NMS Mustang Minutes

We will celebrate Read Across America Day on Monday, March 4th at NMS! Students may dress like their favorite book character or wear pajamas to school. Outfits and pajamas must be school appropriate. Students are also encouraged to bring their favorite book to read for 20 minutes during Advisory on Monday.

Spring sports tryouts will be held this week. Students must have a completed VHSL Physical and permission slip on file in order to be eligible to participate in tryouts. Soccer tryouts will begin on Monday, March 4th and Track will begin on Wednesday, March 6th. Please contact Mr. Parsley with any questions regarding our athletic programs. Best of luck to all of our students who will participating in tryouts this week!

Friday, March 8th, is the last day of the third 9 weeks. Students are reminded to submit missing assignments and/or homework no later than March 8th. Missing assignments are often the source of student of low grades. Families are encouraged to use PowerSchool to monitor their students' grades.

Our end of the third quarter VTSS Incentive is scheduled to be held on the afternoon Friday, March 8th. Students who receive ISS, OSS, and/or a bus suspension between March 1st and March 8th will lose the privilege to participate.

Monday, March 11th, is scheduled as an Asynchronous Day for students and an Instructional Planning Day for staff. Teachers will share learning activities that students are to focus on at home.

Please reach out to our school team by email or phone with any questions or concerns that you may have regarding all things NMS. Thank you for your continued educational partnership.

Have a wonderful week!

Scott Belako

Principal

Important March Dates:

• 3/8 - End of Third 9 Weeks
• 3/11 - Student Asynchronous Day / Instructional Planning for Teachers
• 3/12 - School-Wide Tornado Drill
• 3/15 - TRES and RRES Rising 6th Grade Students Visit NMS
• 3/19 - Parent/Teacher Conference Night - 4:15 - 7:00 PM
• 3/22 - NMS Career Fair - 8:30 - 10:30 PM
• 3/28 - Rising 6th Grade Orientation - 6:00 - 7:30
• 3/29 - No School - Green Day/Instructional Planning Day for Teachers

Help Us Catch Our Mustangs READING:

Parents, did you know 20 minutes of daily reading to or with your middle school student can greatly increase their reading comprehension and level? We encourage you to read with or to your student every day. If you need resources, or want to know how to encourage your student to read at home, contact their ELA teacher or our Reading Specialist, Jennifer Campbell. If you see your student reading at home send an email with a note or picture for a classroom or PBIS productivity reward.

Cell Phone Policy:

Students and families are reminded of our cell phone policy which can be found on page 31 of the Student Code of Conduct, Section D - "Students may possess a personal electronic device in school buildings provided that the device remains turned off and out of sight during the instructional time unless it is being used for instructional purposes at the discretion of the student’s teacher." We appreciate the support of our families as we work together to remind students to keep their cell phones off and out of sight (in backpacks) during the school day. Students are less distracted and more focused and engaged in learning when their electronic devices are put away. Please note that families are asked to contact the main office should they need to get a message to a student during the school day. Students may also request to use a classroom phone or the phone in the main office should they need to make a phone call during the instructional day.

Chromebooks and Chargers:

Students and families are reminded that restitution will be sought for damage to Chromebooks and for missing and/or lost power cords. It is important for students to handle their devices with care as we do not have the resources to continuously repair devices that are neglected or intentionally damaged.

Birthday Celebrations / Outside Food:

Parents and families are encouraged to work through their student's Advisory Teachers to arrange student birthday celebrations. Please note that birthday treats and food cannot be distributed in the cafeteria during student lunch times. All outside food must be purchased from a store and have the ingredients available due to student allergies.

Bus Passes:

Bus passes must be provided in writing or by email when requesting your student to go home on a different bus with a friend by noon of the day the pass is being requested. Please note that we will not accept a phone request as we have no way of knowing who is making the request. Thank you for understanding as we want to assure all students arrive home safely.

Daily Student Attendance:

Attending school has a huge impact on student success. This year, we want to make sure that every student is present every day. Student attendance is recorded daily. Students are expected to be present each day to receive instruction. By attending class regularly, your student is more likely to keep up with daily lessons and assignments. We will be monitoring student attendance carefully and working with families and students to make sure students do not become chronically absent this school year. Please note that students are considered chronically absent once they have missed 18 or more days of school for any reason.

Parents and/or caretakers are asked to contact the main office to report all student absences. Thank you in advance for making sure your student attends school regularly.

To encourage daily attendance we will be starting an incentive program through our PBIS Rewards program. Students who do not miss a day of school each month will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win prizes each month. We will also have additional raffles at the end of the school year for students who have 7 or more months of Perfect Attendance and for students who miss 7 or less school days overall. We look forward to working with our students and families to improve daily student attendance throughout this school year. Student success begins with being at school!

Classroom Action Process:

Staff will issue Classroom Actions after reminding students of expected behaviors. Classroom Actions will be assigned as follows:

• 1st Action = Phone call home and warning provided to the student
• 2nd Action = Phone call home and teacher assigned lunch detention
• 3rd Action = Phone call home and scheduled parent/teacher conference
• 4th Action = Phone call home and disciplinary referral submitted to administration

Please note that serious violations of the Student Code of Conduct will be investigated and handled accordingly. Thank you for working with us as we build upon our tiered systems of support to promote a safe learning environment for all students and staff.

All student athletes are reminded that academics and behavior are monitored throughout the school year and each playing season. Students must maintain passing grades and demonstrate good behavior consistently throughout the school year and each season to be eligible to participate.

Upcoming Athletic Events:

Tryouts for soccer and track will begin this week. Soccer tryouts begin on Monday, March 4th and Track begins on Wednesday, March 6th. Students who are planning to tryout must have a sports physical on file with Nurse Phillips prior to tryouts. Please reach our to Mr. Parsley with any athletic related questions.

Important Game Reminder:

All elementary and middle school students must be accompanied by a parent/guardian at all NMS and NCHS athletic events and games.

Website: https://nms.nelson.k12.va.us/en-US
Location: 6925 Thomas Nelson Highway, Lovingston, VA, USA
Phone: 434-263-4801