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
This Week’s Major Headlines:
- Happy Mother’s Day! Thank you to all of the important moms, aunts, grandmothers, and women in the lives of our students!
- 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 7 Assignments: All new assignments in Core & Encore classes are posted every Monday at 9am. Don’t forget to encourage your child to complete both sets of assignments, especially in encore classes which provide opportunities to explore and enrich their studies! Week 6 assignments are due on Monday at 12pm.
Parent & Student Weekly Email
Nitschmann Middle School Weekly Update, Home of the Nitschmann Nation!
Sunday, May 10, 2020, to Sunday, May 17, 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
2019-2020 School Year
5/25/20 Memorial Day, No School; 6/4/20 Virtual 8th Grade Moving Up Ceremony; 6/5/20 Last Day of School
Weekly Schedule & Highlights
Monday, 5/11/20 Online Day; Week 6 Remote Learning Core & Encore Assignments Due 12pm; Week 7 Remote Learning Begins 9am; Food & Supplies Distribution 10am-1pm
Tuesday 5/12/20 Online Day
Wednesday, 5/13/20 Online Day; Food & Supplies Distribution 10am-1pm
Thursday, 5/14/20 Online Day
Friday, 5/15/20 Online Day, 8th Grade Moving Up Ceremony Slides Due to HR Teachers
Saturday, 5/16/20
Sunday, 5/17/20
Monday, 5/18/20 Online Day; Week 7 Remote Learning Core & Encore Assignments Due 12pm; Week 8 Remote Learning Begins 9am
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).
Student Chromebooks_8th Grade (Mayes) 8th Grade students will hold onto their Lenovo Chromebooks and take them to 9th Grade at Liberty High School this fall.
Student Chromebooks_5th, 6th, 7th Grade (Mayes) 5th, 6th, & 7th Grade students will hold onto their Samsung Chromebooks and will exchange them for new Lenovo Chromebooks this fall when we return to Nitschmann Middle School.
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School-wide Announcements
BASD E-News (Dr. Roy) This week’s BASD e-News highlights National Teacher Appreciation Week with videos thanking our outstanding BASD Teachers. Thanks for all you do! The BASD e-News also contains information on Free Grab and Go Meals provided by the YMCA. Are you putting on your mask in public the right way? Check out Mr. Wellness’ Tip for putting on a mask. These videos are provided by St. Luke’s University Health Network. AND this week we showcase videos from Calypso, East Hills, Marvine, William Penn, Miller Heights, Thomas Jefferson, and Freedom High School Choir. Check them out here in the BASD e-News. BASD e-News from Dr. Roy – May 8, 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 may not happen until after school is completed for the year. 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 & Cheerleading Uniforms (Mayes) Band & Cheerleading uniforms will be collected once the stay-at-home orders are lifted and our custodial staff is permitted to return to school. Announcements will be made through Sunday Emails for the procedures for pick-up when this is permitted.
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.
Young Playwrights’ Festival (Hriniak): Thank you to everyone who tuned in to Touchstone’s Young Playwrights’ Festival! Congratulations again to Abrielle, Marley, and Jason!
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Teacher Updates
Assistant Principal – Mr. Horlick
Student Services:
Each grade level school counselor has OFFICE HOURS where they can share concerns or just talk. Please log on to their schoology group for the Zoom Meeting link or email to arrange a time.
Mrs. Hipp / 8th grade: Tuesdays 9:00-10:00am & Thursdays 11:00am-12:00pm
Mrs. 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) Great job on keeping up with assignments. Remember that if you have questions, you can email us or come to office hours. During this time at home, it is important to stay active. Be sure to check out Mr. Horlick’s weekly challenge on Schoology. The more students we have participate, the more likely we are to get to make him do something crazy! Have a great week, stay healthy, and be kind to each other.
Mrs. Evancho Tuesday 9-10 AM
Mr. Ortwein Tuesday 10-11 AM
Mrs. Hackman Wednesday 10-11 AM
Mrs. Dugan Wednesday 11AM -12 PM
Team Lehigh (6th) (Twitter @NMSTeamLehigh Team Leader Mrs. Oliver) Is your computer running slow, not loading web sites, glitching? While it is true that often times it is the site or your connection, it is also possible it is the chromebook itself. Chomebooks should be totally shut down and restarted at least once a week to keep them working at their best. It is during this re-boot that the chromebook clears out stuff and installs updates it needs in order to operate smoothly. Develop a schedule to do this on a regular basis.
It was nice seeing many of you at our Zoom office hours this past week. We will continue the same schedule for next week as well. The schedule for the “Office Hours” is below. Look for the link to join on Schoology.
Mrs. Druckenmiller Monday 10:00 am to 11:00 pm
Mrs. Hriniak Wednesday 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
Mrs. Oliver Thursday 9:00 am to 10:00 am
Mr. Fritzinger Friday 10:30 am to 11:30 am
Mrs. Dugan Wednesday 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
Hope to see you this week; Stay Healthy!!
Team Moravian (6th) – (Twitter @NMSTeam Moravian/Facebook@NMSTeamMoravian Team Leader Mrs. Roufakis)
Hope you are doing well! Please remember to keep checking Schoology for your assignments and announcements. If you have not emailed one of us, please check in. We would love to hear from you!
Office hours continue. It has been great to see you! We miss you. If you need help or just want to say hello, please check in with us. Please be patient as we will only be allowing a few students at a time. If these times do not work, please contact your teacher. Looking forward to seeing you.
Ms. Kvacky Wednesday 1-2
Ms. Roufakis Friday 1-2
Mrs. Dugan Wednesday 11-12
Team Kutztown (7th) (Twitter @TeamKutztown Team Leader Mr. Hess) Team Kutztown Teachers continue to wish all of our students good health and happiness. ELA (Mr. Falteich and Mrs. Gomez) – We really enjoyed reading many of the fables that you submitted last week. While some were very close to existing fables, many were completely original and fit the theme perfectly! Well done!This week’s lesson is a pre- writing lesson. You will have to define some values that are important to you and/or your family. You will then select those that are MOST important to you. Finally, you should watch/read a few clips of people who have accepted the “This I Believe” challenge. You will be writing a similar “This I Believe” essay in the upcoming weeks. (NOT THIS WEEK). 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) – Please make sure that you completed and SUBMITTED THROUGH SCHOOLOGY the “Remote Learning Week #6 Assignments” by Monday, May 11th at 12 noon. This includes the required LEAD assignment that is posted to your Schoology class page. The “Remote Learning Week #7 Assignments” will be posted to Schoology and activated as of Monday, May 11th at 9 AM and are due the following Monday, May 18th at 12 noon. I will post in Schoology an announcement, as well as, a document with specific instructions on how to complete and submit the assignment. As always, keep checking Schoology and email regularly for updates and email me if you have any questions, problems, or just want to keep in touch. Stay safe and healthy!
Team Penn State (7th) (Twitter @NMSPennState/Facebook @NMSTeamPennState/ Instagram pennstatenms Team Leader Mrs. Miller) Happy Mother’s Day to all our team PSU mothers!!! We hope that the students of team PSU are giving you the Royal Treatment that you deserve today. Parents and students, please continue to email us (through Schoology or district email) with any assignment that needs clarification or any other difficulty you may be experiencing. Please keep us informed….we are here to help! Mr. Kehler meets with our team weekly to review any issues that students may be experiencing. GETZ – Great job keeping up on your ELA work. I loved reading your fables. Stop in my Zoom hour for extra help or to say hello for a few minutes. 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 MANY videos that are OPTIONAL, they are meant to bridge the gap in the chapters or topics that were not covered. The videos are short, and OPTIONAL. Crash course videos on Youtube are great reviews for various history topics, again OPTIONAL. Honors History Students can challenge themselves with Khan Academy History Lessons. ELA students should check Schoology Monday morning for your weekly Study Sync assignments. Two of the assignments are mandatory and graded and two are optional/enrichment activities.. As always, Mrs. Pogue and Mr. Danyi are available to answer any of your questions. Look for the information onCurrent Events Zoom Meetings on Tuesday afternoons. The format for how you will be submitting math work might be changing. Mr. Vajda and Mrs. Jarosz are looking into other options, such as MathXL, that you are already familiar with and that will help provide you with more feedback. PLEASE UTILIZE OFFICE HOURS for help with math. It is so much easier to show you how to do the work than it is to explain via email. But any contact is welcome when you need help. IF you have 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 | Bio 1pm – 2pm | Sci. 1pm – 2pm | Sci. 1pm – 2pm | ||
| Mrs. Pogue | Eng. 10am – 11am | ||||
| Mrs. Jarosz | Math 9-11, 1-3 | Math 9-11 | Math 9-11, 1-3 | Math 1-3 | Math 9-11 |
| Mrs. Dugan | 11am – 12pm | ||||
| Mr. Danyi | English *By email appointment for Zoom | ||||
| Mr. Miller | Social Studies *By email appointment for Zoom | ||||
Team Northampton (8th) (Twitter @TeamSpartanNMS Team Leader Mrs. Hood) THANK YOU to the many students and parents for your wonderful emails during teacher appreciation week. It was truly appreciated:) We LOVE what we do! History – as per the District Assignment – Week 7’s lesson will focus on the Underground Railroad. Thank you to those who joined me for the second week for the National Constitution Center’s 2nd Amendment exchange. It was cool to learn the true historical background of this amendment and how this aspect gets skewed in today’s society! Keep being curious about worldly events! Check out my Schoology update for the next exchange! If you need any help, just say the word:) In ELA classes (Hinkel and Wallach), we are posting ELA StudySync assignments each Monday morning. There are mandatory/graded assignments as well as extension/enrichment activities. Please look on Schoology for complete updates and directions and email us with any questions and/or concerns. We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. If you need any assistance with your ELA work, please use the link provided in the email every Wednesday morning to visit during those office hours. Math students should check Schoology Monday morning for your weekly assignment. I have also posted additional materials to help with the assignment (guided notes / formula sheets, video tutorials, practice worksheets (with answers) and additional Math XL and IXL sections (all optional). In Science, we will be moving on to the study of the different Types of Waves. If anyone is interested in other challenging topics in Science, please email me (Mr Landino). I can give you a username and password for IXL Science. Parents, last chance to send in a baby picture of your child. All pictures are due by May 15th. Don’t forget to complete your MOVING UP SLIDE by this Friday, May 15th. This is located in your Homeroom Schoology folder.
Team NCC Office Hours:
Miss Fehr – Friday from 1:00 to 2:00
Mrs. Hood – By email appointment for Zoom
Mrs. Wallach – By email appointment for Zoom
Mrs. Hinkle – Wednesday from 2:00 – 3:00
Mr. Vajda – By email appointment for Zoom
Mr. Landino – By email appointment for Zoom
Encore (All Grades): There are weekly assignments for ALL Encore classes.
From Mr. Carlstrom. Welcome to Engineering and Fabrication, Rotation 6. You will find your assignment published in Schoology starting at 9 AM each Monday. Assignments are due by Noon the following Monday. I would encourage you to not wait until the last minute to do your assignments. Pace yourself each day so that you aren’t in a mad rush at the end of the week to finish. I am looking forward to doing the work with you. Have a great rotation.
Kocon & Burzynski:
Music (de Vries) (Twitter @ldevriesmusic): Welcome to Encore rotation 6! The responses to the “Tell Me About Yourself” activity have been fun to read. When you have completed the activity you will earn a new Schoology badge. In this week’s lesson we will enter the wonderful world of Broadway with a little help from Pear Deck. There will be lots of fun videos to watch and no tickets required. Feel free to message me if you need help. Stay safe and stay in touch!
Zoom Office Hours: Email for an appointment
Glee Club/Singers: Check Schoology group for Zoom times
Spanish (Bouhana & Sierra): Did you get your Schoology weekly badge? ¡Gracias! To all those who have been completing the weekly assignments. Make sure to check Schoology for your weekly assignments. If you have any questions, feel free to message 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 2pm Th) *Clubs see schoology
French (Lare): Bonjour à tous et vous me manquez! Hello everyone – I miss you all! Thanks to most of you who are keeping up with the French assignments posted in Schoology. I’m especially impressed with your recorded responses! 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): Guten Tag European Travelers! This week’s assignment has us traveling to castles and medieval villages in Germany with our favorite travel guide, Rick Steves! We are excited to learn about your favorite part of the trip! Gute Reise (Have a great trip) and don’t forget to check Schoology for announcements from us. If you have any questions, feel free to message us on Schoology or email us. Vielen Dank and keep up the great work!!
Team PITT (Hoffman/Villani/Long/Weinert):
Library (Pohlidal) I hope you have tried some of the “INNOVATION HOUR” activities which can be found on the library web page. They include engineering, coding, and mindfulness activities. I added a few new ones for you to try. Have fun! Send me an email and picture of what you have done. I would love to see your work. Continue to keep reading those eBooks and any books you have at home. Links to the eBooks can be found on the library page.
ESL (Bartolacci)
Art (Lund/Kozero) Check Schoology every Monday for your weekly Art assignment. Fun at-home projects!! Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself with the Enrichment Extensions!! Check out the Nitschmann Virtual Art Show #2 highlighting student work at https://vimeo.com/412714439 We are already putting together a 3rd show!
Gifted Seminar ( Sukanick/Kozero) Make sure to keep up with assignments on Schoology. If you have questions or concerns, feel free to contact us by email or on Schoology. Stay well.
Nitschmann 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
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- I am moving forward with the traditional scheduling of all our events for next year. All dates are subject to change pending federal, state, and local directives due to the pandemic.
- NIMAS is working on a process with the LHSGB&OP to roll over 8th grade fair share funds for students who will be participating in the high school instrumental program. While you may have questions, we are asking that you hold them for the time being as there we have many ourselves. Once we have a plan in place we will distribute the information and we can begin to move forward specifics and answer your questions,
8th GRADE MUSIC AND DRAMA TRIP UPDATE
We have begun the processing refunds for the 8th grade trip.
Complete details are on the website at http://www.nmsim.org/8th-grade-trip/
FUNDRAISERS
- The Nitschmann Instrumental Music Association is now part of the Amazon Smile program. Now you can shop at Amazon, get great deals and support the Nitschmann Instrumental Music Association all at the same time. Please share this with your friends and family. Go here for more information: http://www.nmsim.org/nimas/fundraising/
SPRING TRIP TO BOSTON
We are waiting for the last of the vendors to get back to us. Once that occurs we will follow a similar process for refunds as we did for the 8th grade trip.
Complete details of the trip are on the website at http://www.nmsim.org/spring-trip/
COLOR GUARD:
LHS MAJORETTES & BAGPIPES
- Any individuals who are interested in auditioning for or joining any of our auxiliary units (majorettes, bagpipes and colour guard) to please be patient. Realistically, auditions may not occur until summertime or early fall. I know many of our rising 8th graders would like a definitive answer but at this time we have none and it would be irresponsible for me to give one. Stay well and stay safe. Mr. Long
PRACTICE INFORMATION
- Each week your child receives an email via Schoology with the assignments for the week. I will mirror that email to parents through our NIMAS parent email account.
We are all experiencing a substantial disruption in our lives. The assignments are created to provide your child with a basic level of instruction to keep them engaged and to help them maintain their performance level. Encourage your child to practice and complete the worksheets. If they are getting upset because they have hit a performance roadblock, send me an email and I will do what I can to help them. I am working on additional resources to assist your child.
ONLINE LISTENING
- Jazz for Kids – Featuring Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
- Army Field Band Virtual Concerts – The US Army Field Band will program daily content, to include live, interactive performances..
- List of live virtual concerts during the Coronavirus shutdown.
- Jazz at Lincoln Center – Schedule of weekly online events and performances
NEWS OF NOTE:
- LHS bagpipe information – If you are interested in receiving information regarding playing the bagpipes at Liberty text @piping2020 to the number 81010.
- Any individuals who are interested in auditioning for or joining any of our auxiliary units (majorettes, bagpipes and colour guard) to please be patient. Realistically, auditions may not occur until summertime or early fall. I know many of our rising 8th graders would like a definitive answer but at this time we have none and it would be irresponsible for me to give one.
Stay well and stay safe
Mr. Long
- Stay up to date on the latest by following the instrumental music groups on Twitter. @NMSBandOrch
- Do not forget to check the Instrumental Music Website www.nmsim.org for everything dealing with instrumental music.
CALENDAR AT A GLANCE:
ALL DATES ARE TENTATIVE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
August 10-14 Summer Music Camp
August 17-21 Summer Music Camp
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Nitschmann Middle School
A LEAD School, partnering with The Leader in Me
“Lions Lead the Way!”
Our Collective Vision Nitschmann Middle School is committed to cultivating a respectful community of innovative learners who are socially competent citizens ready to meet the challenges of their future.
Twitter @NitschmannMS
Facebook @NitschmannMiddleSchool
Instagram @BASDNitschmannMS,
Web http://basdwpweb.beth.k12.pa.us/nitschmann/
1002 West Union Blvd
Bethlehem, Pa 18018
Main Office (610) 866-5781
Fax (610) 866-1435
IMPORTANT/CONFIDENTIAL: This communication is intended solely for the confidential use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and the privileges are not waived by virtue of this having been sent by electronic mail. If the reader of this email is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this email is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify me immediately & permanently delete this message including all attachments. Thank you.