Dear Parents & Guardians,
Attached is our Weekly Sunday Update, which can be found at the link or text below.
Thank you.
Dr. Mayes & Mr. Horlick
Tier_5_Middle_School_Grading-_Frequently-Asked_Questions
This Week’s Major Headlines:
- It’s Staff Appreciation Week! Please take a moment to drop an email, social media post, or send a letter in care of your favorite staff member to Nitschmann Middle School to thank them for working with your child. You can send US Mail to 1002 W Union Blvd, Bethlehem, PA 18018. Dr. Mayes will get the mail out to teachers & staff.
- Need Chromebook or Schoology help? Any BASD students needing Chromebook or Technology Help should fill out this form https://forms.gle/ZJE6SJNaX6RSSd927 Once submitted, a BASD Information Services Department team member will contact you via email (the email will come from “ISD Service Desk”). The Service Desk will then help you resolve the issue at home or direct you to go to Nitschmann to pick up the needed supplies.
- Do You Want to Recognize an amazing BASD Teacher? This year, The Foundation partnered with the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation to host the award selection process. We are hopeful that with our relationship with you and the community, that we will have far more nominations than ever before. Anyone can nominate a teacher: staff, students, parents/guardians, and/or community members. Nomination Forms are due to The Foundation by Friday, May 8th. The Foundation’s Website – the homepage has all the information about the B.E.S.T. Awards and the Nomination form.
- Week 6 Assignments: All new assignments in Core & Encore classes are posted every Monday at 9am. Don’t forget to encourage your child to complete both sets of assignments, especially in encore classes which provide opportunities to explore and enrich their studies! Week 5 assignments are due on Monday at 12pm.
- Encore Rotation Changes: This week, Rotation 5 of encore ends on Tuesday and Rotation 6 of encore begins on Wednesday. Students should expect to see these courses change in Schoology around this date.
Parent & Student Weekly Email
Nitschmann Middle School Weekly Update, Home of the Nitschmann Nation!
Sunday, May 3, 2020, to Sunday, May 10, 2020
All of this information can be viewed at our
Nitschmann Middle School Website under Weekly Announcements (Click Here!)
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Links to Review
Schoology Directions for Parents
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Upcoming Dates to Be Proactive!
All dates are listed from our NMS Website, BASD Event Calendar, & BASD Academic Calendar
Weekly Schedule & Highlights
Monday, 5/4/20 Online Day; Week 5 Remote Learning Core & Encore Assignments Due 12pm; Week 6 Remote Learning Begins 9am; Food & Supplies Distribution 10am-1pm
Tuesday 5/5/20 Online Day, End of Encore Rotation 5, National Teacher Day, Cinco de Mayo
Wednesday, 5/6/20 Online Day; Food & Supplies Distribution 10am-1pm, Start of Encore Rotation 6
Thursday, 5/7/20 Online Day
Friday, 5/8/20 BEST Award Nominations Due!
Saturday, 5/9/20
Sunday, 5/10/20 Mother’s Day
Monday, 5/11/20 Online Day; Week 6 Remote Learning Core & Encore Assignments Due 12pm; Week 7 Remote Learning Begins 9am
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Academic Information
Weekly Assignments (Mayes) All students should be working on their weekly core & encore assignments on Schoology. If you have a wifi issue, please email your child’s teacher or guidance counselor (information below).
BASD Middle School Grading FAQ (Mayes) Please review the FAQ on middle level grading this quarter & year. Please contact Dr. Mayes with any questions. Link to BASD Middle School Grading FAQ
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School-wide Announcements
BASD E-News (Dr. Roy) This week’s edition of the BASD e-News contains the Revised BASD Tiered Mitigation Plan. Have you seen the 6th Tier? Looking for a position? You can find those in the BASD e-News as well. Our highlighted position this week is the Supervisor of Child Care. AND have you seen the super videos our talented staff and students have been putting out? This week we highlight videos from Northeast, Fountain Hill, Thomas Jefferson, and Governor Wolf. AND you have to see the amazing performance by the Freedom High School Band as they perform Stars and Stripes Forever Live – Virtually. Really all these videos are a must see! I hope you enjoy this week’s edition. BASD e-News from Dr. Roy – May 1, 2020
National Junior Honor Society (Wallach) Students should please hold on to their applications until the fall. We will have a new application process when we return to school in the fall and will induct our new members in September.
ADL- NPFH essay contest (Sierra) With the continued spread of COVID-19, and the school closings that have followed, we have made a few changes to the Anti-Defamation League’s Spring 2020 Student Essay Contest, generously sponsored by TD Bank. First place winners receive a $250 Visa gift card. The ADL created an online submission form for students and parents, which can be found here: https://philadelphia.adl.org/npfh-essay-contest The online form can easily be completed by parents, and a PDF or Word/text file of the essay can be uploaded before submission. All essays must be uploaded by Friday, June 12, 2020. (Information is also found in LEAD classes located in Schoology). Students may have already written an essay in LEAD but couldn’t turn them in for the contest. If they saved the work in their google docs, instructions to make a PDF are found in the LEAD class materials. Yes, there are weekly assignments posted in LEAD classes.
Young Playwrights’ Festival (Hriniak): Congratulations to Abrielle, Marley, and Jason for their award-winning plays!
On Saturday, May 9th at 7pm we’ll be streaming concert readings of our festival finalists on YouTube Live. Touchstone company members, teaching artists and local community actors will be helping us bring these plays to life, from the safe distance of our homes. You and the whole school will be able to tune in for the family-friendly event, either dressed up in your festival best or with pajamas and popcorn.
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Teacher Updates
Assistant Principal – Mr. Horlick
Student Services:
Each grade level school counselor has OFFICE HOURS where they can share concerns or just talk. Please log on to their schoology group for the Zoom Meeting link or email to arrange a time.
Mrs. Hipp / 8th grade: Tuesdays 9:00-10:00am & Thursdays 11:00am-12:00pm
Mrs. Cenci/ 7th grade: Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:00-10:00am
Ms. Stewart/ 6th grade: Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:00-10:00am
If you have a concern, or you or someone you know is experiencing cyberbullying, please make a SAFE2SAY referral. If it is an immediate safety matter, please contact the Police first.
Team Lafayette (6th) (Twitter @NMSLafayette Team Leader Mrs. Hackman) It was great to see some of you at Zoom office hours this week. We will continue with these following the schedule below. No one is required to attend. They are for anyone who might have a question or wants to talk to a certain teacher. Remember this coming weekend is Mother’s Day! Be sure to thank your moms, grandmas, and mother figures in your life. Have a great week, stay healthy, and be kind to each other.
Mrs. Evancho Tuesday 9-10 AM
Mr. Ortwein Tuesday 10-11 AM
Mrs. Hackman Wednesday 10-11 AM
Mrs. Dugan Wednesday 11AM -12 PM
Team Lehigh (6th) (Twitter @NMSTeamLehigh Team Leader Mrs. Oliver) We hope everyone and their families are doing well. Thank you to all of our wonderful students for getting their required work in and especially to the many of you who are going above and beyond with the optional lessons provided. It is great seeing such fantastic work habits. It was nice seeing many of you at our Zoom office hours this past week. We will continue the same schedule for next week as well. The schedule for the “Office Hours” is below. Look for the link to join on Schoology.
Mrs. Druckenmiller Monday 10:00 am to 11:00 pm
Mrs. Hriniak Wednesday 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
Mrs. Oliver Thursday 9:00 am to 10:00 am
Mr. Fritzinger Friday 10:30 am to 11:30 am
Mrs. Dugan Wednesday 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
Hope to see you this week; Stay Healthy!!
Team Moravian (6th) – (Twitter @NMSTeam Moravian/Facebook@NMSTeamMoravian Team Leader Mrs. Roufakis)
Hi Team Moravian students and parents! Hope you are doing well. Please remember to keep checking Schoology for your assignments and announcements. If you have not emailed one of us, please check in. We would love to hear from you!
Office hours continue. If you need help or just want to say hello, please check in with us. Please be patient as we will only be allowing a few students at a time. If these times do not work, please contact your teacher. Looking forward to seeing you.
Ms. Kvacky Wednesday 1-2
Ms. Roufakis Friday 1-2
Mrs. Dugan Wednesday 11-12
Team Kutztown (7th) (Twitter @TeamKutztown Team Leader Mr. Hess) Team Kutztown Teachers wish all of our students good health and happiness. ELA (Mr. Falteich and Mrs. Gomez) – This week’s lesson is a writing lesson. Last week you read 7 short fables on Studysync. Now it’s time to write your own fable. You will receive 2 links to research famous proverbs/popular sayings. You will have to choose one of these famous sayings, and write an original fable that uses the proverb as its theme. It should be fun. This MATH (Van Woert) – Make sure you are using ALL the resources given to you in the Weekly folder. Watch the videos THEY WILL HELP YOU. And of Course Email me with questions you have BEFORE you hand in your assignment. Thank you to all students who are trying their best. SCIENCE (Mr. Pearson) – Please make sure that you completed and SUBMITTED THROUGH SCHOOLOGY the “Remote Learning Week #5 Assignments” by Monday, May 4th at 12 noon. This includes the required LEAD assignment that is posted to your Schoology class page. The “Remote Learning Week #6 Assignments” will be posted to Schoology and activated as of Monday, May 4th at 9 AM and are due the following Monday, May 11th at 12 noon. I will post in Schoology an announcement, as well as, a document with specific instructions on how to complete and submit the assignment. As always, keep checking Schoology and email regularly for updates and email me if you have any questions, problems, or just want to keep in touch. Stay safe and healthy!
Team Penn State (7th) (Twitter @NMSPennState/Facebook @NMSTeamPennState/ Instagram pennstatenms Team Leader Mrs. Miller) Team PSU students are doing an outstanding job completing their course work. We enjoyed reading the reflections from the LEAD assignment. Parents and students, please continue to email us (through Schoology or district email) with any assignment that needs clarification or any other difficulty you may be experiencing. Please keep us informed….we are here to help! Mr. Kehler has returned and will meet with our team weekly to review any issues that students may be experiencing. MRS. MCLAUGHLIN (support) office hours are every Tuesday from 9:30 to 10:30.
GETZ – Need ELA help? Mrs. Getz is starting “virtual extra help” every Wednesday from 10am – 11am. You can drop in anytime during that hour with a question or just if you’d like to work through some of the assignments together. Check your email for the details. Need Math Help? Mrs. Lafey is going to have “virtual extra help” every Wednesday from 11:30am-12:30pm. You can stop in anytime during that hour if you need help. Find the link in the “Read This Before Starting” letter in this week’s Schoology folder. Please make sure that you’re using all the resources in the weekly folder. The lesson and videos will help you understand the material. If you go directly to the graded assignment without preparing, it will be very difficult for you.
Team East Stroudsburg (8th) (Twitter @@nmsteamesu Team Leader Mr. Amen Instagram @nmsteamesu8)
History students: I have posted MANY videos that are OPTIONAL, they are meant to bridge the gap in the chapters or topics that were not covered. The videos are short, and OPTIONAL. Crash course videos on Youtube are great reviews for various history topics, again OPTIONAL.Honors History Students can challenge themselves with Khan Academy History Lessons. ELA students should check Schoology Monday morning for your weekly Study Sync assignments. Two of the assignments are mandatory and graded and two are optional/enrichment activities.. As always, Mrs. Pogue and Mr. Danyi are available to answer any of your questions. Look for the information onCurrent Events Zoom Meetings on Tuesday afternoons. The format for how you will be submitting math work might be changing. Mr. Vajda and Mrs. Jarosz are looking into other options, such as MathXL, that you are already familiar with and that will help provide you with more feedback. PLEASE UTILIZE OFFICE HOURS for help with math. It is so much easier to show you how to do the work than it is to explain via email. But any contact is welcome when you need help. IF you have any ideas as to how to celebrate the end of the year – taking the place of an in-person ceremony, feel free to forward those ideas to Mr. Amen.
Team Northampton (8th) (Twitter @TeamSpartanNMS Team Leader Mrs. Hood) Thank you to our students who are putting in the time and effort into completing the online assignments. We greatly appreciate this:) It is about making yourself proud – which we talked about on Day 1. Continue to reach out via email if you have any questions or need help with any assignments! We have and will always be here for you. In ELA classes (Hinkel and Wallach), we are posting 3 ELA StudySync assignments each Monday morning. Two are extension/enrichment activities and one is a mandatory and graded assignment. Please look on Schoology for complete updates and directions and email us with any questions and/or concerns. We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Mrs. Hinkel has started holding virtual office hours on Wednesdays from 2-3 pm. If you need any assistance with your ELA work, please use the link provided in the email every Wednesday morning to visit during those office hours. Math students should check Schoology Monday morning for your weekly assignment. I have also posted additional materials to help with the assignment (guided notes / formula sheets, video tutorials, practice worksheets (with answers) and additional Math XL and IXL sections (all optional).
History – as per the District Assignment – Week 6’s lesson will focus on how the Southern and Northern economies depended upon slave labor to be successful. Thank you to those who joined me in the National Constitution Center’s 14th Amendment exchange this past week. Keep being curious about worldly events! If you need any help, just say the word:) In Science, we will be moving on to the study of the different Types of Waves. If anyone is interested in other challenging topics in Science, please email me (Mr Landino). I can give you a username and password for IXL Science.
Encore (All Grades): There are weekly assignments for ALL Encore classes.
From Mr. Carlstrom. Thanks for everyone’s hard work. For week 5 I will include in the assignment some additional tutorials produced by my friend and a teacher at NEMS. Please follow the instructions and if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
Kocon & Burzynski:
Music (de Vries) (Twitter @ldevriesmusic): As the 5th Encore rotation comes to an end, I’d like to thank all the students who have been completing their assignments and all of the parents encouraging them! I have enjoyed interacting with all of you, even though it wasn’t in person. Don’t forget to look for comments and badges for your completed assignments.
A big welcome to all 6th rotation Encore students! Please check out your music course beginning on Wednesday, May 6 for a “getting to know you” activity. Your first weekly assignment starts on Monday, May 11.
Rotation 5&6 Zoom Hour: Tuesday 10-11 Pop in at any time and say hello/goodbye/ask a question
Glee Club/Singers: Check Schoology group for Zoom times
Spanish (Bouhana & Sierra): ¡Gracias! To all those who have been completing the weekly assignments. Make sure to check Schoology for your weekly assignments. If you have any questions, feel free to message me directly on Schoology or email me. Email if you want to meet outside of posted zoom times. (If there are no times noted, just send an email- an appointment will be made and the link will be sent to you).
Sierra zoom: Gr 6- 2pm M&F, Gr. 7- 1pm Tu&Th, Gr 8- 1pm W&F — (LEAD 2pm Th) *Clubs see schoology
French (Lare): Bonjour à tous et vous me manquez! Hello everyone – I miss you all! Thanks to most of you who are keeping up with the French assignments posted in Schoology. I’m especially impressed with your recorded responses! A special message to 8th grade students – letters from France are here! If you’d like to get a letter (or two) from one of the middle school students in France, please let me know via email. (Please don’t request a letter unless you are committed to writing a thoughtful response.) The French students will be thrilled to hear from you!
German (Sofka u. Schwarz): Hallo German Language Masters!! Now that you know the German history of this area, especially Downtown Church and Main Streets Bethlehem, take a stroll past these remarkable sites and send us photos of you visiting them! Who knows… you might see them later in a Nitschmann Student Showcase! As always, check Schoology for your weekly assignments and announcements from us. If you have any questions, feel free to message us on Schoology or email us. Vielen Dank and keep up the great work!!
Team PITT (Hoffman/Villani/Long/Weinert):
Library (Pohlidal) Hello readers and engineers! I hope you have tried some of the “INNOVATION HOUR” activities which can be found on the library web page. They include engineering, coding, and mindfulness activities. I added a few new ones for you to try. Have fun! Send me an email and picture of what you have done. I would love to see your work. Continue to keep reading those eBooks and any books you have at home. Links to the eBooks can be found on the library page. Have a great week!
ESL (Bartolacci)
Art (Lund/Kozero) Rotation 6 Encore classes starts on Wednesday May 6, Check into your new Encore class and see what’s up. THEN..Check Schoology for your weekly Art assignment starting Monday, May 11. Fun at-home projects!! Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself with the Enrichment Extensions!! Check out the Nitschmann Virtual Art Show #2 highlighting student work at https://vimeo.com/412714439 We are already putting together a 3rd show!
Gifted Seminar ( Sukanick/Kozero) Make sure to keep up with assignments on Schoology. If you have questions or concerns, feel free to contact us by email or on Schoology. Stay well.
Nitschmann Middle School Performing Arts Department Updates
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Nitschmann Middle School Instrumental Music Website (Click Here!)
Mr. Daniel Zettlemoyer, Instrumental Music
- Parent links and resources are posted on WWW.NMSIM.ORG
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- I am moving forward with the traditional scheduling of all our events for next year. All dates are subject to change pending federal, state, and local directives due to the pandemic.
- NIMAS is working on a process with the LHSGB&OP to roll over 8th grade fair share funds for students who will be participating in the high school instrumental program. While you may have questions, we are asking that you hold them for the time being as there we have many ourselves. Once we have a plan in place we will distribute the information and we can begin to move forward specifics and answer your questions,
8th GRADE MUSIC AND DRAMA TRIP UPDATE
We have begun the processing refunds for the 8th grade trip.
Complete details are on the website at http://www.nmsim.org/8th-grade-trip/
FUNDRAISERS
- The Nitschmann Instrumental Music Association is now part of the Amazon Smile program. Now you can shop at Amazon, get great deals and support the Nitschmann Instrumental Music Association all at the same time. Please share this with your friends and family. Go here for more information: http://www.nmsim.org/nimas/fundraising/
SPRING TRIP TO BOSTON
We are waiting for the last of the vendors to get back to us. Once that occurs we will follow a similar process for refunds as we did for the 8th grade trip.
Complete details of the trip are on the website at http://www.nmsim.org/spring-trip/
COLOR GUARD:
LHS MAJORETTES & BAGPIPES
- Any individuals who are interested in auditioning for or joining any of our auxiliary units (majorettes, bagpipes and colour guard) to please be patient. Realistically, auditions may not occur until summertime or early fall. I know many of our rising 8th graders would like a definitive answer but at this time we have none and it would be irresponsible for me to give one. Stay well and stay safe. Mr. Long
PRACTICE INFORMATION
- Each week your child receives an email via Schoology with the assignments for the week. I will mirror that email to parents through our NIMAS parent email account.
We are all experiencing a substantial disruption in our lives. The assignments are created to provide your child with a basic level of instruction to keep them engaged and to help them maintain their performance level. Encourage your child to practice and complete the worksheets. If they are getting upset because they have hit a performance roadblock, send me an email and I will do what I can to help them. I am working on additional resources to assist your child.
ONLINE LISTENING
- Jazz for Kids – Featuring Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
- Army Field Band Virtual Concerts – The US Army Field Band will program daily content, to include live, interactive performances..
- List of live virtual concerts during the Coronavirus shutdown.
- Jazz at Lincoln Center – Schedule of weekly online events and performances
NEWS OF NOTE:
- LHS bagpipe information – If you are interested in receiving information regarding playing the bagpipes at Liberty text @piping2020 to the number 81010.
- Any individuals who are interested in auditioning for or joining any of our auxiliary units (majorettes, bagpipes and colour guard) to please be patient. Realistically, auditions may not occur until summertime or early fall. I know many of our rising 8th graders would like a definitive answer but at this time we have none and it would be irresponsible for me to give one.
Stay well and stay safe
Mr. Long
- Stay up to date on the latest by following the instrumental music groups on Twitter. @NMSBandOrch
- Do not forget to check the Instrumental Music Website www.nmsim.org for everything dealing with instrumental music.
CALENDAR AT A GLANCE:
ALL DATES ARE TENTATIVE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
August 10-14 Summer Music Camp
August 17-21 Summer Music Camp
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Nitschmann Middle School
A LEAD School, partnering with The Leader in Me
“Lions Lead the Way!”
Our Collective Vision Nitschmann Middle School is committed to cultivating a respectful community of innovative learners who are socially competent citizens ready to meet the challenges of their future.
Twitter @NitschmannMS
Facebook @NitschmannMiddleSchool
Instagram @BASDNitschmannMS,
Web http://basdwpweb.beth.k12.pa.us/nitschmann/
1002 West Union Blvd
Bethlehem, Pa 18018
Main Office (610) 866-5781
Fax (610) 866-1435
IMPORTANT/CONFIDENTIAL: This communication is intended solely for the confidential use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and the privileges are not waived by virtue of this having been sent by electronic mail. If the reader of this email is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this email is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify me immediately & permanently delete this message including all attachments. Thank you.