On Thursday February 9th, 2012 at 7:00 - 9:00 pm Dr. Allison Rees (Parenting expert and psychologist) will be coming to Bayside Middle School to speak on the topic of Sidestepping the Power Struggle with your Tween.

CONTACT BAYSIDE PAC at baysidepac@gmail.com if you wish to attend.

NSMS will be putting in a small clothing order for Hawk's clothing on January 26, 2012. This order is intended for anyone who missed the original sales period, or who has spoken to me about a re-order. Since clothing size samples are not available, anyone placing an order needs to be sure of sizing. (There was a bit of a feeling expressed that the clothing is a little smaller than expected, and that the fleece, in particular, does shrink a little). Please contact me (Doug Caley) for order forms.

FSA Practice

Grade 7 FSA

Foundation Skills Assessments (FSA) will be administered to all grade 7 students during January and February. The assessments measure basic reading, writing and numeracy skills over school years to date, not just skills acquired in a single grade. The primary purpose of FSA is to help schools and school districts evaluate how foundations skills are being addressed and make plans for improvement. The secondary purpose is to provide individual student information. The results can show where students are doing well and skills they need to work on. There will be both in class written assessments as well as online multiple choice questions. Parents will be provided with the results of the assessments.

Students can go on line at www.bced.gov.bc.ca/assessment/fsa and click on "sample questions". Selecting "multiple choice" takes students to the online numeracy and literacy sections. Students only have select the school district number "63" and the practice Password and PEN number come up automatically. Selecting "student response booklet" takes students to the written portion for numeracy and literacy. It is recommended students review the sample questions on line.

3rd: Tuesday School Re-Opens from Winter Break
16th: Monday First Swim Team Practice
10th: Friday Hunger For Humanity

Please click on these links for more information about this exciting opportunity!

Global Friendships Poster

Frequently Asked Questions

Host Family Application

Criminal Record Check Letter of the RCMP

Information about closing events & reunion for NSMS can be found at: http://www.nsmsreunion.myevent.com/

Youth in Action Group:
an enthusiastic, committed group of NSMS students helping others and making change both in our community and around the world

Our schedule of events:

Oct. 31^st Halloween for Hunger and “No Cans, No Glory” (food drive)
Nov. 30^th Vow of Silence (raise money and awareness for impoverished and exploited children)
Jan. 27^th Hunger for Humanity (go without food for a day)
Feb. 29th “Think Pink” - Anti-bullying Day
Apr. 20^th Water Walk (walk with 2 buckets of water around the field)
May 26^th “Bottles for Bricks” (bottle drive)
May 30^th Windup Celebration for Youth in Action Group members

Policy 5540 (Criminal Record Reviews for Staff and Volunteers) has just been approved by the Saanich Board of Education at its meeting on June 15, 2011. We wish to inform parent volunteers about this new policy and request that you review it in detail at your earliest convenience.

There are some key elements of this new policy that will affect operations in all schools and are summarized as follows:

1. If you had a Criminal Record Check done for the 2010/11 school year, it will be valid for one more school year (2011/12), as all CRC's will now have a validity period of TWO YEARS.

2. If you believe you may volunteer in any capacity, including driving, starting in September 2011, and you have NOT yet submitted a CRC to the school district, we are requesting that you do so AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. There can be significant delays (up to 120 days) for some applications, so it is recommended that potential volunteers begin the process now.

3. Parents can obtain a letter from the school that will allow them to obtain a CRC with NO FEE.

4. Parents are required to go to the police station in the municipality in which they live, provide photo ID and complete the CRC application at that location.

5. The completed Criminal Record Check needs to be submitted to the School Board Office at 2125 Keating X Rd. When the volunteer's name is added to the Volunteer List, he/she can volunteer anywhere in the school district for up to 2 years.

Saanich Schools are able to provide the quality of curricular and extra curricular programs due to the support of volunteers on a regular basis. We wish to take this moment to thank you for your support for our school and our students