NBAMS Update

Hello NBAMS families!

NBAMS staff are excited and ready to welcome this year's middle school students to the 2023-2024 school year! Staff have already begun to prepare for students in several capacities. Office staff are taking care of new enrollments, updating immunization records, and working to finalize student schedules. The custodians and grounds crew have done a fantastic job cleaning the building from top to bottom - the inside and outside of NBAMS is looking terrific!

As we transition into this school year, there are rituals and routines that students and staff will be asked to follow so we can maintain a safe and productive environment at NBAMS. The priorities highlighted below outline specific information as it pertains to how the student's day will look at NBAMS.

On behalf of everyone who works at NBAMS, we eagerly anticipate seeing you at Welcome Conferences, as well as, continuing to strengthen the partnerships we have formed with our students and their families. Enjoy the last few weeks of summer break, we will see you soon!

Viking proud,

Kelly Detzler

Principal

North Branch Area Middle School

Matt Lattimore

Assistant Principal

North Branch Area Middle School

Welcome Conferences allow students, families and staff an opportunity to personally meet, review grade level and NBAMS school-wide expectations, locate the student's locker, walk through the student's schedule, update emergency information, have pictures taken, as well as, participate in other activities that will allow the start of the school year to be efficient.

Welcome Conferences are 20 minutes in length and take place over two days: August 30 and September 5 from 9 am - 6 pm. The first day of in person learning for all NBAMS students is Wednesday, September 6.

Please follow the directions below to sign up for a conference with your student’s advisory teacher:

1. Log-in to your ParentVUE Account. If you are unable to log-in through the mobile app., please use this ParentVUE LINK to access your account through the NBAPS website. You will need to know your user name and password to log in to ParentVue.

2. If you have more than one child in the district, click the down arrow on the child that you would like to schedule.

3. Click the “Conference” tab on the left sidebar.

4. Click “Parent Schedule Conferences” located in the upper right-hand corner.

5. Select the date/time of the conference by clicking on the box, once selected the column with the box will turn green and the confirmation box will appear in the upper right corner with your student’s Welcome Conference date and time.

6. Repeat these steps for each student in your household who needs a Welcome Conference.

7. Log out of your ParentVUE account.

Student schedules are viewable in StudentVue and ParentVue. Please note: students may see changes to their schedules over the next couple of weeks as class sizes are balanced and errors are corrected (i.e. missing a class period). If you are having trouble logging into ParentVue, you can reach out to parentsupport@isd138.org. Please be patient while the requests for assistance are handled.

• Student Instructional Day is 8:05 am - 2:40 pm.
• Students in Grades 7 and 8 are assigned to an advisory class plus four core classes (Math, English, Social Studies, and Science) and three, specialist classes (Art 7/8, Spanish 7/8, World Cultures 8, Physical Education 7/8, Technology 7, AgMazing 8, Future A-Listers 7, Money and Sense 8(Intro to Econ), Health and Wellness 8, or Science Enrichment 7/8). Band and choir classes fulfill one (if band or choir is chosen) or two specialist class slots (if both band and choir are chosen).
• Students in Grade 6 are assigned an advisory class plus five core classes (Math, English, Reading, Minnesota History, and Science). Sixth grade students rotate through specialist classes every six weeks. Sixth grade specialist classes consist of Physical Education, Health, Digital Vikings (technology), Spanish, Art and Music. Period 5 for sixth graders consists of lunch, recess and WIN time. WIN stands for "what I need". WIN time is a great time to make test corrections, work with a teacher in small group, ask a teacher for help, read a great book, or finish up classwork. One last scheduling piece that is unique to sixth grade is the way students are scheduled. Students are scheduled with the same teacher for Advisory (Period 1), Period 2 and Period 5. This allows the teacher and student to build a great relationship, as well as, allows the teacher an opportunity to learn about each of their advisory students in a few different environments.

Before school drop-off is available in front of NBAMS at Door #25. Students being dropped off should arrive at school between 7:45 - 8:05 am. Please have your student ready to exit the car as you pull forward towards the main sidewalk to ensure smooth traffic flow.

Please call the attendance line at 651-674-1303 if you need to pick-up your student up before the end of the school day.

After school pick-up should be arranged prior to the start of the school day. Students being picked up should exit Door #25 to meet their ride. Students should not be picked up outside of Door #17. Door #17 is located on the east side of the middle school builidng. The east side of the middle school parking lot is used by transportation from three different school districts whose students attend Chisago County Schools' Life Work Center located at NBAMS and Therapeutic Services Agency programming also located within the walls of NBAMS.

Bus information is expected to be available the week of August 21, and will be mailed to families when available. It can also be accessed by logging into ParentVUE. Please feel free to contact the transportation office at 651-674-1030 if you have questions about busing related issues or stop in during Welcome Days.

New families to the school district and incoming sixth graders are welcome to take part in a self-guided tour of the middle school on Thursday, August 24 from Noon - 5:00 pm. This is a great time to get comfortable with the layout of the building and to practice a student's schedule. Please park in the bus corral parking lot located on the west side of the building and enter through Door #4. Staff will be located inside Door #4 to greet you and provide you with a map of the building.

At NBAPS, all students grades 5 - 12 are issued a district-owned Chromebook. Students are expected to use these devices to support classroom activities, educational research or professional enrichment. *Guardians: If you do not wish for your student to have a device to take home during the course of the school year or if your student will be bringing in their own device, please contact the school to indicate this request.

For more information about the NBAPS Chromebook 1:1 program please use the following link to review the Chromebook Handbook: Chromebook Handbook

Students entering 7th grade must be compliant with immunization requirements. Please send updated immunization records to rreich@isd138.org or drop printed copies off at NBAMS through Door # 1 anytime between 8 am - 3 pm, Monday through Friday. Please call 651-674-1300 with any questions.

Are Your Kids Ready? Minnesota's Immunization Law

Please click here to view the student/parent handbook. Annual, required notifications are also available for you to view. These notifications are located in the folder titled "required notifications".

Your family could be eligible for discounts on a variety of school expenses such as activity and field trip fees. To find out if your family is eligible, complete the Application for Educational Benefits. A hard copy of the application can be found here, or it can be completed online through your family’s WordWare lunch account.

North Branch Area Public Schools is thrilled to announce our new app for mobile phones! Stay up-to-date with access to district and North Branch Area Middle School events, documents, news from administrators, student stories, and even emergency notifications. You can download the app for free on Google Play or Apple App Store.

Download for Android https://bit.ly/3phcIA7

Download for iPhone https://apple.co/3p6NNPA