NORTH NEWS

Happy School Counseling Week to all of our incredible school counselors, Ms. Poe & Ms. Sigler! This week, we extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation for the essential role they play in our school community. From helping students navigate academic challenges to providing emotional support during difficult times, our counselors are always there to lend a listening ear and offer valuable advice. They provide resources for college and career planning and promote mental health awareness throughout the school year. Additionally, our counselors serve as liaisons between students, parents, and teachers, fostering positive relationships and creating a supportive environment for all.

We thank our school counselors for the meaningful relationships they build with students every day and for their unwavering commitment to helping our school community thrive. Parents, don't forget to call upon the school counselor if you need assistance with your child. They can help you find resources for a variety of issues your teen may be facing and are a invaluable members of your child's academic team!

Three NMS students participated in the Regional Science Fair on Friday at the Ranson Civic Center. Xavier Smith competed in the engineering category with this project entitled, "How Tensegrity Structures Work," winning most creative physical model or apparatus. "Enormous Mushrooms" by Gavin Wolfe, was entered into the plant category. In the chemistry category, was the project entitled "What Brand of Chocolate Melts the Fastest" by Macy Hernandez. We are SO proud of our NMS scientists!

In honor of our basketball teams making the playoffs, let's have a little fun this week! Check out the poster below for our February spirit days!

This week is the midde of the 3rd nine weeks! Don't forget to check your student's progress tomorrow, February 5th! This is a great time to look at the missing assignments in each class and try to catch up!

On February 7th, approximately 45 NMS students will be participating in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). This data is used to formulate the "Nation's report card" - a common measure of student achievement -and it offers a window into the state of our K-12 education system and what our children are learning. When students participate they are helping to inform decisions about how to improve the education system in our country. Students have already been informed in writing if they have been selected to take the assessment and their test results will be kept anonymous. Their NAEP test performance does not impact student grades. For more information, please visit the NAEP website below.

On Thursday, Feb 8th all band, choir, strings cross country, & pep squad students will be called to the gym for pictures DURING THE SCHOOL DAY. Boys & Girls basketball players, as well as cheerleaders will be taking team and individual pictures after school until 4:30pm. Please see your coach for an individual picture order form if you want to order pictures and be prepared with your rides to pick you up on time.

Student Council members - remember that you have a meeting after school on February 12th in Ms. Updike's room. Please make sure to have your rides here ON TIME after the meeting!

On Friday, February 16th, BCS schools will be closing 2 hours early for Faculty Senate meetings. In addition, the following Monday, February 19th will be a Professional Day for teachers (no school for students). Please mark your calendars!

PLAYOFFS START THIS WEEK! Good luck to ALL of our teams! We are excited to see you SHINE in the postseason! The JV boys will play tomorrow, Feb 5th at home against Musselman, while the Varsity girls play at Wildwood! All games start at 6pm!

Congrats to the Varsity Boys basketball team which ended the regular season at 12-2. Varsity Boys player of the week is Javon Yeboah!

Please wish your North Blue Devil Cheerleaders a big Good Luck as they travel to the Five Star Cheer Competition at Robert C Bryd High School in Clarksburg, WV on February 10th. If you want to check out their competition routine, their competition showcase will be on Friday, February 9, 2024 at 7:00 pm here at North.

If you are an 8th grade student interested in track & field and you will be attending Spring Mills High School next year, this message is for you! The first date of spring tryouts is Feb 26th and interested students will need their parent to fill out Family ID (see directions below) which will close on March 8th. If you are interested and need more information, please contact Spring Mills High School.

Check out the flyers below for information on the following programs:

*Shepherd University TRiO Upward Bound Program - Available to rising 9th-12th grade students, this program serves students who are historically underrepresented in higher education. Students benefit from weekly tutoring, 6-week Summer Academy classes on the Shepherd University campus, leadership building, service learning opportunities, and more. Click on the flyer below to apply.

*KESEM at West Virginia University - Children 6-18 years old who have lost a parent to cancer or have a parent currently undergoing cancer treatment can join this camp to connect, heal and thrive. Check out the flyer below or contact wvu@kesem.org for more information.

FREE BCS virtual tutoring is available in Math, Science, English (Reading and Language Arts), and Social Studies for ALL BCS K-12 students Monday-Thursday from 5-7 pm by appointment. Tutoring sessions are approximately 30 minutes.

Please complete the form below and you will be contacted via email on your requested day prior to 5 p.m. with the information for your tutoring session. One of our tutors will call the number you provide between the hours of 5 - 7 p.m. Please be sure you select a date that you are available and able to attend. Also note that you will not have the tutor for the full 2 hours.

Also available daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at no cost for West Virginians, TutorWV provides support for patrons of all ages and stages. For students, the program offers online, on-demand, expert tutoring and homework help in more than 200 subjects, along with drop-off review services for essays and math problems. Tutoring included for AP, SAT and ACT. Read the press release.

Primary & secondary guardians are automatically added to the NMS NTouch list. But if you are an aunt, uncle, childcare provider, or student and you want to receive NTouch alerts & school newsletters, please use the QR code or link below to sign up for alerts!

Shenandoah Community Health visits our school every Thursday. Students can be seen for a variety of reasons, including immunizations and school sports physicals.

If you want your child to be seen in the mobile clinic by a medical professional, please contact the main office for more information!

As we delve into the heart of the academic year, it's crucial to highlight the profound impact that extracurricular activities have on our students' mental health and overall well-being. Over the next two weeks, we have the exciting opportunity to witness this impact firsthand as our basketball teams compete in the playoffs! We warmly invite parents, students, and teachers to join us in supporting our teams and embracing the positive influence of extracurricular engagement, which can bring the entire NMS family together in support of a common goal!

Participating in extracurricular clubs, sports, and activities extends far beyond the classroom. It provides students with invaluable opportunities to explore their interests, build friendships, and cultivate essential life skills. Moreover, research underscores the significant correlation between extracurricular involvement and enhanced emotional and mental well-being among teens. According to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics, students who participate in extracurricular activities are more likely to report higher levels of satisfaction with their lives and exhibit lower levels of depressive symptoms compared to their non-participating peers. Furthermore, a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that adolescents involved in extracurricular activities demonstrated lower rates of substance abuse and risky behaviors, highlighting the protective effect of extracurricular engagement on overall well-being.

Here are some compelling benefits of student engagement in extracurricular activities:

• Sense of Belonging: Extracurricular activities foster a sense of belonging and community among students, creating supportive networks that contribute to their overall happiness and resilience.
• Stress Reduction: Engaging in activities outside of academics provides students with a much-needed outlet for stress relief. Whether it's through sports, arts, or clubs, these experiences offer avenues for relaxation and rejuvenation.
• Social Connection: Participation in extracurriculars allows students to forge meaningful connections with peers who share similar interests and passions. These friendships serve as vital sources of support and companionship, promoting positive mental health outcomes.
• Self-Expression and Creativity: Creative pursuits such as music, art, and drama empower students to express themselves authentically and explore their unique talents. This outlet for self-expression fosters a sense of fulfillment and emotional well-being.
• Sense of Achievement: Accomplishments and milestones achieved through extracurricular involvement boost students' confidence and self-esteem, reinforcing a positive sense of self-worth. Some students who struggle with academic success can benefit from finding another area in which they excel, which can improve their overall mental well-being. EVERYONE is smart; we are just smart in different ways. Extracurricular activities give ALL students an avenue to find these varied strengths & abilities.

As we rally behind our basketball teams during the playoffs during the next few weeks, let's celebrate the broader significance of extracurricular involvement in shaping our students' mental health and fostering a supportive school community. Your presence and support at these events not only showcase school spirit, but also reinforce our commitment to nurturing the holistic well-being of our students.

Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to the thriving NMS community. Together, let's continue to empower our students to explore, grow, and flourish through extracurricular engagement!

STUDENTS,

Did you know that joining clubs and activities at school can make your life more awesome? At NMS, we have so many cool clubs like sports teams, cheerleading, choir, band, gaming club, chess, badminton, music theater, volleyball, photography, cooking, Battle of the Books, sewing club, and more! These clubs aren't just about having fun; they can make a big difference in how you feel and how you spend your time.

First, being part of clubs and teams helps you make friends and feel like you belong. When you're involved in activities you love, you meet people who share your interests and make memories together. This sense of belonging can boost your confidence and make you feel happier overall.

In addition, being busy with clubs and activities gives you a break from screens and phones. Spending too much time on electronics can make you feel tired and grumpy because you are constantly comparing yourself and your life to the people you see on social media. But when you're playing sports, making music, or hanging out with friends in a club, you're using your brain and having fun in real life, not virtually!

Next week, our basketball teams are playing in the playoffs, and we want YOU to come show your school spirit! Cheering on our teams is not only super fun but also brings us together as a school community. So let's unite, have a blast, and support our teams at the games!

How have YOU harnassed the magic of being involved in your life? Do you participate in school activities? Do you attend events outside of school at the Rec center, through a church, or community group? We challenge you today to think about this area of your life and get involved if you are not already!

Schoology is our online grading program. Parents are able to create accounts which allows them to view all of their child's assignments, due dates, & grades! If you do not have a Schoology account and would like one, please fill out the form below and our technology specialist will email you directions to set up that account. EVERY STUDENT benefits when parents and teachers are able to communicate!

*Ms. Keppler's 8th grade classes made self-portraits in the pop art style of Andy Warhol this week. Our Technology specialist, Ms. Deavers, brought Apple Pencils to class and taught students how to draw using Keynote on the iPads.

*Ms. Heck's classes did a smores lab to investigate how thermal energy transfers using conduction, convection, and radiation heat. Students had to figure out which type of heat transfer would make the best smore. Also, it was one student's first smore ever, which was really exciting!

*Ms. Long's Family & Consumer Science classes made charcuterie boxes for the Social Studies Fair judges on Jan 17th. They were SO delicious (and cute)!

*Mx. Sikorski's class completed a relay race as a way to practice capitalization. The students split into 2 to 3 teams and ran up to the SmartBoard to write correctly capitalized sentences in a specific category. After several students went, we reviewed the sentences as a class. Students seemed positive about the activity, and it encouraged more movement within the classroom!

*Ms. Simmon's class is learning about Rhetorical Strategies. The kids had to create an invention/product and sell it to the class, using ethos, pathos and logos. Inventions ranged from a multi-stand device to help with multi-tasking, a cell phone case with a 15-drop guarantee before cracking and an app to help you locate the closest bunker in the event of a natural disaster. The kids did GREAT!!!

"We at North Middle School are committed to doing WHATEVER IT TAKES to ensure that all student reach their highest potential!"

THE NORTH WAY

BE SAFE - BE RESPECTFUL - BE RESPONSIBLE

Email: rachel.deavers@k12.wv.us
Website: https://www.berkeleycountyschools.org/o/martinsburgnorth
Location: 250 East Road, Martinsburg, WV, USA
Phone: 304-267-3540
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialNMSpage
Twitter: @nmsteachers