North Ridge Middle School
January 2022
Newsletter

Import dates to remember:
Friday January 14th
No school for students Semester planning
Monday January 17th
No school District Closed Martin Luther King Day
Wednesday January 19th
1st Semester Report Cards mailed home
Tuesday January 25th
Family Council 5:30pm-6:30pm
( a link will be posted closer to the meeting date)
Thursday January 27th
Sexting Presentation with Jacqueline Lacy, Vermilion County States Attorney 2:00pm-3:30pm
Friday January 28th
First Semester Honors Assemblies
8th Grade: 9:15am-10:00am
7th Grade 10:15am-11:00am

Vision:
To engage, Educate, Empower, Every Student, Every Day!
Mission:
North Ridge Middle School will:
Engage students by encouraging life long learning.
Educate them for success in college and careers, and
Empower them with acceptance and support to be true to who they are.

.

SMART Goal 1: North Ridge will increase the scale score growth of 7th grade students, including the two or more races subgroup, on the iReady Math diagnostic assessments by 13 points (average growth) in 21-22. North Ridge will monitor the student growth, including two or more races, by utilizing common assessments from district curriculum resources and interventions and review data at grade level meetings and PLCs.
SMART Goal 2: North Ridge Middle School will move from emerging to accomplished on the Illinois Quality Framework Standard VII: Student and Learning Development, indicators B and C by monitoring curriculum, instruction, and assessments and adjusting as needed for all groups including the sub-group two or more races by monitoring data and increasing the percentage of students above the 50th% in Fastbridge aReading and aMath by 5%.
17 students would need to move from each grade level.
VII.B.2 Instructional staff and school leadership sometimes ensure that instruction engages some students.
VII.B.4 Instructional staff and school leadership sometimes ensure that instruction addresses the academic and social-emotional needs of the whole child.
VII.C.4 Instructional staff sometimes utilize instructional data to adjust strategies and supports to meet the needs of the whole child.

7th grade Social Studies
As we return from break, 7th grade social studies will continue our unit on the American Revolution. The Unit Assessment for the American Revolution will be taken in mid-January. We will then begin our Unit on the Constitution. Students are reminded to complete work on time and check with their teachers if they have missing work.
The 7th grade English Language Arts (ELA) department would like to welcome everyone back from winter break. Hopefully, all of you had a wonderful, joyous, healthy, and relaxing time.
Also, the academic focus for the remainder of the second quarter will be to post assess unit two Common Core State Standards and finish the expository writing essay.
In addition, the academic focus for third quarter will be mastery of unit three Common Core Standards. Also, students will continue to practice answering extended response prompts using Smeckens Writing Strategies and reading comprehension skill mastery through passages from the Study Sync textbook.
Reminders:
Students may need a refill on school supplies (pencils, paper, folders, etc.)
Although not a requirement--teachers would gladly accept and appreciate Kleenex/tissues for the classroom.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to email or call your student’s teacher (s). Thank you!
Mrs. Bergeron (217) 444-3450
bergerone@danville118.org
Ms. Collins (217) 444-3427
CollinsM@danville118.org
Mrs. Cross (217) 444-3441
crossj@danville118.org
Mrs. McDermott (217) 444-3437
mcdermottl@danville118.org
Ms. Mouer (217) 444-3491
mourerm@danville118.org
Mrs. Parker (217) 444-3413
parkerm@danville118.org

#

7th grade Math
Welcome back from winter break! We are starting our unit on adding and subtracting rational numbers (integers, fractions, and decimals). During this unit, we will not be using calculators on this standard. Please have your student complete their assignments without the use of the calculator so that they are prepared for quizzes and the unit test. As a reminder, students are expected to bring their required supplies to class & school daily (chrome book, agenda, etc). We will be starting second semester soon, so please check with your child to see if they need replenished supplies (pencils, notebooks, notebook paper, etc.). Continue to check your child's grades in TeacherEase and contact their math teacher if you have questions or concerns about their progress. Thank you for your continued support!

7th grade Science
Welcome back from winter break! This month we will be starting our physical science unit on energy. This is a fun unit that has lots of cool demonstrations with different types of balls, springs and pendulums. During this unit, we will learn about how energy is converted and transferred from one object to another. As your students start learning about energy, some questions you can ask are: What type of energy did you learn today and what are the factors that affect it? These simple questions will really help with retention of the material. Remember if you are gone from school for an extended period of time you need to check Google Classroom for your school work and complete what you can at home. If you have any questions please feel free to contact your students teacher via phone, email, or through TeacherEase:
Dawn Brock 444 -3460
Shayla Brigg 444-3430
LaTana Lillard 444-3458
Adam Weidner 444-3453

Guidance Office
Navigating Extra-Curricular Eligibility
Students who participate in extracurricular activities at North Ridge Middle School must meet academic standards set by the IESA and Danville District 118 Board Policy. Students must be passing all classes in order to be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities. Eligibility grades are checked every Thursday and determine whether a student is eligible for the upcoming week (Monday to Sunday). For example, if a student is failing a class on Thursday they are ineligible to participate starting on the next Monday and running through Sunday. More information can be found on the IESA website and within Danville Board Policy 6:190. Here are some helpful tips for parents to help your child stay eligible for extracurricular activities.
Sign up for a TeacherEase Parent Account. TeacherEase is the grading software currently used by North Ridge Middle School and parents can access their child’s grades at their convenience through www.teacherease.com or the TeacherEase application for smartphones. If your child is ever ineligible, you will be notified by email the day it is determined.
2. Talk to your child about their grade. Work with them to set goals and a plan for improving their grade.
3. Check your child’s grades early in the week through TeacherEase. A grade of 60% or greater is considered passing. Checking it on Tuesday gives you two days to talk to teachers and/or complete assignments to improve the child’s grades. All students are given opportunities to improve their grade between eligibility checks.
4. Communicate with your child’s teacher by phone or email through the TeacherEase app. Failed classroom assessments can be retaken by students and teachers will work with students to improve their grades on assessments.
5. Check for missing assignments. Missing grades can drop your child’s grades considerably.
6. Sign your child up for Project Success. Project Success is our afterschool program that is available for all North Ridge students. It is free of charge and academic tutoring is scheduled into the program Monday – Thursday before and after school.

.

Tyler Ferber Amre Pataki Jo’Brea Mason
7th Gr. School Counselor School Social Worker Home Interventionist
217-444-3495 217-444-3495 217-444-3482
ferbert@danville118.org patakia@danville118.org masonj@danville118.org
Cory Jones Sarah Funk
8th Gr. School Counselor Home Interventionist
217-444-3418 217-444-3483
jonesc@danville118.org funks@danville118.org

8th Grade Social Studies
Hello everyone and welcome to 2022! We hope everyone had a good break, and we wish you and your family a healthy and wonderful new year!
We will be spending the month of January learning about World War I. We will begin by learning about the MAIN causes of the Great War, and we’ll even do a simulation to try to stop the war before it starts! We will also learn about the new, modern technology used in the war and the ways WWI has impacted our world. Students will continue learning how to evaluate and analyze sources, identify causes and effects, and write argumentative paragraphs.
As 1st Semester comes to a close, please check your student’s grade in teacherease and make sure to encourage your student to retake any quizzes/tests (and turn in any missing work) that might help them. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your child’s Social Studies teacher.
8th Grade Social Studies Team
Mr. Campbell-Stanley campbellstanleyc@danville118.org 444—3467
Ms. Williams williamsc@danville118.org 444-3432
Ms. Purcell purcellr@danville118.org 444-3466
Mr. Baer baere@danville118.org 444-3494

8th grade science will be wrapping up their unit on Life Science by the middle of the month and then will transition into Physical Science. This unit focuses on forces and motion in a variety of contexts: tug-of-war, baseball, planetary motion, chemical bonds, and others. It begins with a surprising anchoring activity in which a ball speeds up unexpectedly, and revisits this phenomenon several times throughout the unit. Students generalize from specific examples to construct principles commonly known as the core ideas of Newton’s laws of motion. The differences between force and energy are emphasized, with rules-of-thumb being generated to decide which concept is more useful in given situations and to address crosscutting concepts of system models, and energy and matter. The unit integrates several focal scientific practices: planning and carrying out investigations; data gathering, organization, and analysis; developing and using models; and constructing explanations and engaging in argument from evidence.
Biology Students will move out of Africa and the interactions between animals and the environment and will start looking at animals in the manner of: Life is regulated at all levels: at the ecosystem, community, population, and down to the cellular and molecular levels. This storyline unit is organized into lenses to demonstrate this principle; the first lens addressed here is the community level. Each week, this unit focuses in on smaller levels of organization. They aren’t necessarily in hierarchical order, but in an order that should make sense to students.

8th Grade Language Arts
We hope everyone had a nice holiday and were able to spend quality time with loved ones. Now it is time to get back to work. It’s hard to believe first semester is nearing the end. Time certainly flies. Our students are finishing up with Unit 2 in StudySync. We will be reviewing the skills assessed on the Unit 2 Assessment. The Unit 2 Assessment will be given on January 7. Standards include: RL.8.1, RL.8.2, RL 8.3, and RL.8.4. We are also finishing up the grammar Chapter 1 which includes types of sentences and sentence structure. The standard for this Chapter is L.8.1. We are also finishing up with Vocabulary Unit 1 and assessing it. Standard L.8.4. The grammar and vocabulary assessments will be given the week of January 10th. We realize this is a lot at the end of the semester. Please encourage your child to do his or her best on these assessments as they will be counted as a test grade. If you need to get a hold of your language arts teacher, you may do so by the following:
Mrs. Carter (217) 444-3452 or cartert@danville118.org
Mrs. Crawley (217) 444-3424 or crawleyr@danville118.org
Mrs. Martin (217) 444-3439 or martinc@danville118.org
Mr. Brooks (217)444-3415 or brooksd@danville118.org

The North Ridge Builders Club had two important projects that took place during the month of December. We collected FIFTY toys for the children at Your Family Resource Connection (Women’s Shelter), also known as Crosspoint at the Y. Thank you to our club members and their parents who were able to send in a toy(s). The toys were delivered on Friday, December 17, 2021, and were very much appreciated.
Our club will be participating in the Wreaths Across America wreath removal day on Saturday, January 22, 2022, at 11:00 A.M. at the Danville National Cemetery. Builders Club members will have an opportunity to help remove the wreaths from the graves on this day. Permission slips and additional information for Wreath Removal Day will be sent home at our meeting on Wednesday, January 19, 2022. Parents will need to provide transportation for their child both to and from the cemetery.
Builders Club also continues to oversee our school’s paper recycling. The club members empty recycling boxes from the classrooms into large totes that are then placed outside for pick up Also, please consider adding the General Mills Box Tops for Education App to your phone. You can scan your receipts on the Box Tops App to help our club earn funds to help with our community and school service projects. If you have questions about this project or any of our projects, please contact Mrs. Delzell at delzellk@danville118.org
Our next meeting, and our only meeting in January, will be on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, at 8:05 in the North Ridge library. We will be working on our Valentines for Veterans project at this meeting.
Happy New Year from the NRMS Builders Club!

Welcome 2022! This month in Mars Manifest Destiny, we will be testing our rovers for our Journey to Mars. We will also be creating domes to live in on Mars.The semester ends January 13 and the current Mars Manifest students will start a new elective on January 18th. Please check your students schedules so they know what elective they have next semester. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Dawn Brock 217- 444-3460
Via email at brockd@danville118.org

Just a few boys basketball games left for the season come out and support them!
Girls Volleyball games start this month !
Show Choir Rehearsal continue this month!

Friendly reminders for parents and students
Cell Phone Usage
Happy New Year! We would like to remind everyone of the policy regarding cellular devices. According to the Ownership in Education Handbook 2021-2022, page 7, “During the school day, electronic signaling and cellular radio telecommunication devices must be stored out of sight in the off mode or unable to transmit or receive communication. Both silent vibrating or text messaging are considered unacceptable.
Please encourage your student to secure their cell phone in their locker. This way it is safe and not a distraction during class. We appreciate your help!
District 118 Dress Code
Below is a brief summary of the District 118 Dress Code. This is not the complete policy.
Shirts/Tops/Blouses/Jackets
1. No tank tops, halter tops, strapless tops, spaghetti straps, camisoles are allowed.
2. Jackets may be worn. Winter coats may not be worn in the classroom or cafeteria.
3. No midriff may be exposed.
4. Any item determined by the building principal(s) to be too tight or revealing is not allowed.
Dresses/Skirts
1.A dress must not be strapless or have spaghetti straps.
2. Dresses and skirts must be no shorter than fingertip length plus one inch (approximately mid-thigh/3” above knee)
3. No low cut dresses. Undergarments are not to be visible.
4. No leather, mesh, nylon/vinyl/spandex, see-through material or cutouts are allowed.
5. Any item determined by the building principal(s) to be too tight or revealing is not allowed.
Pants/Shorts
1. Pants must be worn at the waist; neither underwear nor skin shall be exposed. Both pant legs must be the same length. Pants must be fastened, and if a belt is worn, it must be buckled.
2. Shorts must be no shorter than fingertip plus one inch (approximately mid-thigh/3” above knee)
3. Blue jeans may be worn if free of rips and tears. It does not matter if there is material behind the rips and tears or if leggings are worn underneath. There can be NO rips, tears, or frays.
4. Scarves are not allowed as headgear, except for religious exemptions.
5. Hats, ear guards, sweatbands, bandanas, hairnets, hoods, and gloves may not be worn in the school building.
6. Unless prescribed by a doctor, sunglasses are not to be worn in any school building.
7. Chain wallets are not allowed.

Attendance
Our goal at North Ridge is to work with families to help our students have success in all areas of life. To be successful our students need to be here!
If we can be of assistance to you, please call (217)444-3404. If your child needs to be absent due to illness or injury, or for an appointment, please call (217)444-3404 to excuse them within 48 hours.

Dear Parent or Guardian,
If your child has any special health needs or problems, this should be communicated to me. This information is kept confidential, and it can be very important to a successful experience at school. Examples of such needs are:
Food Allergy
Bee sting allergy
Allergy to any other substance
Difficulty with vision, hearing or speech
Need for medication during the school day
Need for special aids such as crutches, walkers, or wheelchairs, either on a temporary or permanent basis
Need for inhaler at school due to Asthma
Need to take medication at school
If your student has any of the following symptoms, please keep your child at home and call the school right away for further instructions:
Sore throat, Moderate to Severe Headache, cough, fever , vomiting, diarrhea or nausea
Attention 8th grade parents
It is not too early to get the freshman physical
Completed and turned into Nurse Gabi.
Please feel free to contact the nurse with any
Questions at 217-444-3408 or email me at
ingoldg@danville118.org

Attendance
Primary Business Address
Your Address Line 2
Your Address Line 3
Your Address Line 4
Phone: 555-555-5555
Fax: 555-555-5555
E-mail: someone@example.com

North Ridge Middle School is a collaborative school community focused on ensuring success for all learners.

Office: 444-3400
Report Absences/Dismissals: 444-3404
7th Grade Guidance: 444-3412 7th Guidance Fax: 444-3485 8th Grade Guidance: 444-3419 8th Guidance Fax: 444-3486
Request for homework should be directed to the guidance office
444-1725 School Closing
444-3493 Bullying Hotline
Website: northridge.danville118.org

Your Logo Here

Eliza Brooks, Principal
Robin Fluno, Associate Principal
Amber Davis, Assistant Principal

North Ridge Counseling and Social Work Services
Parents, have you noticed changes in your child’s behavior that concern you? The student support team at North Ridge Middle School want you to know that we are here for you and your child. We are available to talk to you and/or you child about life’s challenges, point you to helpful resources, and provide weekly counseling to North Ridge students. For more information or to reach out for help, please contact us.