The Principal's Office

Email: jhutchinson@nasd.k12.pa.us
Website: https://www.nasd.k12.pa.us/enms
Location: 330 Roland Drive, East Norriton, PA, USA
Phone: 610-275-6520
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Middle-School/East-Norriton-Middle-School-121770504834624/
Twitter: @EastNorritonMS

May

10th PFC meeting (online via Google Meet)

11th Reading Phillies trip for music department

15th Academic Excellence Banquet 6pm

16th Early Dismissal

16th Algebra I Keystone exam (section 1)

16th Teacher Appreciation Luncheon sponsored by PFC

17th Algebra I Keystone exam (section 2)

17th Orchestra and Choral concert 7pm

18th Band and Choral concert 7pm

21st Girls on the Run Race

24th 8th grade trip to NYC

25th Vaccination Clinic at ENMS

26th Early Dismissal

29th Memorial Day

June

2nd 8th grade PFC dance

2nd 7th grade end of year picnic

5th Field Day

6th Early Dismissal

7th 5th grade end of year picnic

7th 8th grade promotion ceremony 9am

8th Early Dismissal and LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

Here is the link to Wednesday's PFC meeting. The meeting will begin at 7pm.

PFC Meeting Schedule

Wednesday, May 10 · 7:00 – 8:00pm

Time zone: America/New_York

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/jdd-skvu-twi

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 314-730-0984‬ PIN: ‪948 760 774‬#

More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/jdd-skvu-twi?pin=6108320432594

Invitations have been sent to both student and parent email accounts for all students that earned the honor roll for quarters 1-3 of the 2022-2023 school year.

The event will be held on Monday, May 15th at 6pm in the gym. Students should arrive by 5:45 and will be seated by grade.

We encourage parents to try to limit their attendance to 2 people per student in order to fit all of the families in the bleachers. We have about 200 students that earned this award.

This event will last about 1 hour.

ENMS will hold a vaccination clinic for 6th grade students that needs Tdap and Meningitis vaccinations for 7th grade. This is a state required vaccination. 7th grade students (students who are currently now in 6th grade) who do not have their required immunizations are not permitted to begin the 2023-2024 school year.

Our school nurse will be contacting families of students who we do not have a record of these immunizations letting them know about this event and if they would like their child to receive their immunizations at school.

The event will be held on May 25th at ENMS.

7th and 8th grade students who are enrolled in Algebra I will complete their Keystone exams on May 16-17th from 8:20-10:45. Each section is about 25-30 questions. There are only two sections on this assessment.

Successfully passing the Algebra I Keystone exam is one of the best pathways to graduation. So, if students pass this exam they will not need to complete it when they go to high school. HERE is a link to the Act 158 legislation related to graduation requirements, and is a good resource for parents to look over to understand high school graduation requirements.

We do recognize that the 16th is an early dismissal day, but students will have enough time to complete their exam.

Several students owe technology fees. In order to participate in the end-of-the-year activities these fees need to be collected by May 25th.

If you have an outstanding fee please send in the money with your student or contact our office. We can take credit cards and debit cards if you do not want to send in cash. We have mailed multiple letters to families over the last few months.

We collect these fees because the NASD has invested several hundred thousand taxpayer dollars to purchase Chromebooks for students. In order to protect taxpayer dollars we do require replacement cost and repair fees for students that have damaged their Chromebooks or required multiple repairs to their devices.

The first repair is free but additional repairs are $30, and lost chargers are $40. The district has to repair and replace broken Chromebooks and if we do not collect fees associated with damage from students we will have to use additional taxpayer dollars from other projects to offset this cost. Please do your part in paying your fees prior to the end-of-year events.

Students with outstanding technology fees will be excluded from end-of-year events like field day and trips etc.

If you are experiencing financial hardship or need to discuss a payment plan please contact Ms. Clemons and we will 100% work out a plan to help alleviate the financial burden of these fees.

As part of the process for Girls on the Run/Heart and Sole, students do a community project. One of the groups has decided to do a food drive for a community agency. Please see thy flyer below and send in your items this week.

Each year we do a t-shirt for students to order for field day. Below is the link to the Google form to order your shirt.

Unfortunately, as a school under PA school financial rules we cannot collect money via Venmo so students need to bring in $7 and turn into their homeroom teacher or Mr. Stem. Place money in an envelope with your child's name on it, and exact cash is very much appreciated. If you have two students in the school and you are paying for both please be sure both names are on the envelope.

2022-2023 Field Day T-Shirt Order Form

I wanted to apologize for the cancellations for sports teams last week. We received late notifications of practices being cancelled and it caused some confusion on the part of students and families. The weather looks much more stable in the coming weeks and we do not anticipate cancellations. We will try to do a better job of trying to get this out sooner when we receive information, but received them later than usual this week which caused the issue.

The NAHS cheer program is holding open workouts & tryouts in May. Workouts & tryouts are available to any 8th-grade student attending NAHS next school year. Transportation will only be provided for tryouts. Students must provide their own transportation to open workouts.

https://sites.google.com/view/nasdmsathletics/home

The Spring 2023 Newsletter is attached. In it, you’ll find updates from each district in our grant, what we’ve been up to, data points of interest, as well as pictures of our students! You can view it HERE.

The district has launched it's new website. Also, the district shared the app for parents to download that can help you be aware of updates on the website and social media platforms etc. A graphic from that email is below.

Visit this site to read more about summer programs for your student.

NASD summer programming newsletter.

Remake Learning Days in our region will take place May 4-23. Various organizations - schools, libraries, businesses, non-profits, and other community centers - will come together to provide our youth and families with innovative learning experiences related to art, science, outdoor learning, and technology.

Remake Learning Days is an innovative learning festival for families and youth! Taking root in regions across the world, thousands of hands-on and engaging events are designed for kids of all ages at libraries, schools, tech centers, museums, play spaces, community centers and more.

Events are either in person, virtual, or on demand and are for all different ages. Some events require a cost, while others are FREE! Click here to see which Remake Learning Days are nearby. #RemakeDaysEastPA

As part of the summer energy project, our school offices will be closed during the following weeks. We traditionally, work at other schools during this time period so you can reach us via email, but the building will be closed in an effort to save energy.

I share this early because often some 8th grade parents request documents etc. for high schools, or for enrollment into different schools. Please request these items prior to these dates.

June 12-15th

June 19-22nd

Here are the first and last days for the 2023-2024 school year. Below is a pdf file of the calendar for next year. Plan those trips now :-)

First Day for Students - Monday, August 28, 2023
Last Day for Students - Thursday, June 6, 2024

We are excited and ready to launch Tutor.com to help enhance our students' learning experiences. NASD students will have free 24/7 access to live tutors to assist with their homework, writing, independent practice, and enrichment in over 250 subject areas. More information will be available shortly, but you can begin the process by viewing the link to it in your child's Classlink.

Want to thank a teacher or staff member, please fill out the attached Thank you card and turn it into the front desk during the month of April. The PFC will give the teachers the thank you cards during the annual Teacher/Staff Appreciation Luncheon held on May 16th.

The PFC will host our annual Teacher/Staff Appreciation Luncheon on the early dismissal day on May 16th. We created a Sign Up if parents and caregivers wish to donate something to the event. We will have Thank You cards available in the main office if you wish to send a special thank you to a teacher, or create your own and drop it off!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4FAFAD2BA6FD0-teacherstaff

The PFC is still collecting "Resupply The Classroom" donations! There is a collection box in the main office.

Yearbook sales have closed. The PFC will be ordering about 50 extra yearbooks that will be available on a first-come-first-served basis. More details will be in upcoming newsletters.

There are many exciting things in store for our 8th graders as they near the end of their academic careers at ENMS. It's hard to believe, but it's time to begin to think about how we want to give them the best party to celebrate each other and their accomplishments!

That being said, we are beginning to form a planning committee for the 8th grade dance. If you are interested, please send an email to kristie.m.falk@gmail.com.

Thank you!

~Kristie Falk

I wanted to share a brief reminder for our 8th grade families about the end of the year activities so I listed them below.

I also included a copy of the letter (as a picture down below) that all parents signed to remind them of the requirements that all 8th graders have to meet to participate in these events below. I also included a copy as a .PDF that you can download. These letters were already signed and returned, but I'm just sending out a reminder of the expectations. I'm trying to make sure we are all on the same page regarding expectations and things that can eliminate students from some activities. It is our expectation all students can attend all events. However, if the students does not meet the requirements outlined in the signed letter they will not be able to participate.

8th Grade Activities

• 8th Grade Dance (sponsored by PFC) June 2nd

• Academic Excellence Ceremony May 15th

• ENMS Field Day June 5th

• 8th grade Promotion June 7th

• NYC Field Trip May 24th

• Plymouth Swim Club June 1st

Please see the flyer for GearUp summer camps. Please email Alexis Buck, GearUp counselor at abuck@nasd.k12.pa.us for questions or more details.

Please make sure you are putting your students first and last name, and grade on all handwritten excuses. We are having difficulty trying to figure out who the notes are for.

Here is a link for you to complete a note when your student is absent. Please fill this out the morning of the absence, or within three days of their absence.

You can also send in a paper note with your student the day they return to school.

2022-2023 Student Excuse and Early Release Form

As we prepare to welcome students next week for the start of the 2022-2023 school year, Mr. Dormer is excited to continue the work of the District Diversity and Cultural Proficiency Committee. Here are the scheduled meeting dates for the upcoming school year:

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

All meetings will be held in the Norristown Area High School Library from 6:00-7:30 pm. In accordance with the district health and safety plan, we will not be requiring masks or any type of spacing considerations when we meet this year. We welcome any community members, parents, students, and staff to join the committee.

The following flyers have been approved by the NASD for distribution to the school community.

All students must have their cellphones turned off and placed in their lockers. Below are the consequences for cellphone violations.

1st-3rd offenses: Teachers will ask the students to turn their phone off and place it in their locker, or ask the student to give it to the teacher. It will be returned to the student at the end of the school day.

4th offense: Students will give their cell phone to a teacher and the teachers will give it to the main office. The parent or guardian must report to the school to pick up the device. Cell phones are placed in a locked safe in the main office until parents arrive. A one-hour office detention will be assigned for each violation.

Chronic cellphone offenses: It is the policy of ENMS that students who chronically violate the cellphone policy despite warnings, parents picking up the phone etc. will not be permitted to bring their cell phone to school. This is not negotiable and even if a parent disagrees with this policy it is still our policy and it will be enforced regardless of parental agreement. I am asking parents to please discuss these rules with your student.

All classrooms and office have telephones inside them. If there is an emergency we have plenty of phones to handle any emergency situation.

I want to share our school policy for handling instances when a parent has an issue they would like to bring to the school's attention.

How can you meet with an administrator or school counselor?

If you have an issue that you need to speak to myself or Dr. Harper about, I am asking that you do not report to the school asking to see us. We are not trying to avoid discussing an issue with you in-person by not allowing you to report to the school. However, many times, we are in classrooms, supervising lunches, conducting classroom observations, conducting scheduled parent meetings etc. It could be frustrating for a parent to report to the school because they are upset about something and expect to see an administrator, but then are told that we are not available to meet with them.

The best analogy I can share is we do not show up at the doctor's office demanding to see a doctor when we have a sick child without first making an appointment. However, those offices usually have emergency appointments available. We try to do the same thing here at ENMS. We will always reach out to all parents who contact us the same day to discuss your issue or schedule a meeting that day. We cannot accommodate a meeting immediately when a parent arrives at the school asking for one. Please help us all out, and also avoid some frustration on your part by first calling the school to arrange an appointment.

How can you meet with a teacher?

If you report to the school asking to see a teacher, we will not be able to accommodate that request. Teachers do have times when they can meet with families, but it differs by teacher and grade. We ask that you reach out to the teacher via email or a phone call seeking an appointment. The teacher will then set a time during their prep or duty period to return your call or email. Teachers can also participate in a Google Meet or in-person meeting during those times. Parents will not be permitted to see a teacher unannounced.

Our procedures are put in place to assure a smooth functioning of our school day. Both Dr. Harper and I have dedicated time slots to return parent phone calls and emails during our day. We pride ourselves on the communication we make with families and that will continue this year.

Thanks for your help.

Safe2Say Something is a youth violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and to “say something” BEFORE it is too late. With Safe2Say Something, it’s easy and confidential to report safety concerns to help prevent violence and tragedies.

Here’s how it works:

• Submit an anonymous tip report through the Safe2SaySomething system
• Crisis center reviews, assesses and processes all submissions
• Crisis center sends all submissions to school administration and/or law enforcement for intervention
• If needed, crisis center may contact tipster anonymously through the app