Redbird Roundup, Vol. 21
Friday, March 1, 2019
Principal's Greeting
Happy Friday Norris Staff!
Another week, another snow day. It was tough to get things rolling after 7ish inches of snow, but I know our kiddos are glad to be back, and I am too!
We are nearing the end of our winter sports seasons and will host the City Wrestling Tournament on Thursday and Friday of this week. City swim and basketball will take place next week.
We have some big PD events coming up next week as well. Monday our faculty workshop will feature the required NSCAS training for all staff. Wednesday's Team PD will cover our testing schedule, and some other exciting events during testing week.
Stay safe and warm this weekend!
Have a great weekend!
Dr. Carr
Mark Your Calendars!
7th and 8th grade NSCAS testing: March 27 and 28
6th grade NSCAS testing: April 16 and 17
Just as our students' attendance is important these days, so is yours. We need you here to help provide a strong testing environment so our students can do their best. And I will have a few surprises for you on these days :)
March 4-8
SPIRIT WEEK ALL WEEK!
Monday, March 4: Meme day; Faculty Workshop After School (Testing Training-Very Important!)
Tuesday, March 5: Twin day; Make-up Faculty Workshop for Coaches and Sponsors Only, 7 a.m. in room 129
Wednesday, March 6: Woke up like this PJ day; Team PD All Day on Testing (very important!); Classroom Support Visits by Jacquie all day
Thursday, March 7: Sports day; NAEP Test for Select 8th Graders; Grading Window Opens
Friday, March 8: Redbird Spirit day; NSCAS Prep Rally (6th and 7th start at 8:40, 8th starts at 9:20); NDE Security Audit all day
March 11-15: Spring Break; Building Open 7-3.
Staff Introductions
Tracy Kidder
Name: Tracy Kidder
How many years have you been teaching? This is my 25th year!
What is your favorite thing about Norris Middle School? My favorite thing about Norris is being on my team, 8C. They always look out for one another and have each other’s back. The team is full of humor which is needed in Middle School.
What is one of your favorite quotes?
“Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power,
but in character and goodness.” By Anne Frank
What’s your favorite indoor/outdoor activity?
My favorite indoor activity is cooking. My favorite outdoor activity is bike riding.
If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be? Forever 25
When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time?
I love getting outside for a walk, it makes me feel refreshed. I crave getting time to read for pleasure so if I have 30 minutes I read. I am currently reading a great book, How Successful People Grow by John C. Maxell.
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?
I would book a trip to Ireland and take my mom.
What could you give a 40 minute presentation on with absolutely no preparation?
A presentation on setting up content-based stations for all students. Though I wouldn’t mind giving a presentation on how to bake the perfect Italian Biscotti.
Sweet or salty? And what food is your favorite in that category?
Salty! My favorite salty food is popcorn cooked on the stove.
Megan Nyatawa
Name: Megan Nyatawa
How many years have you been teaching? 1.75 years
What is your favorite thing about Norris Middle School? The staff, the students, the ample parking.
What is one of your favorite quotes? “Who wants to be ordinary, in a crazy mixed up world”-Michelle Branch
What’s your favorite indoor/outdoor activity? Indoor-puzzles, outdoor-playing with my pups
When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time? Reading orrrrrr looking for something to watch on Netflix/HBO/Hulu but never finding anything I actually want to watch so instead the 30 minutes passes and I have done nothing at all.
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? Buy an acreage, build a house, rescue as many animals as possible, build another house for said rescue animals, rescue more animals.
If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would you have a good chance at winning medal for? Puzzling
What TV show would you binge watch if you had the time? The Office
What could you give a 40 minute presentation on with absolutely no preparation? Microsoft Excel
Sweet or salty? And what food is your favorite in that category? Both-popcorn with m&m’s and a Dr. Pepper
Powerful Practices
Using Realia
(Realia: objects or activities used to relate classroom teaching to the real life especially of peoples studied.)
Mr. Pignatore gets fired up as he teaches about battle tactics, weapons, and ammunition used during the Civil War. He brings several real-life examples for students so they can fully grasp what types of technology were used during that time. His enthusiasm and passion for this content really brought it to life for his students!
Supported Co-Planning
Adjudication
Scheduling Committee
Norris Staff and Students Seen and Heard
Congrats to our Robotics Team!
Congrats to the following Robotics students who qualified for the regional competition on March 2. They are coached by Mr. Good:
Isaac Ferroguti
Edwin Salgado
Daniel Kuncl
Nora Andersen
Kadence Orellana
Khoi Tran
Keely Kurtz
Caesar Gomez ‘