Falcon Flier

Our Falcons have had another great week. I enjoyed getting into classrooms this week and was able to observe some great teaching and learning. Each day during our dismissal announcements I ask students to think of one thing that made them proud or excited and to be ready to share this information about their day with you.

Monday is September 11th. We encourage all falcons and families to take time to remember the events of 9/11 and those that lost their lives, family, and friends on that day. 9/11 is a time to celebrate our heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and celebrate our first responders who serve our community every day. We want to remind and encourage our students by sharing how our nation joined together and responded to these events with commitment to our shared values of freedom and compassion for one another. A great model for patriotism!

We are now half way through quarter 1 and interim grades have been posted in ParentVue and StudentVue. Please take time to talk about students' grades with them and set goals for improving or sustaining achievement. Our dedicated teachers are able to answer questions or meet with you regarding any concerns you may have at this point and so am I. Information about accessing students' grades through parent vue is linked here.

I want to thank parents and students for their responsiveness in following the dress code. Please note that we are following the dress code outlined in the Parent Student Handbook for Spotsylvania schools (p.43). We have not added any additional restraints to this policy and do not plan to do so. Our students show a great deal of care in their appearance, and we understand that what they wear can be an important form of expression. Students look wonderful each day even though sometimes what they wear is not appropriate for school, specifically, shirts that do not cover stomachs or show a gap of skin around the waist. Please make sure to check that your child’s dress is school appropriate and ask them to save items that do not meet our dress code requirements for after school and weekends. We would like to minimize conversations we have with students about this topic as it can be uncomfortable and awkward for them.

Students! September is attendance awareness month. We are asking student to share why attendance is important and what motivates them to come to school everyday ontime. Students please consider submitting your thoughts. Students that are chosen to be spotlighted will be celebrated in our Falcon Flier as well as our faculty week at a glance. If you are interested in being spotlighted please complete this linked google form.

It is important that students attend school everyday and on time. We will be working with parents this year to improve student attendance. If your child is sick and will be absent, please email our attendance secretary, Mrs. Greene at nirivermsattendance@spotsylvania.k12.va.us so it will be recorded as an excused absence. You can also call the attendance desk directly at 540-785-3990 (option 1). Anticipated absences require an email or letter to the principal for excusal. Please note that we will be sending frequent attendance communication home to parents this year. We will be sending monthly notifications to parents of students that are missing ten percent of the year to date with unexcused absences. We will be asking those parents to partner with us in improving attendance. Students that have unexcused absences may not be able to participate in special school wide events we are planning this year.

Here Comes the Bus (new transportation app) Info: https://sites.google.com/spotsylvania.k12.va.us/herecomesthebus-scps/home

NRMS WEBSITE: Parents/Guardians, please bookmark our NRMS website- https://www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us/o/niriver This is a helpful resource that has tons of information including but not limited to, important events, athletics information, the staff directory, current and past newsletters, and more!

Monday, September 11th, girls soccer & girls basketball will host home games against Post Oak Middle School.

Wednesday, September 13th, our girls basketball team will be traveling to Chancellor Middle School. Good luck to our Lady Falcons!

Massaponax High School will host a Track and Field Camp on October 7th and October 8th. The purpose of the camp is to teach the fundamentals of the running events, hurdle events, jumping events, and throwing events. The camp is for students ages 8-14, and they can register via the Spotsylvania County Portal. Please see attachment for flier info.

New this year for middle school sports, parents have the option to make an account on GoFan and buy tickets online. Patrons will show tickets on their cell phones to enter the games. A small fee of $1.00 will be charged for using the service. Cash will also be accepted at the games. All tickets are $3.00.

We have partnered with My Logo Man to create an online store to purchase apparel for each sports season. A portion of the proceeds will go back into the athletic account to help purchase uniforms, equipment, helmets, etc. The links to order for fall sports have expired. New links for winter sports are forthcoming. They will be located on the NRMS website under the NEWS section.

Fall Growth Assessments for Math and Reading took place on Aug. 30 and Aug 31. Students did an excellent job staying focused on the assessments and respectful of their peers and staff during testing time. Absent student were able to make up their tests on Tuesday, Sept. 5 and Thursday, Sept. 7.

Once the testing window is closed, detailed reports on each student’s performance will be available to teachers and families. The report will show which academic standards were assessed and whether the student answered the test item correctly. Unlike the spring SOL tests, there will not be a pass or fail score on the Growth Assessment. More information will be forthcoming on how families can access these reports through the VA Department of Education’s Parent Portal.

State legislation was passed in the 2021 Virginia General Assembly requiring students in grades 3-8 to take these growth assessments, once in the fall and once in the winter (mid-year). This year, the fall assessments will focus primarily on content from the student’s previous grade level. However, the testing system can adapt with test questions one grade level above or one grade level below the primary content as appropriate for the student. More information on these assessments can be found at www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching-learning-assessment/student-assessment/parent-caregiver-resources-for-growth-assessments.

If you have any questions, please contact your student’s school testing coordinator:

Kristen Amos

wamos@spotsylvania.k12.va.us

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

- Albert Einstein

Spotsylvania County Public Schools is thrilled to host our first annual 4E Education Expo on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at 5:30 PM at Massaponax HS. The 4E Education Expo is an opportunity for SCPS middle school students and families to learn more about the amazing academic opportunities available to them within our district. We look forward to showcasing our diverse program offerings available to our secondary students with the goal of furthering our families’ knowledge of the pathways to the post-secondary option of their choosing: enrolling in post-secondary education, enlisting in a branch of the military, gaining meaningful employment or engaging in their community. Educational highlights will include but are not limited to: CTE & SCTC offerings and pathways, the Commonwealth Governor’s School program, the International Baccalaureate program, Advanced Placement coursework, dual enrollment coursework, JROTC options and more! Here is the promotional flyer for this event: 4E Expo