The Hoof Print
Michael R. Null Middle School
Principal Notes
The year is in full swing and this has been an awesome 1st semester. I really enjoy working with your students each day. They help me to remember that I have the best job in the world! Here are some highlights from the first semester:
* 898 Students (Largest Student Enrollment Ever!)
* NMS STAAR Distinctions
- Academic Achievement in Reading/ELA
- Academic Achievement in Mathematics
- Top 25 Percent Closing Performance Gaps
*CEFPI School of the Future
- The NMS School of the Future Club students attended the national CEFPI conference in Portland, Oregon October 3rd-6th. The students competed in the annual School of the Future design contest. Our super Stallions received the Award of Excellence, the highest honor given!
*Parental Involvement
- In an effort to increase communication between parents and Null Middle School, a NMS Remind 101 account has been created. Remind 101 is an app that can be downloaded to your phone/tablet that allows the school to communicate with parents through text messages. You are not required to download the app, but it will help to quickly get messages from the school to you regarding current events and happenings around school.
To join, send a text message to (202) 517-9625 with the message @nmsparen
Counselors Corner
In October, we celebrated National Red Ribbon Week. The week was a success with the various activities that took place. One main attraction was the “Born to be Drug Free” poster. This poster displayed pictures of teachers at NMS when they were children. Students had a great time trying to guess who their teacher was. Counselors presented a guidance lesson titled “Natural High” to all grade levels. This lesson encouraged students to find a “Natural High” as a positive replacement for drugs and alcohol. A “Natural High” is describe as any sport, hobby, or art form that keeps you positively focused on living life to its fullest and not getting involved with drugs and alcohol. Select student’s also had the opportunity to create their own “Natural High” posters which were displayed in the cafeteria window. Great prizes were given to several students who participated in some of the week’s activities.
The holidays are fast approaching. Weather can change quickly; remember to bring a dress code jacket to school every day.
Continue to focus on your studies and end the semester off on a good note!
News From The Librarian
Our Winter Book Fair is scheduled for December 10th-17th. Mark your calendar! Has your student told you about our Reading Counts Reading Program? Students who participate in this program earn points and at the end of the year, the top point earners will go on a fun bowling field trip. Speaking of library programs, our extended library hours are Tuesdays and Wednesdays until 5:05 PM. Students are encouraged to visit the library during extended hours to read, research and to participate in the reading program.
See you in the library!
'A' House November Students of the Month
'B' House November Students of the Month
National Junior Honor Society News
NJHS will be wrapping Christmas gifts on December 5th and 6th at the Barnes and Noble Store in Deerbrook Mall for donations.
We will also wrap Christmas gifts for donations during our December monthly meeting on December 19th. If you would like to make a donation please bring your gifts to room 313 after school from 4:15 until 5:00 p.m.
Members will also travel to the Houston Food Bank on Saturday December 13, 2014 to volunteer their services to homeless families.
Are you a competitor? (Does your son/daughter love to compete?) Do you want to compete in something other than athletics?
The competition dates are Feb. 17 and Feb. 21, 2015
Events are:
Maps, Graphs, and Charts
Chess puzzle
Mathematics
Editorial Writing
Read Writing
Science
Music memory
Poetry
Prose
Modern Oratory
Impromptu Speaking
Spelling
Listening Skills
Number Sense
Art History
Dictionary Skills
Calculator
Shout Out!
Congratulations to Null’s very own James O'Keefe for being Octobers Teacher of the Month!
NMS Teen Leadership- Trying To Do It's Part
The Null Middle School 7th grade Teen Leadership Class has started a new program this year to truly learn how to be an effective communicator as well as Leader on the campus. Every Friday- dubbed Fun Friday by the students of Coach Oney's 1st period class, is when the 26 students go out of the classroom and into the building to help out in any way possible to make Null a better place. As Coach Oney stated, " I am trying to have the kids be leaders outside of class and one way of doing that is helping Null Middle School in any way possible." Some of the jobs include; recycling all used paper into the recycling bin helping science teachers set up their labs putting signs up in the hallways to remind students where to go and not to run, moving desks from one room to another picking up trash from the parking lot after a middle school football game whatever Mr. Bradley or the Asst. Principals need.
The students have taken to Fun Friday very well and look forward to it. One of the stipulations to participate is to stay out of lunch detention or after school detention- if a student receives one of these they stay with Coach Oney in the classroom. Something else Teen Leadership implemented was having the awesome kids of the TLC program and Mrs. McCalla's class helps us out. The Teen Leadership kids LOVE having the TLC students help them out on their jobs and the TLC kids are awesome helpers.
Null Middle school is an awesome campus and having the 1st period Teen Leadership kids help out on Fridays in just another way to show Stallion Pride.
Language Arts Department:
6th grade is about to start their journey reading The Watson's Go to Birmingham where they will be learning about the civil rights movement through the eyes of the Watson Family.
7th grade is getting ready to read Out of the Dust taking a journey through the dust bowl of the 1920s while learning to write expository essays.
8th grade is learning to read and analyze expository text by becoming detectives of cold case files and writing their own theories to these cold case files.
Math Department:
6th grade students will be learning about ratios, proportions, and percents. 7th grade students will be investigating probability, and 8th grade students will be exploring angle relationships and the Pythagorean Theorem. Student in Algebra 1 will be working on direct variation, linear equations and inequalities, and writing equations.
Ms Hoffman, Ms Lowe, Ms Green, and Mr Wortham are using Edmodo as a platform for communication, extra support, and practice to enhance learning in math classes.
Ask your student to show you the new online textbook resources at my.hrw.com
Science Department:
6th grade students will be investigating evidence of chemical changes and debating the advantages and disadvantages of various energy resources. 7th grade students will be studying stimulus/response relationships in organisms, along with natural selection and adaptations. 8th grade students will be studying force and motion, and will explore Newton’s Laws.
8th grade students are using Chromebooks in their science and social studies classrooms, along with Google Apps for Education to promote learning with 21st Century Skills. This includes virtual lessons and labs, and student collaboration on Google Docs, Slides, Forms, and Draw.
Ask your student to show you the new online textbook resources at www-k6.thinkcentral.com
S.T.R.E.A.M
Ms. Mire and Ms. Broom will be taking a group of students to the STREAM Event at San Jacinto College (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Applied Health Sciences, Math)
Never Say You Can't!
Math and Science Festival
Social Studies Department:
6th grade is just embarking on their study of Western Europe; doing a hands-on research project of England, France, Italy & Spain.
7th grade is learning about the events & people that lead to the Texas Revolution.
8th grade is learning about the creation of the United States government and the Bill of Rights using their in class Chromebooks.
6th Grade Contemporary World Cultures:
In Grade 6, students study people, places, and societies of the contemporary world. Societies for study are from the following regions of the world: North America, Europe, Russia and the Eurasian republics, Southwest Asia, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and the Pacific realm, South America and Africa. Students are now studying Europe. This unit bundles student expectations that relate to the economic, political and cultural patterns of Europe. Europe is characterized by a common cultural history and is unified economically by the European Union, yet cultural convergence and diversity are evident within the region. An examination of Europe’s cultural patterns illustrates the central concept that although contemporary societies are similar in many ways cultural diversity continues at the local, national, and regional levels. Unit 4 assessment will be December 12 or 13 which will be our CBA and cover all concepts since the beginning of school.
Electives Department:
On Saturday, November 1, 13 Students from NMS participated in the TMEA All Region Band Auditions. This is an individual audition that middle school band students from surrounding districts participate in. These students have been working on High School level Music since August to perform for a panel of anonymous judges. After each instrument group auditions, the students are placed in Chair Order based on a points system used on their performance. Students who placed high enough receive the distinct honor of playing in one of the Two All Region Bands which is a composite of the very BEST middle school band students in the area. In Addition to All Region Band, students who place extremely high also get to perform with the TMEA All Region Orchestra.
Below are the placements for our NMS Band students who have been selected to this Group:
Alejandro Hernandez – 8th Grade – Trumpet: Placed 3rd out of 120 trumpets. Will perform with the Top Band and All Region Orchestra.
Marco Quiroz – 8th Grade – Trumpet: Placed 5th out of 120 trumpets. Will perform with the Top Band and All Region Orchestra
Keyoundre Blount – 8th Grade – Percussion: Placed 2nd out of 95 Percussionist. Will Perform with the Top Band and All Region Orchestra
David Moreno – 8th Grade – Percussion: Placed 8th out of 95 Percussionist. Will perform with the Second Band and All Region Orchestra
Juan Quintanilla – 8th Grade – Tuba: Placed 12th out of 42 Tubas. Will perform with the Second Band.
Areli Salene – 8th Grade – Bassoon: Placed 9th out of 15 Bassoons. Received Participation Patch for her placement.
Outstanding Orchestra Students!
On October 18th, two sixth grade Null Middle School students, Kiara Wimbley and Melanie Hernandez, auditioned and were accepted into the Region 19 Orchestra. Kiara, a violist, was accepted into the Symphonic Orchestra, and Melanie, a violinist, will play with the Philharmonic Orchestra. Most notably, both of them were the only sixth graders accepted into their sections of the orchestra.
Congratulations to Kiara and Melanie! We are proud to have them representing Sheldon ISD at the Region Orchestra.
8th Grade Stallion Boy's Basketball Wins 1st Place in San Jacinto Invitational Tournament
The 8th Grade “A” team participated in the San Jacinto Invitational tournament this past weekend.
The tournament had 3 different divisions (bronze, silver, & gold) 40 teams, and played over 80 games…
Null vs. Brookside M.S…..Lost
Null vs. Thompson M.S.....Lost
Null vs. Clear Creek M.S---Won
Null vs. Friendswood M.S….Won
We advanced to the “Bronze” division and won 1st place!
Team members are: Deidrick Kemp, DeMarques Mcdade, Devion Fontenot, David Moreno, Dominic Thompson, Tra’Marcus Woods, Pierre Holloway, Eric Pardue, Josiah Rideau and Desmond Johnson
Super Stallion Cross Country
The 2014 Cross Country season was GREAT!! We had several 7th and 8th grade boys and girls participate in one of the toughest sports. Each athlete gained tons of knowledge about the sport and progressed throughout the season. Out of the 6 meets, we had individuals place at 5 of them. Also our boy’s team placed 3rd in the Cooper Invitational. The team practiced hard and pushed through pain, cold weather and rain! They practiced hard 3 days a week before school and gave up their Saturdays to represent the Stallions!
Super Stallion Football
Participation – 128
· 65 8th graders
· 63 7th graders
1st Quarter Grading Period – 97% eligible to participate
Overall Record – 16-10-2
7A 6-1 District Champs
7B 4-2-1
8A 2-5
8B 4-2-1
Our student-athletes met our expectations both on and off the field. I evaluate the success or failure of an athletic team based on a few simple criteria. Did we improve? I think at every level our kids got better with each game, both in our execution and our understanding of the game. Secondly, did the kids have fun? I think football and athletic participation should be fun for the kids and something they look forward to and enjoy doing. I believe the vast majority of the kids enjoyed their football experience as we had very few who chose to pursue other endeavors. And finally, did our kids conduct themselves appropriately during the contest? With a couple of exceptions, I thought our athletes conducted themselves with class and represented their school and community well. Our season was highlighted by our final games versus our rival, CE King Middle School, where we won three of the four games played.
Super Stallion Volleyball
They are a small group of 8th graders this year, but I feel their most improved skill throughout the season was serving. Passing to target also improved, but not nearly as much as we needed it to. I do feel that we had better position placement this year with our players, meaning that who we had playing middle/setter/etc could play those positions in high school, instead of just filling a spot in middle school b/c no one else could do it and having to re-learn a new position in high school. The girls were able to adjust to changes we’d make during a game with ease. If we needed sudden changes in defense or offense, they did it quickly and successfully.
The 7th graders were a large group of dedicated girls. All of their skills improved this year. They’d get excited for their teammate’s accomplishments and encouraged each other when they messed up. It was rewarding to watch them end their season with passion. That’s not something easy to teach.