Good morning Grade 8 Families,

I hope that this message finds you and your family well.  On March 11, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. current Grade 8 students and parents/guardians will be able to review what courses students have been recommended for in Grade 9 in PowerSchool.

After you have logged into PowerSchool, you will want to select the “Class Registration” option. You will not be able to see this information using the PowerSchool App so please be sure to log into your PowerSchool account via a computer.   

NAMS teachers make recommendations for a student’s placement for the following year based on the classroom performance of the student, the grade the student earns, and the student’s potential to be successful in the subsequent year’s course. Teachers, who see the student every day in the classroom, are best equipped to make this decision.

If a family doesn’t agree with the teacher’s recommendation, the student must...

• Speak with the teacher giving the recommendation about why the recommendation was given.  If the student would still like to be placed in a higher level, the attached Recommendation Override Form should be completed and returned to the subject area teacher or the NAMS main office no later than 2:00 p.m. on Monday, March 25, 2019.

If a family overrides the teacher’s recommendation, the following criteria will apply:

• The student will not be permitted to drop back down to the level they were recommended for once the class has begun. Student’s schedules will not be changed until the end of the Trimester.

• The student will not be allowed to audit the class they override.

• The student will not be allowed to withdraw (W) from the class they override.

Finally, the ability to see recommendations in PowerSchool will be open at 2:30 p.m. on March 11, 2019.

The deadline to complete and submit a Recommendation Override Form is due by March 25, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.

Regards,

Jorge Goncalves

Principal

Dear Grade 8 Families,

I wanted to share a Grade 8 Essay Contest I was recently made aware of though the Massachusetts Municipal Association. The purpose of this contest is to raise awareness and interest among 8th grade students about local government issues and to encourage participation in local government and Massachusetts communities.

For all of the information, please see that attached flyer.  

For your essay, select one political or community issue that impacts people in your city or town. If you were the Mayor or a member of the Select Board in your city or town, how would you bring positive change to this issue? You may consider financial limitations, the size of your city or town and available resources. Include examples of the changes that you would make as the Mayor or a member of the Select Board and how those changes would impact your chosen issue.

Essay Contest Rules:

Only current 8th graders in Massachusetts are eligible to participate.

Word limit: 750 words or less, excluding the title.

Well-organized, with an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

Typed and double-spaced in size 12 Times New Roman font.

Printed on one side of paper only. • Include two (2) copies. (No submissions will be returned.)

The student’s name, school, and city or town must be at the top of the page.

If students are participating as part of a class or school project, each student must submit an individual essay. Only one essay per student.

Mail your essay to: MMA Essay Contest, One Winthrop Square, Boston, MA 02110.

Essays will be judged on originality, content, grammar and spelling, and understanding of local government. All decisions of the judges are final.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the first ($500), second ($250) and third ($150) place winners, and the first-place essay writer will be invited to attend the Municipal Month celebration at the State House in May.

Winners will be notified in April.

All contestants agree to publication on the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s website. Winners may be asked to provide a photo to appear with their published essay.

Please direct any questions to Alandra Champion: achampion@mma.org

Deadline: Essays must be postmarked by March 22, 2019.

Two of our NAMS Robotics Teams took home trophies this past weekend at the competition in Framingham.  Our E Team won the design award for the season and our F Team won the judges’ award for the season. We have a policy as a club that if a team wins a judged award based on their engineering notebook that they have to hold back their notebook until regionals to give other teams a chance at that same award.  We are extremely proud to see our 3rd team win the design award; it shows that the contagion of sound engineering principles is spreading.

With that, our Bionic Knights will have a strong presence at regionals on February 23rd in Framingham.  NAMS will have 4 teams competing at the regionals. The field of competitors will be fierce but we have a lot of hard working teams ready to put their best foot forward.

Go Bionic Knights!