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March greetings as we prepare to turn the corner on this first quarter of the year and welcome springtime. Before we highlight the month to come, please allow a sincere thank you to everyone who voted in the recent Special Election on February 10th. Both the Everett Public Schools measures, the School Bond and Education Levy, passed and we are grateful to everyone who spent time being involved in this election. Every student in our school and district will benefit from the passage of these two measures and we look forward to seeing these come to fruition across our community - Thank you!
As we turned the calendar to March this week, we enter a unique stretch within our school year. March is the only month that offers week‑after‑week consistency. Of the thirty‑one days in March, we are in session for twenty‑two, with only weekends away. This stretch, and the stability it provides, is incredibly valuable for teaching and learning. It allows us to dive deeply into content without the reteaching that is often necessary after breaks.
While illnesses and other unavoidable challenges are expected and understood, we encourage our students to set a goal of 95% attendance this month. March gives us a terrific opportunity to work toward this benchmark, and we look forward to celebrating our cumulative attendance rates in April.
Speaking of April, our streak of uninterrupted weeks will come to an end with Spring Break. This year’s break falls a bit later and will run from April 6 through April 10. School will be closed that week, and students will return on Monday, April 13 to a normal schedule. As noted below, state testing will begin shortly after our return and will continue into May.
For more key dates and updates, please see the information below. As always, thank you for taking the time to read this month’s edition of North News. Enjoy—and goNorth!
With Gratitude,
Holly, Drew, & Tyler
North Middle School
HSullivan@everettsd.org - ABaeWilliams@everettsd.org - TReam@everettsd.org
Phone: 425-385-4800
As noted last month, our process to register/select classes for the forthcoming 2026/27 school year is underway. Our eighth graders have already connected with Everett High on several occasions including this week’s Seagull Showcase event. Our sixth and seventh graders also began their class selection process with initial class selection discussions taking place this past week. Even our future sixth graders (current fifth graders) have started their process with recent school visits and our Welcome to North Night last month.
As class selection for the coming school year continues, please keep in mind the dates below and click below to access our grade level specific course registration information.
- CLICK HERE for welcome information and CLICK HERE for class selection content for incoming sixth graders (current fifth graders)
- CLICK HERE for class selection information for rising seventh (current sixth graders)
- CLICK HERE for class selection information for rising eighth (current seventh graders)
Key Registration Dates
- 3/2: Initial Class Selection Information Shared with 6th & 7th Graders
- 3/3: EHS Seagull Showcase for Current 8th Graders / Incoming 9th Graders
- 3/9: 6th & 7th Graders Enter Class Requests in StudentVUE
- 3/9 - 3/13: 9th Grade Class Selection Information Shared with 8th Graders
- 3/13: 8th Graders Enter Class Requests in StudentVUE
- 3/18: EHS Transition Day at North (8th graders meet with EHS Counselors)
Across this month of March, our school will engage in a daily attendance effort including a schoolwide goal of 95%. To achieve 95% attendance in March, we are asking each student and family to give their best effort to attend school daily. March is a crucial month in terms of academic growth and absences during the month of March can have compounding effects on the remainder of the year, including State Testing in April (see below, related section).
95% attendance in March equates to students attending 21 of the 22 school days this month. Each student's attendance will contribute to their grade level's daily attendance rate. For example, if 233 of 250 students in a grade level attend school on a given day, that grade level's attendance rate is 93%. Grade levels will earn daily points for attendance (below) towards the ultimate goal of scoring the most points in March and earning an honor of their choice.
We value and appreciate your support in ensuring that your child attends school every possible day. Illnesses are inevitable and we fully support students resting when they are sick. However, when well, please help ensure that your child attends school as part of this crucial month of March.
Grade Level Points by Daily Attendance Rate:
- 95% or above: 8 points
92% to 94%: 6 points
- 89% to 91%: 4 points
- 86% to 88%: 3 points
- 83% to 85%: 2 points
- 80% to 82%: 1 point
- Under 80%: 0 points
March provides us with a valued opportunity to honor and celebrate Women's History Month together. Along with our students, we have already begun and look forward to more learning and reflective experiences to come. Undoubtedly, we will seek to honor our past but want to do so with an eye on the present and future. This includes recognizing and honoring the many impactful leaders in our own lives, our sisters, mothers, grandmothers, and others who make sacrifices, on a daily basis, for our benefit.
Speaking of making sacrifices for our benefit, nationally, this year's theme is Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring. Each day, we are surrounded by women who are constantly and diligently working to educate and inspire us. These invaluable leads fill our lives at home, school, and beyond. March is a terrific time to pause, reflect, and say a heartfelt thank you. In addition, this coming Saturday (3/7) is International Women's Day. No better time to express our collective appreciation to the many amazing women in our lives.
Last week (February 23rd through 27th), our school engaged in a schoolwide Vocabulary Bowl to promote and review the weekly academic language terms that our students have learned. Grade levels engaged in a friendly competition with randomly selected students taking part on daily vocabulary quizzes to earn points for their grade level.
Early in the week, our eighth and seventh grade teams started strong, earning big points towards their totals. Later in the week, our sixth grade came on strong, closing the gap and making a serious run for the championship. In the end, it was our seventh grade class that claimed this year's title, earning with 127 points. Our eighth grade finished with 118 points followed by sixth grade with 117 points.
Congratulations to all involved including our seventh grade class who has earned their own STAR Party later this month.
To all families celebrating Ramadan, we want to wish you a beautiful month filled with happiness and togetherness. If your child/children are observing a fast during the school day, please consider participating in this two-minute survey.
Washington State's Office of Public Instruction is supporting our Food & Nutrition Services in providing meals to specific students/families who opt out of school lunch due to their observation of a fast. Additionally, please know that we work with students who are fasting to avoid our Commons during mealtimes. Students are free to choice into our library and other spaces as needed.
Cascade High School is opening its doors to the IB Diploma Programme this coming fall, welcoming in rising ninth graders and tenth graders as their first two classes. This new program is enrolling now, and Cascade is looking to identify motivated students who want to be part of something special from the beginning.
Cascade High is inviting families of current 8th and 9th grade students to attend their upcoming IB Diploma Programme early registration and information events (flyer): Wednesday, 3/4 – 5:00pm to 6:00pm at Cascade High School
Who Can Participate?
The IB Diploma Programme at Cascade High School will be open to all interested students who are currently in 8th and 9th grade, both within and outside Cascade’s service area and across the Everett Public Schools. Current Everett Public Schools students can enroll in this program by completing the CHS Pre-IB Programme Choice Program Application available in ParentVUE.
If you are interested, please consider attending the above-noted preview sessions. To learn about the IB Diploma Programme, please see our IB website at https://www.everettsd.org/IB
This year’s Multicultural Night at North is scheduled a few week’s earlier than last year and is on the calendar for Thursday, April 16th. Please circle 4/16 on your calendar and join us for a night of sharing and celebration in honor of our students and North Everett community. Come for the music, student works, art, food, performances and more.
If you and your family are interested in hosting a table, honoring a culture of your choice, and sharing with others, please CLICK HERE. All are welcome and encouraged to participate!
Our annual parent/family survey will open mid-March and will include a live link on our North website. You will receive an update once this survey is live and a few follow-up reminders across the following week. The family portion of our survey is set to close just prior to our Spring Break (4/4).
In relation to this annual survey, our team works to utilize the feedback we receive to guide our planning across the forthcoming spring and summer. Your time is precious and we certainly respect and appreciate all that you do. That noted, your time and feedback via this survey will be truly appreciated as we work to better recognize both our strengths and needs as a school.
As we return from Spring Break next month, we will begin the countdown to the start of our state assessments. As a middle school, all grade levels and students take part in these tests that include the Smarter Balanced English Language Arts exam, the Smarter Balanced Math exam, and for eighth graders, the WCAS Science exam.
This year, we have been piloting one assessment schedule that increases the number of test days but reduces the required amount of seat/testing time on a given day. We piloted this schedule in early September, and our students are now accustomed to the shorter, more frequent test windows. Testing is expected to take place at the beginning of the day, spanning no more than ninety minutes per session.
Additional exam information will be included as part of next month's edition of North News, but for now, a preview of our anticipated testing schedule is below.
- 4/28 + 4/29: WCAS/Science Test (8th grade only)
- 5/5 - 5/7: English Language Arts (ELA) Computer Adaptive Test
- 5/12 - 5/14: Math Computer Adaptive Test
- 5/19 - 5/21: English Language Arts (ELA) Performance Task + Math Performance Task
This summer, our Everett Public Schools are providing a number of summer learning opportunities for middle school students including courses beginning in early July designed to provide boost skills or assist students who are interested in shifting to an accelerated math class for the coming school year.
Registration for summer courses opens on Monday, March 9th. To access additional information, including our registration site, please CLICK HERE for the summer opportunities webpage. Additionally, the middle school specific flier provides an overview and outline of offered courses.
This month, you are invited to an electrifying evening filled with community spirit, celebration, and friendly competition. The Everett Public Schools Foundation's Big Give Showdown on Wednesday, March 18th unites students, staff, and families from all 27 Everett school for a night of fun, food, and philanthropy.
You and your family are invited to attend, learn more about the work of educators and students from across our district, and cheer on our North team as we battle it out in a high-energy game show at Everett High School. The eventual champion will take home the coveted Everett Cup, including school-wide bragging rights, and an exciting prize!
RSVP today for our March 18th Benefit Event, The Big Give Showdown at Everett High. Please CLICK HERE to learn more. We hope to see you there!
Do you know a business who would like to sponsor a school team?
Our North Middle team is seeking business sponsors for support in this spirited competition. Each EPS school team is aiming to secure $1,000 in sponsorships. Sponsors will be recognized in the event program and featured on their school team’s t-shirts. If you're interested in learning more and possibly sponsoring our North team, please reach out to Michelle Nims at mnims@everettsd.org.
CHC Dental Clinic Comes to North: March 11th
We are excited to inform you about the upcoming Dental Smile Check Program at North Middle School provided by the CHC. The goal of this program is to introduce and make dental care simple, convenient, and stress-free so students can stay healthy and be focused on school. All students are eligible for this program, there is no income or other eligibility requirements.
To sign up for this amazing opportunity submit a completed consent form before March 9th, 2026 to the school nurse. Consent forms can be found at the link in the QR code below, or follow the following url: https://chcsno.jotform.com/252245783447060. Paper consent forms are also available in the health room.
Program Overview
- On the scheduled day, students with signed consent forms will have a CHC dental professional provide an on-site dental screening.
- During the screening, the overall health of the student’s mouth, including teeth, gums, tongue, cheeks, and other soft tissues will be assessed to identify any signs of disease, decay, or other issues.
- There is no out-of-pocket cost, regardless of whether your student has insurance or not. If insurance is provided, they will bill accordingly, however, there is no cost to families.
- All screened students will receive a Dental Exam Results’ card to share the findings and let you know if additional treatment is recommended.
- If your student has cavities or needs further care, CHC staff will contact you, the parent/guardian, for prompt follow-up. For families without a dentist, we can assist in setting up care at one of the CHC clinics.
Students practice safe riding skills and fixing bikes while building confidence and making friends - and they earn a free bike, helmet, lights and lock when they complete the program.
Register now for the option that fits your family's schedule - space is very limited:
- Spring session meets after school on Tuesdays for 8 weeks, April 21-June 12.
- Summer session meets for June 23-26, 10-3pm (estimated).
- North partners with Sharing Wheels Community Bike Shop to offer this Club off-site.
Please register online at https://sharingwheels.org/youthbikeclub/ or stop in to the front office for more info. Girls are encouraged to apply.
As needs arise, please consider our team at North as a resource for you and your family. We can help with resources including everyday food/meals and anticipated needs across this month. In addition, please click on the below button/link to access a resource guide that we have curated, full of information related to local, partner organizations.
The March edition of our district's newsletter is avaliable and full of needed information ahead of this new month. Please CLICK HERE to access this month's district news.
