Bobcat Nation:

First marking period interim reports were distributed via HAC on Wednesday, October 5th. If you have any questions about a particular class, please contact the teacher. This will allow them to provide you with suggestions on how to provide the best supports to help your child improve their performance. It may also be valuable to work with your child to set goals for the remainder of the first marking period.

The end of the first marking period is November 3rd and report cards will be distributed on November 15th. These dates will get here quickly. It is important for students not to wait until the last minute to study for tests, turn in missing assignments, etc.

Last week, our annual school-wide fundraiser began. This year's NMS MEGA-Raiser Donation Drive will help support instructional and extracurricular programs for our students and staff. If the students reach the mid-way goal of $15,000 by Wednesday, they will be greeted in the morning by Mr. Webster from the roof of the school wearing the Bobcat mascot costume. As of Sunday morning, we have gone past $12,000 and are almost there! We have had a great start to the fundraiser and would like to thank all of our students and families for their support!

Have a great week!

Mr. Webster, NMS Principal

https://twitter.com/NorthernMSCCPS

On Monday 10/10, ELA and Math teachers will be giving every student a paper with their Fall MAP Growth Test scores. The MAP tests are given in the Fall, Winter, and Spring and the test adapts to your child's responses in real-time to measure your child's skill levels. Please check with your child to see their test score papers on Monday evening.

We are excited to announce the start of the Northern Middle School Online Mega-Fundraiser with Mid-Atlantic Fundraising. We would like to invite interested students, parents, and staff members to participate in the fundraiser to help raise funds to support the instructional programs and opportunities for NMS students and staff.

Students have been provided with a fundraiser flyer to bring home. Go to the special donation page that has been created for your student & check it out!

Click on this link and type in your student's name to access their fundraiser page - https://northernmegaraiser.pledge-drive.net

The student donation website has options to share with family and friends about the fundraiser through email and social media. Check your student's page for fundraiser details and updates.

Here are some tips

• Make your donation now to set a good example for other potential donors to follow.
• SHARE your donation page with at least 10 family and friends with the email function on your donation page.
• Forward this e-mail and the link to family and friends.
• From your donation page, you can easily post on Facebook, send texts, and post to social media.

Can’t find your student by name? Go to https://northernmegaraiser.pledge-drive.net/v2/Campaign/Register/R0A5FAD37 to register your student.

If you have any questions or would prefer for your student to not have a fundraiser page, please contact Ms. Emond at 443-550-9230 or emondr@calvertnet.k12.md.us.

The annual Impact Aid Program Survey is once again digital! The green paper form you are familiar with can now be completed quickly and easily online. However, if you would rather complete the form on paper, a hard copy of the form has been sent home with your child. You can also download a copy of the form below or by going to the Parents page at www.calvertnet.k12.md.us, then looking for the Impact Aid Program Survey link under “Forms & Applications.”

The US Department of Education requires Calvert County Public Schools to survey each student annually to determine eligibility for the Impact Aid grant – those whose parents/guardians work on federal property in Maryland, live on federal property in Maryland, and/or are active-duty military.

For assistance in completing the form, please reference the attached frequently asked questions. It is important to note that on the survey, “Employer” is not the same as “Federal Property.” For example, you may work for Dunkin’ Donuts (Employer) on Joint Base Andrews (Federal Property).

Please be assured that all information collected is confidential and used only for the stated purpose. The Impact Aid grant application provides only collective information on the numbers and locations of our federally connected students. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. The more survey forms returned, the greater the grant funds available to our school system.

Thank you!

Grade 6

Giuliana Contrino

Mason (Robert) Lane

Saniya Pumphrey

Natalie White

Grade 7

Brighton Bowie

Paige Hartge

Macy Poore

Grade 8

Aaron Campbell

Seam Clemes

Carter Dailey

Ryan Devine

Grady Grimes

Emily Johnson

Eden Maurice

AnnaLee McEwen

Atticus Spencer

Students received a Free/Reduced-Price Meal Benefit Application at the beginning of the school year. The form is also available on the CCPS website at Departments – Child Nutrition or at https://www.calvertnet.k12.md.us/departments/child-nutrition. Households are strongly encouraged to complete the Free/Reduced-Price Meal Benefit Application to see if their student(s) qualify for free meals. Anyone wishing to submit an application may do so by:

• Accessing and completing online at www.myschoolapps.com
• Hard copy dropped off or mailed to Northern Middle School (2954 Chaneyville Road, Owings, MD 20736) or mailed directly to the CCPS Child Nutrition Office, 1305 Dares Beach Rd., Prince Frederick, MD 20678
• Scan or take a picture of the completed application. Email the scan/picture to Mrs. Pellock at pellockl@calvertnet.k12.md.us.

We have completed the fall sports clinics for soccer and volleyball. Thank you to Coach Poole and Coach Rossi for providing a valuable experience for all of our clinic participants. Teams were posted last week. Congratulations to those student athletes who will be competing against the other CCPS middle schools. Practices for those who made the teams begin on Monday.

The electronic link for membership is https://pto-membership-83842.cheddarup.com

You can also access the NMS PTO Facebook group page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/nmsbobcatspto/

The PTO is organizing several committees to help with events throughout the year. If you are interested in helping, please sign-up at https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10c0e4aa8ac2dabfac70-ptocommittees

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a federal program that helps eligible families afford a broadband internet connection. For example, households with at least one child eligible for the National School Lunch Program may be eligible for free high-speed Internet through ACP.

Our local internet provider Comcast (Xfinity) is a participating ACP provider and is offering qualified households FREE high-speed Internet who enroll in their Internet Essentials program. The Internet Essentials program is available to new and existing Comcast customers.

For more information and to see if you qualify for free internet, please visit the following websites: www.xfinity.com/ACP and www.affordableconnectivity.gov.

Calvert County Public Schools uses Raptor for visitors and volunteers to sign in and sign out. Volunteers must apply annually to be an approved volunteer. All volunteers will need to review the volunteer handbook and watch the volunteer training video before completing and Online Volunteer Application. Volunteers must be approved before they may begin service as a volunteer in any school buildings.

CCPS Online Volunteer Application & Process: https://www.calvertnet.k12.md.us/departments/human-resources/become-a-volunteer

It is the responsibility of all families, students, and staff members to self-assess before entering a school bus or CCPS facility by answering the following questions:

• Has the individual or anyone in the family been sick with dry cough, shortness of breath, chills, fever, muscle or body aches, sore throat, or loss of sense of taste or smell in the last 5 days?
• Has the individual or anyone in the family been exposed to COVID-19 and asked to quarantine? If yes, who was directed to quarantine and what date did the quarantine start? (Ensure quarantine time is up and symptoms have improved.)
• Has the individual or anyone in the family tested positive for COVID-19? If yes, who and when? Were they having any symptoms? (Ensure quarantine is up and symptoms have improved.)
• Student and staff should not attend school if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or have been medically advised to quarantine. If this is the case, please contact our School Nurse, Carin Fleshman, at 443-550-9227 or fleshmanc@calvertnet.k12.md.us.

Here Comes the Bus (HCTB) is an app with tracking features for the bus(es) your child(ren) is assigned to ride. They include

• Showing the real-time location of your child's bus on a map
• Scheduled and actual arrival times at home and school for bus routes
• Push and email notifications when the bus is near

Click this link for more information on getting the app - https://www.calvertnet.k12.md.us/departments/transportation/bus-status/here-comes-the-bus

To create an account, you will need to know your child's ID number and the school district activation code 87557.

If students have questions about their device (laptop/computer), they can get help from a member of the CCPS IT team at helpdesk@calvertnet.k12.md.us or call 443-550-8146. Students needing assistance can also drop off their laptop in the main office and fill out a paper Help Desk ticket.

Supports are also available on the CCPS website using the Technology Support button (pictured below) on the main page. This resource provides links to submit help desk tickets, frequently asked questions, and other resources students can use to solve issues.