Parent & Student Weekly Email
Nitschmann Middle School Weekly Update
100 Years of Learning @ Home of the Nitschmann Nation
Sunday, January 30, 2022, to Sunday, February 6, 2022
Download the BASD App and select “Nitschmann” to receive all alerts to your phone.
ALL NEW COVID REPORTING MUST BE DONE THROUGH THE BASD WEBSITE at www.basdschools.org.
- 8th Grade Chromebook Exchange – All 8th graders will be exchanging their old Chromebooks & chargers for their new Dell Chromebooks & chargers on Tuesday, February 1 during 1st Period. Students MUST bring both on Tuesday AM to exchange.. Any misplaced chargers will be charged to families to replace, so make sure everything is ready for Tuesday! https://www.basdschools.org/empower.
- Questions About Attendance/Letters? – Please contact Mrs. Falcone, our attendance secretary at mfalcone@basdschools.org
- Lacrosse sign-ups – Interested in trying lacrosse with BTAA? Follow the link for all information! https://btaabulldogsreg.sportngin.com/register/form/652739801
***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 | 1/31 | 3 | |
| Tuesday | 2/1 | 4 | 8th Grade Chromebook & Charger Exchange 1st PeriodBeginning of Black History MonthChinese New Year – Year of the TigerNO AM BASKETBALL FOR 6TH GRADERSNo AM Orchestra Practice – All City Practice @ Northeast MS |
| Wednesday | 2/2 | 5 | Groundhog DayNO AM BASKETBALL FOR 7TH & 8TH GRADERSNo AM Jazz Band Practice – All City Practice @ Northeast MSFebruary Faculty MeetingAll City Band Concert @ Northeast Middle School 7pm |
| Thursday | 2/3 | 6 | 2nd Quarter Report Cards Mailed/Available On Home Access Center |
| Friday | 2/4 | 1 |
| Day | Date | Cycle Day | Notes |
| Monday | 2/7 | 2 | |
| Tuesday | 2/8 | 3 | |
| Wednesday | 2/9 | 4 | |
| Thursday | 2/10 | 5 | |
| Friday | 2/11 | 6 |
***School-wide Announcements ************************************************************************
BASD eNews from Dr. Roy – This week’s BASD eNews contains:
Highlighted Events, BASD Staff, Students, and Graduates including
-BASD Student of the Week from Northeast Middle School
-BASD Staff of the Week from Freemansburg Elementary School School
-Built by Bethlehem Graduate of Freedom High School – Class of 1975
This week’s BASD eNews is dedicated in loving memory of Ruth Zettlemoyer, LHS Grenadier Band Seamstress. Please see the post at the end of the eNews.
I hope you enjoy! BASD eNews – January 28, 2022
Schoolwide Library Services (Werkheiser) lwerkheiser@basdschools.org for help with books or services.
The library website is full of resources for students.
The Lion’s Den School Store (Roufakis & Evancho) – The school store is selling 100th Birthday shirts to celebrate Nitschmann’s birthday. They are $10. Be sure to get yours and your child’s to wear to all of this year’s special events. Help us celebrate 100 years of Lion’s pride!
***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:Library Equity, A Quiet Place, Hanging around
7th Grade: Mrs. Hipp’s Counseling Google Site for Students
8th Grade: Ms. Stewart’s Counseling Google Site for Students
Tutoring Opportunity through Bethlehem Area Public Library
***Core & Encore Team Updates *********************************************************************
Team Lafayette (6th) (Twitter @NMSLafayette Team Leader Mrs. Hackman) See our welcome letter on the NMS Website! Congratulations to our Pride of the Lions winners for the month: Mia Deemer and Leah Langkamer Students will begin learning about a new ancient civilization starting Monday. They completed a review of Egypt, Greece, or Rome and will now be moving on to another one for the next several weeks. New rotations have begun as well as the 3rd quarter. Be sure to update all materials as the new semester brings continued work.
Team Lehigh (6th) (Twitter @NMSTeamLehigh/ Facebook @NitschmannTeamLehigh Team Leader Mrs. Oliver) See our welcome letter on the NMS Website! A sincere apology to Manmeet Kaur. She was also a December Pride of the Lion!! Somehow we missed this in last week’s email. We all thank her for her hard work!! We would also like to welcome back Mrs. Druckenmiller to team Lehigh. She has been out the first semester and will be returning to teach Social Studies on Tuesday.
The end of the 2nd marking period is here!! Check your grade reports to be sure all your grades are in good standing. Look for missing assignments and/or assignments that can be remediated and get working on them. We have had many absences from school lately. If you are out, please check schoology to see what we are doing in class and if you feel up to it, get it done so that you do not come back to school behind. Also, as we move further into the school year, the use of calculators in math is becoming more crucial both in class and for homework. The TI-30x is probably the best buy as it is the cheapest of the calculators that are versatile enough to last throughout middle school. These can be purchased at Walmart, Target, Staples, etc. The school store does have a limited supply of them as well. If you need one, please get one soon, you will need it!!!!
Team Moravian (6th) – (Twitter @NMSTeam Moravian/Facebook@NMSTeamMoravian Team Leader Mrs. Roufakis) See our welcome letter on the NMS Website! PLEASE make sure your child has a calculator for math. It will make their life much easier and it is a tool they will use through middle and high school. The TI-30X is the easiest one to use. As always, continue to check grades/assignments on Schoology. We are always available for extra help, if needed. Sniffle season has begun. If you would like to send tissue donations in, it would be greatly appreciated. Also, please make sure your child has a supply of pencils and other everyday items. Many students are coming unprepared without supplies.
Team Kutztown (7th)(Twitter @TeamKutztown) – Science (Mr. Pearson) – This week students will be finishing a lab that looks at how the lenses of the microscope affect the image of the object being viewed and then they will have a quiz on the microscope on Thursday, January 27th. English (Mrs. Gómez) – Please continue to read everyday, Novel Overview Form #4 will be due on Wednesday, February 16, 2022. We are about half-way through our class novel, We Beat the Streets. Students seem to be enjoying reading the non-fiction novel about the three doctors from Newark. . English (Mr. Falteich) The students’ final 12 Angry Men project will be introduced – Text Dependent Analysis Essay. Social Studies (Mr. Danyi) – This week we will be focusing on the people and culture of Europe. Students will also have a Europe map quiz Friday 2/4. Math (Mrs. Evancho) – Periods 2,3,6 and 9 will continue to work on combining like terms. Period 8 will be working on solving 2-Step Equations.
Team Penn State (7th) (Twitter @NMSPennState/Facebook @NMSTeamPennState/ Instagram pennstatenms Team Leader Mrs. Getz) Team Penn State is in need of tissues as well as pencils for the classroom. If any families are able and choose to donate, it would be greatly appreciated. Students can give any donations for the team to Mrs. Getz. Thank you in advance. Mrs. Markovic (social studies) -This week we will be focusing on the people and culture of Europe. Studens will also have a Europe map quiz (2/2). Mr. Downey (ELA) -Students are reading We Beat the Streets. Students are evaluating plot development, making connections and exploring conflict, both internal and external. Mrs. Getz (ELA) – This week, students will continue reading the novel We Beat the Streets.We will have our next vocabulary quiz on Wednesday (Chapter 6-11 vocab). We will also continue our WeVideo project as well. Mrs Lafey (Math) – Periods 3,6 and 9 are still simplifying expressions. This week, we’ll continue to combine like terms and learn how touse the distributive property to expand and factor expressions. Attention to detail is extremely important in this unit, so students are being required to write their work down to keep track of the processes. Periods 2 and 8 will continue to work on solving and writing two-step equations. There will be a short quiz Friday on two-step equations. This one won’t contain any word problems, but the next one will. Mr. Khalife (Science) – Students will learn how to graph data in excel/sheets. We will then wrap up talking about conclusions and start reviewing for a unit test. On MONDAY 1/31 students will get a small take-home project (on paper) to complete. This is going to be due FRIDAY 2/4 in class.
Team DeSales (8th) (Team Leader Mrs. Pogue): Instagram @NMSTeamDSU8
Please remember that if you are at home and are able, check your courses on Schoology for what you’re missing. Math and ELA: bitmoji classrooms are posted with daily agendas and assignments. Science and Social Studies: assignments are posted! Of course, we are available if you need help!
Hershey Forms were distributed! Please return your completed form and payment ASAP. Ask your student to see the form received in History class!
Our team is collecting paper towel and toilet paper tubes for an upcoming project! Please send any you have (or ca collect over the next couple weeks) into school with your child!
History: Protest will be our focus this week as we study the growing turmoil in the British colonies after the French and Indian War. We will have a short quiz on Monday. Mrs. Tannous and Mrs. Pogue’s ELA classes: At home, students will be working on their “What Makes You, You?” project! Ask your student about their creative project design and process! Mrs. P and Miss Dorsey will be starting a new unit: “Who are We in a Crisis” and reading texts about Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, and Pearl Harbor. Science: We will be diving into Newton’s 2nd Law of Motion Math: Algebra- Will be starting data analysis Math 8: Students will be teaching their lessons to their classes this week!
Team Northampton (8th) (Twitter @TeamSpartanNMS Team Leader Mrs. Hood) See our welcome letter on the NMS Website! Students who are at home are responsible for turning in their work in a timely manner, to check Schoology on a daily basis and to communicate with their teachers so they continue to stay on pace with their work. In Mrs. Wallach’s ELA class, we are continuing to read our novel The Outsiders. Students finished reading chapter 11 and are working on a biopoem based on one of the characters in the novel. Continue to check Schoology for grades and updates. In Mrs. Hinkel’s ELA class, we continue to practice all of our comma rules. Our quiz is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 1. We will also continue focusing on poetic vocabulary and text structures. There will be a quiz on these terms on Friday, Feb. 4 after we apply them to “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Advanced Math students will continue to work on / discuss Scatter Plots.. Math 8 -Students will start our discussion / practice on Scatter Plots. Algebra 1 – students will continue to work on / discuss Scatter Plots. In History, students will be focusing on the essential question: How much power should the government have? We will learn about “compromising” in life and how it relates to politics then and now. A hands on activity on Apportionment will take place. The views of Federalists/Anti-Federalists will also be on the table for debate! In Science, students will be starting Balanced vs Unbalanced Forces. We will be working on a station’s lab and notes to round out the week. Quiz for the section is scheduled for 1/25. Please continue to turn in you HERSHEY PARK forms and money to your homeroom teacher. Forms were handed out on January 3rd. IF you still need one or have any questions, please see Mrs. Hood.
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! As of Dec 1st, 2021, all students are required to wear sneakers that tie for PE class. (No uggs, crocs, slides, slip on vans). If a student wears crocs, they will sit out and receive no credit due to the safety concern of themselves and other students around them. Once a student is not prepared for class 3 times with the appropriate footwear, they will stay after school for detention with the Health and PE staff. Mrs. Long and Ms. Weinerts classes will be in PE 1/27-2/3 while Mr. Villani’s classes will be in Health. Ms. Weinert’s classes will start Health classes on Friday 2/4.
Team Bloomsburg (Encore World Language and Library) (Twitter @NMSBloomsburg / Team Leader Dr. Sierra)- Remember to check Schoology for any missing assignments and to email your teacher w/ any questions. Please welcome Mr. Licarac to Team Bloomsburg. He will be teaching Spanish.
***Extracurricular Activities************************************************************************
Is your child interested in an after-school club or activity? Email the advisor for more information!
AM Basketball (Advisor Dr. Mayes) No practice this week!
Anime Club (Advisors Ms. Fehr/Mrs. Wallach) Our next club meeting is Monday, February 7 in room 104 after school from 3:05-4:00. New members are always welcome!
Art Club (Advisor Mrs. Lund). Art Club will be held afterschool on Mondays from 3:05-4:05. Our next meeting will be Monday, January 31, 2022
Artsmart @ Banana Factory (Advisor Mrs. Lare) No program this semester.
Environmental Club (Advisor Ms. Stewart) Happy New Year! The Environmental Club will host its next meeting on Monday, January 10 in room 013 We hope to see you there!
French Club – (Advisor Mrs. Lare) In honor of Halloween, French Club learned about The Paris Catacombs and Cities of the Dead in New Orleans. Fun but not for the faint of heart! – French Club is filled.
German Club (Advisor Mrs. Sofka) German club will meet on Day 1 during Lion’s Pride. German club is full. German club will meet Friday, 2/4. Last week we learned fun facts about Groundhogs! Reminder: Groundhog day is 2/2!!! Will he see his shadow???
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 ) Tee shirts are still available if you would like to purchase them. Please see Ms. Weinert if you would like one. Rec lacrosse teams in Bethlehem are accepting new players, feel free to reach out for more information. BTAA Bulldogs BTAA Girls 5/6
Leadership Council (Advisor Mr. Kocon)
Lion Service Club (Advisor Mrs. McLaughlin) Lion Service Club will be after school the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month until 3:45. We will be working on activities such as organizing our 2nd Annual Blood Drive, The Clothing Closet, etc.
Lion’s Pride (school newspaper) (Advisor Mrs. Werkheiser) Student journalists chose their topics for our second issue. They are developing questions and conducting interviews. Next step: Writing articles
Mathcounts (Advisor Mrs. Lafey)
Congratulations to Hajin, Aiden, Nick and Jason who will represent Nitschmann at the Chapter Competition in February! Everyone is still invited to practice with us this Thursday afternoon.
National Junior Honor Society (Advisors Mrs. Wallach/Mrs. Druckenmiller) (Twitter-@Njhs_Nitschmann; Instagram- @Njhs_Nistchmann ) We welcome back Mrs. Druckenmiller! We will soon be starting the process of applications for any current 7th graders who meet the 3.75 GPA criteria. Look for updates on Schoology for upcoming events in February.
Nitschmann Dramatics (Advisor Mrs. Hriniak) Mark your calendar! Performance weekend is Feb. 25-27. Check your email for schedule, 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) Happy New Year! No photography on January 3rd, we will have our meeting starting on January 10th instead after school until 4:05 pm.
Reading Olympics (Advisor – Mrs. Nonnemacher ) We have one more week for Competition T-Shirt design time! We are asking the Reading Olympics students to draw a design to put on our competition T-shirts for 2022! We will collect them for one more week and vote on the winning choices on Wednesday, February 2 at Reading Olympics after school! We are asking all students to have a minimum of 10 books read from the competition booklist by the end of February. Keep logging the books you have read on the spread sheet we sent out. We will continue meeting Wednesdays after school until 4:00 P.M. in the library through mid March. We will meet until 5:00 P.M. for three Wednesdays before the competition. The competition is April 7, 2022 at Easton High School.
Riding for Focus (Advisors Mr. Miller, Mr. Bellucci, and Mrs. Getz ) We are currently on break due to cold weather. We will resume in spring.
The Lion’s Den School Store (Advisors Ms. Roufakis & Mrs. Evancho) If you are interested in working at the school store, please fill in this application https://forms.gle/47drkQ2612wpD6CE8 We will be opening the store soon.
**Ski & Snowboard Club (Advisors Mr. Downey and Mrs. Druckenmiller) – See you on Monday. We will meet in the lower lodge as always around 5 P.M. Think snow! Please email Mr. Downey with any questions. We will not meet on President’s Day. cdowney@basdschools.org
Spanish Club (Advisor Dra. Sierra)- The last meeting will be Feb. 9. We will meet in the cafeteria for a celebration.
Student Lighthouse ( Advisors Mr. Kocon / Mrs. McLaughlin / Mrs Markovitz)-.
Step Team (Advisor Dra. Sierra) – Steppers must have black boots. The show is Feb. 4 at Northeast Middle School and starts at 7. Each stepper received their own code and link to purchase tickets. Practice ends at 4:30 on Monday and Tuesday. Friday, students will stay at NMS for pizza and will take a bus to NE. Transportation will not be provided after the show. Students are to be picked up at NE. The permission slip will be sent home on Monday.
Strategy Club (Advisor Mr. Kehler) Strategy Club has started!! We meet Mondays after school in the Large Group room by the Cafeteria. Join us for Play and/or Discussions of Board Games both Classic and New; RPG, Card, and any other games. Teachers, you are welcome to join us to enjoy a level playing field interaction with your students.
Yearbook (Advisor Mrs. Markovic & Mrs. Gomez)- Yearbooks will now be sold for $36, please see information and order form at bottom of page (end of email)
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***Lions/Lady Lions Athletics Updates (Twitter @NMS_Athletics)*****************************************
Year-long
Cheerleading (Head Coach Mrs. Long kllong@basdschools.org)
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)
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, JANUARY 31
Early morning band 7:15am – (Students need their bell covers and masks)
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1
All-City Band at NEMS 7:30am (Students need their bell covers and masks)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2
All-City Band at NEMS 7:30am (Students need their bell covers and masks)
All-City Band Concert NEMS 7:30pm – Your tickets can be picked up from Mrs. Sanchez in the main office. If you have not paid for your tickets please have your child deliver the payment to her to receive your tickets.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3
Early morning band 7:15am – (Students need their bell covers and masks)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4
Early morning orchestra 7:15am – (Students need their bell covers and masks)
Day 1 jazz band 8:30am – – (Students need their bell covers and masks)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
February 1 & 2: All-City Band rehearsal and concert for select students only
February 5: Matey’s pizza pickup 10-11am
Wednesday, February 16: NIMAS general membership meeting 7:00pm
Wednesday, February 16: Winter color guard performance 8pm in the Nitschmann gymnasium
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC LESSONS
There are no instrumental lessons this week.
NIMAS INFORMATION
Parent Volunteers:
Parents, we are in need of volunteers for upcoming events during October and the remainder of the year. YOU MUST HAVE YOUR BACKGROUND CHECKS on file in the Nitschmann office in order to volunteer.
Click on the following link to find information on what clearances you need and how to apply for them.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – Next meeting WEDNESDAY, February 16, 2022 at 7PM.
The general membership meeting minutes from DECEMBER 14 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.
MARCHING BAND & COLOR GUARD GROUP PHOTOS
You can purchase the group marching band and color guard photos that were taken before the Bethlehem Halloween Parade from Christmas City Studios using the following link. Click Here to View/Order your Nitschmann Band Group Photos 21-22
Masks are required to enter any BASD building at this time. There is a growing number of music students arriving for rehearsal without a mask for school.
Band and jazz band students MUST have their blue performance mask for rehearsal. A replacement mask costs $12.
ALL wind players must have their instrument bell cover for rehearsal. Replacement costs for bell covers are listed below.
Replacement Bell Cover
- 3” (Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon) $11.25
- 5” (Trumpet, Alto Sax, Bass Clarinet) $11.75
- 6” (Tenor Sax) $14.25
- 8” (Trombone, Baritone Sax) $12.25
- 10” (Mellophone, Baritone, Euphonium, Bass Trombone) $16.25
FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES
Matey’s Pizza Sale – ORDER FORM
All orders must be prepaid!
Your Pizzas will be delivered on 2/5/2022 from 10-11pm
ORIGINAL GOURMET
TRIPLE CHEESE
THICK CRUST TRIPLE CHEESE
SMOKED PROVOLONE & MOZZARELLA CHEESE
GLUTEN FREE TRIPLE CHEESE
Gertrude Hawk Candy Fundraiser – Click for details (OFFERED ALL YEAR)
Grocery store gift cards – GIANT, WEIS, SHOPRITE – Click for details (OFFERED ALL YEAR)
Gift cards are sold in $100 increments. $4 of every $100 purchased goes to your child’s fair share account. Contact Jennifer Roan at 610-509-9776 or jenlroan15@gmail.com
Wawa Shorti Hoagie Coupons – Click for details (OFFERED ALL YEAR)
$4 for each coupon
$1 of each coupon goes to your child’s fair share account.
Contact Jennifer Roan at 610-509-9776 or jenlroan15@gmail.com
AMAZON SMILE PROGRAM
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