NVMS Notes Home
November 4, 2024
Monday, November 4th A Day
Tuesday, November 5th A Day
Wednesday, November 6th A Day
Wednesday, November 6th Late Arrival, school starts at 10am
Thursday, November 7th B Day
Thursday, November 7th School wide drill, 9:45am, see note below
Friday, November 8th B Day
Friday, November 8th Veteran’s Day assembly, 7:45
Friday, November 8th Mid Semester (Term 1) Rewards Activity
Monday, November 11th No School Veteran’s Day
Tuesday, November 12th No School
Wednesday, November 13th A Day
Thursday, November 14th B Day
Friday, November 15th B Day
Looking ahead:
Parenting Class November 18
Parent & Community Survey—Your participation is requested.
Return survey by Thursday.
Our school is beginning the process of reviewing our substance use discipline procedures and practices to better understand our strengths and needs in this area. To help in this effort, we are inviting parents, guardians, and community members involved in supporting our youth to complete a very brief, substance use school discipline opinion survey. The survey should take no more than 5 minutes to complete. The survey is available at the link below. This survey and review of our substance use discipline practices is funded by Whatcom County Health and Community Services, who are working to reduce youth substance use in our community.
Parent & Community Survey Link https://cymh.surveysparrow.com/s/NVSD-ParentCommunity-Substance-Use-Discipline-Opinion-Survey---Audit--/tt-2XW1Aw9eA7zr1XXBzh4dwG
Mid-Semester Progress Reports:
Mid semester progress reports will be mailed home this week. This does not reflect final grades (that will be at the end of January) but is a look at how they are doing right now.
Drill – Lockdown and evacuation Drill
Buses will be in our drop off and pick up lanes, so please plan accordingly. No drop off or pick ups during the drill. 9:45-10:30am.
Extended Lockdown Drill on November 7th
NVMS is serious about safety. On November 7th we will be conducting a reunification exercise, simulating what we would do AFTER a dangerous event if we needed to get students back to their parents at another location. We’ll start the exercise with a lockdown like we did successfully a couple of weeks ago. Then we’ll systematically move students to buses, the buses will do a short loop and return the students to campus. Once we have students accounted for on buses the exercise will be complete. The district safety team has been working on this since August as part of the county emphasis on planning for reunification.
Here are some things to think about as we prepare for this exercise:
Preparing for events that we hope will never happen can help reduce the stress of “what if’s”, because we can trust that our school has a plan of response.
Talking about scary events and practicing emergency drills can bring up challenging emotions for youth and adults alike. Teens look to their peers and the adults around them to make sense of what’s happening and to help find a feeling of safety.
At school, we will prepare students before the drill by reading a statement in class about what to expect. After the drill, a teacher will facilitate an activity for students to transition into an academic headspace and reflect on the experience. Students are invited to reach out to their counselors, principals, or another trusted adult if they want to talk more.
If you would like some ideas on how to talk to your teen if questions or worries come up at home related to this drill, please follow this link: Helpful Tips for Talking to Teens After a Lockdown.
Veteran’s Day Assembly
Parents and community members are invited to our Veteran’s Day assembly, Friday, November 8th at 7:45. It will be held in our school gym and be dismissed by 8:30.
Parenting with Courage & Connection
FREE Parenting Workshop
The Parenting with Courage & Connection Workshop is designed for all parents to address common challenges associated with raising children & teens. Parents will learn brain-based strategies to address conflict, strengthen connections with their kids, respectfully discipline, and more.
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WHEN: Monday, November 18, 5:30-8:00pm
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WHERE: Nooksack Valley Middle School
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DINNER & CHILDCARE included (dinner is 5:30-6pm; workshop begins at 6pm)
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WHO: All NV Parents & Caregivers of youth of all ages
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TWO SESSIONS: One facilitated in English and one in Spanish
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See attached fliers, both English and Spanish.
Soccer Camp opportunity:
Aadan Huante and the high school soccer team are offering a Co-Ed Youth Soccer Camp. Please see the attached flier for details.
Link for registering:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1nUzcPsmPLAiC0ixgWWbZvftFure8_z-YqVSWKpfm8aY/viewform?edit_requested=true
Drop off/Pick up reminder:
- Please respect the drop off/pick up areas. No cars in the bus areas until after 4:15. Buses are coming and going through that time.
- In front of the school, be sure to pull ahead as far as you can when you are waiting to pick up your student. We cannot have traffic back up on the road or block our bus entrance.
- Leave the left lane open for passing by.
Annual Student Updates needed:
If you have not already done so, please log onto Skyward and complete your student’s Annual Student Update. This is where you can update emails, phone number and emergency contacts, verify other information as well as complete the annual forms we are required to ask for (Military, Opt Out, etc.). Please complete this ASAP.
Cell phone policy change:
This year we will be making a few changes to our school handbook. One of those changes will be that cellphones will not be allowed out on campus until the end of the school day at 2:15. This change is being made for several reasons as research is showing the many harmful effects of cellphones, social media, and the constant pressures those bring on our youth. We have had several incidents of students using their cellphones to post pictures (without permission), bully and harass other students while at school. With our focus on ensuring NVMS is a safe place for our students to grow and learn, we have made the decision to not have cell phones available during the school day. We hope you as parents will support us in this change as the intent is to make it easier for our teachers to teach and our students to learn.
A suggested book for any parent of a middle school student: The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
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