YMS NEWS

Well, we marched through March at YMS! Our vocal music students put on a fantastic performance of “Dear Edwina”, we completed a tornado drill, & track practice got rolling.

We had a successful HOPE week that reminded our students of the peer support that is available to them at YMS.

With Spring Break over it is time for everyone at YMS to do our best work. We are going to challenge your student(s) to do their best in class, in the halls, at performances, and especially on the Nebraska State assessments.

Speaking of those state assessments, the name has changed. What you might have once known as NeSA is now called the Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System or NSCAS. At YMS, it doesn’t matter what anyone calls it, we are here to give our very best effort and we are constantly trying to improve each and every day.

Here is our NSCAS Assessment schedule:

Week of April 7-11 8th Science

Week of April 14-18 6,7,8 English Language Arts

Week of April 21-25 6,7,8 Math

Here are a few tips that you can do as parents to help ensure that your child performs to the best of their ability as we tackle these important tests.

• Make sure that if your child is able to be in school that they are in school. Missing these test dates will require your child to miss regular instruction time to make up the test, so please make sure you do everything in your power to have them in school on these days.

• Ensure that your child has at least 9 hours of sleep on the nights preceding their tests. The morning of the tests please make sure they have a nutritious breakfast. Make sure you remind them to do their very best and that you believe in them.

• Encourage your child to do their best while reminding them that these tests are not “all or nothing” exams. Yes, we want all our students to do well on these exams but we are very confident in what we are doing at YMS. A substandard result on a test will not result in anything more than a chance for students to grow. We know that we are doing great things for kids not only academically but socially and emotionally here at YMS and that is as important as any assessment grade.

At YMS we want to let everyone know that this is the time when we do our best work. This is the time that we show why we give a great effort. This is a time we show everyone that York Middle School has the hardest working students, the most dedicated staff and is the best middle school in the state.

Kenny Loosvelt

Nebraska State Tests

NSCAS Growth

Although it is hard to imagine, spring really is right around the corner! And with spring comes sunshine, rain, outdoor recess, and...state assessments!

Students will be taking the NSCAS Growth assessments. These assessments are given to all students in Nebraska public schools in grades 3-8. The tests are taken on the computer. The Math and English Language Arts subject tests are adaptive in nature, which means they adjust to student responses. Students in grades 5 and 8 will also be taking the NSCAS Science assessment.

Individual Student Results (ISR) Reports will be shared with parents next fall.

YMS will be following the testing schedule below. It is very important that your child be at school on testing days and prepared to do their best. Teachers will communicate with students which day(s) they will be taking the NSCAS Growth.

NSCAS Science Week of April 7-11 (8th Grade only)

NSCAS English Language Arts Week of April 14-17

NSCAS Math Week of April 22-25

To learn more about the statewide assessment system, feel free to access the Nebraska Student Centered Assessment System site https://community.nwea.org/community/nebraska On this site, there is a Parent/Student tab that you can go to in order to access the Online Student Tutorial to learn more about NSCAS Growth. There is also a link titled “Item Type Sampler” that shows you types of questions on the test.

We will not be mailing the 3rd quarter report cards home, until the end of the school year, in May. You can access grades on the parent portal on Infinite Campus. Please direct any specific grading questions to the classroom teacher. You can access the Infinite Campus parent portal using the directions below:

·Visit https://necloud1.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/york.jsp

· Log in with the proper username/password (contact YMS to reset password if needed)

· You may be asked to verify your device as trustworthy for security purposes.

· Select your student.

· Click the three horizontal lines on the upper left hand corner.

· You will be able to access Grades, Schedules, Attendance Records, Fees, and Documents. (Quarter 3 can be found under Documents)

Easter Break

• April 18-21

April 29 5th Grade Parent Night @ YMS- 5:30 PM

April 29 6th Grade Wax Museum @ YMS- 6:00 PM

Thanks for supporting our Musical last month we had a great time putting on the show.

The Bands are hard at work preparing for our Spring Concert on May 13 at 6:00 PM High School Theater.

The rising caffeine consumption is having an impact on the health of pre-teens and teens. Many beverages that are marketed to appeal to this age group contain large amounts of caffeine, with teens not being made aware of the possible short and long term effects that the stimulant can have.

Recent research has shown that at least 25% of teens have some form of caffeine intake almost every day of the week. Caffeine is a stimulant that occurs naturally, and also in synthetic forms that are added to some foods and beverages. One of the biggest concerns is that many of the beverages contain considerable amounts of caffeine, 200-300 mg, which is a large amount, even for adults. There is currently no federal guidance regarding safe levels of caffeine in kids and teens. The American Academy of Pediatrics has taken a clear stance specifically on energy drinks affirming that they have no place in the diets of children and adolescents. A single energy drink may contain as much as 500 mg of caffeine, the equivalent to 14 cans of soda.

Large amounts of caffeine can have the following unwanted side effects:

• Restlessness and shakiness

• Fast and/or irregular heartbeat

• Anxiety

• Headaches

• Dehydration

• Difficulty sleeping

Discuss product ingredients, and spend time with your child doing some research on their favorite drinks. Have conversations about signals that our bodies send after consuming caffeine. If they have ingested a large amount of caffeine and experience symptoms such as racing/irregular heartbeats, anxious feelings, tremors or hyperactivity, seek medical help. Talk with your child about healthy habits and the possible dangers of too much caffeine. Encourage water and milk as the go-to drinks.