November 2015

Dear Parents,
I'm so proud of our students and NEMS community. Here are a few highlights from
recent happenings at NEMS:

Ryan Rich
Principal

Our boys cross country team capped off an outstanding season with a
county championship! The team also finished as state runner up. This is an
amazing accomplishment! Way to go!

We held our first school dance of the year. "Neon November" was a huge
success and the kids has a great time. We even got to see a few staff
members showing off some dance moves!

Our school's literacy initiative remains strong. Our students have now
checked out over 6,000 books through the first three months of school. We
are on pace to shatter our record of most books checked out. Please
continue to encourage your child to read books of their choice that are of
interest to them personally. The more we read, the more improved our
vocabulary, understanding, and writing becomes!

We celebrated an attendance rate of just under 97% for first quarter. This is
an extremely strong attendance rate. Thank you for your commitment in
helping your child be in school all day every day. It makes such a measurable
impact in their learning!

We now have over 18 different countries of origin represented among our

students and staff at NEMS. We are so proud of this diversity and believe it
makes our school stronger. We celebrate the diversity of our school

Our after school bus use on Thursdays has picked up as we have several
clubs meeting, including drama, best buddies, and robotics. We are excited
to see our production of the musical Oklahoma this weekend. If you haven't
done so, be sure to get your tickets!

We recognized over 200 students for All A's on their first quarter report card
during our first All A breakfast.

Vicki Rardin
Assistant Principal
Robert Williamson
Assistant Principal
Jenn Schott
6th School Counselor
Lizette Baumann
7th School Counselor
Drinan George
7th School Counselor
Lisa Lain
8th School Counselor
Rick Fields
Athletic Director

1625 Field Dr.

Noblesville, IN 46060
Ph: 317-773-0782
Fax: 317-776-6261
Attendance:
317: 776-6258
www.noblesvilleschools.org

These are just some of the highlights that make me proud to be a Miller.
Great things continue to happen at NEMS! Thank you for your continued support,
and let me know if there is anything you need or I can do to help your experience at
NEMS be the best!
Go Millers!
Ryan Rich
Principal

Best Buddies service project

Food Drive

Our Best Buddies program is participating

in a service project this year that will
benefit a nonprofit organization called Gear
Going Global. GGG was started by an IU
student who watched a documentary on
WFYI about children in developing
countries who do not have enough money
to afford sporting equipment to play with.
In response, Best Buddies will host a
friendly competition between Noblesville
East Middle School and Noblesville West
Middle School to collect the most new or
gently used sporting equipment at
the November 17th basketball game.
Please support Gear Going Global by
helping NEMS collect more equipment than
our friends across the river!

The NEMS Fellowship of Christian Athletes

(FCA) is sponsoring the 2015 Noblesville Fire
Departments annual Christmas canned food
drive again this year. NEMS collected over
4,600 items last year for the drive and we hope to hit the 5,000+
mark this season! Dates for this year's food drive will be
from November 16-December 1. Teams with the largest number
of collected items will win tasty prizes!!

Box Tops for Education

Fri. Nov. 20th at 7:00 pm

Sat. Nov. 21st at 3:00 pm
Sat. Nov. 21st at 7:00 pm
Sun. Nov. 22nd at 2:00 pm

Please help us earn money

for our school by sending
in Box Tops for Education!
Students should bring the box tops to their
first team class of the day. The class that
collects the most box tops at the end of
each quarter will be treated to breakfast!

Appointments during the school day

When your child needs to leave for an
appointment, please send a note stating
the time you would like to pick up your
child and the reason. Your child should take
this note to the Student Services office
between 7:20 and 7:35 am to secure a pass
to leave school. At the designated time,
your child should show the pass to the
teacher and will be dismissed to meet you.
If this process is followed, your child should
be in the office when you arrive so we do
not have to keep you waiting.

Textbook rental
Textbook rental payments are
past due at this time. The
second installment for those
who have signed the book rental contract is
due aaaaaa
on November 23. Payments may still
be submitted by check or by phone with a
Visa or MasterCard. Please contact Robyn
Schermann with any questions.

Coat Drive
NEMS will be participating in NHSs Live2Serve annual coat drive
beginning November 30, and will continue collecting coats
through December 10. All sizes are needed from infants to adults.
The coats will be donated to Good Samaritan Network of
Noblesville for distribution. Please bring in your old coats!

Noblesville East Middle School presents Oklahoma!

Tickets will be on sale beginning Monday, November. 16, with a

pre-sale on Saturday, November 14 to cast and crew members
only. Tickets can be purchased during NEMS student lunches or at
the door. Seating is reserved. Tickets prices are $3 for students
and $5 for adults.
The show will take place in the NEMS cafeteria. Audience
members should enter the building at Gate 1.

Noblesville Schools volunteer process

We appreciate all of our volunteers at NEMS!
Volunteers applications must be submitted
on the Noblesville Schools website at
http://www.noblesvilleschools.org/Page/882
Please reference the attached chart for any
questions that you may have about our volunteer levels. As noted
on the chart, level 2 background checks must be submitted at
least one week prior to the date of your volunteer event, and level
3 background checks must be submitted at least two weeks prior
to the date of your volunteer event. Your volunteer status is valid
for two years from the date of initial approval.

Digital Citizenship
NEMS is proactively teaching the students about good, positive
digital citizenship. Attached is a resource you can use at home to
help us reinforce these positive practices.

NEMS Important Dates

November 16
PTO Meeting 6:30 pm
November 17
NEMS vs. NWMS boys basketball game
@ home 5:00
November 19
8th grade career day
November 20
All Pro Dad meeting (6:15 am)
RSVP to AMONTARS@amfam.com
Oklahoma! (7:00 pm)
November 21
Oklahoma! (3:00 pm & 7:00 pm)
November 22
Oklahoma! (2:00 pm)

Noblesville Schools Named Apple Distinguished

Program
Noblesville Schools has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished
Program. Apple gives the Distinguished Program recognition to K20 educational institutions that demonstrate innovation,
leadership and educational excellence. Please click here to learn
more about this accomplishment.

Outside activities
Coaches and organizations throughout the community offer a variety of
activities for youth. Click on the links to learn more.

Boys & Girls Club basketball registering grades 3-8 until Nov. 16
http://bgcni.org/images/pdf/Basketball%20Registration%2016.pdf

Noblesville Youth Lacrosse is hosting "Learn to Play"

opportunities in Nov. and Dec. for boys and girls grades 2-8.
http://www.noblesvilleyouthlacrosse.com

All-day Miller Baseball Camps Dec. 21 & 22

K-6 Camp 7th & 8th Camp

All Pro Dads

November 25-27
Thanksgiving Break

http://www.allprodad.com/1814

4-H is recruiting students in grades 1-12 for hands-on learning

December 2
Early Release Day (2:05 pm)
December 4
6th grade & Jazz band concert (7:00 pm)
December 9
Orchestra Concert (7:00 pm)
December 11
Choir Concert at NHS (7:00 pm)
December 18
All Pro Dad meeting (6:15 pm)
End of quarter 2
December 21 January 1
Winter Break
January 4
Teacher work day/Flex day
(Students will not attend school unless
makeup days are needed due to a previous
school closing.)

https://extension.purdue.edu/hamilton/pages/default.aspx

Stay connected with us!

https://twitter.com/NEMSprincipal
NEMS Principal's Parent Connection
www.noblesvilleschools.org
www.facebook.com/NoblesvilleSchools
https://www.facebook.com/NEMSPTO
https://twitter.com/NobSchools
https://twitter.com/@nemscounselors
https://twitter.com/NEMS_NWMS

Community Survey Results

Noblesville Schools has released the results from their recent
community survey conducted by Practical Insights. The district
launched the survey as a means to gather feedback about district
performance and community expectations for the future, as well
as to gain insight into the communitys attitudes regarding a
potential referendum. It was the first comprehensive survey of its
kind in over 5 years. Please click here to view the results of the
survey.

Counselor Corner

November 2015

C AR EE R E XPLORATI ON M ON TH During the month of November & December, Counselors will lead all
students through various career exploration activities.

Counselors

6
6

7
7

Jennifer Schott
Jennifer_schott@nobl.k12.in.us
(317) 773-0782 ext. 16127

Lizette Baumann
(Last Names M-Z)
lizette_baumann@Nobl.k12.in.us
(317) 773-0782 ext. 16126

Drinan George
(last Names A-L)
drinan_george@nobl.k12.in.us
(317) 773-0782 ext. 16126

Lisa Lain
Lisa_lain@Nobl.k12.in.us
(317) 773-0782 ext. 16125

Follow us on Twitter:
@NEMSCounselors
Website:
http://www.noblesvillescho
ols.org/domain/151

We are excited to work in

collaboration with the City
of Noblesvilles Soft Skills
Campaign. Stay
connected with us, as
each month well share
insight on a new skill.
Throughout November
well focus on the soft skill
category and theme
Honesty. Each student
at NEMS will participate in
a monthly activity during
Student Learning Time,
which focuses on the
monthly theme

#NoblesvilleWorks

Canvas, Pow erSchool, Daily Homew ork Slide

As a parent, there are three key resources at NEMS that provide
accountability parenting tools for you and a quick way to monitor
your students progress.
Canvas is the learning management system for our school.
Students often download their assignments from this site
and you can see pertinent updates from the teacher on this
site. You can sign up as an observer to receive daily updates.
Daily Homework Slide and Notability Homework Planner are
utilized to track your students daily and weekly
assignments. Parents can login to see posted daily
homework and students should record their daily
assignments in their Notability homework planner.
PowerSchool is our data management system where
you can view your students grades, attendance records
and teacher grading procedures.

FAMILY TIP SHEET

Common Sense on
Respecting Creative Work

MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL

Whats the Issue?

Its Not a Free-For-All

Our kids are used to having all types of creative work available at their fingertips. Peoples writing, artwork, videos,
and images can be inspiring, but they are also easy to take without thinking twice. We often forget about
copyright law, which protects peoples creative work. Even though kids may feel they have the right to take and
use anything they find online, the Internet is not a free-for-all. Kids have responsibilities for following copyright
law and respecting creative work online. But there are exceptions such as fair use, which allows kids to use a
small amount of copyrighted material without permission in certain situations, such as for schoolwork,
criticizing or commenting on something, and parody. There is also material in the public domain, which
includes work that is no longer copyrighted that kids can use however they want.
Some kids may not think about the hard work that goes into creating something like a movie, song, novel, video
game, or website. They may not realize that copying and pasting material they find online and into schoolwork is
plagiarism. They may not understand that illegal downloading and sharing of music and movies is piracy, which
is stealing. Kids need to be educated about using copyrighted work online, make sure they get permission before
using copyrighted work, and properly cite the work they use. They should also think about how they would want
to protect their own creative work.

common sense says

Help your kid make a habit of using the following process to be a responsible and respectful user and creator.
1. ASK. How does the author say I can use the work? Do I have to get the creators permission first?
2. ACKNOWLEDGE. Did I give credit to the work I used?
3. ADD VALUE. Did I rework the material to make new meaning and add something original?

Tips for Families with Middle-School Kids

We all know what pirates do. Remind your kids that illegal downloading of things such as movies, music, and
software is piracy. and piracy is stealing. It also shows disrespect for the creators who made these works.
Emphasize the importance of originality. At this age, kids appreciate giving credit where credit is due.
Encourage them to come up with their own ideas. In writing for their schoolwork, posting to a blog, or making a
remix, are they saying things in their own words? Or are they relying too heavily on the work and ideas of others?
Encourage constructive commenting. At this age, kids may start to say mean things to each other
especially online about peoples creative works. Encourage your kids to be thoughtful and polite when
commenting on the work of others, both online and offline.

RESPECTING CREATIVE WORK / TIP SHEET / DIGITAL LITERACY AND CITIZENSHIP / REV DATE 2015

www.commonsense.org | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE

Tips for Families with High-School Kids

Encourage legal downloading and sharing. Discourage teens from using peer-to-peer (PTP) sharing sites.
Illegal downloading and PTP sharing sites not only pose legal risks, they also show a lack of respect to the
creators of the content they pirate. Encourage teens to use legitimate online retailers, for their music and movie
downloads.
Challenge teens to take ownership of their work. Teens can get involved with copyright firsthand by
licensing their work. Have they thought about how theyd like others online to be able to use their photos,
writing, or videos? Encourage them to use licensing systems such as Creative Commons.
Is it fair use? Your teen might be making video remixes, mash-ups, fanfiction, blogs, or artwork. Fair use
allows creators to use a small amount of copyrighted material without permission, but only in specific situations.
See if your teen can defend whether or not their reworked creations fall under fair use.

RESPECTING CREATIVE WORK / TIP SHEET / DIGITAL LITERACY AND CITIZENSHIP / REV DATE 2015

www.commonsense.org | CREATIVE COMMONS: ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE

Noblesville Schools
Visitors and Volunteers
Leveling System

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Emergency Contact List /

Special Event

Limited Check + Sex

Offender Check

Full Check

Free

Free

$12.95

Definition: Visiting office

area; observer at a special
event; no sole care,
custody, or supervision

Definition: Access to
students during the school
day under supervision of
Noblesville Schools staff

Definition: Sole care,

custody, and supervision

Examples:
Grandparents Day
Performances
Guest speaker
Special
Performances
Convocations

Volunteers with classroom

exposure, who work with
children and are generally
supervised by school staff.
These occasionally include
short solitary time with
children and short duration
of obstructed view.

At discretion of building
admin or designee;
volunteer status can
be revoked

This volunteer can possibly

have direct and
unsupervised interaction
with children.

Examples:
Lunch
Classroom Parties

Examples:
All Field Trips
Classroom/Building
Volunteer
Tutors/Mentors
PTO/Special Event
Volunteers
(discretion of
building principal)
Field Day

Notification: One week

Frequency: Every 2 years

Notification: Two weeks

Frequency: Every 2 years

At discretion of building
admin or designee;
volunteer status can
be revoked

At discretion of building
admin or designee;
volunteer status can
be revoked