feb. 4^th, 2010. Please contact your child’s guidance counselor for a copy of the Report Card if you do not receive one by Monday, Feb. 8^th, 2010.

Our Student Council will be sponsoring a Winter Dance for all students on Friday, Feb. 5^th, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets were sold the week of Jan. 25^th.

We should receive your students’ Fall 2009 NECAP results soon. We will mail your child’s individual NECAP test score results home in our next 3^rd quarter progress report March mailing (if they are not already included in this mailing). On a related note, we are happy to report that NorthCumberlandMiddle School met AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) for the 2008-2009 school year. If you would like a copy of our school's "Report Card," it is posted online through the RIDE (Rhode Isalnd Department of Education) website. We also have copies in the school and district offices. Please let me know if you would like a copy of this NCMS "Report Card" and we will mail one to you.

We are pleased to announce that we will be rolling out iParent soon! Teachers are currently receiving training in using iGradebook. Your iParent Access Key will be mailed to you with our next mailing, the 3^rd Quarter Progress Reports, in mid-March. At that time you will be able to see your students’ grades live once you register online. Please e-mail Mrs. Holmes donna.holmes@cumberlandschools.org or call her at 333-6306 with any iParent questions in the future.

The February Parent Coffee Hour will be held on Friday, Feb. 26th, from 9-10 a.m. All parents are welcome to attend.

NCMS Teacher of the Year 2010 – All members of the NCMS community (staff members, students, and parents) can submit nominations. Please forward a one page (250 words or less) essay explaining why you feel the nominee should be the 2009-2010 NCMS Teacher of the Year. Nominations are due by the end of March.

Congratulations to Edward Kwiatkowski (gr. 8) for winning our school-wide Geography Bee; also congratulations to Chase Boni (gr. 7), who was our Geography Bee runner-up. Eddie will represent NCMS in the future at the state-wide competition.

Congratulations also go out to our school Spelling Bee finalists. The winners from each grade level are: Virginia Cafferky (gr. 6); Nicholas Vo (gr. 7); and Samuel Ackerman (gr. 8). These students will compete in the District-wide Spelling Bee here at NorthCumberlandMiddle School at 4 p.m. on February 10^th.

Congratulations to all of our hard-working students who made honors for the 2^nd quarter. We will have our 2^nd quarter Honors Assemblies for each grade soon to recognize these students.

Attention Parents of 7th Grade Students: The school dentist will be coming to NorthCumberlandMiddle School soon. As required by the Rhode Island Department of Health, all 7^th grade students who have not returned a yellow dental card will be examined at that time. If your child has not returned a yellow dental card, we encourage you to do so as soon as possible. Presently, there are over 50 students on Ms. Kellys’ (school nurse/teacher) list to be examined. Although Ms. Kelly is fairly certain that the majority of these students are being followed by a dentist or orthodontist, we have not received a card from them and we are obliged to have them looked at. Since we have received multiple cards without names on them, Ms. Kelly sent notices home with all of the students whose cards are missing at the beginning of January. Please ask your child if he/she received one of these yellow notices. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Ms. Kelly regarding this at carolyn.kelly@cumberlandschools.org or 333-6306 x 109.

Our 8^th grade History Fair will take place here in the cafeteria and gymnasium on Tuesday evening, March 23^rd, from 5 - 6:30 p.m. The History Fair packet was e-mailed to all parents on the ListServ. 8^th grade students have also received the packets in their respective 8^th grade social studies/history classes. Please contact Mr. Therien, Mrs. Mailloux, or Mrs. Sarah McLellan (8^th grade social studies/history teachers) if you are interested in being a judge. Parents are invited at 7:30 p.m. to hear the winners announced.

Our Variety Show will be held on Friday, April 9^th, at 6:30 p.m. in the CHS auditorium this year. Students have already had the opportunity to audition/practice for the Variety Show. Please contact Mrs. Emery rachel.emery@cumberlandschools.org with any questions concerning the Variety Show.

We are pleased to announce that Mrs. Patty Lambrou will be the long-term substitute guidance counselor for Mrs. Dubois (for students with last names L-Z). Mrs. Dubois should be back from her medical leave in May or June. Mrs. Lambrou may be e-mailed at patricia.lambrou@cumberlandschools.org or feel free to call her anytime here at school.

Our wonderful PTO has a new website. The web address is: http://sites.google.com/site/ncmspto. Please visit it soon!

If you are interested in sponsoring a book for our school's library, please return a completed "Sponsor a Book Program" form (hard copies recently went home with students and the forms are also attached to a recent ListServ e-mail I sent out) with a check made out to NCMS PTO. As a book sponsor, your child will be the first student to borrow that book from the library when it arrives! Please e-mail our PTO President, Liane Czirjak, with any questions about the Sponsor a Book Program program, at lianeczi@cox.net

January, 2010 Dr. Richard Drolet

The Principal’s Corner richard.drolet@cumberlandschools.org

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! Thank you for your continued support in education. Looking ahead, here’s some school-wide information for the month of January:

Congratulations to our November Students of the Month:

Gr. 6: William Davock (Tie-Dye Team); Sean Bradley (Pinoeer Team)

Gr. 7: Molly Helms (All Stars Team); Hana Nuay (Extreme Team); Sarah Arribas (Team Unity)

Gr. 8: Allie Hemenway (Team Aviators); Erin Rosa (Team Evolution); Hailey Dodge (Team Unity)

December Students of the Month will be announced soon!

Congratulations to our Band members and Mr. Bowser for a great Holiday Concert performance!

On Thursday, Jan. 7^th, there will be a blood drive at NCMS from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. The blood drive is being coordinated by our school nurse-teacher, Ms. Lynn Kelly, in conjunction with the Rhode IslandBloodCenter. We encourage all eligible donors in the NCMS community to participate: faculty, staff, parents, and friends.

The annual 8^th grade trip to Quebec, coordinated by Mrs. Sandra Shaw & Mrs. Louise Mailloux, will take place from Jan. 14^th through Jan. 18^th. One hundred and six 8^th grade students and a number of faculty chaperones will be attending the trip this year. Once again we will be joined by students and teachers from McCourtMiddle School. We’re looking forward to a great time!

The January Parent Coffee Hour will be held on Thursday, Jan. 28th, from 8-9 a.m. All parents are welcome to attend.

The Winter Book Fair is set to begin on Monday, Jan. 25^th, 2010, and will run through Wednesday, Feb. 3^rd, 2010. The book fair will be coordinated by Mrs. Anne Oldmixon, our school librarian/media specialist, with the help of our wonderful PTO volunteers.

The last day of the 2^nd quarter is Friday, Jan. 29^th, 2010. 2^nd Quarter Report Cards will be mailed home on Thursday, Feb. 4^th, 2010. Please contact your child’s guidance counselor for a copy of the Report Card if you do not receive one by Monday, Feb. 8^th, 2010.

You should receive your students’ Fall 2009 NECAP results in the mail soon. These state testing results usually arrive in late January/early February each year.

DECEMBER NEWSLETTER:

Happy Holidays! Here’s some school-wide information for the month of December:

Congratulations to our October Students of the Month:

Gr. 6: Margaret Brochu (Tie-Dye Team); Virginia Cafferky (Pinoeer Team); Amy Laverty (Team Unity)

Gr. 7: Alden Leso (All Stars Team); Scott Smith (Extreme Team); Brendan Nigro (Team Unity)

Gr. 8: Kevin Seaver (Team Aviators); Jake Sotis (Team Evolution); Jamie Pelletier (Team Unity)

2^nd quarter progress reports will be mailed home the week of December 21^st. These Progress Reports will reflect mid-quarter grades for the core academic subjects (math, science, social studies, and English/language arts) and they will also include final grades for 1^st “trimester” Unified Arts classes, which will end on Dec. 4^th(tech ed/family and consumer science/art/PE/health). The 2^nd trimester for Unified Arts classes will begin on Dec. 7^th.

Student Council concludes a very successful food drive for needy members of our community tomorrow. Thank you for all of your canned good and non-perishable food item donations!

he NCMS Band under the direction of Mr. Paul Bowser will be hosting their Holiday Concert on Dec. 17^th at 7:00 p.m. in the NCMS gymnasium.

Due to the short month, there will not be a December Parent Coffee meeting. The next one will be held at the end of January.

Our winter sports (boy’s basketball, girl’s basketball, wrestling, cheerleading) are about to start their 2009-2010 seasons. We wish them healthy and successful seasons!

November, 2009 Dr. Richard Drolet

The Principal’s Corner richard.drolet@cumberlandschools.org

Here’s some information for the month of November:

The Wellness Company, through the R.I. Dept. of Health, will be administering the H1N1 vaccine to students here on Tuesday morning, Nov. 10^th. If you are interested in this flu vaccine for your child, please make sure you have submitted the parent permission slip which was mailed to you by the Dept. of Health in mid-October. Additional information and permission slips can be found on the RI Dept. of Health website, as well as the school and district websites. Please contact our school nurse/teacher, Ms. Kelly, with any related questions.

On Tuesday evening, Nov. 10^th, our PTO will be sponsoring “Family Portrait Night.” Please come with your family anytime from 5-9 p.m to get a great and inexpensive ($10) professional family portrait/pictures in time for the holidays.

The first quarter closes on Friday, Nov. 6^th. First quarter Report Cards for the first quarter marking period will be mailed home on Fri, Nov. 13^th.

Please contact your child’s guidance counselor for a copy if you do not receive one in the mail by Wed, Nov. 18^th.

NECAP testing ended two weeks ago. Individual student results will be mailed home to you as soon as we receive them in late January/early February.

Parent/Teacher Conference nights are approaching. Conferences will be from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The first night will be Thursday, Nov. 19^th. The second night will be Wednesday, Dec. 2^nd. Other parent/teaching meeting times may be designated by the teams. You will have received your child's 1st quarter report card in the mail prior to these nights. All core curricular teams should be communicaitng with you in the near future to either have you sign up for a time slot or let you know how they will be administering the Parent/Teacher Conferences. All other Team Unity teachers (art, tech ed, family/consumer science, library, PE/health, guidance, foreign language) will be available to meet with you on either night in the cafeteria (except Mr. Bowser, who will only be here on the first night, Nov. 19^th). Special education teachers should be availble to meet with you on both of these nights as well.

We will host our November Parent Coffee Hour on Monday, November 23^rdat 10 a.m. in our school library. Please let me know ahead of time if you plan on attending.

Congratulations to the following September “Students of the Month!”

Gr. 6: Brandon Krobath (Tie-Dye); Salvatore Ciolino (Pinoeers & Team Unity)

Gr. 7: Allison Mosichuk (All Stars); Caitlyn Pratt (Extreme); Alvin Krawiec (Unity)

Gr. 8: Elena Rittling (Aviators); Jake Waxgiser (Evolution); Hannah Tavares (Unity) Students are nominated by their teams of teachers for being exemplary students who serve as peer role models. Our October Students of the Month will be named soon.

Our Fall sports teams had great seasons. Mrs. Rachel Emery led a group of fantastic girls soccer players; Mr. Anthony Silva coached our boys soccer team to an undefeated season; and Mrs. Kerrie Carpenter led our boys and girls cross-country teams both to 2^nd place in the their division and then the boys placed 4^th and the girls placed 2^nd overall in the state championship meet.

Our winter sports athletes are busy preparing for their upcoming seasons. All of our winter sports teams will be led by returning coaches: Wrestling will be under the direction of Coach Steve Gorman; Girls’ Basketball will be under the direction of Coach Elizabeth Shields; Boys’ Basketball will be under the direction of Coach Jack Madden; and our Cheerleading Program will be under the direction of Coaches Heather Jarry and Ellie Dwyer. Good luck to all of our winter sports athletes and coaches!

*No school on Veteran’s Day: There will be no school for students on Wednesday, Nov. 11^th (Veteran’s Day), and Thurs & Fri, Nov. 26^th & 27^th (Thanksgiving Break).

October, 2009 Mr. Drolet

The Principal’s Corner richard.drolet@cumberlandschools.org

It’s October, which means it is NECAP testing month! Here’s some information for the month of October:

Our late bus started this week on Sept. 28^th. It will arrive to NCMS each Monday and Wednesday afternoon to bring any student home who stays after school on a Monday or Wednesday. The late bus pick up time is 3:15 p.m. Students must have a signed pass from the staff member with whom they stayed after in order to ride the late bus. There will not be a late bus on the 3^rd Wednesday of each month due to teacher meetings.

The Drama Club will now start to meet on Friday afternoons until 4 p.m. The Drama Club is coordinated through our PTO and will once again work in conjunction with Trinity Rep. Student generated performances will be presented in the Spring. Thanks to Mr. Andraly Horn for coordinating our Drama program!

NECAP (New England Common Assessment Program) testing will take place this month. The tests will be administered to students during the weeks of October 5^th, 13^th, and 19^th. We ask for your support in getting your students to school on time and avoiding the scheduling of appointments, especially during the mornings, during these aforementioned weeks. It is also important to make sure that our students are well-rested and have eaten a healthy breakfast (no sugary foods, like sugar cereal or Pop Tarts). In the future, these test results will be mailed home to you and they will be analyzed by teachers and school administration; the data from these high-stakes tests will also be used to assist us with placing students. All students are tested in mathematics and reading, and 8^th grade students will also be tested in writing.

Progress Reports for core classes for the first quarter marking period should be mailed home October 14^th. Please contact your child’s guidance counselor for a copy if you do not receive one by Saturday, October 17^th. The first quarter will close on Friday, November 6^th.

Student Council elections will be held shortly. Each homeroom will elect one representative that will serve on the Student Council for the 2009-2010 school year. In addition, there will be two at-large members chosen from each grade. Our student council members coordinate many activities such as school dances, Spirit Week, and various fundraising drives for charity.

We will host our October Parent Coffee Hour on Tuesday, October 27^th, from 9-10 a.m. The theme for the October meeting will focus on NECAP testing, but there will also be time for any questions you might have to be addressed by myself or Mr. Masterson. Please let me know if you plan on attending. Thank you for your continued support in educating students at NCMS.

We have scheduled our two Parent/Teacher Conference nights. Conferences will be from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The first night will be Thursday, Nov. 19. The second night will be Wednesday, Dec. 2^nd. You will have received your child's 1st quarter report card in the mail prior to these nights. Many teams of teachers might choose to hold team conferences in which you can have a little more time meeting with the whole team of teachers instead of meeting with the teachers individually. You will hear from the team of teachers ahead of time to schedule times on one of these two nights. If you do not hear from the team of teachers for you to schedule an individial team conference, parents of students with the last name beginning with the letter A-K should come on Nov. 19^th, while parents of students with the last name beginning with the letter L-Z should come on Dec. 2^nd.