Dear NAMS families,

We really need your help in making our annual food drive an even bigger success than last year.  Please read below for more information, specifically what we are hoping to collect.  And finally, we hope to see you at the NAMS production of Bye Bye Birdie.  Tickets go on sale Monday.

Your Help Needed for PTAC-Sponsored NAMS Holiday Brunch on December 13th

This year's PTAC sponsored Holiday Brunch will take place on Thursday, December 13th for NAMS staff. Volunteers are still needed to help festively decorate the conference room and also fill it with delicious soups, casseroles, muffins, cakes, salads, and desserts as a THANK YOU to the hardworking staff at NAMS. PLEASE SIGN UP HERE!

If your specialty is not included on our sign-up list, we'll take it! Just contact Eleanor Lucarini (erlucarini@gmail.com) or Diane Nikolopoulos (santorini1010@comcast.net) to let them know what you'll be making.

Thank you for supporting this event!

PTAC Board

Bye Bye Birdie Tickets

Shows will run on Thursday, December 6, 2018 and Friday, December 7, 2018 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, December 8, 2018 at 2 p.m.  Tickets will be on sale the week of December 3, 2018 during lunches.  Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students.  We hope to see you there!

Reminders

Wednesday, December 5, 2018 is an early release day for students who will be dismissed at 1:05 a.m.

NAMS ANNUAL BREAD & ROSES FOOD DRIVE

December 3-7, 2018 Sponsored by Student Leadership

Our annual NAMS Student Leadership food drive for Bread & Roses is scheduled to begin on Monday, December 4th and is scheduled to conclude on Friday, December 8th. Collection boxes will be placed in all homerooms.  Last year, NAMS donated 3,042 lbs. of food and we are hoping to make an even bigger impact this year. Due to the gas explosions, the needs are even greater.

Below you will find a list of food items that have been requested along with information about Bread & Roses.  

Bread & Roses is a soup kitchen in Lawrence, MA that has long been a center of hope and caring to the thousands of people in the Merrimack Valley who are struggling for survival. Their primary purpose is to ease the hunger of people in our community by providing a well-balanced, nutritious evening meal.  Last year, Bread & Roses fed over 60,000 people. The needs are especially high this year because of the gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley.

Please bring in any of the following items which are considered critical needs now:

• Canned vegetables
• Canned fruit  
• Juice boxes
• Shelf-stable fruit cups
• Applesauce
• Tomato/spaghetti sauce
• Vegetable cooking spray
• Cranberry sauce  
• Pasta and rice products
• Saltine crackers
• Oatmeal
• Mac & cheese mix
• Cereal - low sugar/high fiber
• Shelf-stable milk
• Dry milk
• Canned tuna, salmon, chicken
• Canned soup or beef stew
• Canned or dry beans/peas
• Peanut butter
• Chicken and beef broth
• Ranch salad dressing
• Splenda/Sweet N Low
• Paper products: napkins, paper lunch bags
• Ziploc bags - all sizes
• Gift cards for Market Basket or Stop & Shop

Opportunity for Current NAMS Grades 7 & 8 Students

FIELD ECOLOGY AND GEOLOGY COURSE – TETON MOUNTAIN SCHOOL, JACKSON, WYOMING

August 2-11, 2019

Approximate Cost: $3,500 which includes everything (i.e. food, travel, lodging, instruction)

Tentative Itinerary and Course Objectives:

This summer field course will take place on the campus of the Teton Mountain School in Jackson, Wyoming.   Jackson is just outside Teton National Park and an hour south of Yellowstone National Park, both of which are areas renowned for their biological and geological wonders.  Teton Mountain School is a field school that specializes in teaching science programs about the Teton/Yellowstone ecosystems to k-12 students. This class will focus on teaching students about the local ecology and geology/geomorphology of the area.   For 6 days, we will stay in dormitories at the Teton Mountain School in Jackson. Here we will look at the geology and glacial geomorphology of Jackson Hole, so that students understand the geology that created the “hole”/valley where the town is located, and the surrounding Teton Mountains.  Then we will look at how the glaciers have weathered these mountains and created their current features and topography on a hike up into the valley to an active glacier. We will also study the ecology of the unique ecosystem within Jackson Hole. We will also spend 5 days and 4 nights touring and camping in Yellowstone National Park.   This section of the class will cover several different subjects that are unique to Yellowstone. We will study the geology that is behind the formation of the remarkable geologic features found in Yellowstone, such as geysers and hot springs, as well as the volcanic geology that created the park itself (it is a hotspot, much like Hawaii, but in the center of a continent).   We will hike to a fossil forest where entire forests were buried by volcanic ash and fossilized, leaving standing trunks of rock. We will also study fire ecology, looking at how Yellowstone has recovered from the devastating wildfires that burned much of the park a decade ago, and how this influences the ecology of the region. Finally, we will study how the reintroduction of wolves into the Yellowstone ecosystem and how this has changed the ecology of the park and the importance of top predators in other ecosystems.  

This class will be offered for credit through the summer school program.  It will include some pre-trip and post-trip research as well as a final assessment (research paper, project and/or final exam).  All meals, lodging, bedding, and transportation while in Jackson is included in the tuition price and will be handled by the Teton Mountain School.  Tuition will also include transportation to Logan Airport and the cost of the airline ticket to Jackson, WY. Linens, sleeping bag and pad, and camping equipment are all included in the price.  

If you are interested in applying to join this trip, please contact Mr. Richard by Friday, December 7th.   

Craig Richard richardc@northandoverpublicschools.com

Do recent community events have you feeling STRESSED? Are you WORRIED for your loved ones but aren’t sure what to do?

Join Gina-Marie Bonanno, LMHC, Licensed School Psychologist and Trauma Intervention Consultant, for a workshop on how to identify and address signs of stress and trauma.

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

10:00—11:30 a.m. @ Stevens Estate

723 Osgood Street

AND

7:00—8:30 p.m.

North Andover High School

This event is free and open to all members of the North Andover community.

For more information contact Deanna Cruz Community Support Coordinator Town of North Andover dcruz@northandoverma.gov 978-794-1703

NAMS PTAC Direct Appeal Campaign

If you have not already, please donate to the NAMS PTAC.  You may find the direct appeal letter to NAMS families here which provides all of the different ways that you can donate.  NAMS PTAC relies mainly on direct donations from the NAMS Community to raise the funds necessary to support these programs at the middle school.

NAMS Merrimack College Hockey Night

Come join us for a fun night as we watch the Men’s Merrimack College Hockey Team take on the University of Maine!

Saturday, February 16, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. at Lawlor Rink at Merrimack College

Tickets are $15 per person and include admission and a puck for Merrimack’s Chuck-A-Puck!

Additional prizes will be given away at the game so make sure to get your tickets!

TICKETS ARE LIMITED - These discounted tickets will not be available at the door. Purchase your tickets for the holidays!

Please see the attached flyer for more information.

Save the Dates:  

Thursday, December 13th- Teacher holiday brunch

Saturday, February 16th- Merrimack Hockey Game, see below for more information

Friday, January 25th- Comedy Night Fundraiser at China Blossom

February- Book Fair along with Family Night

Next PTAC Meeting:  Thursday, January 10th at 9:00 a.m. in the NAMS Cafeteria.

NAMS 2018-2019 Yearbooks

You can order your NAMS 2018-2019 yearbook online now for $35 here.