NAMS Students Celebrate Civics with Civics Day and a Trip to the EMK Institute

By Patrick McGravey, 8B Social Studies Teacher

May has been an exciting and educational month for all NAMS eighth graders in their social studies classes as they participated in the Fifth Annual NAMS Civics Day on May 3rd and six trips to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate in Boston at the end of May and through the beginning of June. This coincides with a new change in the Massachusetts History Frameworks which will switch to an intensive year of all Civics instruction for eighth graders starting in 2020. This new end of the year tradition at NAMS for over three hundred fifty students on the three eighth grade teams has resulted in engagement, an increased knowledge base in Civics and most of all fun.

NAMS Civics Day started out as an idea from 8B student Kaitlyn Parks who is now graduating NAHS and pursuing a career in government at American University in Washington DC. She brought her social studies teacher Patrick McGravey and State Representative Diana DiZoglio together in 2014 which started with a small program involving only two speakers for one eighth grade team. This has now grown to a celebration of Civics with over a dozen speakers providing seminars to ALL eighth grade students on a rotating basis for the entire academic day.

Highlights this year included new NAMS principal Jorge Goncalves participating with local Lawrence judges and representatives from the Immigration department as a naturalized US citizen. Students also heard from newly elected State Representatives Tram Nguyen and Christina Minicucci as well as Senator Diana DiZoglio, Michael Ryan from the Jury Duty Commission, various local government representatives from the School Department, School Committee, Board of Selectmen , and the office of Congressman Seth Moulton who is also running for President in 2020.Bringing government from all levels together was a massive success and the students impressed all of the speakers with their high quality questions, model behavior and overall application of the RAISE values throughout the day.

The next part of this enhanced experience in Civics Education took place throughout six trips to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate in Boston. At this hands on and interactive site, students participated in a simulation of being a US senator crafting and debating legislation on Immigration Reform which can be a complex and controversial issue. They were sworn in, given Senator profiles, placed in committees, and provided with the opportunity to vote for various bills that would be sent to the House of Representatives and eventually the President to become law. It was a very exciting day for all that attended and hopefully an experience that will be long lasting for the students soon to be future engaged citizens and possibly US leaders.

The eighth grade social studies department continues to work diligently to provide meaningful experiences for all students in Civics Education and look forward to future opportunities as the implementation of the new Civics standards become a reality in 2020. This will include an eventual MCAS assessment in Civics as well as a Civics Community Leadership Project that all eighth graders across Massachusetts will have to complete by the end of their Middle School experience which was recently signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker.

Dear Grade 8 Families,

This must be an exciting time for your family with your child approaching the end of the middle school years. As a parent of an 8th grader, I empathize with you and the many feelings you must be going through. I would like to provide you with updated and additional information regarding Grade 8 End-of-Year Events. Please be sure to review this information and let me know if you have any questions.

We still need help for Grade 8 Field Day

The teachers have worked tirelessly to plan a wonderful field day for our Grade 8 students on Wednesday, June 12th but we still need your help. Please note the adjusted times below:

6 More Station Helpers: 9:45-1:30 p.m.

6 More Volunteers to Clean Up: 1:00-2:30 p.m

We still need 2 more pop up tents as shelter for water, slush and watermelon.

Slush Volunteers Time Change: 11:45-12:45 p.m. (No more volunteers are needed.)

Please consider a monetary donation to offset costs of these events - any amount is welcome! We still need to raise a bit more money to make all of these events possible. Checks may be made payable to NAMS PTAC.

You can help by signing up here or at the following address: http://signup.com/go/ELDUkKC

If you have any questions regarding the activities please contact parent volunteers Eleanor Lucarini at erlucarini@gmail.com, Diane Nikolopoulos at santorini1010@comcast.net, or Maria Philbin at nj1822@comcast.net

Field Day T-Shirt Logo Contest

The logo that will appear on this year’s Field Day T-Shirts will be as follows:

Thank you to all of our students who submitted logos.

Remaining Grade 8 Field Trips to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute

• ½ of Team 8C - Monday, June 3, 2019

• ½ of Team 8C - Tuesday, June 4, 2019

• ½ of Team 8B - Thursday, June 6, 2019

Team teachers have provided students and parents/guardians with information about these field trips prior to the dates of the trips.

Move-Up Day - Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Grade 8 students will be visiting NAHS in the morning from approximately 8:00-10:30 a.m.

Grade 8 Field Day - Wednesday, June 12, 2019

(Rain Date - Thursday, June 13th)

Students will be competing by Homerooms.

Please Note:

• Proper Attire: Physical Education Attire (i.e. sneakers (no flip-flops please), Field Day T-Shirts will be provided to all students & staff, shorts or sweatpants, sweatshirt (optional), hat (optional), & sunblock (recommended).

• Students should bring lunch from home.

• More information will be shared as we get closer to the date.

Promotion Practice #1 - Thursday, June 13, 2019

(Rain Date: Wednesday, June 12th if Field Day is rescheduled.)

• 8A from 8:00-9:00 a.m.

• 8B from 12:00-1:00 p.m.

• 8C from 1:00-2:00 p.m.

Boston Harbor Cruise - Friday, June 14, 2019

• Students go to RA1 until 8:40 a.m. then go to Homeroom.

• 9:00 a.m. – Buses depart for Boston

• 10:30 a.m. - Board the Boat (Spirit is the name of the boat.)

• 11:00-1:00 p.m. - Boat Cruise with DJ & Buffets on Floors 2 & 3.

• 1:00 p.m. - Leave Boston to return to NAMS

• 2:00 p.m. - Return to school and report to Homeroom until 2:20 p.m.

Buffet Menu - Below you will find the menu for the buffet on the Spirit Cruise. All allergens are listed below the menu item.

From the Nurses’ Office Regarding Boston Harbor Cruise

If your child has an emergency medication (i.e. EpiPen, inhaler, insulin, etc.), they will need to have that medication on hand for the field trip. Students who do not have their medication will not be allowed to come on the field trip. The boat cruise lunch menu is listed above. Please keep in mind any dietary restrictions or allergies that your child may have. If you have any specific concerns or questions, please contact Raegan Czupka (Event Coordinator for Entertainment Cruises, Boston) at rczupka@entertainmentcruises.com

Thank you for your cooperation - Kathleen Pease BSN,RN & Beth Hassanein BSN,RN

Promotion Practice #2 & Name That Tune Challenge - Monday, June 17, 2019

• 8A from 8:00-8:45 a.m.

• 8B from 8:45-9:30 a.m.

• 8C from 12:00-12:45 p.m.

• All Teams (Name That Tune Challenge) from 1:00-2:00 p.m.

Promotion Ceremonies - Tuesday, June 18, 2019

• Team 8A from 8:00-9:00 a.m.

• Team 8B from 9:15-10:15 a.m.

• Team 8C from 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Promotion Ceremony FAQs

How many guests can students have at the ceremony?

In order to ensure that everyone has a seat, we ask that no more than 4 people from each student’s family attend the promotion ceremony.

Where do students go after the ceremony?

After the ceremony, students and their families will proceed to the gym to see one another and take pictures.

Can I dismiss my child after the ceremony?

If any parent/guardian wishes to dismiss their child, please see your child’s homeroom teacher in the gym.

If a parent/guardian would like their child dismissed to another parent/guardian, we will need a dismissal note informing us of who we will be dismissing their child to.

Do I need to dismiss my child after the ceremony?

Please note that students may stay in class for the rest of the day and do not need to be dismissed.

Class Night - Tuesday, June 18, 2019

• All Teams from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

• Students should plan on arriving to NAMS at 6:30 p.m. and be promptly picked up at 8:30 p.m. please.

Thank you,

Jorge Goncalves

Principal

Dear Grade 7 NAMS Families,

Each year, Grade 7 Math and AMS teachers are asked to make student recommendations for one of two Grade 8 Math courses for next year: Grade 8 Math Concepts or Grade 8 Algebra.

Students will receive a letter on Monday, May 20, 2019 notifying them and their family what Grade 8 math course they are being recommended for based upon the following criteria: grade the student earns in math and AMS during trimester one and two, historical mathematics MCAS scores, common benchmark test performance, classroom performance and work habits, and the student’s potential to be successful in the subsequent class.  

The Grade 8 Math Concepts course follows the five 8th grade common core national standards: The Number System, Expressions and Equations, Functions, Statistics and Probability and Geometry.

The Grade 8 Algebra course is a combination of the five 8th grade common core national standards, with an extension into the 9th grade common core algebra standards. This course has a rigorous pace and requires an extensive amount of outside classroom preparation.

If a family doesn’t agree with the teacher’s recommendation, they should complete and return the NAMS Recommendation Override Form attached or found here. There are also copies of the form in the NAMS main office and with Grade 7 math teachers.