ALMS Weekly Newsletter

Hello ALMS Families,

Welcome to the halfway point of the school year! We have completed about 90 days of school and we have 90 to go! This also means we are now ending Marking Period 2 and we are beginning Marking Period 3 on Monday! Thank you to all who have made the first half of our year memorable. From our Faculty, Staff, and Administrators, to our Students and Parents! I am so proud of everyone and their effort with making ALMS a great place to learn and grow!

This week we would like to direct your attention to all of our upcoming events, which are the same as last week. We did add a Spirit Week flyer that will highlight the week of February 12th. Also we have another Bongo's Bingo coming up. On February 6th, during 9th period, all students are welcome to come play Bingo with Ms. Bongo in the ALMS Cafeteria. Tickets are $2 each and will go on sale February 1st, 2nd, and 5th during all lunch periods.

A massive thanks to our choral teachers and students for putting on a lively and exciting show this past Thursday! Please be on the lookout for the performance in next week's newsletter!

Thank you to our Technology Teachers for their race car project where our 8th grade students designed, built and raced their own vehicles. Students learned about the principles of engineering, design, and physics by creating their own wooden car racers. They used various tools and materials to build their cars from scratch. They also applied creativity and problem solving skills to make their cars unique and functional.

We would also like to highlight one of our own, Fotis Koufalis for accomplishing great things as a student athlete. Details are below.

Finally, we would like to thank our Media club students for all the content they pushed out this week. We have a new Teacher Feature, Game On Sports and Late Bell podcasts and a brand new segment, the Weather Warriors and their weekly forecast. Stay tuned every week for a brief news report highlighting fun facts and weather! See their first video below!

Warm Regards,

Camille Edwards-Thomas

• January 26th - End of Marking Period 2
  
• January 29th - Start of Marking Period 3
  
• February 1st-29th - Black History Month
• February 7th - PTA Meeting
• February 10th - Black History Month Celebration at NRHS - All are invited!
• February 13th & 14th - Student Council's Holiday Boutique
• February 14th - Valentine's Day
• February 19th - President's Day
• February 19th-23rd - Mid-Winter Recess - NO SCHOOL

Congratulations to our Girls Modified Basketball team for competing so well again White Plains, beating them 40-36! Go Leopards!

Congratulations to ALMS' own Fotis Koufalis who became the first 8th grader from New Rochelle to win the Westchester County Championships! He was also named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the entire tournament!

A huge thank you to Sohum Dash for creating this commercial

1. Yearbook Orders

The 2023-24 ALMS Yearbook is on sale until January 26 for $40.00 plus tax! Only students who pre-order a yearbook will be guaranteed one in June. Last year, we sold every copy. Please click here to order a yearbook today.

If you have already ordered a yearbook, THANK YOU!

2. Yearbook Ads

Pages are reserved in our ALMS Yearbook for families and friends to celebrate our eighth grade students with recognition ads. Limited space is still available for anyone who would like to create a recognition ad, but once the available ad space is sold, there will not be another opportunity. Jostens makes the process very easy. Please click here to create a recognition ad for your eighth grader.

If you are interested in a recognition ad, do not delay. Place your ad by January 26.

3. Yearbook Boosters

You can also celebrate your eighth grader with a booster ad. A booster ad is a message with 100 characters or less (no pictures or font choice). Please note that booster ads cannot be completed on the Jostens website. Please click here to submit a booster ad for your eighth grader. The deadline to submit boosters is January 26.

Dear Parents/Guardians:

We hope all is well with you and your family. It felt like yesterday when our eighth-grade students came to us as eager sixth graders. As the start of their final marking periods of middle school approaches, we are looking ahead to the next phase of their lives.

Over the last few weeks and moving forward, we have been ramping up our efforts to prepare them for their transition to high school. This includes meeting with their counselors for course selection and a virtual orientation for families and parents that provides greater insight into life at New Rochelle High School.

The 8th-grade year culminates with a series of activities designed to celebrate the achievements of our students. These include the 8th-grade Formal Dance at the VIP Country Club, a day trip to Holiday Hill, Awards Night, and the Transition Ceremony. The dates and costs for each event are in this message. Please look for further details on each event as the dates approach.

Throughout your child’s time here, they have been held to our school's highest academic rigor and expectations. We want to remind you that basic requirements must be met to participate in any/all end-of-year eighth-grade activities. Participation in these events is contingent upon students meeting behavioral and academic standards. Please note the following:

Academic Exclusions:

● Students with failures in two or more major academic subjects will be excluded from participation in 8th Grade Activities

Behavioral Exclusions:

● Students who continually engage in violations of the code of conduct

● Students who demonstrate ongoing rude and disrespectful behavior towards adults and others

● Students who continue to be late and or attempt to cut class

If you are concerned that your child may not meet the academic and/or behavioral qualifications/expectations, please contact your school counselor. Mr. Smith, the 8th-grade Administrator, can field any inquiries about your child's eligibility for participation in upcoming events.

We look forward to the coming months and exciting times ahead. Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Edwards-Thomas, Principal

Mr. Smith, Assistant Principal

Ms. Carew and Ms. D’Ippolito, 8th Grade Co-Advisors

Dear Rising 9th Grade Students,

The application for the 2024-2025 NRHS PAVE Program is now officially open!

What is PAVE?

PAVE, which stands for Performing and Visual Arts Education, is a unique opportunity for you to dive deep into the world of art and performance right here at school. During the coming days, your current 8th Grade Performing and Visual Arts Teachers will be speaking to you about this special High School program.

Applications and Auditions:

• Click Here for the 2024-2025 PAVE Audition Criteria

• Any interested student who is thinking about auditioning for PAVE should complete the PAVE Application by February 12, 2024.

• This will help us secure an audition time for any interested students

• Students will receive confirmation of their in school audition times the week before Mid-Winter Recess

• Visual Art Audition Materials are submitted via Google Classroom. The art portfolio materials are due on February 26, 2024.

There will also be PAVE Informational Sessions at the upcoming Middle School PTA Meetings:

ALMS: Wednesday, January 10th, in person, 7pm

IEYMS: Tuesday, January 16th, via Zoom, 7pm

You can also find more information on the The District Website, which features a page for PAVE and the New Rochelle HS Performing and Visual Arts Program.

CLICK HERE to complete an application for the 2024-2025 NRHS PAVE Program

Sincerely,

Matthew M. Lucero

Director of PreK-12 Performing and Visual Arts

“You gotta have a dream. If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?” – Oscar Hammerstein II

Would you consider making a donation (even small amounts help!) to assist us in our fundraising efforts?

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

CSDNR Performing Arts

Visit here for more information.

The school district renewed the tutor.com license for middle and high school students! See the attached fliers for more information!

Click to enlarge the images below!

Please see the fliers and QR codes below for more information about SEPTA!

Click to enlarge any images below!