Parent & Student Weekly Email
Nitschmann Middle School Weekly Update
100 Years of Learning @ Home of the Nitschmann Nation
Sunday, September 19, 2021, to Sunday, September 26, 2021
Download the BASD App and select “Nitschmann” to receive all alerts to your phone.
- Back to School Night is Tomorrow, 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.
- We ask that students not attend due to space.
- Masks are required indoors.
-
- Room Locations (Zoom Links will be sent via email on Monday afternoon)
- 6th Lafayette, 3rd Floor, Room 310
- 6th Lehigh, 3rd Floor, Room 307
- 6th Moravian, 3rd Floor Room 306
- 7th Kutztown, Ground Floor, Cafeteria
- 7th Penn State. 2nd Floor, Library
- 8th DeSales, 1st Floor, Rooms 110 & 112
- 8th Northampton, 1st Floor, Band Room
- Room Locations (Zoom Links will be sent via email on Monday afternoon)
- 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 | 9/20 | 2 | Back to School Night (Last Names A-L 6-7pm, M-Z 7-8pm) |
| Tuesday | 9/21 | 3 | |
| Wednesday | 9/22 | 4 | |
| Thursday | 9/23 | 5 | |
| Friday | 9/24 | 6 |
***School-wide Announcements ************************************************************************
BASD eNews from Dr. Roy – This week’s BASD eNews features:
-#BASDproud section – Highlighting an LHS Senior
-Videos from the 9/11 Ceremonies
-Looking for something to do on Saturday? Cops n Kids is having a free Mini Fall Celebration
BASD FAMILIES – The BASD eNews features a new section with Student/Family Thank You to Teachers/Staff Members. See our first one in this edition. To send your entry, please email bclymer@basdschools.org.
To view this week’s BASD eNews, click BASD eNews.
Schoolwide Library Services (Werkheiser) lwerkheiser@basdschools.org for help with books or services.
The library website is full of resources for students.
Dear Parents and Families:
The Scholastic Book Fair is coming! Here are the important details:
- Every dollar you spend will benefit our Nitschmann Library.
- The fair will be set up in the computer lab behind the library during the week of September 20.
- Online shopping will be available starting September 19.
- Students may bring cash, or parents can set up an Ewallet (a convenient digital payment account) for easy shopping.
- Check out an interactive flyer for the fair here : https://www.scholastic.com/bf/nitschmannmiddleschool1
I can’t wait to see your child at the Fair!
***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! We look forward to meeting many of you this week for Open House. Tuesday Team Lafayette will visit the Book Fair. Send money with your student if you want them to purchase anything. We have gotten through our schedules a few times, had opportunities to join activities, and gotten a full tour of the library and all the things there are to offer in there. Assignments are getting completed on time for the most part, but check with your student to see if they are getting all of their work completed. We are still having 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! We look forward to seeing many of you at Back to School Night Monday evening. We will also be going to the bookfair Monday, so please send your child with any money you want the to have to spend there. As we start rolling into the routine of “normal” school, please get in the habit of checking Schoology and your email regularly as it is our main way of communicating with you and your best way of keeping track of your child’s grades. Also, 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. 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. (commas and colons). Additionally, the students will be introduced to folktales on Studysync and discuss theme in literature. Science (Mr. Pearson) – Students will have a quiz on “Lab Equipment & Safety” on Wednesday, September 22nd. Then, we will start the next chapter on the “Metric System”. Social Studies (Mr. Danyi) – We will finish section 1.2 of Unit 1 in the Social Studies Techbook. The focus will remain on maps and ways to find absolute and relative locations. The Digital Notebook vocabulary section will be completed. There will be a quiz on Thursday..Math (Mrs. Evancho) – Please be sure to bring a calculator to class each day! We are continuing our work on integers this week. English (Mrs. Gómez) –Students have been introduced to anthropomorphism via our short story “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” by Rudyard Kipling. We have also continued to review characterization and plot diagram. Students will have the opportunity to visit the book fair on Thursday. If they wish to purchase anything, they should bring money with them.
Team Penn State (7th) (Twitter @NMSPennState/Facebook @NMSTeamPennState/ Instagram pennstatenms Team Leader Mrs. Getz) See our welcome letter on the NMS Website! Mrs. Markovic (social studies) – We will finish section 1.2 of Unit 1 in the Social Studies Techbook. The focus will remain on maps and ways to find absolute and relative locations. The Digital Notebook vocabulary section will be completed. There will be a quiz on Thursday.. 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)– We will review the basic parts of speech and move on to our next short story. Mrs Lafey (Math) – Students in periods 3,6 and 9 are adding and subtracting integers and have a short quiz on Wednesday, after that we’ll move on to adding and subtracting rational numbers. Students in Periods 2 and 8 have a mid-topic quiz on Tuesday, covering material from Sections 1-1 – 1-5. After that, we’ll move on to multiplying and dividing integers. Mr. Khalife (Science) – We will be focusing on how to use different types of lab equipment this week. At the end of the week, we will begin reviewing for our lab safety and equipment quiz.
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! Students will have a quiz in SCIENCE class on Tuesday, Sep 21, 2021on The 3 states of matter and phase changes. A study guide has been provided to students on Friday and will be reviewed on Monday.
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 continuing our unit on mysterious fiction and reading several short stories related to this theme. We finished Poe’s short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” and are working on finding and citing text-based evidence in our writing. 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 finalize our brainstorming for our narrative accounts and begin to create dynamic characters. We have our first grammar quiz on Parts of Speech on Monday, Sept. 20. All Math 8 students will continue to explore / solve word problems using square and cube roots and start exploring / learning the properties of exponents. Students will take their Square Root Quiz on Wednesday.. Algebra 1 students will continue our work on solving equations / inequalities / absolute value and will have a quiz on Roster, Interval and Set Builder Notation on Wednesday.. In History, students will continue learning about leaadership, challenges, government and the beginning of slavery in relation to the Jamestown colony. In Science, we will be finishing the States of Matter and Phase Changes. Quiz will be Tuesday 9/21. On Weds we will be starting Elements Compounds and Mixtures.
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) Our next club meeting will be Monday, October 11, in room 104 after school from 3:05-4:00. New members are always welcome!
Art Club (Advisor Mrs. Lund) If you are interested in joining Art Club please pick up an application in room 011 during Activity period 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. The classes will run for 7 weeks.
Tuesday dates are: 10/12, 10/19, 10/26, 11/9, 11/16, 11/30, 12/1
Thursday dates are: 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28, 11/4, 11/11, 11/18
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. Revised 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) 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.
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 will be this Thursday, 9/23 after school until 4:00 in room 213.
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. Students should have joined our Schoology group and continue to look for updates. Our elections for officers will take place on 9/30 during period 1 in the library. Members who are running for an elected position should be prepared with a short speech for this day. If you are interested in running for an officer position, please respond to the group discussion board on Schoology.
Nitschmann Dramatics (Advisor Mrs. Hriniak) Rehearsals are until 5:00 this week. Tuesday Scenes 3, 4, 7, 9. Wednesday Scene 6. Thursday Crew. Friday Scene 2. Check your email for details and updates!
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.
- 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 20
Early morning band 7:15am – *Students need their bell covers and playing masks
Tuesday, September 21
Early morning orchestra 7:15am
Wednesday, September 22
Early morning jazz band 7:15am *Students need their bell covers and playing masks
Thursday, September 23
Early morning band 7:15am – *Students need their bell covers and playing masks
Friday, September 24
Early morning orchestra 7:15am
UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday, September 20 – Mum flower delivery 4:30-6PM
****Wednesday, September 22 FINAL uniform distribution for band 6-8pm***
Wednesday, September 22 – 7:30pm NIMAS general membership meeting
Saturday, October 16 – Nazareth Parade
Wednesday, October 20 – 7:30pm NIMAS general membership meeting
Thursday, October 21 – NMS night football game (Game begins at 5pm)
Fri. – Sun., October 22 – 24 – Pat’s Bistro Dine to Donate Fundraiser
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)
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC LESSONS
SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
NIMAS INFORMATION
NIMAS general membership meeting, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 at 7:30PM
FINAL BAND UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION
Wednesday, September 22 from 6-8pm will be the final night for band uniform distribution. ALL band parents need to stop in and pick up their child’s band jacket. Anyone who did not attend the first uniform distribution must come in this evening to pick up your child’s uniform.
Any items that were not available such as color guard gloves or blue garment bags will also be distributed at this time.
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 DELIVERY
Pick-up will be Monday, September 20th from 4:30-6 PM outside the auditorium entrance. 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
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 on how to sign up can be found at http://www.nmsim.org/nimas/fundraising/
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!