NMS STUDENT NEWSLETTER

Hanukkah, also referred to as the Festival of Lights, is a celebration to honor the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple was reclaimed during a victory against the Syrian army during the second century BCE. Hanukkah lasts for eight nights because the legend tells that when the Temple was reclaimed, there was a small jar of oil inside that should have lasted for only one night, but the oil burned & provided light for eight nights.

Hanukkah this year will be Dec. 14 - 22, 2025. Traditional celebrations include the lighting of a menora candle each of the eight nights, exchanging gifts each night, eating delicious latkes and sufganiyot, singing songs and playing dreidel. Do you and your family celebrate Hanukkah? If so, what are your favorite traditions?

Each week our Best Buddies club brings a diverse group of students together for a fun activity. Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, the group created ginger bread houses, took photos in front of a fireplace backdrop and had a visit from Skipper the Dog. The group meets every other Tuesday and their next meeting will be next year (get it...).

Name: Mrs. Burke

Worked here for: 12 years

Favorite thing or task: Helping with the play and making props. She also loves helping with after school activities.

Favorite thing about working in the office: That she gets to see every student from 6th to 8th grade and watch them grow.

Dream thing to hear from kids: That they had a great day and that she was even a small part of that great day.

We had a number of kind "shout-out's" on our Kindness Form. Elizabeth Shaw is recognized for putting a smile on people's faces and holding the door for staff and students. Annabelle Lee Burns helped a friend with their my work that they were struggling to understand. Cora Kulage also got a nice shout out by a friend who is grateful for her humor and kindness. Maresa Weikum and Cora Collins helped a classmate pick up their belongings in the hallway. And Gia Striano is a good, kind friend. Thank you!

by Marge Piercy

A row of tall skinny candles burns
quickly into the night
air, the shames raised
over the rest
for its hard work.

Darkness rushes in
after the sun sinks
like a bright plug pulled.
Our eyes drown in night
thick as ink pudding.

When even the moon
starves to a sliver
of quicksilver

the little candles poke
holes in the blackness.

A time to eat fat
and oil, a time to gamble
for pennies and gambol

A single day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus.

No number before 1,000 contains the letter A.

There were active volcanos on the moon when dinosaurs were alive.

Winters on Uranus are 21 Earth years.

The pope can’t be an organ donor.

A single strand of spaghetti is called a spaghetto.

Avocados are fruits, not vegetables.

Pineapples take two years to grow.

Most wasabi paste isn’t real wasabi.

Earth's rotation speed is changing.

Here are the upcoming sports match-ups:

• 12th Varsity Boys Swimming at Brockton High 4-4:30p

• 12th Varsity Girls Swimming at Brockton High 4-4:30p

• 15th Varsity Boys Swimming at Feehan High 4-7:00p

• 15th Varsity Girls Swimming at Feehan High 4-7:00p

• 17th Varsity Boys Hockey vs. Rockland High 5:20-7p

• 17th Varsity Girls Swimming at Medfield Senior High 6-7p

• 17th Varsity Boys Swimming at Medfield Senior High 6-7p

• 17th Varsity Boys Basketball at East Boston High 6:30-8p

Dec. 22: Candy Cane Day

Dec. 23: Comfy Cozy & Early Release Day

Dec. 24 - Jan. 2, 2026: No School - Vacation Week

Jan. 1, 2026: New Year’s Day

Jan. 19: No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day