October 15, 2023

Welcome North Families,

Our newsletters up to this point have been focused on communicating procedures and processes that may be different from families’ experiences in elementary schools.  This week, I’d like to highlight an experience that we strive to remain the same from elementary to high school, and that is school safety.  

The School District of Menomonee Falls has a strong relationship with the Menomonee Falls Police Department and has partnered together to create emergency procedures founded on best practices.  These procedures are not only taught to staff, but we also practice drills to teach our students how to respond if an emergency event takes place.  

An important consideration in our planning and execution of drills with students is ensuring the practice for an emergency is not a traumatic event for students.  Very soon, we will be practicing a lockdown with students, in which students will remain at their desks and participate in a conversation with their teacher about student and teacher responsibilities during a lockdown.  Staff will share the lockdown student presentation to guide the conversation.  This presentation is linked below for you to review as well.  

Lockdown Student Presentation  

The safety of our students is all of our responsibility.  Having a community like Menomonee Falls is the most important factor in ensuring our students are safe.  When we have students and families that follow the practice, see something, say something, then we are able to work proactively for the safety of all.  Thank you for all you do to contribute to the safety of our students.  

Teri Kovars



October Students of the Month

• Charles Kaye
• Sanjna Kalsi
• Timothy Xiong
• Shiloh McElroy
• Monica Hoover
• Kiersten Retzlaff
• Kieran Bishop
• Chase Cusatis
• Kingston Murray
• Greyson Ball

• Ryan Carroll
• Gabby Jones
• Allie Thompson
• Maggie Schlotthauer
• Reid Kempf
• Phoenix Korth
• Hunter Wren
• Mason Callies
• Dheeptha Lakshmi Arun Kumar
• Gaven Pagel
• Paige Melzer

• Kylie Cloyd
• Leah Jeserig
• Ava Torbenson
• Emily Washburn
• Ahren Graff
• Joshua Imediegwu
• Reagan Ester
• Colton Podevels
• Aiden Elliott
• Anderson Tabor
• Reagan Hill

What is your connection to the Falls community?

I grew up in the Falls.

What schools did you attend in Menomonee Falls?

Ben Franklin Elementary, Thomas Jefferson Middle, North Junior High, and Menomonee Falls High School.

Who was your favorite teacher when you went to school in Menomonee Falls?

Mrs. Stacy - Kindergarten

Why did you decide to teach in Menomonee Falls?

To give back to the community!

Why did you decide to teach in Menomonee Falls?

I loved attending high school football games and cheering on our team! It was especially fun when my brother was on the varsity team that went to state in 2009!

This school year, in each newsletter, we will be highlighting students whose

character stands out above the rest. These students’ actions support a

culture of caring, empathy, and compassion here at North.  

Lily is motivated, kind, and helpful in art class! Every day in art, I see her help her peers, and she is so welcoming to ALL students in the room. I really love having her in the class, and she is such a strong, quiet leader.

Lily C. - Nominated by: Ms. McCalligan

Gemma is so patient and kind. She works well with everyone! Her kindness is observed daily. She does well in labs and she is always on task and working hard. I'm very impressed :)

Gemma M. - Nominated by: Mrs. Pritchard

 Bentleigh stayed to help straighten out the desks in my classroom on her own. Thank you Bentleigh, your help was appreciated!

Bentleigh D. - Nominated by: Mrs. Luera

Dionn is VERY impressive in the art room. He has some amazing ideas that he is very willing to share with his classmates. Specifically, he had some amazing Mashable theme ideas for our sticker project. Dionn is also a very kind, gentle person with some serious drawing skills. I'm honored to have him in my Digital Art class.

Dionn M-U. - Nominated by: Mrs. Walsh

Austin has been an incredible listener, leader, and hard worker in Sculpture. He is always excited to start working and shows pride in his work daily. Austin is not only a great artist in the room but also a helpful, kind peer, and I am thrilled to have him in class!

Austin C. - Nominated by: Ms. McCalligan

Hello NMS Families!

Mrs. Walsh, your friendly neighborhood Art Teacher and Traffic Director extraordinaire, would like to remind everyone dropping students off in the morning to please join the drop-off line that starts on the west side of Garfield Avenue. While the line looks long, it typically moves very fast and is the safest way to drop off your NMS student(s) every morning. Once you join the drop-off line, please encourage your student to grab their belongings and be ready to exit the vehicle so we can keep the line moving. Please avoid dropping your student(s) off in other locations near the building, especially the bus line. While these locations may be closer or more convenient for you, they are also more dangerous for our buses, students, and ultimately you and your vehicle. 

Stay safe, and we'll see you in the morning.

Mrs. Walsh

The North Builders Club is sponsoring the 2nd annual food drive for our very own Falls Area Food Pantry. Students are encouraged to bring in non perishable food items to their 1st hour classes. 

The 1st hour class in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade that donate the most food will earn donuts. If our North students donate 2000 or more non perishable food items, each student will get to throw a water balloon at Mrs. Kovars, Mr. Ruff, or Mr. Kirt. 

The Food Drive has been extended through Thursday, October 19th!

Cross Country

The Cross Country team wrapped up a great season at the Conference Championships in Grafton on Tuesday. All runners did a fantastic job and many got a new personal record.



8th grade boys placed 2nd overall

8th grade girls placed 3rd overall

6th and 7th grade placed in the top 10

This was a great season with a lot of talent and sportsmanship. Many friendships were formed and a lot of fun memories created. We want to thank all the families that supported our runners this season, we truly appreciate it! We hope to see everyone again next season!

Girls Basketball

The 7th grade basketball team is 8-2 so far this season. Recently, they have played some very competitive games against Grafton, Templeton, and Whitman, which all resulted in wins!

The secret to the team’s success has been tough defense and playing as one. We pride ourselves on statistics such as steals, ball touches, assists, and try to set goals to achieve high numbers in these statistical areas.

Starting next week we have rematches against teams we narrowly lost to including Slinger and Kennedy, both of those games will be played at home. I am very grateful for this extremely approachable, talented and reflective group of players; win or lose we always believe that there is something we can improve from each game. Come cheer them on next Thursday, October 19th as we host our annual special game at Menomonee Falls High School at 3:45, which will feature a rematch against tough conference rival, Slinger! 

The 8th Grade Girls Basketball team is 7-4 this season against a very strong Braveland Conference, and have played excellent basketball over the past two weeks! The girls have beaten rival Templeton twice and played very strong games against two of the top teams in the league, Slinger & Germantown. We are excited for return games with both schools next week!

This year's team captains are Mady Loeb & Riann Coles, and we have been blessed with the addition of MFHS Junior Kate Adomavich as our Assistant Coach. The girls are having fun, focusing on the fundamentals, and working toward our big goal to "Get Better Every Day". Come cheer them on next Thursday, October 19th as we host our annual special game at MFHS at 4:45



We are currently looking for boys basketball coaches at North. The season runs from November 6th through January 16th.

If you are interested in the position, please contact our Athletic Director, Brian Kirt: kirtbri@sdmfschools.org, 262-946-2148.

Many of our clubs and activities have started so please check the daily announcements and website for more information.

Athletic & Activities registration information

Red Ribbon Week is October 23 - 27!

North Middle School will be focusing on making healthy choices related to substances and mental health. In partnership with MFHS, students will have various activities throughout the week. MFHS students will be setting up informational tables on Monday and Friday of this week to build awareness with our middle school students on how to choose a healthy lifestyle and make positive decisions. 

On Friday, October 27th, North will be having a guest speaker from the Love, Logan Foundation during the school day.

For parents who would like to view this presentations, learn about the Love, Logan Foundation and ask any questions of the presenter, there will be a guardian presentation on Tuesday, October 17th from 6:30-8:00 at Menomonee Falls High School. 

The Love Logan Foundation’s mission is to save lives through increased support and education in the community, to end the stigma associated with mental health and substance use disorder and to raise awareness of the dangers of fentanyl and other illicit drugs. Please reach out to Brooke Jakobi, the School District of Menomonee Falls AODA Coordinator at jakobro@sdmfschools.org with any questions.

Favorites

Color: Purple

Restaurant: ParkSide 23

Winter Activity: I don't like cold weather.

Summer Activity: Anything outside in the sun.

Childhood Cartoon: ThunderCats

TV Show: Any Netflix Documentary

How many years have you been at North Middle School? 20 years

What was your first job? Nanny

What is one thing you could not live without? My family

If you had a bumper sticker on your car, what would it say?

"Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud" - Maya Angelou

If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing, what would it be? Time

If you won a million dollars, what would you do with it? Invest and retire

If you could get a free ticket to any event, where are you going? 

SuperBowl when the Packers are playing or Rose Bowl when the Badgers are playing.

Where is one place you would like to visit? The Maldives or The Galapagos Islands

If you could travel to any decade, what decade do you choose? 60's

PTSO Halloween Dance

NMS PTSO is excited to host the first dance of the school year on October 27th from 6-8PM. Students are invited to dress in a costume to get into the fall spirit - this is NOT required to attend! Admission is $5 (free for PTSO members). Tickets will be purchased - cash only - at entry for Non- PTSO members while all PTSO Members should give their names at entry. Snacks will be available for cash purchase. A big thank you to the NMS staff for chaperoning! 

Drop off and pick up will be located on Garfield Drive. There will be no student access to the main entrance.

*No gore, blood, or masked costumes are permitted at the dance.*



 There is still time to become a PTSO member! Join by Oct. 15! Please complete our online membership form and turn in payment so that your student can receive free admission to our October 27 and February 9 dances. Not sure if you signed up for a membership yet? Members will be receiving a "Welcome Email" on or before October 12th. 

 A note about payment: While we know there are a wide variety of digital payment providers (Venmo, Cash App, etc) we cannot offer these services at this time. As a whole, we are looking for ways to reduce our fees, and PayPal has provided the PTSO with a charity option. We will continue to explore additional options for future years. A big thank you to our North Star Community as we navigate this. Thank you for your support!!

Interested in getting involved with minimal commitment? We are looking for the following:

1. Membership Committee - 1-2 more people assist current Chair with duties

2. Staff Appreciation Committee - 1 person, assist with funding/donation for Teacher Appreciation Week

Join us at Cafe Zupas on October 18th between 4-9PM. Don't forget to mention you are with the fundraiser to earn up to 25% for the NMS PTSO!

Literacy Cafe is ready to get started for the year!  If your student is interested in a book club that reads high interest books of their choosing and meets to talk about these awesome books, Literacy Cafe is for them!  This week in their Language Arts class, they will hear all about Literacy Cafe and have a chance to sign up for the first round that will begin in November.