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
2020_5_31_Parent Weekly Email (1)
Dear Nitschmann Middle School Community,
This week brings us to the end of our 2019-2020 school year, and quite a year it has been! It is not the best ending, as we can not be together to say goodbye to our 8th graders and encourage our 6th & 7th graders to prepare for next fall in person. I know there is still a lot of uncertainty and challenges ahead, but the future is bright. Our 8th graders are well-prepared for their leap to Liberty High School. Our current students are ready with a whole new set of skills to prepare for the fall. Our teachers and staff have learned more about teaching and learning in the past weeks than we have in a long time. Our parents & guardians have a new perspective on how their children learn and the value of school and relationships. We have all learned and grown from this experience and I know we are are looking forward to the future.
On behalf of Nitschmann Middle School, I wish each of you a restful and enjoyable summer (away from your computers!) I look forward to seeing you all soon, back together, in the halls of Nitschmann.
Sincerely,
Dr. Mayes, Principal
This Week’s Major Headlines:
- End of Year Information The end of the school year is this Friday, June 5. Assignments will continue until that date. Our Moving Up Ceremony video will be posted on Thursday, June 4 at 7pm. Report cards will be mailed home as normal. Our school year food distribution ends on Wednesday, June 3.
- Lockers, Materials, & Uniforms Nitschmann Middle School will collect band & orchestra materials/uniforms/etc. On FRIDAY, JUNE 12. Locker contents during the week of June 15. Watch for information. We are still waiting for information from the yearbook publisher on delivery dates.
- 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.
- Week 10 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! Due to the last day of school, Week 10 assignments are due on Friday at 3pm. Homeroom & LEAD check-ins will be as normal.
- Sunday Emails: Sunday emails will continue this summer in a brief form to keep parents, guardians, & students on pace with upcoming information for the new school year.
Parent & Student Weekly Email
Nitschmann Middle School Weekly Update, Home of the Nitschmann Nation!
Sunday, May 31, 2020, to Sunday, June 7, 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, 6/1/20 Online Day; Week 9 Remote Learning Core & Encore Assignments Due 12pm; Week 10 Remote Learning Begins 9am
Tuesday, 6/2/20 Online Day
Wednesday, 6/3/20 Online Day; Food & Supplies Distribution 10am-1pm
Thursday, 6/4/20 Online Day; Virtual 8th Grade Moving Up Ceremony @ 7pm
Friday, 6/5/20 Online Day, Last Day of School, Week 10 Remote Learning Core & Encore Assignments Due 3pm
Saturday, 6/6/20
Sunday, 6/7/20
2020-2021 School Year (All Dates & Activities are tentative based on BASD directives)
8/3/20 Tentative Schedule Distribution; 8/10/20 First Day of Summer Music Camp; 8/17/20 First Day of Fall Sports Practice; 8/27 Open House Visitation 7pm; 8/31/20 First Day of School; 9/7/20 Labor Day, No School; 9/18 School Picture Day//David Nitschmann’s Birthday; 9/28 Yom Kippur, School Closed;
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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).
Kajeets (Mayes) If you are using a Kajeet for wifi access, it will turn off during the summer holiday after June 15.
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School-wide Announcements
BASD E-News (Dr. Roy) This week’s edition of the BASD e-News contains videos from Virtual Live events that have occurred this week including the BASD MiniTHON and a special message to the Class of 2020 from the Liberty High School Guidance Department.
Also included is a tip from Mr. Wellness on “How to Help Your Kids Deal with COVID-19” from St. Luke’s University Health Network.
Looking for a teaching positions? We posted some new positions.
I hope you enjoy this week’s edition.
BASD e-News – May 29, 2020 Edition
Student Locker Items (Mayes) BASD Middle Schools will be preparing student locker contents for distribution once the stay-at-home orders are lifted and our custodial staff is permitted to return to school. This is scheduled to occur during the week of June 15. Announcements will be made through Sunday Emails for the procedures for pick-up when this is permitted.
NMS Library Books (Mayes) Library books may be returned to Nitschmann Middle School by going through the Food Distribution lines on Mondays & Wednesdays from 10am-1pm.
Band & Orchestra Uniforms (Mayes) Band & Orchestra uniforms will be collected once the stay-at-home orders are lifted and our custodial staff is permitted to return to school. This will occur on Friday, June 12.
2019-2020 Yearbooks (Getz) We are waiting on word from our publisher for the production of the 2019-2020 yearbooks. When they are ready, we will distribute them to students.
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.
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Teacher Updates
Assistant Principal – Mr. Horlick
Student Services:
Students should continue to work to complete their Naviance Tasks assigned through LEAD class. The assigned tasks are grade specific, and are a part of the state career readiness standard. Naviance can be accessed through Clever. Please email your grade level counselor with questions.
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
Mr. Kehler/ 7th grade: TBA
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) We made it! The last week of school is here. Finish strong! Don’t forget to check in for homeroom on Monday and LEAD on Thursday.
Team Lehigh (6th) (Twitter @NMSTeamLehigh Team Leader Mrs. Oliver) Last week of school!!!! It has been a crazy year, but hopefully a good one!! We truly enjoyed having all of you and will miss you!!
Do not forget this Monday morning’s homeroom check in at 9:00 – Wear your favorite T-shirt and Thursday’s LEAD check-in. The question for this week will be: Use one word to describe how you are feeling now that we have reached the end of the school year.
Finish Strong!!!!!!!
Team Moravian (6th) – (Twitter @NMSTeam Moravian/Facebook@NMSTeamMoravian Team Leader Mrs. Roufakis)
Hope you are doing well! Please remember to keep checking Schoology for your assignments and announcements.
This week we are continuing Homeroom and LEAD check-ins. Please make sure to see Schoology for the link. It has been great connecting with you during these sessions. Please make sure that your name is correct and that your camera is on.
Office hours continue. If you need help or just want to say hello, please check in with us. If these times do not work, please contact your teacher. Looking forward to seeing you.
Mrs. Dugan Wednesday 11-12
Ms. Kvacky Wednesday 1-2
Ms. Roufakis Friday 1-2
Mr. Rodenbach Please email
Team Kutztown (7th) (Twitter @TeamKutztown Team Leader Mr. Hess) Team Kutztown Teachers would like to thank our students for all their hard work on their remote learning assignments and wish everyone a safe and happy Summer! ELA (Mr. Falteich, Mrs. Gomez, and Miss Levidis) The Final ELA Project of the Year is here! Revise and edit your “This I Believe Essay.” Please ask us if you have any questions. We are looking for 400-500 words (4 or 5 paragraphs). Please do not just copy, paste, and re-send your rough draft. We expect to see evidence of the writing process. You may even want to share your document with a classmate and utilize peer editing. Miss Levidis’s students are expected to write 300-350 words for this final ELA Essay Project. As always, do your best work- especially since this your last assignment. 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. SOCIAL STUDIES (Mr. Hess) – Virtual Office Hour Wednesday 11-12…take care!!
SCIENCE (Mr. Pearson):
REMOTE LEARNING ASSIGNMENTS – Please make sure that you completed and submitted through Schoology the “Remote Learning Week #9 Assignments” by Monday, June 1st at 12 noon. This includes the required LEAD assignment that is posted to your Schoology class page. The “Remote Learning Week #10 Assignments” will be posted to Schoology and activated as of Monday, June 1st at 9 AM and are due on Friday, June 5th at 3 PM, which is the last day of school!
HOMEROOM & LEAD CHECK-IN – I will be checking in with all of my Homeroom students and LEAD students on Zoom each week. The Homeroom check-in will take place on Mondays at 9 AM and the LEAD check-in will take place on Thursdays at 9 AM. Access information is posted on each class’s Schoology page.
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 KUTZTOWN YEAR IN REVIEW SLIDESHOW – Usually, our School Year in Review slideshow would be running on the hallway TV throughout the last week of school. However, due to these unusual times, this can not be the case this year. Therefore, we are going to post it to each class’s Schoology page, share the link to the slideshow in the Sunday email (this email), and send the link out on Twitter. This will be done throughout next week. If you click on the link and it says you don’t have access, it hasn’t been posted yet. You do not need to contact us, just try back later. That being said, here is the link: Team Kutztown Year in Review slideshow
Team Penn State (7th) (Twitter @NMSPennState/Facebook @NMSTeamPennState/ Instagram pennstatenms Team Leader Mrs. Miller) Parents, thank you for all you have done to assist us with your children during the school closure. We wish all the families of team Penn State a safe and healthy summer…..This week we will, again, have a homeroom and LEAD check- in using a zoom link. Make sure your child is checking their email for this information. Keep a look out for an email link this week (sent to parents and students)to our 2019-2020 Team Penn State video celebration which will include our student awards!! . GETZ – This week, work to finalize your “This I Believe” essay! Need Math Help? You can stop in anytime during the office 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 Penn State Office Hours:
Mrs. McLaughlin – Tuesday from 9:30 to 10:30
Mrs. Getz – Wednesday 10:00 – 11:00
Mrs. Lafey – Wednesday 11:30 – 12:30
Mr. Kehler – Tuesday, Thursday 9:00 – 10:00 and by appointment.
Team East Stroudsburg (8th) (Twitter @nmsteamesu Team Leader Mr. Amen Instagram @nmsteamesu8)
History students: I have posted an OPTIONAL Civil War assignment on Schoology, it covers all the major battles, events and important dates of the Civil War. Honors Students might want to work on this assignment as a basis for AP History. A video overview of the Civil War has been posted, 40 minutes long and OPTIONAL. 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 ideas as to how to celebrate the end of the year – taking the place of an in-person ceremony, feel free to send ideas to Mr. Amen.
| ESU Office Hours on Zoom this Week: | |||||
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
| Mr. Amen | Memorial Day | HR 9 – 9:15am | Bio 2 – 2:30pm
Sci. 2:30 – 3pm |
LEAD 9 – 9:15am
Sci. 2:30 – 3pm |
|
| Mrs. Pogue | Eng. 10am – 11am | ||||
| Mrs. Jarosz | Memorial Day | HR 9 – 9:15am
Math 9:30 – 11am |
Math 9-11
Math 1-3 |
LEAD 9am – 9:15am
Math 1-3 |
Math 9-11 |
| Mrs. Dugan | 11am – 12pm | ||||
| Mr. Danyi | English *By email appointment for Zoom | ||||
| Mr. Miller | Homeroom: 9am Monday, LEAD 9am Thursday Social Studies *By email appointment for Zoom | ||||
Team Northampton (8th) (Twitter @TeamSpartanNMS Team Leader Mrs. Hood) One of Team NCC’s many traditions is the Baby Picture Challenge. Over the course of the year, we asked parents to send in a baby picture of YOU! Let’s see how many of your NCC teammates you can guess correctly! The link is posted on your Homeroom Schoology page.
A Farewell message from your NCC teachers…
Your time here at Nitschmann is over, but the many memories remain.
Who you are and who you have become have yet to be determined.
Keep your habits positive, because your habits become your values.
Keep your values positive, because your values become your destiny.
When things go wrong as they sometimes will; Remember, there are no mistakes, only lessons.
Love yourself, trust your choices, and anything is possible.
Remember…You cannot direct the wind, but you CAN adjust your sails.
Rise every morning with the opportunity to grow,
add to the depth of your character, to increase your knowledge.
Every experience, no matter how meaningless it may seem to be, is a gift.
And so is every person who crosses your path, whether friend or foe, because difficult situations and difficult people teach us the most important and enduring lessons like patience and tolerance.
Make the most of your journey that lies ahead of you! KEEP READING ONTO NEXT PAGE
If you need anything, you know where to find us…
Mr. Landino will be on the microphone doing stand up comedy.
Mrs. Wallach will be giving out free hugs.
Miss Fehr will be conducting a study session even on a Friday afternoon.
Mrs. Hinkle will be lip syncing to a Justin Timberlake song.
Mr. Vajda will be watching Michigan Basketball.
Mrs. Hood will be doing some sort of exercise for sure.
Either way, in a month, a year or a decade, if you need us…
We’ll be GLAD to lend a hand.
It has been our pleasure to teach you.
BE the BEST. MAKE us PROUD. CONTINUE your EXCELLENCE.
Don’t forget what we have taught you…
It’s OK to be a little wild!
Eat plenty of greens.
Hold your head high.
Think big
Be someone to look up to
Make your voice heard
Spread seeds of happiness
Rise to the occasion
Set your sights high
Be brilliant
Cherish freedom
Keep your goals in sight
Stay focused
Learn the value on reason
Trust in a wise friend
Don’t be phased by difficulties
Stay full of wonder
Be good to your mother and father
Drink plenty of water
Climb beyond your limitations
Build relationships
Be thankful
Become part of something larger than yourself
Smile often
Laugh often
Struggling is okay
Keep promises
Be generous with your time, love and compassion
Encore (All Grades): There are weekly assignments for ALL Encore classes.
From Mr. Carlstrom. Everyone has done a great job on the work. Thank you! For our last week, we will be looking at transportation, in particular– Flight! I am still trying to re-arrange the assignments due to the fact that assignments are due on Friday. I hope you enjoy the activities. Let me know if you have any questions.
Kocon & Burzynski: None at this time.
Music (de Vries) (Twitter @ldevriesmusic): We are almost at the finish line! Let’s keep up the great participation and finish strong. This week’s assignment will be a survey about our online music assignments. Do you need help with anything? Need to talk? Email me for a Zoom appointment as needed.
Glee Members: Thanks for submitting your material for the celebration presentation. Please check Schoology and your email for information about the posting date and time.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Music Olympics! There will be a virtual awards ceremony to share the results. Check Schoology for information about the date and time.
Spanish (Bouhana & Sierra): The last assignment is a survey asking about your online experience. Your responses will be used to help planning for next year. Gr. 8 responses will be shared w/ high school Spanish teachers. If you have any questions, feel free to message directly on Schoology or email. 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 9am or 2pm Thur) *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! Hearing your voices really makes me miss seeing you in person! 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): Gratuliere!!! We did it!!!! We made it to summer vacation!!! Please complete the End of the Year language survey for this week’s assignment and Check out the video from your world language teachers! Frau Schwarz and Frau Sofka will miss all of the 8th grade students and wish them a relaxing summer as they prepare for the next step: High School!!! To our future 8th and 7th graders: we are looking forward to seeing you next year and hearing all about your summer adventures. As always check Schoology for announcements from us. If you have any questions, feel free to message us on Schoology or email us. Zoom meetings are available by email! Thanks for a great year!
Team PITT (Hoffman/Villani/Long/Weinert):
Library (Pohlidal) You may keep your library books at home until we return to school or you may return them to NMS through the Food Distribution lines on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10am-1pm. I’ve added some more “INNOVATION HOUR” activities which can be found on the library web page. They include engineering, coding, and mindfulness activities. Have fun and keep on reading!
ESL (Bartolacci) None at this time.
Art (Lund/Kozero) The students have done a great job completing their Art assignments at home. Take a minute to view the attached links to our Virtual Art shows ! Nitschmann Virtual Art Shows highlighting the students work: Nitschmann Virtual Art Show #1 https://vimeo.com/408694439 , Nitschmann Virtual Art Show #2 https://vimeo.com/412714439 , Nitschmann Virtual Art Show #3 https://vimeo.com/415925579 , Nitschmann Virtual Art Show #4 https://vimeo.com/420698701, Nitschmann Virtual Art Show #5 https://vimeo.com/424084187
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 Athletics Department Updates
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Nitschmann Athletics (Ortwein) We are proceeding as though the Fall sports seasons will go on as normal, unless we find out otherwise in the upcoming weeks or months. First day of tryouts would be August 17, 2020. Thank you to all 6th and 7th graders for completing the survey regarding Fall sports interests. Look for information in your email from our fall coaches letting you know some things to think about. Our fall coaches will be listed with their email addresses below. Feel free to reach out to any of them with questions. Opportunities for wrestling and boys volleyball will be at the end of the fall season and information will be out for those after the school year begins.
Cheer- Mrs. Long kllong@basdschools.org
Cross Country– Miss Schwartz lschwartz@basdschools.org
Field Hockey– Mr. Burzynski bburzynski@basdschools.org
Football– Mr. Villani mvillani@basdschools.org
Girls Volleyball– Mrs. Hinkel ahinkel@basdschools.org
Athletic Director– Mr. Ortwein jortwein@basdschools.org
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
MUSIC OLYMPICS NOTE:
I apologize for the delay. Since this is the first time I created a project of this size, I underestimated the amount of time it would take to put it all together. Thank you to everyone who participated and I hope you enjoy the final product released later today.
Instrumental Music Recruitment Video
UNIFORM & INSTRUMENT COLLECTION
- Uniform & 8th grade insrument collection will be on June 12. Specific details will be sent out this week detailing the process and procedures. Start gathering your uniform items now.
BOSTON TRIP REFUNDS
- Later this week I will be sending out an email detailing the refund fund process. Refunds will be distributed in July after we receive or refund from the travel company.
Complete details of the trip are on the website at http://www.nmsim.org/spring-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. share this with your friends and family. Go here for more information: http://www.nmsim.org/nimas/fundraising/
COLOR GUARD:
PRACTICE INFORMATION
- This week is a wrap-up week. I’ve added more exercises to SmartMusic. If your child hasn’t completed all the worksheets from the last 9 weeks they can do that by Friday.
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:
- 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
May 29 Music Olympics Awards Presentation – Time TBD
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.