Greetings NAMily!

Welcome to February. Time is moving so swiftly. This month lots of cool things are planned for students and families. We will celebrate Black History Month, Valentines Day-Student Council candy grams, Chicken Dinner Sales by Girls to Women, Smores with More, and much more. Be sure your child is present and ready to be the best rocket at NAM. In the words of Former President Barak Obama, "We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

Principals Ferguson & Lewallen

Kudos to Ms. Simpson for facilitating this team to victory. Hear the announcement we received.

Congratulations! Your students are the Elementary School Southwest Hub Winners for the OSLN Statewide Design Challenge! Their hard work, creativity, and dedication have truly shined, and we are thrilled to celebrate this achievement with you and your students.

Attached, you will find an editable certificate for you to give to each student to recognize their impressive efforts. We encourage you to share these with your students to celebrate their accomplishment.

Once again, congratulations on this well-deserved recognition. Keep up the great work!

Southwest

o Elementary winner: North Avondale Montessori

o Middle school winner: Indian Hill Middle School

o High school winner: Warren County Career Center at Little Miami High School

February Highlights

4 ILT Meeting 7:30a

4 6th Grade parent meeting 4p

4 Foundation Meeting 5p

4 PTO Meeting 6p

5 Parent Teacher Conferences 4-7p

10 No School

11-14 Lockdown Drill (One Day this week)

11-13 Valentine’s Grams (Student Council)

12 LSDMC 6:15p

14 G2W Chicken Dinner Fundraiser

17 No School-President's Day

18 ILT Meeting 8:00a

19 LSDMC District Meeting 6-7:30 @ Ed Center

21 Smores with MORE 6-9p

28 Black History Month Program (TBD)

March Highlights:

3 No School for Students (PD-No Paras)

4 ILT Meeting 7:30a

4 STEP Store

5 Foundation Meeting 5p

5 PTO Meeting 6p

12 LSDMC 6:15p

18 ILT Meeting 8:00a

20-21 Ages 6-9 Oratory Festival

21 Spring Bling 6-9p

24-28 Spring Break (NO School)

April Highlights:

1 ILT Meeting 7:30a

2 Foundation Meeting 5p

2 PTO Meeting 6:15p

7-11 Double Good Popcorn Fundraiser

7-11 OST Reading (3rd-6th Grades)

9 LSDMC 6:15p

15 ILT Meeting 8:00a

21-25 iReady Math Benchmark Testing (K-2 Grades)

21-25 OST Math (3rd-6th Grades)

22 Earth Day

26 Gratitude Gala

28-May 2 iReady Reading Benchmark Testing (K-2 Grades)

May Highlights:

4 End of Year Cook Out (Father's Group-Details TBD)

5-9 Science Benchmark Testing (4th & 6th Grades)

5-9 Teacher Appreciation Week

6 ILT Meeting 7:30a

7 PTO Meeting 6p

12-13 6th Grade Field Trip

14 LSDMC 6:15p

16 Field Day (All Day)

18 Golf Outing

21 6th Grade Recognition Ceremony 5:30-7p

22 Last Day of School for Students

23 Last Day of School for Staff

Student Council will be selling valentines grams the week of February 10-13th for $2.00 during lunch times. Treats will be delivered on Feb 14th.

• NAM Family Directory

One of PTO’s goals is to build community among our students and families. To address this the

PTO is working on putting together a school directory. We hope this will make it easier for families

to organize play dates, birthdays, etc. Stay tuned! More details to come!

• Pick up/Drop off Update

Mrs. Ferguson has been meeting with District officers, NAM Safety Committee, and security to better solution for pick-up and drop-off in front of the school in the hopes of reducing congestion

and improving the safety of our students.

• JOIN the NAM Facebook Group!

The PTO often uses the NAM Facebook group to communicate with families. Please join to get

important updates, voice your concerns, and join the discussion: “2024-2025 NAMS Community”

https://www.facebook.com/groups/cincyNAMS

• February Meeting:

Our next Meeting is Tuesday, February 4 from 6:15-7:15p in the Music Room. Free Childcare and

pizza will be provided.

Here is the link to join virtually:

https://meet.google.com/tbo-edfm-xwn?hs=122&authur=0

• NAM Yearbook

  Send pictures from any NAM events to be included in the yearbook.

  Send pictures to namrocketspto@gmail.com

  Please include name of event

  
  

Our learning community would like for you to be a part of our Morning Meeting gathering that takes place on Wednesday mornings from 8:30-8:50a.. During this time, you would read your favorite children’s book or story (or an excerpt from the book or story), poem or motivational quote for 5 minutes or less. Be expected to answer a few questions related to the book or about why you chose what you read. If you need a book, one can be provided. You would be expected to interact with students for a maximum of 10 minutes.

It’s January, and the 6th grade promotion ceremony in May will be here before we know it. I am in charge of creating the slide show used at the ceremony. I learned my lesson last year about waiting until May to start it! Please send a baby picture of your sixth grade student via email to me at hallerk@cpsboe.k12.oh.us. Also, include in that email any organizations/ after school activities/ NAM sports that your child has been a part of thus far this year. In April, I will send another Talking Points/announcements asking for more information. Any questions, just email me! Thank you. ~Ms. Haller

This week in PE class your students will be receiving information about the Kids Heart Challenge. This is an annual fundraiser that I do to help support the American Heart Association and our NAM PE program. Over the last 30 years NAM has supported this program and our school has raised over $158,000 for the American Heart Association. In the last 11 years since I have been here we have raised thousands of dollars for our PE program. I will be sending an email home to all families promoting the program. The program will run throughout the month of February from February 3rd-February 28th. All questions and concerns should be forwarded to me. Here is the school URL code http://www2.heart.org/goto/northavondalemont. Thank you.

Cosmic education is a cornerstone of the Montessori way. It is the idea that all things are interconnected. Class pets bring that connection to the classroom by allowing students to feel empathy, respect, and compassion for a living thing. Having a pet also teaches students how to care for something else. Remembering to feed the animal, check on the animal, and clean up after the animal encourages responsibility. Another core element of Montessori education is grace and courtesy. Learning to handle a small animal must often be done with grace to avoid harming or scaring the animal.

Name: Spike
Type of Pet: Bearded Dragon

Room/Location: Room 2202, Ms. Jessica Ross's Class

Fun Fact: Spike was adopted after the tip of his tail had been broken off accidentally. He loves to be held & is a great jumper.

Favorite Food: Dubia Roaches, Super worms, and crickets

Due to one of our crossing guards being out, we will move one crossing guard to the crosswalk closests to the school. Thus we are encouraging everyone to have childrens cross near entrance (referred to as the top).

Hello North Avondale Soccer Families!

Spring 2025 Registration is now open at: http://sports.bluesombrero.com/NASAY

Early Bird fee is $40; with prices increasing by $5 on January 15th. Don't wait to register as many teams fill quickly.

Spring is our "move-up" season, where kindergartners become eligible and sixth graders roll out of the program. Spring divisions will be:

Passers: K & 1st grade

Wings: 2nd & 3rd grade

Strikers: 4th & 5th grade

Practices will start early/mid-March, with games running March 29 through May 18.

Please consider coaching, and thank you for your support of our all-volunteer program.

Take a moment to read through the NAM Handbook. Sign this form to indicate that you have read the document.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G5ooJavbhKz1XQoXeLfeNUlBWAfHVvNt/edit

We have the best staff in the city of Cincinnati. join me in nominating staff members from NAM to be recognized for their great work in education. Click the link to see the various categories for nominations. https://greatercincyed.org/

Inaugural Black Child Book Fair in Cincinnati Promotes Literacy and Empowerment

Cincinnati, OH — The first-ever Cincinnati Black Child Book Fair is set to take place on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at Agape Love Ministries Church, 8050 Reading Road, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. This exciting, free event is open to the community and aims to inspire a love for reading while empowering young minds through diverse stories.

Organized by Brian Westbrook Sr. in partnership with the Black Child Book Fair, this event continues the legacy of a movement that began in Chicago in 2019 and has since expanded nationwide, visiting major cities like Memphis, Dallas, and Atlanta annually.

The mission of the Black Child Book Fair is to promote literacy and foster a stronger interest in reading, particularly among African-American children. With only 10 percent of mainstream books featuring African-American characters, this initiative seeks to bridge the gap by showcasing positive stories and characters that reflect the identities and experiences of young readers.

African-American authors from across the country will be present, offering inspiring books and opportunities for children to see themselves represented in literature. Attendees will have the chance to meet these talented authors, explore engaging stories, and participate in a celebration of diversity and creativity.

This is more than just a book fair—it’s a community event that champions the power of representation and literacy. Bring your family and friends to be part of this transformative experience!

For more information, please contact: Blackchildbookfair@gmail.com and/or bwestbrook@geteverythingu.org.

Click here for steps to complete volunteer application.

Our monthly Foundation meetings will be held in person in the NAM Music Room directly before the monthly PTO meetings. There will also be a Google Meet option (same link as the PTO meetings).

Foundation Meeting Agenda/Notes (Running Document):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_fKX2P2fPPbOlaBYPvSYS_tpL8tZgz8guAHfwribzFc/edit?usp=sharing

Google Meet Link if you need to join virtually:
Click this link: https://meet.google.com/tbo-edfm-xwn
Otherwise, to join by phone, dial +1 931-330-0530 and enter this PIN: 446 760 320#

Click here to find Meeting agenda and notes. The next meeting will take place Wednesday, February 12th 6:15p Virtually. Click here to join the meeting.

Email: fergusk@cpsboe.k12.oh.us
Website: https://www.cps-k12.org/northavondalemontessori
Location: 615 Clinton Springs Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Phone: (513) 407-2444
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CPSNorthAvondale