2021_NMS School Photo Day Information
Dear NItschmann Parents/Guardians,
Thank you for your support for a great two weeks and helping to get everyone back to school! Just a few notes as we prepare for this week:
- We are noticing a heavy increase of interpersonal conflicts between students based on negative interactions through texting, email, and on social media, especially Snapchat. Please remember to monitor your child’s phone & social media use. Students were used to communicating at high levels privately when at home last year and some are struggling with the impact of the return to school. Checking phones & apps on a regular basis keeps you in touch with their interactions. Setting time limits on apps, especially Snapchat, is highly recommended. After all, you pay for the phone!
- Classrooms & transitions to class are going very well. Watch for some training for parents/guardians on Schoology coming up next week to stay ahead of your children and their schoolwork.
- Please continue to communicate with our school nurse when you are impacted by COVID. If any member of your household is being tested for COVID or not feeling well, keep your child home and reach out to our nurse for guidance. We do not want to be in a position to have to switch back to virtual learning if we have a high case count
- We look forward to meeting with you in person or virtually on Back to School Night on Monday, September 20th. We will have both options available. Please see the notes below.
Thank you!
Dr. Mayes & Mrs. Woodson
Parent & Student Weekly Email
Nitschmann Middle School Weekly Update
100 Years of Learning @ Home of the Nitschmann Nation
Sunday, September 12, 2021, to Sunday, September 19, 2021
Download the BASD App and select “Nitschmann” to receive all alerts to your phone.
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- Picture Days are scheduled for SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 Go to orders.christmascitystudio.com & enter School Code NMS21 to place an order prior to Photo Day.
- No School on Thursday. Please remember there is no school on Thursday due to Yom Kippur.
- Back to School Night is Monday 9/20 – Please join us for Back to School night on Monday, September 20. Parents with children with last names A-L should attend their team meeting from 6pm-7pm. Parents with children with last names M-Z should attend their team meeting from 7pm-8pm. A virtual option will be available for one of the sessions with your child’s team. Room locations & information will be in next Sunday’s email.
- Outdoor Picnic Tables – We are expanding our outdoor seating for students at lunch with 20 new picnic tables & umbrellas and could use your help! Due to the costs, we are reaching out for donations to make this a success. If you are interested in donating, please use the form at this link. We will be honoring our donors with a small plaque on tables with donations over $50. Thank you and we appreciate your support!
- Grading Rx Survey – The district is preparing for a change in the way we approach grading. Please participate in our BASD district-wide survey about your opinions about grading & homework. Click the link! GradingRx survey
***Links to Review ******************************************************************************
BASD Parent Portals Link (Schoology, Home Access Center, SchoolCafe, etc.)
***Weekly Schedule & Highlights @ BASD NMS Event Calendar*****************************************
See all long-term events on our BASD NMS Event Calendar on the BASD Website
| Day | Date | Cycle Day | Notes |
| Monday | 9/13 | 4 | |
| Tuesday | 9/14 | 5 | |
| Wednesday | 9/15 | 6 | Hispanic Heritage Month Begins |
| Thursday | 9/16 | None | Yom Kippur – No School |
| Friday | 9/17 | 1 | NMS Photo Day – School Pictures (See Information Above!) |
***School-wide Announcements ************************************************************************
BASD eNews from Dr. Roy – This edition of the BASD eNews contains some super exciting items like…September’s BASD Employee of the Month, Sign up information for the Liberty High School’s 100th Anniversary Walk-a-Thon to be held on October 9, Positions available for Skate Guard at the Bethlehem Municipal Ice Rink, As always, the most updated COVID related information. BASD eNews – September 10, 2021 Edition
Schoolwide Library Services (Werkheiser) lwerkheiser@basdschools.org for help with books or services.
The library website is full of resources for students.
The Scholastic Book Fair is coming! It will be set up in the library during the week of September 20. Online shopping will also be available starting September 19. Students may bring cash, or parents can set up an ewallet for easy shopping.
Check out an interactive flyer for the fair here : https://www.scholastic.com/bf/nitschmannmiddleschool1
***Student Services Updates ************************************************************************
Contact Members of the Student Services Team by email: Mrs. Woodson, Assistant Principal; Mrs. Scott, SSC Guidance Secretary; Mrs. Falcone, SSC Attendance Secretary
6th Grade: Mr. Kehler’s Counseling Google Site for Students Donate Now!! Library Equity , A Quiet Place
7th Grade: Mrs. Hipp’s Counseling Google Site for Students
8th Grade: Ms. Stewart’s Counseling Google Site for Students
***Core & Encore Team Updates *********************************************************************
Team Lafayette (6th) (Twitter @NMSLafayette Team Leader Mrs. Hackman) See our welcome letter on the NMS Website! Baseline testing is nearly complete, and everyones’ ability to use Schoology is impressive! We have noticed way too many students arriving at school with computers that are not charged. Be sure to charge your computers as part of your being prepared for school. Reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Team Lehigh (6th) (Twitter @NMSTeamLehigh/ Facebook @NitschmannTeamLehigh Team Leader Mrs. Oliver) See our welcome letter on the NMS Website! Week 1: Orientation; Week 2: Benchmark Testing in both Math and Reading; Week 3: We are ready to roll!!! We will be diving full force into our curriculums. Please try to set up a routine at home for Homework and Study. Students will receive a half hour to an hour of homework each night. It will be to their benefit and yours to have a specific time set aside for this on a daily basis. Also please get in the habit of checking Schoology and your email regularly as it is our main way of communicating with you. We are looking forward to a great year and the best way for that to happen is for us to work together to help you son/daughter succeed!! Thank you in advance for your support!!
Team Moravian (6th) – (Twitter @NMSTeam Moravian/Facebook@NMSTeamMoravian Team Leader Mrs. Roufakis) See our welcome letter on the NMS Website! Please make sure that your child has all school supplies. Mrs. Conley would like a composition notebook, spiral notebook, scissors, glue sticks, and a scientific calculator. Students have gone through one entire rotation of their schedule. All students have been given a locker that works. If they continue to have issues, students should see the homeroom teacher. Make sure that computers are being fully charged at night and that the charger is being brought to school.
Team Kutztown (7th)(Twitter @TeamKutztown) – English (Mr. Falteich) – This week students will continue their study of punctuation. Specifically, students will learn to combine clauses correctly when writing complex sentences.
Science (Mr. Pearson) – This week students will be learning about lab safety. Social Studies (Mr. Danyi) – We will continue to focus on Location and understanding why cities developed in specific places. The first section of the digital notebooks will be completed. We will begin section 2 of unit 1 and begin studying maps. Math (Mrs. Evancho) – We will have our first quiz of the school year this week. It will be on adding/subtracting integers. English (Mrs. Gómez) –We have finished reading our first short story, “Seventh Grade” by Gary Soto. Students will be taking a vocabulary and comprehension quiz on Tuesday. Students need to be sure to remember to bring their SSR books daily.
Team Penn State (7th) (Twitter @NMSPennState/Facebook @NMSTeamPennState/ Instagram pennstatenms Team Leader Mrs. Getz) See our welcome letter on the NMS Website! Team Penn State shirt money is due Friday (9/17). We will be tie dying these shirts in October. Mrs. Markovic (social studies) – We will continue to focus on Location and understanding why cities developed in specific places. The first section of the digital notebooks will be completed. We will begin section 2 of unit 1 and begin studying maps. Mr. Downey (ELA) -Students will be reflecting on their literacy. They will write a literacy history. We discussed writing using imagery and organization. Mrs. Getz (ELA)– WeVideo projects are due Monday 9/13. This week, we will review the plot diagram and learn about plagiarism. Students have a vocabulary quiz on Wednesday 9/15. Mrs Lafey (Math) – Students in periods 3,6 and 9 are adding integers and have a short quiz on Wednesday, after that we’ll start subtracting. Students in Periods 2 and 8 are adding and subtracting integers and have a quiz on adding and subtracting on Wednesday. After that, they’ll be adding and subtracting rational numbers. Mr. Khalife (Science) – We will be continuing our discussion about lab safety and lab equipment.
Team DeSales (8th) (Team Leader Mrs. Pogue): Instagram @NMSTeamDSU8 See our welcome letter on the NMS Website! History: This week we will begin our study of colonization, the birth of Jamestown and Virginia. Friday is the 224th birthday of the United States Constitution: visit the Constitution Center’s Website for great information and Constitutional debates – the center is a non-biased, non-profit that was chartered by Congress to foster understanding of the United States Constitution. ELA: Mrs. Pogue and Mrs. Tannous’s classes will be reading “The Tell Tale Heart” and continue our study of what attracts us to the mysterious. Get ready for some mystery writing activities and practice with annotating and close reading!
Team Northampton (8th) (Twitter @TeamSpartanNMS Team Leader Mrs. Hood) See our welcome letter on the NMS Website! In Mrs. Wallach’s ELA class, we are starting our unit on mysterious fiction and reading several short stories related to this theme. We just read Poe’s short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” and are working on annotations and text-dependent analysis. We will be reading and writing every day so be sure to have all your required materials for class and check Schoology for any updates and assignments. In Mrs. Hinkel’s ELA class, we will begin brainstorming for our first major writing assignment, our mysterious narratives. We will also continue practicing our parts of speech. All students (Math 8, Advanced Math and Algebra 1) will continue to explore/learn about the Real Number System, evaluate square / cube roots, and compare / order real numbers. Students will also complete their baseline round of the IXL Diagnostic. In History, students will have one day to work on their Iconic Image project in connection with the events of September 11th. We will continue our studies on early colonization in America in Jamestown, Virginia. Friday is Constitution Day – 224 years!!!! In Science, we will be exploring the States of Matter and Phase Changes. Quiz will be 9/21.
Team Pitt: (Encore Health and PE, and All 30 day rotation classes) (Team Leader Mrs. Long) (Twitter @NMSTeamPitt) See our welcome letter on the NMS Website! All groups, please be prepared for PE this week: appropriate footwear (sneakers that tie) and wear clothing for the weather! If your child is in Mrs. Woodring’s 6th or 7th grade FCS class, please remember to send in $7 ASAP for the sewing project. Grade 6 students will make a patchwork pillow. Grade 7 students will make a pillowcase.
Team Bloomsburg (Encore World Language and Library) (Twitter @NMSBloomsburg / Team Leader Dr. Sierra)-See our welcome letter on the NMS Website!
***Extracurricular Activities************************************************************************
Is your child interested in an after-school club or activity? Email the advisor for more information!
AM Basketball (Advisor Dr. Mayes) None at this time.
Anime Club (Advisors Ms. Fehr/Mrs. Wallach) Listen for announcements as we will be having our first meeting this coming week.
Art Club (Advisor Mrs. Lund) If you are interested in joining Art Club please pick up an application in room 011 during Activity period on Wednesday Sept. 8 or see Mrs. Lund in room 011. Art Club will be held afterschool on Mondays from 3:05-4:05 starting October 4.
Artsmart @ Banana Factory (Advisor Mrs. Lare) Art Smart is resuming classes at the Banana Factory on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting in October. Exact dates are being finalized. The classes will run for 7 weeks. Students will stay after school with Mrs. Lare or Mrs. Lund and be bussed to the Banana Factory at approximately 4:15 p.m. Students will be bussed back to Nitschmann for parents to pick up at 6 p.m. Tuesday classes include Print and Publish, Acrylic Painting, and Exploring Mixed Media. Thursday classes include Mixed Arts, Cartooning and Anime, Jewelry Making, and Digital Illustration. Detailed course descriptions and a parent permission form can be picked up in Mrs. Lare’s classroom, Room 317. It is expected that students who sign up will commit to the full 7 weeks of classes. Space is limited so interested students should sign up early.
Environmental Club (Advisor Ms. Stewart) The Environmental Club will host its first meeting of the year on Monday, September 27 after school in room 013. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. We hope to see you there!
French Club – (Advisor Mrs. Lare) CORRECTION: French Club is back and will start on MONDAY, September 27 during the Lions’ Pride activity period. Each Day One we’ll explore French and francophone cultures through films, festivals, special projects, games, and food. French Club is open to all 6th graders as well as 7th and 8th graders in French. Space is limited. If interested, send an email to Madame Lare at alare@basdschools.org or sign up in Room 317. A bientôt!
German Club (Advisor Mrs. Sofka) Willkommen Zurück! (Welcome Back!) German club will meet every other Day 1 during Lion’s Pride. All are welcome, but space is limited! Please see Frau Sofka in room 313 to sign-up or message me on Schoology. Our first meeting will be on Monday, September 27.
Fitness Club ( Advisor Mrs. Oliver) None at this time.
FCS/DIY Club (Advisor Mrs. Hoffman) None at this time.
Glee Club (Advisor Mrs. de Vries) (@ldevriesmusic) | Twitter Now accepting new members! No audition needed. Contact Mrs. de Vries. Please scroll down to the very bottom of the newsletter for more information and current schedules. Click here to see our choral groups in action!
Intramurals (Advisor Mr. Ortwein) None at this time.
Lacrosse Intramurals: (Advisor Ms. Weinert ) None at this time.
Leadership Council (Advisor Mr. Kocon) None at this time.
Lion Service Club (Advisor Mrs. McLaughlin) None at this time.
Lion’s Pride (online school newspaper) (Advisor TBA)None at this time.
Mathcounts (Advisor Mrs. Lafey) MathCounts is a nationwide mathematics enrichment and competition program. Students in grades 6,7, and 8 are welcome to participate. Students involved in MathCounts will have the opportunity to work both independently and with other students on challenging problems. Our top students will earn the right to represent Nitschmann at the chapter competition in February where we face off against lots of other schools in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos and have the opportunity to win awards like college scholarships. Our first meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, September 23rd after school.
National Junior Honor Society (Advisors Mrs. Wallach/Mrs. Druckenmiller) (Twitter-@Njhs_Nitschmann; Instagram- @Njhs_Nistchmann ) We are so excited to start another year with the NJHS members. We just had our first meeting on September 8. Community service hours are now overdue so please give them to Mrs. Wallach in room 104. Check Schoology for announcements on our upcoming elections.
Nitschmann Dramatics (Advisor Mrs. Hriniak) The auditions deadline is Sunday; please post your audition videos to FlipGrid by Sunday. The list will be posted and emailed out later this week. Please plan on attending rehearsals Wednesday and Friday after school until 5:00.
Nitschmann Singers (Advisor Mrs. de Vries) (@ldevriesmusic) | Twitter Please scroll down to the very bottom of the newsletter for more information and current schedules.
Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) (Advisor TBA) None at this time.
Photography Club (Advisor Ms. Krause) Open to 7th and 8th Grade only! Photography Club will have their first meeting after school from 3:05-4:05pm on Monday, October 4th. If you are a 7th or 8th grader interested in joining, please email Ms. Krause.
Reading Olympics (Advisor – Mrs. Nonnemacher ) Welcome back students! If you love to read and love a friendly reading competition in the Spring about the books you have read, then Reading Olympics is for you! Information, Permission forms and the books for the 2021-2022 competition are in the library! You can begin reading the books now, and write summaries about what you read. We will begin meeting as a group on Wednesdays, beginning October 13th! We will meet after school until 4:00 P.M. in the library. See Mrs. Nonnemacher, Mr. Pearson or Mrs Wekheiser in the library if you have any questions.
Riding for Focus (Advisors Mr. Miller, Mr. Bellucci, and Mrs. Getz ) None at this time.
The Lion’s Den School Store (Advisors Ms. Roufakis & Mrs. Evancho)
**Ski & Snowboard Club (Advisors Mr. Downey and Mrs. Druckenmiller)
Spanish Club (Advisor Dra. Sierra)- We will meet during activity periods on Day 1 and Wednesdays. *YOU DON’T HAVE TO SPEAK SPANISH TO JOIN. We will be discussing/engaging/ promoting Spanish culture, customs and events throughout the year.
Student Lighthouse ( Advisors Mr. Kocon / Mrs. McLaughlin / Miss Bouhana).
Step Team (Advisor Dra. Sierra) – We will be meeting after school 3-4 on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Strategy Club (Advisor Mr. Kehler) Strategy Club will begin Mondays after school in the Large Group room by the Cafeteria on starting Monday, September 20th. Join us for Play and/or Discussions of Board Games both Classic and New, RPG, Card, and any other other games. Teachers, you are welcome to join us.
Yearbook (Advisor Mrs. Markovic & Mrs. Gomez) None at this time.
***Lions/Lady Lions Athletics Updates (Twitter @NMS_Athletics)*****************************************
Year-long
Cheerleading (Head Coach Mrs. Long kllong@basdschools.org)
Practice Tuesday and Wednesday 3:05-4:30.
Fall
Boys Football (Head Coach Mr. Shemanski mshemanski@basdschools.org; Asst. Coach Mr. Villani, mvillani@basdschools.org)
Co-Ed Cross Country (Head Coach Miss Schwartz lschwartz@basdschools.org)
Girls Volleyball (Head Coach Mrs. Hinkel ahinkel@basdschools.org)
- Just a friendly reminder: ALL spectators for games are required to wear a MASK.
- Our SPIRIT WEAR store WILL CLOSE ON MONDAY (9/13). Please use the following link from Sports Center USA to purchase spirit wear for the season. Purchases are completely optional. https://sportscenterusa.net/product-category/nitschmann-volleyball-2021/
- FYI: On Tuesday, Oct. 5, all students are dismissed from school at 11:30 for a teacher inservice day. The girls will be coming home. However, we have an away game, and the girls will need to come back. Please plan to have your player back to school by 2:35 pm. The bus will leave at NMS promptly at 2:45 pm,.
- Please make sure to ask your player for the sign up information for our REMIND app and our game schedule.
Girls Field Hockey (Mr. Burzynski bburzynski@basdschools.org)
Winter
Boys MS Basketball (Head Coach Mr. Wills)
Girls MS Basketball (Head Coach Mr. Ortwein jortwein@basdschools.org)
Boys & Girls LHS HS Wrestling (Head Coach Mr. Hall)
Spring
Girls MS Softball (Head Coach Mr. Kocon ekocon@basdschools.org)
Co-Ed MS Soccer (Head Coach Mr. Rodenbach srodenbach@basdschools.org )
***Nitschmann Middle School Performing Arts Department Updates**************************************
Nitschmann Middle School Instrumental Music Website (Click Here!)
Mr. Daniel Zettlemoyer, Instrumental Music
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Monday, September 6
No instrumental music events
Tuesday, September 7
Early morning orchestra 7:15am (All violin, viola, cello, bass and selected piano players)
Wednesday, September 8
Early morning jazz band 7:15am
Lion’s Pride jazz rehearsal 8:30am
School instrumental music lessons begin (Check your email for details)
Thursday, September 8
Early morning band 7:15am (ALL marching band students)
*Students need their bell covers and playing masks
Friday, September 10
Early morning orchestra 7:15am (All violin, viola, cello, bass and selected piano players)
UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday, September 20 – Mum flower delivery 4:30-6PM
Wednesday, September 22 – 7:30pm NIMAS general membership meeting
Saturday, October 16 – Nazareth Parade
Thursday, October 21 – NMS night football game (Game begins at 5pm)
Sunday, October 24 – Saucon Valley Parade
Wednesday, October 27 – FHS/LHS performance rehearsal (Raindate – Thursday, Oct. 28 7:30am)
Saturday, October 30 – FHS/LHS football game performance
Sunday, October 31 – Bethlehem Halloween Parade (Raindate – November 7)
NIMAS INFORMATION
The general membership meeting minutes from August 18 have been posted to your Cut Time profile under the FILES/DOCS tab, NIMAS General Membership Meeting Minutes, and then find the month you are looking for.
FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES
FALL MUM FLOWER SALE
We will be working with Lehigh Valley Home and Garden Center for our plant fundraiser. We are offering a wonderful variety of fall mums. If you’ve ordered from LVHGC before, you know their products are BEAUTIFUL!
A $2.75 profit is made on each plant sold and will be added to your student’s fair share account.
Pick-up will be Monday, September 20th from 4:30-6 PM at NMS. It is VERY important you remember to pick up your order. Please be prompt. We cannot “save” plants.
If you have any questions, please contact us. Thank you for supporting NMS Band students.
Stephanie Cramer
717-360-8675
scramer90@gmail.com
GERTRUDE HAWK CANDY
GIANT GIFT CARDS
– Sold in $100 increments
– $4.00 of every $100 purchased goes to your fair share account
WEIS GIFT CARDS
– Sold in $100 increments
– $4.00 of every $100 purchased goes to your fair share account
AMAZON SMILE
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.
You shop. Amazon gives.
- Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice.
- AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service.
- Support your charitable organization by starting your shopping at smile.amazon.com
- Questions? Learn more about AmazonSmile
DIRECTIONS:
- Log on to Amazon Smile. https://smile.amazon.com/
- If you can search for a charity from your home page type in: Nitschmann Instrumental Music Association.
- If you cannot search from the home page click on YOUR ACCOUNT.
- Under Settings, look for Change your Charity.
- Click on Change your Charity.
- In the search box type Nitschmann Instrumental Music Association.
- Click on the select button to the right of NIMA.
- Create a bookmark, CTRL D, and shop away.
Nitschmann Choral Music Mrs. de Vries, Glee Club & Nitschmann Singers director (@ldevriesmusic) | Twitter
Do you or someone you know love to sing? Would you like to learn how to become a better singer to participate in things like Nitschmann dramatics? Would you like to make new friends? Then join the Nitschmann Glee Club! Click here to see our choral groups in action! Glee Club rehearses every Tues.,Wed. and Thurs .at 7:15 AM in room 141. Instrumental students are excused to attend their rehearsals. We also rehearse during Lion’s Pride time, every day 1. Nitschmann Singers is our smaller, auditioned ensemble that sings more challenging repertoire.They have their own rehearsals every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:00-4:00 PM. All Nitschmann Singers are also Glee Club members. Nitschmann Singers attend Glee Club rehearsal every Wednesday morning at 7:15 AM and also during Lion’s Pride on day 1. See this week’s schedule below.
WEEKLY CHORAL SCHEDULE
Monday, September 13
No rehearsals
Tuesday, September 14
Glee Club 7:15am (All Glee members unless in orchestra)
Nitschmann Singers 3-4pm
Wednesday, September 15
Glee Club 7:15am (All Nitschmann Singers and Glee unless in jazz)
Thursday, September 16
No school
Friday, September 17
Lion’s Pride Glee Club 8:30 (ALL Nitschmann Singers AND Glee members) New members welcome!