A Parent’s Guide to Surviving and Thriving   at Newport Mill Middle School  From the NMMS PTSA

 A Parent’s Guide to Surviving and Thriving at Newport Mill Middle School From the NMMS PTSA It’s a big change when children start middle school. The transition can be just as nerve‐racking for parents as it is for students. During middle school, our kids will be taking a lot more personal responsibility for their education, recreation and social lives. At the same time, many of our kids become a lot less communicative. Sometimes it may feel like we have no idea what is going on at school. This guide is put together by the Newport Mill PTSA and is meant to help answer a few of the many questions you’re likely to have. How do I find out what’s happening at school? 
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Newport Mill Web site – https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/newportmillms/ Provides information on academics, school activities, teacher and administrator email addresses as well as providing links to Edline, Newport Mill PTSA, bus route info and the daily announcements. Sign‐up for the Newport Mill list‐serve ‐ To join the PTSA list serve send a blank e‐mail to NewportMillPTSA‐[email protected] You will receive short daily announcements, schedule changes, reminders, etc. that will keep you connected to your child's school. You can ask questions, get answers and learn the facts. If you regularly use email, be sure to sign up! Monthly Principal Newsletter – These monthly newsletters are sent home with Students at the beginning of each month (ask your students to look through their folders if you don’t see them.) The newsletters are also available on the Newport Mill web site. Join the Newport Mill PTSA – Click the PTSA link on the Newport Mill website for a membership form. Or just show up at the monthly meeting, which is typically held the second Tuesday of each month. Meetings start at 7 pm in the cafeteria. All are welcome. Student Assignment Book ‐ this contains a lot of helpful school information including: a school calendar, school policies, code of conduct, etc. Follow the Newport Mill Chorus, Media Center or Principal on Twitter. @NMMSCHORUS @NMMSLIBRARIAN @NMMSPRINCIPAL How can I check on my student’s homework and test schedules? Edline 
Edline is an on‐line resource used throughout Montgomery County to help students, parents, and teachers communicate. Parents can access their students' grades in Edline, but other information like class syllabi and, in some cases, assignments are also available. Edline also enables teachers to easily and quickly communicate with students and parents by email. 
You need to activate your Edline account. Activation codes for new users are mailed home at the end of August. Once you have your activation code, click the link to the left that says, "Activate your Account." Incoming 6th grade students activate their Edline accounts as part of their Media Center orientation in September.  Assistance with setting up Edline accounts for parents is available at Back‐to‐school Night.  Additional information on Edline is available on the Newport Mill website. Assignment Book  Each student receives an assignment book at the beginning of the school year. Ask your student to see his or her assignment book.  School policies are listed in the assignment books. Please review these with your student.  Students are encouraged to write down homework assignments in their assignment book so check there as well. How can I keep track of my student’s grades? 
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Check Edline Email the teacher. A list of teacher email addresses are available on the NMMS web site. Watch for Interim reports. You will receive an interim report of your child’s grades by regular mail, half way through each marking period. Report cards: These are sent home with the student at the end of each of the first three grading periods and are mailed home at the end of the year. Dates that the report cards are sent home can be found on the Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) calendar, which is linked from the school website. Where can I find out more about student service learning (SSL) requirements? Student service learning (SSL) is a high school graduation requirement in the state of Maryland. In Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students may begin working toward the 75‐hour graduation requirement the summer after they complete Grade 5. Additional SSL information and forms may be found at http://www.mcpsssl.org. For more information, you may also contact Newport Mill’s SSL Coordinator, Kathy Stouffer, [email protected] Are there in‐school opportunities to earn SSL hours? Yes, each year in middle school, students are given an opportunity to earn 10 SSL hours in class. For instance, in 6th grade all students that participate in Outdoor Ed earn 10 SSL hours. Similar opportunities exist in 7th and 8th grade. Newport Mill is a big place. How do 6th graders find all their classes? Be sure to send your student to one of the New Student Orientation sessions that take place over the summer and then again right before school starts. This will help them get acquainted with the school’s layout as well as provide them an opportunity to find their classrooms. Teachers and staff are also quick to spot that “lost” look those first few weeks of school and will help students who need assistance. What school supplies will my student need? Each student should come to school with a 3” binder filled with tabs and lined paper and several pencils. These binders are subject to extreme wear and tear so look for ones that are sturdy. What? My student has two lockers? Yes, each student will have a hall locker as well as a P.E. locker. Each locker comes with a lock. You do not need to buy one. Combinations to the lockers will be given out the first few days of school. It’s always a good idea to save the locker combination sheets when they come home. What’s this I hear about a P.E. uniform? Students are required to change clothes for P.E. Newport Mill wants the students to wear a gray shirt and navy bottoms. You may wear any clothes that meet these requirements. In addition, Newport Mill does offer Tiger branded gym wear for sale. How do I pay for my child to eat in the cafeteria? The Newport Mill cafeteria offers two options to pay for student lunches. You can use MyLunchMoney.com, an on‐line service to make a prepayment using a credit card or you can complete a form and send a check payable to the cafeteria. Your student's ID/PIN will not be the same as his/her previous school. Lunch is $2.75 (the reduced price lunch meal is $0.40) and breakfast is $1.30 (the reduced price breakfast meal is free). Milk is $0.60 What if I have a question about my child’s bus? Bus route information is mailed to your home over the summer. Bus information can also be found on the Newport Mill web site. What sports are available to students at Newport Mill? Newport Mill Middle school has a range of Interscholastic and Intramural athletic programs. Interscholastic sports teams are available to 7th and 8th graders only with GPAs of 2.0 or higher. Students must try out for all teams. Newport Mill Middle School offers co‐ed cross country running and boys and girls softball in the fall, boys and girls basketball in the winter and boys and girls soccer in the spring. Intramural sports are available to all students and include basketball, volleyball, soccer, and tennis. There are no try‐outs but students must maintain a 2.0 GPA. My student isn’t into sports. Is there anything else available after school for him/her? Yes, NMMS has a wide variety of academic and hobby activities available to students. Recent offerings include: Student Government Association (SGA), Homework Club, Math Olympiad, Yoga Club, Jazz Band, Rock Band, Green School’s Club, and French Club. How will my student get home if he or she participates in an after‐school activity? Extracurricular activities end at 4:10 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. All students participating in extracurricular activities are expected to leave the building by 4:15 p.m. Students may be transported home one of three ways: walking, parent/guardian pick‐up, or by school bus. Are there any all‐school events held throughout the year? Yes, the PTSA sponsors a Welcome Picnic at the beginning of school and Fall and Spring Dances for the students. In addition, NMMS has Winter and Spring concerts featuring the band, orchestra and choir. NMMS also hosts a Book Fair in the fall, the Science Fair in the Winter and an Art Fair in the Spring. How can I become involved at NMMS? Helping out at NMMS isn’t that different from helping out at elementary school. It’s always helpful if you join the PTSA, link your grocery store cards to NMMS, save your box tops for NMMS and join in NMMS Dine Out Nights. Again, just as in middle school, the PTSA has volunteer opportunities that run year round (PTSA Board Members), short‐term (Planning Fall & Spring Dances), and single day (chaperone the dances, assist in teacher appreciation events).