Thank you to Ms. Updike and the Student Council for organizing this event!

Check out pictures from the evening below!

Next week, we are looking forward to several fun activities!

The next Student Council meeting will take place on April 25th after school from 3-4pm. Please make sure to have your rides ready promptly at 4:00pm!

On Wednesday, April 26th the Strings classes will be performing in their Spring Concert at 6pm.

Friday, April 28th is a busy day at North. We have the "Hoops for Heart" event in the morning for students who raised $20 or more for the American Heart Association! Make sure you turn in your money packets by April 26th if you want to participate in the event.

Saturday, April 29th is the return of COMMUNITY DAY from 10am to 1pm! This is the first community day in several years! We look forward to seeing all of our students & their families! We will have several games, food, a free market and more! You won't want to miss this!

1. We need you to help us get your child to school ON TIME (before 7:30) so they can eat breakfast and get settled prior to testing.

2. Please help your child remember to charge their Chromebook EVERY EVENING prior to testing, since they need their devices to test.

3. Help your child get enough sleep by enforcing earlier bedtimes and a reduction in screen time each evening.

4. Since students are not allowed to have their phone during testing, please refrain from trying to contact them via text message during that time. Phones have to be stored in lockers and are not allowed in the testing rooms per the State of WV.

5. You can discuss the importance of accurate testing results to your child's education and encourage them to do their best!

If we all work together, we can help our students do their absolute best!

Any student who has out-of-school-suspension during the 4th nine weeks (March 13th & after) will NOT be invited to the end-of-year 8th grade activities.

Let's finish this year with strong grades and great behavior so we can ALL celebrate our achievements!

Check out the flyer below for important 8th grade events!

See your homeroom teacher for more details.

Stars That Shine is a non-profit organization serving girls and young women ages 12-20 in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Their programs and services focus on empowering girls and leading them to a brighter future. They work within the local communities of Berkeley and Jefferson County, West Virginia to provide programs and services for girls ages 12-20 and girls considered at-risk youth.

Ms. Jackson, our school counselor will print out registration forms for interested students, or you can download and print your own below.

Project Write is offering a Summer Writer's Workshop for students at Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA. Scholarships are also available. For more information, see the flyer below and/ or download the flyer and scholarship application.

Cheerleaders interested in SPRING and/ or SUMMER conditioning, check out the flyer below!

As technology has become more integrated into our daily lives, concerns about technology addiction have also grown. Especially among teenagers, the use of technology has skyrocketed in recent years, with social media, online gaming, and video streaming dominating their time. While these platforms can be valuable and enjoyable, they can also be addictive, leading to negative impacts on physical, mental, and emotional well-being. As a parent, it's crucial to understand the issue of technology addiction and take proactive steps to help your children.

What is technology addiction?

Technology addiction, also known as digital addiction, refers to excessive and uncontrollable use of digital devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, or gaming consoles. It can take many forms, from spending long hours scrolling through social media to playing video games for days on end, neglecting essential activities like sleeping, studying, and socializing.

Technology addiction can have severe consequences, including poor academic performance, sleep deprivation, anxiety, depression, obesity, and social isolation. Furthermore, it can also have a long-lasting impact on the brain, affecting attention span, memory, and decision-making abilities.

What can parents do to help their children?

As a parent, it's essential to recognize the signs of technology addiction and take proactive steps to help your child. Here are some tips to consider:

1. Set clear boundaries: Establish clear limits on screen time and technology use, and enforce them consistently. This can help your child develop a healthy relationship with technology while still enjoying its benefits.

2. Encourage physical activities: Encourage your child to engage in physical activities like sports, outdoor play, or exercise. Physical activity can reduce stress, improve mood, and promote overall health and well-being.

3. Promote social interactions: Encourage your child to participate in social activities like joining a club, volunteering, or spending time with friends and family. Face-to-face interactions can help them develop social skills, empathy, and resilience.

4. Model healthy technology use: Children learn by example, so it's essential to model healthy technology use yourself. Show your child how to use technology in moderation, prioritize essential activities, and disconnect regularly.

5. Seek professional help: If your child's technology addiction has reached a severe level, consider seeking professional help. A therapist or counselor can help your child address underlying issues that may be driving their addiction and develop coping strategies to manage their behavior.

In conclusion, technology addiction is a growing concern among teenagers, but there are steps parents can take to help their children. By setting clear boundaries, encouraging physical activities and social interactions, modeling healthy technology use, and seeking professional help if necessary, parents can help their children develop a healthy relationship with technology and avoid the negative consequences of addiction.

It was all about EARTH DAY!!! Check out these interesting Earth Day lessons from this week at NMS!

*Ms. Heck's Science classes have been working on Earth Science! On Wednesday they did a lab demonstrating how the Earth's tectonic plates move and what crustal features are formed from those shifting plates. They also completed a rock cycle lab where students had to use different heat methods to model how the three forms of rocks are created.

*Ms. Gantt's Science classes celebrated Earth Day by cleaning up the area around our school and building and setting up raised garden beds to plant vegetables like radishes, tomatoes and lettuce. Some students will planted tulips in the flowerbed in front of our school sign.

*Mrs. French' s class made fairy houses for Earth Day using items from nature and things that can be recycled. Mrs. Mills, school librarian read them the books Page Boy and Silver Goblin.