Friends of NMS

Healthy Eating Initiative

2010-11-25T04:13:00.000-08:00

The Fruits and Vegetables Grant from Nashwaaksis Middle School is in place to give students the opportunity to try some new and or different healthy eating options. We have also however, been asked to bring back a favorite of students Taco Soup. A date has been secured for this to happen on Tuesday November 30, 2010. We will be making the soup from scratch and all we need are the hands to make and serve the students. We will be starting to make the soup at 8:00 am.

If anyone has some time to spare in order to help us with this endeavor please contact one of us or the office (453-5436) at your convenience.

Thanks a million again for all your help.

Friends of NMS Co-Chairs

Cindy Chase Mary Martin Janice MacFarlane
dcrahm@nbnet.nb.ca mjmarti@nb.sympatico.ca jmacfarlane1@rogers.com

FRIENDS OF NMS, GENERAL MEETING

2010-11-10T06:53:00.001-08:00

Please note that the Friends of NMS committee will be holding their first General Meeting of the 2010/2011 school year on November 18, 2010 at 7:00 pm at Nashwaaksis Middle School. This meeting is open to any interested Parent, Grandparent, or Guardian of students in attendance at Nashwaaksis Middle School. We look forward to seeing you there!
Friends of NMS Co-Chairs,

Cindy Chase Mary Martin Janice MacFarlane dcrahm@nbnet.nb.ca cmjmarti@nb.sympatico.ca jmacfarlane1@rogers.com

French Book Fair

2010-09-13T08:56:00.001-07:00

Friends of NMS are looking for Volunteers to help out with our 4th Annual French book fair which will run:

Sept. 21, 2010 10 am–12 pm, 1 pm-7pm
Sept. 22, 2010 10 am-12 pm, 1 pm-8pm
Sept. 23, 2010 10 am–12 pm, 1 pm-7pm

If there are any Parents, Grandparents or Guardians who are available to help out with a couple of these hours
and would like to work the book fair please let us know.

You can contact Nasis Middle at 453-5436
Friends of NMS Co-Chairs:
Janice MacFarlane jmacfarlane1@rogers.com
Mary Martin cmjmarti@nb.sympatico.ca
Cindy Chase dcrahm@nbnet.nb.ca

French Book Fair

2010-09-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

French Book Fair

2010-09-10T10:32:00.001-07:00

Nashwaaksis Middle School's 4th Annual Scholastic All French Book Fair will be held during the following times:

Tuesday, September 21st - 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 22nd - 1:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 23rd - 1:00 - 7:00 p.m.

A full slate of books from easy readers, bestsellers, series and other titles will be available. If you need any further information, please contact the office at 453-5436.

Grade 8 Celebration

2010-06-08T16:02:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,
On June 23, 2010, our grade 8 students will be honored with the annual NMS’ Luau Celebration. This is a celebration of their growth, friendships and experiences of the past 3 years. The students will be taking part in activities both at Killarney Lake and on the school premises (BBQ and Luau dance and games).

(Please note: This is a theme based event and NOT a formal).

We are in need of parent volunteers who would be interested in helping with:
1. The BBQ, we will need everything ready to be served at 11:00 am. Therefore, we will have to meet at 9:30 am to begin preparation and cooking.
2. Decorating for the dance (afternoon), we will be decorating while the students are at Killarney Lake.
3. Helping with activities at the dance. The dance will be from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm. Volunteers should be at the school by 5:30 pm – 5:45 pm.
4. Donating food items for the evening activities
5. Clean up immediately after the dance at 8:30 pm.

We would like to invite anyone in our NMS community that may have a talent to share, or who just want to help out and have some fun to contact us. Our grade eights are moving on, let’s help them sail off with some great memories.

Remember…….. the more volunteers we have, the more fun the kids will have. If interested, please contact:

Mary Martin Janice MacFarlane Cindy Chase
cmjmarti@nb.sympatico.ca jmacfarlane1@rogers.com dcrahm@nbnet.nb.ca

Thank you in advance and Aloha,
Friends of NMS Co-Chars, Janice, Mary and Cindy

Sports Awards Help needed

2010-06-04T12:19:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick note regarding an upcoming event that we have been asked to assist with: The Sports Awards. We will be meeting on June 11, 2010 at 10:00 am to decorate the theatre and prepare a light lunch. If anyone is available to help out with these activities could you please either let one of us know at your earliest convenience or contact the school office (453-5436).

Thanks for your continued support.
Friends of NMS Co-Chairs
Cindy Chase Mary Martin Janice MacFarlane

Friends Meeting

2010-05-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

Please note that the Friends of NMS will be having an Annual General Meeting on Wednesday June 2, 2010 at 7:00 p.m at Nashwaaksis Middle School.
A large part of this meeting will be discussing the plans for the up coming Grade 8 Celebration.

Thanks a million
Friends of NMS Co-Chairs

Mary Martin Janice MacFarlane Cindy Chase
cmjmarti@nb.sympatico.ca jmacfarlane1@rogers.com dcrahm@nbnet.nb.ca

Friends Update

2010-05-17T08:44:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

We have been asked to help out with a reception that is being held to honor students who will be receiving the Notable Improvement award at NMS this year. The reception will be tea held for students and family members on May 26, 2010 . We will be meeting the day before May 25, 2010 at 9:00 am to prepare the sandwiches and anything else that can be made ahead of time. The school will be providing all the supplies we just need help with the preparation, set up, and serving, we will be putting this together at 9:30 am May 26. If anyone is able to spare some time on either May 25 or May 26 please either e-mail one of us or contact the school office
453-5436) at your convenience. Thanks for your continued support.

Friends of NMS Co-Chairs
Mary Martin cmjmarti@nb.sympatico.ca
Janice MacFarlane
jmacfarlane1@rogers.com
Cindy Chase
dcrahm@nbnet.nb.ca

Healthy Eating Initiative

2010-04-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

Friends of NMS have been asked to prepare another Healthy Eating Initiative. We will be preparing this on Wednesday May 5, 2010. We will be meeting at 9:00 am to prepare and serve the students. If you are available to assist in any way please contact one of us at your convenience.

Thanks a million

Friends of NMS Co-Chairs Janice Macfarlane jmacfarlane1@rogers.com, Cindy Chase dcrahm@nbnet.nb.ca, Mary Martin cmjmarti@nb.sympatico.ca

School Dance

2010-04-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

We will be holding another school dance this Thursday, April 22, 2010. The dance will be running from 6:00 until 8:30 p.m. in the Field House. The cost has been increased to $ 5.00 per person to help offset the added cost of having police security at the dance. Drop off for all students will be at the front of the school. Pick up will be, for grade 6 students, at the front of the school and for grade 7 and 8 students, in the back parking lot. We are looking for parent chaperone's for the dance. If you are available, please contact either Janice MacFarlane, Mary Martin or Cindy Chase. All of their email addresses are accessible on our website. You may also call the school at 453-5436.

Friends News

2010-03-23T12:40:00.001-07:00

Hi everybody, just a couple of things to finish up March......

On Tuesday March 30, 2010 we will helping the Renaissance Club students put on a Spaghetti lunch for the MVA (Most Valuable Attitude) awards. This will be a morning activity starting at 8:30 am through lunch hour, preparing the meal and serving approximately 30-40 MVA students.

Also, on Wednesday March 31, 2010 we will be putting on a light supper (pot luck) for the teachers during the parent teacher interviews. Food should be dropped off by 3:00 pm so it can be set up and be ready for our wonderful teachers and staff at 3:30 pm.

If you are able to help on Tuesday or contribute food on Wednesday please contact: Janice Macfarlane jmacfarlane1@rogers.com, Cindy Chase dcrahm@nbnet.nb.ca, Mary Martin cmjmarti@nb.sympatico.ca or the school at 453-5436.

Thanks in advance
Friends of NMS
Mary, Janice & Cindy

Winter Carnival

2010-02-22T04:42:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone,

We would like to thank everyone for all their help in making the Staff luncheon a huge success. Having awesome volunteers helps make our tasks easier.

Winter Carnival is being held next week and we have been asked to help out with a couple of tasks. The dance is being held on Thursday February 25, 2010 if anyone is available to decorate at 1:00 or supervise from 5:45 - 8:30 please let us know or call the office at 453-5436. As well, we need volunteers to help make and serve hot chocolate to the students on Friday February 26, 2010 starting from 8:30 am to approximately noon.

If anyone is available for either of these activities could you please e-mail one of us or call the office (453-5436) at your convenience.

Thanks a million again for all your help.

Friends of NMS Co-Chairs

Mary Martin Janice MacFarlane Cindy Chase
cmjmarti@nb.sympatico.ca jmacfarlane1@rogers.com dcrahm@nbnet.nb.ca

Election Information

2010-01-11T11:46:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

We would like to notify everyone of the slight change in the timing of our elections for the Friends of NMS Co Chair positions, as well as the Annual General Meeting date.
Those of you wishing to vote may do so on:

Wednesday January 13, 2010 between 8:30am-3:30pm & 6:30 pm-8:30pm
Thursday January 14, 2010 between 8:30am- 3:30pm

Our Annual General Meeting will be held on January 18 at 7:30pm.

Thanks!

Friends Election Reminder

2010-01-07T09:05:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

We would like to remind you of the Elections for the new Executive taking place next week on Wednesday, January 13, 2010. Elections will run from 6:30-8:30pm. The Nominees are Cindy Chase, Kari Hirst, Janice MacFarlane, Mary Martin and Jennifer Shepherd. We encourage you to come out and take part in this democratic process. The 3 successful candidates will then be installed at our Annual General Meeting which takes place on Thursday January 14 @ 7 pm. There are also proposed amendments to the Constitution which can be viewed on the Friends of NMS Blog on the school's website. Hope you can attend.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING--- THURSDAY JANUARY 14, 2010 @ 7PM

1. Welcome
2. Approval of Agenda
3. Approval of Minutes
4. Voting on Proposed Amendments to Constitution
5. Year in Review
6. Principal's Remarks
7. Installing of the New Executive
8. Adjournment

Constitutional Amendments

2010-01-04T04:42:00.000-08:00

The following are proposed amendments to the Friends of NMS Constitution.

1. A Motion to remove June from the following: AMENDMENTS section (d). Written notice of a proposed amendment to the Constitution, together with names of its sponsors (minimum of two required), was sent (email, blog or paper copy) to the membership not fewer than ten (10) days before the June Annual General Meeting.

2. A motion to amend Meetings section II. To replace the minimum of 4 General meetings per year, with the minimum of 3 General meetings and remove the word quarterly.
II. General meetings (at minimum of 4 per school year) will be held quarterly at the
Executive’s discretion. The Executive may meet prior to each general meeting if
necessary.
to be replaced with
II. General meetings (at minimum of 3 per school year) will be held at the
Executive’s discretion. The Executive may meet prior to each general meeting if
necessary.
3. A motion to amend Election and Terms of Office Bylaws. To replace December or January nominations with April or May nominations. To replace 'Voting, if necessary, shall be conducted after Christmas break' with "Voting, if necessary, shall be conducted in May". To replace "The elected officers Friends of NMS shall be involved in a January transition meeting" with "The elected officers Friends of NMS shall be involved in a May transition meeting"
Election and Terms of Office Bylaws
In December the Executive as Nominating Committee shall canvass the voting members to
identify candidates for the executive.
Nominations will be accepted by school administration until a stated day in December or
January. The Nominating Committee shall list those seeking office on the blog.
All parents (or legal guardians) have the right to nominate or stand for election as long as
they have a child currently attending the school.
Voting, if necessary, shall be conducted after Christmas break by ballot over two days with
the principal or his/her designate acting as Returning Officers.
The candidate(s) receiving the highest number(s) of votes shall be declared elected. The
number of votes received shall be recorded (but not publicly released) in the event of a
resolution to a no consensus to decide Chair issue is required.
The elected officers Friends of NMS shall be involved in a January transition meeting and shall be
installed in their offices at the beginning of the calendar year.
If any office of the Executive shall become vacant during the year, the remaining Executive may
appoint a volunteer member of Friends of NMS to serve until the following years’ election can be
held.
The absence of any Executive member without just cause from two consecutive meetings shall
constitute a vacancy.
to be replaced with
Election and Terms of Office Bylaws
In April the Executive as Nominating Committee shall canvass the voting members to
identify candidates for the executive.
Nominations will be accepted by school administration until a stated day in April or May.
The Nominating Committee shall list those seeking office on the blog.
All parents (or legal guardians) have the right to nominate or stand for election as long as
they have a child currently attending the school.
Voting, if necessary, shall be conducted in May by ballot over two days with
the principal or his/her designate acting as Returning Officers.
The candidate(s) receiving the highest number(s) of votes shall be declared elected. The
number of votes received shall be recorded (but not publicly released) in the event of a
resolution to a no consensus to decide Chair issue is required.
The elected officers Friends of NMS shall be involved in a May transition meeting and shall be
installed in their offices at the beginning of the calendar year.
If any office of the Executive shall become vacant during the year, the remaining Executive may
appoint a volunteer member of Friends of NMS to serve until the following years’ election can be
held.
The absence of any Executive member without just cause from two consecutive meetings shall
constitute a vacancy.

Dated November 6, 2009.
Sponsors: Mary Rowe & Sarah Gunaseelan

Friends Update

2009-12-16T05:12:00.001-08:00

NOMINATIONS FOR 3 CO CHAIR POSITIONS:

As you know, nominations for the positions of the three Co Chairs were held from December 7-11th. As of 3pm on December 11, 2009 we received the names for 5 nominees. They are: Cindy Chase, Kari Hirst, Janice MacFarlane, Mary Martin and Jennifer Shepherd.
The candidates, should they desire, will submit a short introduction to be posted to the blog for anyone interested in voting to read. We encourage everyone to take part in this democratic process. Voting will take place on January 13, 2010 (Time: TBA).

CHRISTMAS DANCE

This is a reminder of the upcoming Christmas Dance this Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009. If you have volunteered to help out, the school will notify you of the timing of your shifts.

Thanks
Mary Rowe, Janice MacFarlane and Mary Leo Dick
Co Chairs Friends of NMS

Minutes - Nov. 19,2009

2009-11-23T05:22:00.000-08:00

Friends of NMS General Meeting

In Attendance: Mr. Alan Atkins, Mary Leo Dick, Janice MacFarlane, Mary Rowe, Jennifer Sheppard, Kari Hirst

Meeting called to order by Mary Rowe as Chair at 6:43PM

Welcome by Mary. Jennifer moved to approve agenda. Motion seconded by Mary Leo.
Minutes of June General Meeting distributed. Mary moved to approve, seconded by Janice.

Principal’s Remarks: Mr. Atkins expressed his appreciation of help from the Friends. Without all of their hard work, many of the activities which the children enjoy would not be possible.

Completed Tasks Since Sept. 2009: Mary distributed a list of the activities with which the Friends were involved this fall. Mary Leo reviewed with those present; Volunteer forms have been distributed to parents. We now have about 184 registered volunteers. Forms are still coming in. The distribution list is up and running. Parents were addressed at Meet the Teacher night and encouraged to participate. Volunteers are reminded to familiarize themselves with Policy 701and submit completed questionnaire. A Criminal Record Check is mandatory for anyone working closely with children (ie.tutoring, coaching, supervision etc.) as well as anyone wishing to let their name stand for CoChair. The school has offered the use of a bulletin board in the lobby for the group to use as a means of communicating activities; Volunteers were notified that Mrs. Birney would like help with noon hour supervision in the Methods and Resource room; The Grade 6 BBQ was a big hit again this year with 3 BBQs going and numerous volunteers; Thirty volunteers turned out to put on the French Book Fair which ran Sept. 29, 30 and Oct. 1, 2009. Twenty three volunteers ensured the success of the English Book Fair which ran Oct. 20,21 and 22, 2009. Both Fairs generated large profits in excess of last year’s sales which translate into high volume of books for the classrooms; The Corn Boil had Mrs. Walsh-McKillop’s team picking corn at Harvey’s Big Potato. Mr. Atkins stood watch for bears. Eleven parents and grandparents prepared, cooked and served corn on the cob to the entire student body Oct. 2nd. Harvey’s donated the corn and the extra was given to the food bank; The Halloween Dance on the 29th was a blast with 15 parent chaperones, many of whom came out to decorate that afternoon; The office and bulletin board were decorated for Fall and Halloween. The bulletin board carried postings for Remembrance Day as well; The Pumpkin Patch was decorated again this year. Several pumpkins were submitted, all of which received a prize; A Pick Me Up table was provided for the teachers again this year. The lounge was nicely set up with 18 people providing food donations. A special Thank you goes out to the Custodians who cleaned up after the ravenous hoards of teachers; The Firefighter Challenge ran Nov.19th. The children have a great time. We had many volunteers for the day and also for the decorating conducted the evening before. We had very many complaints that the volume from the sound system was much too loud. That has made some people reluctant to come out for this event. The volume should be more comfortable to make the event more enjoyable and avoid the risk of hearing damage to those present. A big thank you to Tim Horton’s for the donation of the urn of coffee. The school provided 6 dozen muffins. Everyone had happy tummies; Thank you to the Fredericton Firefighters for putting on this spectacular event. Guaranteed Fun every time!!!

Upcoming Tasks: The H1N1 immunization clinic originally scheduled for Nov. 4th will now be conducted Nov. 25th. We have several volunteers to help the large contingent of nurses slated. The entire student body will receive vaccine that one day. Hopefully everything will go to plan; A Healthy Eating Initiative is planned for Nov. 26th. Menu TBA. Several volunteers have committed their time to feed the entire student body in one day; A Christmas Dance is scheduled for Dec.17th. All volunteers welcome. The kiddies will be so excited; Nominations for the three CoChair positions will be accepted Dec. 7 to 11. With 184 volunteers, surely there are at least three people willing to step forward and let their name stand for the executive. Anyone with the slightest inclination is encouraged submit their nomination with a Criminal Record Check. The group needs energetic individuals to keep the large number of volunteers informed and involved. Elections take place Jan. 13, 2010. New executive will be installed at the Annual General Meeting the following day.

New Business: None added

Next Meeting: Annual General Meeting January 14, 2010 at 7PM

Adjournment: Janice moved to adjourn. Mary Leo seconded. Mary adjourned meeting at 7:08PM

Friends Update

2009-11-23T05:02:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Thank you to the 18 volunteers who helped out with the decorating, set up and day long Firefighter's challenge. Everyone had a great time and most importantly the kids had fun. Thank you to Tim Hortons for the Donation of the urn of coffee.

We are looking for volunteers to help during the H1N1 vaccination clinic on Wednesday November 25. We will need help transporting and directing students. We also need volunteers to help with the delivery of the luncheon that will be provided to the nurses.

Our second healthy eating initiative will be held on Thursday, November 26. We will be preparing a healthy dish (TBA) and Serving it up to the 760+ students and staff. This is always a lot of fun and we encourage you to come out and help. Contact any of the co-chairs (Mary/Janice/ Mary Leo) if you are interested. We will meet around 8:15 am in the home-ec room. :)

Thanks,
Mary, Janice and Mary Leo

Minutes

2009-11-20T12:02:00.001-08:00

General Meeting June 11, 2009

In Attendance: Mr. Alan Atkins, Mary Leo Dick, Mary Rowe, Janice MacFarlane, Lynn McMinniman, Jennifer Shepherd, Kaajal Amhwani

Meeting called to order 7PM by Mary Rowe as Chair.

Welcome by Mary Rowe. Janice MacFarlane moved to accept Agenda, seconded by Mary Leo. Minutes of May General Meeting distributed. Mary Leo moved to accept, seconded by Janice.

Principal's Remarks: Mr. Atkins thanked the Friends of NMS and their executive for another great year. He is very pleased with the growth and progress of the group and remarked that it is even better this second year than last and is looking forward to next year and beyond. He commented that continuity of Friends of NMS and our philosophy is very important as the group contributes a vital function within the school.

Year in Review: The Friends of NMS Annual Report- 2008-2009 School Year was presented and will be made available on the Blog. Mary Rowe read through the highlights and the full report was distributed to those present.

Looking Ahead to Next Year: The Friends are already rolling ahead with activities for next year. We have set the dates for the French and English Book Fairs and will continue to help with the activities in which we were involved last year. We are very pleased to have new membership from the Grade 6 parents whose children will be joining the school in September. We discussed ideas for possible new initiatives and Mr. Atkins proposed a second information evening for new parents in the school sometime in October. This would give the parents a chance to get into the daily routine and provide an opportunity for the parents to address any orientation questions they may have. We want the families to feel welcome and comfortable by reinforcing the many modes of access to information and communication with the school. Thank you to all who attended. You have great ideas for making the school environment a better place to nurture and encourage our children. We are very excited about our participation next year and we look forward to working with all of our new and continuing members in the upcoming school year.

Adjournment: Mary Leo moved to adjourn, seconded by Janice. Mary Rowe adjourned the meeting at 7:50PM

Frieinds Update

2009-11-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

We hope parent teacher interviews went well for all of you.

Thank you to everyone who was able to contribute to the Teacher's Munchie Table that we set up in the staff room for the teachers. As always, the teachers are very appreciative of your efforts.

Just a reminder that the Firefighter's Challenge is coming up next week. We would invite anyone who wants to help decorate to meet after school on the 18th. We will also need help setting up the equipment that evening.
The challenge itself takes place on the 19th and Mr. Yaychuk would appreciate it if volunteers can make it to the school by 8 am if able. This is a FUN event for the kids and volunteers alike. We will be calling those who indicated on their forms they would like to help out. Feel free to drop us an email if you want to come out and join the fun!

Junior Achievement is looking for parent volunteers who would like to help out with their Business Basics Program- Our Business World being taught to the Grade 7 classes at NMS on Tuesday, Dec. 1st from 9-11 am. They will provide a training session on Wednesday, Nov.25th from 12-1 pm (location TBA) for interested volunteers. If interested, please contact Connie Woodside (President &CEO JA NB) @ 455-6552 or jafrednb@nb.aibn.com .

Finally, we have scheduled a General Meeting for next Thursday....
Friends of NMS General Meeting Thursday November 19, 2009 @ 6:30 pm

Agenda

1. Approval of Agenda
2. Approval of Minutes
3. Principal's Remarks
4. Completed Tasks since Sept. '09
5. Upcoming Tasks
6. Adjournment

Take care and hope the kids enjoy their long weekend,
Mary, Janice and Mary Leo
Co Chairs Friends of NMS

Friends Update

2009-10-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

ENGLISH BOOK FAIR

We would like to give a big Thank you to the 23 people who volunteered to help out at the book fair. We sold roughly $6500.00 in books last week of which 60% of that will go back into the classrooms as books. Having books available in our classroom libraries is an effective way to stimulate our kids to pick up a book and read. Thank you as well to everyone who came out to support the book fair by purchasing books etc.

PUMPKIN PATCH

We will be holding our 2nd Annual Pumpkin carving/decorating contest this week at NMS. Students who wish to do so, can carve or paint a pumpkin and drop it off on Wednesday October 28th.
Pumpkins will be displayed and fellow students can then view the masterpieces on the 29th. All can vote for their favourites with pennies. Kids can vote as many times as they wish and all pennies collected will be donated to UNICEF.
Pumpkins can then be taken home on the 30th in time for Halloween.
Please note, pumpkins can not be taken on the bus but parents are more than welcome to drop them off at the office.

SCHOOL DANCE (October 29)

Our first school dance of the year will be the Halloween Dance on the 29th. Thank you to all those who volunteered to help out at the dance. The dance starts at 6pm and runs until 8:30pm. Volunteers will be notified this week as to what time they are scheduled to help out.

The admission to the dance is $3 with a donation of canned cat or dog food, and $4 without a donation.

We are also planning to decorate for the dance, if you are interested in helping with this, please let us know.

FIREFIGHTER"S CHALLENGE

This year's Firefighter's Challenge will be held in the Gym on Thursday, November the 19,2009. We are looking for Volunteers to help with the set up of the obstacle course on Wednesday evening as well as volunteers to help with the day long event on Thursday. This is a fun event that has all grade levels participating in an obstacle course challenge to simulate some of the many things our brave firefighters encounter on a daily basis. Please note: volunteers help at the various stations that are set up. You do not have to run the course. :)

H1N1 CLINIC

The school will be running the H1N1 immunization clinic on the 4th of November and is looking for a couple of volunteers who are familiar with the school to help with directing the kids. If interested in helping out, let us know.

MUNCHIE TABLE

For the past few years, we have been providing a "Pick Me Up" for our staff during Parent Teacher interviews. We set up a Munchie Table that the teachers can snack on during the interview period. Interviews take place the evening of the 12th and morning of the 13th. If anyone is interested in sending in some food items on the 12th to help us accomplish this, we would be very grateful. We would appreciate any contributions, particularly fruit, veggies, sandwiches, cookies, muffins, yogurt etc....

UPCOMING MEETINGS etc.

Next General Meeting : TBA

Nominations for the positions of the 3 Co Chairs will be accepted from December 7, 2009 until 3pm December 11, 2009. Nomination forms will be made available just prior to these dates and will be posted on the Blog.

Elections will take place January 13, 2010.

The Friends of NMS Annual General Meeting will take place on Thursday January 14, 2010 at 7pm.

More information will be made available prior to these dates.

Sincerely,
Mary Rowe, Janice MacFarlane and Mary Leo Dick
Co Chairs of Friends of NMS

English Book Fair

2009-10-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

Friends Update

2009-10-09T05:20:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

We are happy to report that our distribution list is now up and running. We want to ensure that everyone who provided an email to us does get contacted. If you know of anyone who provided an email address on their volunteer form but did not receive this, please have them contact us so we can verify receipt of their form.

Volunteer Forms
We wanted to thank each and every one of you who have taken the time to contact us or fill out a form. Our volunteer numbers are at an amazing 175. We are thankful for the growth of Friends over the past few years and that the momentum continues.

French Book Fair
Thank you to the volunteers we were able to come out and help with the French Book Fair on Sept 29,30 and Oct 1. We had a whopping 30 people come out to help us promote the love of reading to our kids and outlying community. Also, Thank you to everyone who stopped by to have a look and purchase books. The French Book Fair brought in over $10,000 of sales. That gave NMS a profit of over $ 5700 in books which will be used to build classroom libraries. The NMS staff is very appreciative. :)

Corn Boil
We would like to give a big Thank you to our Corn Boil Volunteers. This event was put on short notice (as is sometimes the case at NMS :) ) and yet we had such a wonderful turnout. We had 11 people who helped out during various parts of the picking/husking or boiling. The free corn was then served up to our 780+ students and staff. Special thanks to Harveys Big Potato for their generous donation of the corn. All remaining corn cobs were donated to the Food Bank.

English Book Fair
Coming up on October 20,21,22, we will be having an English Book Fair. We will be running it from 10 am -6 pm on Tuesday the 20th, 10 am-6 pm on Wednesday the 21st, and 10am-4pm on Thursday the 22nd. If anyone would like to volunteer for this event, please drop us an email.

Dance
Mark your calendars....the first dance of the year will be October 29th. If you are interested in helping out, let us know and we'll pass your name to the dance committee.

Thanksgiving is the time of year when we all reflect on those things that we are grateful for. In addition to family and friends, we are grateful for an administration and staff that welcome parental involvement for our kids. We are also very grateful for such a fantastic group of parent volunteers here at NMS. We can't wait to see what we can accomplish throughout this year.

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving,
Mary Rowe, Janice MacFarlane and Mary Leo Dick
Co Chairs of Friends of NMS

French Book Fair

2009-09-28T12:59:00.001-07:00

WELCOME BACK FRIENDS

2009-09-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the 2009-2010 School year at NMS. We are really excited to welcome back past volunteers and to embrace those new to our school. It was nice to see so many familiar faces and to meet new ones, at Meet the Teacher Night.
Thank you to all who have filled out Volunteer forms for our Friends of NMS group. We now have over 164 names on our list. If for some reason you did not receive a form, let us know and we will get one to you. Simply fill it out and return it to the office.
Some events already scheduled include the French Book Fair (September 29,30 and October 1) and the English Book Fair (October 20,21....). (You do not have to be able to speak French to help out with these). Profits from the Book Fairs are used to supply books for our English and French Classrooms as well as Methods and Resources. If you have any questions or have the time to help out, feel free to contact us m.rowe1@rogers.com, jmacfarlane1@rogers.com and dickrogr@nbnet.ca .
Volunteers are needed to help the Resource Department with Lunch Hour Activities in the Methods and Resources Room. This room offers a safe zone for children as they adjust to their new school year. This would be a great opportunity to provide fun activities in a small group setting. Contact Cecilia Birney by phone 453-4243 or email Cecilia.Birney@nbed.nb.ca.

Also, if anyone is interested in helping out with Math or Language Arts, please contact Cecilia Birney.

All volunteers are asked to familiarize themselves with Policy 701 and complete the validation questionnaire. This can be accessed at http://701.nbed.nb.ca/toc-e.asp .

As well, any volunteer working directly with children will need a criminal record check.

Here's to a great year at NMS with FRIENDS,
Mary Leo Dick, Janice MacFarlane and Mary Rowe
Friends of NMS Co Chairs

Year End Wrap Up

2009-06-23T12:47:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Grade 8 LUAU

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year's Luau the most fabulous send off.
Everyone was in party mode from the set up of the BBQ early in the morning, to the afternoon decorating, to the big bash in the evening, until we finally had to take down the decorations and call it a night.
The kids caught the excitement and had a blast. Dancing, Food, Fun, Games and Prizes...... you name it, we had it all. This was all thanks to the parents and staff who donated their time, expertise, food and party attitude!! (Special thanks to the Northside Superstore for their donation to the Luau)......Mahalo

SPORTS AWARDS
Thank you to the parents who turned out for the Sports Awards decorating and our June meeting. We had a great time putting up the decorations and we received many positive comments from students and teachers alike. The auditorium reflected the many sports in which the children were involved with....

VOLUNTEERS

We would like to take the time to thank each and everyone of you who were able to offer your time, expertise and encouragement throughout the course of the 2008-2009 School Year. With your help, we were able to grow both in our numbers and in our activities this year. We hope you enjoyed being part of our "Friends" Community. Together, we made a positive difference to our kids and the staff at NMS.
For members who will be at the school next year and wish to get a jump start on things, drop us an email requesting that we keep you on the list for the 2009-2010 school year. This will allow us to keep you informed and get things underway sooner in the new school year.

YEAR END REPORT

For those of you who are interested in the summary of this years events, please refer to our year end report.

We hope to see you all out again next year and wish you all a safe and relaxing summer!!
Mary Leo Dick, Janice MacFarlane and Mary Rowe

Luau Information

2009-06-15T14:20:00.001-07:00

Aloha Everyone,
As we begin counting down to the Grade 8 Luau, we thought we would send out a summary of the day's events to help everyone get organized. :)
The forecast for Wednesday is 26 degrees and sunny. (Don't forget the sunscreen).....
The students will have a chance to work up their appetites while involved in outdoor morning activities. At ~11:00 am they will make their way to the LUAU BBQ area. We are asking anyone who indicated they can help with the BBQ to please come for ~ 9:30 am (when we begin set up). We will set up, BBQ and serve food & drinks to the 275 hungry Grade 8 students.
At 12 noon the kids leave for Killarney Lake for an afternoon of fun in the sun and swimming. While they are gone (beginning at 1pm), we will be in the field house creating a tropical paradise for the kids to return to.
The children are due to arrive back from Killarney Lake at 2:30pm. They will go home at regular time to get ready for the dance. (Don't forget to tell them to dress Tropical casual).
The LUAU Dance is scheduled to start at 6:00 pm. Parents who would like to come help out are being asked by the school to come between 5:30 and 5:45pm in order to get everyone organized. In addition to the dancing, fun tropical activities and delicious food will be part of the festivities. (For those donating food, please remember to avoid nuts, seafood and kiwi due to allergies).
The sun will set on our Luau at 8:30pm at which time the dance will end and we'll do a quick takedown of decorations and a cleanup.
We would welcome all NMS parents who may be interested in helping out, to come and join the fun. What better way to send off our grade 8 students than with a strong sense of community as they prepare to sail off in the sunset to LHHS.

Thank you in advance for your help and let the fun begin.....
Mary Leo, Janice and Mary (Co Chairs of Friends of NMS)

Final Friends Meeting for the Year

2009-06-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

We will be holding a meeting on Thursday June 11, 2009 @7pm. This is our fourth and final meeting in keeping with our Constitution. We will be staying after to do some decorating for the Sports Awards ceremony. Everyone is welcome to come out and have some fun!

Friends of NMS General Meeting Thursday June 11, 2009 @ 7pm

Agenda

1. Approval of Agenda
2. Approval of Minutes
3. Principal's Remarks
4. Year in Review
5. Looking ahead to Next Year
6. Adjournment

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Friends Meetign Minutes

2009-06-02T05:38:00.000-07:00

Minutes as Presented:
Friends of NMS Annual General Meeting
January 13, 2009

In Attendance: Mr. Alan Atkins, Vicky Patterson, Mary Rowe, Mary Leo Dick

Meeting called to order by Mary Rowe as Chair at 7:06PM

Welcome by Mary and call for new business. Agendas were distributed and Vicky moved to accept modified agenda. Mary Leo seconded. Motion carried.

Approval of Minutes- Vicky distributed minutes of the general meeting from Sept. 30, 2008. Mary Leo moved to accept the minutes. Vicky seconded the motion. Minutes approved.

ELECTION RESULTS; Mary Rowe, Vicky Patterson and Mary Leo Dick have been returned to office by acclamation for a 1 Year term as Co Chairs. We look ahead to the next election with the hope that a few brave souls may step forward to assume guidance of the Friends of NMS and ensure that the many willing hands have the opportunity to remain useful.

ACTIVITIES from Sept. 30 to present; We would like to thank the volunteers who have given so generously of themselves. The following events were successful in creating a positive atmosphere for our children due to the efforts of our members.

Corn Boil-The second annual corn boil was held on Oct.2,'08. Over 1000 cobs of corn were picked by the grade 7 team of Sprague/Jenkins/Fournier. Volunteers along with grade 6 & 8 students husked and split the corn. By days end, over 790 students and their teachers were able to enjoy the cooked corn. Special thanks to Mr. DeCoste, Mrs. Price , Kim Hepditch and the Spirit committee for all their help in this endeavour .
English Book Fair- We sold $2,479 in books. Remaining French book fair profit combined with a $500 donation from RBC DS resulted in the English teachers selecting over $2,434 in books for their classrooms. Thanks to all the volunteers and special thanks to Janice McFarlane for loaning us a cash register for the event. $1900 profit from this book fair book will be used by administration again for curriculum resources.
Pumpkin Carving Contest- In October we held the schools first Pumpkin Carving Contest. Pumpkins were displayed in the theatre and students voted for their favourite pumpkins with pennies. The 10 winners each received a free ticket to the school dance and proceeds of $72.52 were donated to the schools Christmas Families Fund.
Decorating Office for Halloween/Christmas- A few of us decorated the office for Halloween and Christmas. The kids loved it and we had lots of fun too. Very Festive for everyone!
Show Choir Costume Adjustments- We were out on two occasions so far to measure and adjust costumes for show choir. Thank you to the members who can pop over on short notice.

Assisting with Immunization - A few Friends were on hand to direct traffic at the immunization clinic held in November. We escorted the students to and from the nurses stations and provided assistance as needed. We will be present again this Thursday to help with the second round of inoculations in the series of three.

Supervision October Dance- We had 11 parents volunteer at the Halloween Dance. There were so many that we ended up doing shifts vs. working the whole evening.

Teacher Munchie Table for parent teacher interviews- Nov 19th-20th . We set up after lunch. 18 Parents dropped off items during the day, Staff loved it.
Firefighter's Challenge- Held Nov 25, '08. We had 11 volunteers who helped with set up &/or running of the course. Thanks to Mike Smith, Alex Yaychuk, Lisa Cormier, Natalie Green, Michelle Skead, Corinne Gallagher and Sarah Jenkins for inviting "Friends" to be part of the planning committee . Also, thanks to Marie Lafford of Tim Hortons who donated the 4 dozen muffins and 1/2 urn of coffee. Rogers Cable filmed the activities. Vicky would follow up with Rogers to see if it were possible to run their coverage of the event on the T.V in the Main Hallway.
Bake Sale- Monday Dec 15 held bake sale at nutrition break and lunch. Raised almost $200 to be used to buy gifts for the schools 3 Christmas Families. This combined with the funds raised from Hat Day and the Pumpkin Carving contest made a nice sum for donation.

Period for proposed Ammendments to Constitution- 60 days notice were given for any parent who wishes to propose any changes to the Friends of NMS constitution or guidelines documents to be submitted. No formal amendments were submitted, only a one word “grammatical correction” was requested. Both the Constitution and Guidelines , which are posted on our blog in its current form, are Friends of NMS’ binding documents going forward until the 2010 Annual General Meeting.
Nominations for new Executive- In response to concerns raised in last spring’s elections, the elections were postponed until this winter. Nomination for the Executive forms were blogged Dec 1, were voice-mailed and hard copies were given to students to take home Dec-2-3. Nominations were to be sent to the school office before 3:30PM December 12. The three existing co chairs were elected again by acclamation. We will follow the same process again starting in December 2009 for 2010-2012 term.
Needs of the Month- We finished up the Breakfast program in Sept. We then did the Food Bank for October. Although we didn't officially have a "Need of the Month" in November or December, we focused on Christmas families for our Pumpkin Carving Event and Bake Sale.
PLANNED ACTIVITIES FOR SPRING- Since it is early in our new mandate and early in the New Year, we have yet to sit down with administration to thoroughly discuss future activities. The following are tentative plans that have not yet been finalized and are therefore subject to change. Once plans are more concrete, we will notify the membership.
Bake sale at dance- Next dance is scheduled for Feb 5. We are hoping to raise funds for the Anti Bullying program via a bake sale at this dance. More info on the Anti-Bullying program will be published at a later date on the blog. Perhaps parents of dance goers will send items for the bake sale as we will be looking to members for contributions for Teacher Appreciation Week.
Healthy Eating Intitiatives- We will try to get more notice to attract more people. It is a huge undertaking to feed the entire school so the more help the better. Our next healthy eating intitiative is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 2nd.

Teacher Appreciation Week- Currently we are discussing the possibility of providing a luncheon for the teachers and staff during Teacher Appreciation Week which runs Feb. 9th to 13th. We will need food contributions for that. Details to follow as plans firm up.
Spring Family Fun Day- Waiting on confirmation from the school on timing and choice between having a spring family fun day or winter carnival, what it would entail, staff participation etc.
Grade 8 Celebration- Awaiting direction from administration on our involvement. We were very involved last year and received positive feedback from students and parents. The grade 8 parents will be contacted directly by the school. Many hands are needed here as the activities last year were carried on throughout the day and into the evening. The Friends will be available to help as necessary.
Decorating for Sports Awards Ceremony- We've been approached by MMe LeClerc and Mr. Yaychuk re: decorating for this event. The ceremony will be held during a school day to ensure that the recipients are available to receive their awards.
LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT YEAR- We are always looking for and welcome new ideas. Parents may feel free to speak to us or send in their comments.

NEW BUSINESS- None added

NEXT MEETING- To Be Announced

ADJOURNMENT- Mary Leo moved that the meeting adjourn. Vicky seconded the motion. Mary adjourned the meeting at 7:30PM .

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Minutes as Presented:
Friends of NMS MARCH 26, 2009
In attendance: Mary Leo Dick, Vicky Patterson, Mary Rowe
1. Fruit and Vegetable Initiative: Just to recap. This was held Feb.2 with 8 parents helping. We served Fruit Trifle and it went well. The kids loved it. The 800 kids and staff loved the blueberries/blackberries/strawberries/pineapple/melon etc.
2. Valentines Dance/ Bake Sale: We had a great food table with lots of maximal nutritional value and moderate nutritional value choices: carrots, grapes, grapefruit to name a few. We made $190.20 for the antibullying campaign. We also gave out 'vegging out' coupons for kids found eating healthy fruits/veggies.
3. Teacher Appreciation Week: We had 20 volunteers who contributed to Teacher Appreciation Week Feb.10, 2009. It was nice to have some of our new volunteers come out and contribute. The teachers and staff were very appreciative.
4: Feb. 13, 2009 Informed parents of need for coaches as asked by PSSC: A call out to parents was emailed and blogged Feb 13 re: need for coaches. This was done in response to a PSSC meeting where it was asked if Friends could get out the word of the need for coaches, to volunteers.
5. Talent Show: 2 of us helped with the final Talent Show Preparations back stage. We spent the days organizing the kids, working with timing, calming pre performance jitters. It was a lot of fun.
6. Pink Shirt Day: Feb 25. The office and hall were decorated in pink. In addition to the adults, kids were encouraged to wear pink. Along with the adults that came out to help, we had 10 students who participated. It was a lot of fun and a great way to promote Antibullying. The school was spotlighted on CBC News and Gleaner/ Northside news.
7. CIS Women's Volleyball: Feb 3 parents supervised 46 students who went to UNB to watch the game.
8. Winter Carnival: A group of parents served hot chocolate to children participating in outside activities Feb 27. We were fortunate to have the use of the home ec room. Special thanks to Janice MacFarlane and also the cafeteria for the use of their coffee urns. Idea to give tickets for hot chocolate to ensure equal beverage for kids.
9. Knitting: Lynn Thibodeau one of our volunteers has graciously offered to teach a group of kids at lunch hour on Thursdays. It will go onto the announcements and hopefully start up next Thursday. Mary have offered to help Lynn with supervision.
10. Volunteer Week: April 19-25. Alan thought it was a good idea to acknowledge the school's volunteers. ?any suggestions.
~ 11:30-1pm or 7:00- 8:00pm Finger foods would be served. We would need R.S.V.P.s in advance to plan amounts.
11. Spring Fling: This would be a fun event to offer the school. It was last done in 2003. Is this something we could tackle? It required 81 parent volunteers at night, 25 during the day. !78 cakes were made, 33 people approached businesses. 4 at the dunk tank and 30 business donations were made. 14 teachers helped.
This is a huge event that would require a lot of planning. With the economy in the state it is, not sure if we could get the donations or help needed to pull this off. Could we take a secondary role as opposed to point? Alternate idea would be to do a year end bash/dance for the kids. Something different and more scaled down than the 8's celebration. Will mention it to Alan for his feedback.
12. Grade 8 Celebration: Alan had paperwork on his desk. Will check with him when it will be sent out.
13. Sports Awards: Will Await word as to our role.
Meeting Adjourned.

Friends of NMS Meeting

2009-05-22T10:10:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

We would like to welcome everyone to attend our Friends of NMS Meeting that will be held on Thursday May 28,2009 @ 7pm. We encourage the parents of the grade 8 students to come out as we need volunteers for their children's grade 8 celebration .

Friends of NMS - AGENDA for Thursday May 28,2009 meeting.

Welcome
Approval of Minutes/ Agenda
Sports Awards Ceremony
Grade 8 Celebration
Volunteer Form
New Business
Next Meeting
Adjournment

We hope to see you all there!
Mary Leo Dick, Janice MacFarlane and Mary Rowe
Co-chairs of Friends of NMS

Friends Update

2009-05-12T05:13:00.001-07:00

Next meeting – May 11, 2009 7pm.

Friends Report to the PSSC - April 20, 2009

1. Teacher Appreciation Week- We had 20 volunteers who contributed to our luncheon on Feb. 10,2009. The teachers and staff were very appreciative of the vast amount of food our volunteers served up.

2. Feb 13,2009- We informed parents of the need for coaches at the school in part of an email we sent out, as per PSSC request.

3. Talent Show- Feb 19/20, 2009. Two of us helped with the final preparations for the Talent Show back stage. We spent Thursday and Friday organizing the kids, working with timing, calming pre performance jitters. It was a lot of fun.

4. Pink Shirt Day Feb 25, 2009- The office and hall were decorated by parent volunteers and kids as part of the national anti bullying campaign. All staff and hundreds of kids participated by wearing pink. It was a fun way to promote Anti bullying. The school was spot lighted on CBC, the Gleaner and Northside News.

5. Women's CIS Volleyball Trip- 3 parents supervised 46 students who went to UNB to watch the game.

6. Winter Carnival Feb 27, 2009- A group of parents served hot chocolate to children participating in outside activities on the 27th. We used the home ec room to heat up the hot chocolate. Special thanks to the cafeteria and to Janice MacFarlane for loaning the urns to do this with.

7. Knitting- A parent volunteer, Lynn Thibodeau has graciously offered to teach the kids to knit at lunch hour. It was on the announcements. Hopefully we will start this week.

8. Easter Decorating- We put up a few decorations in the office to make it more festive on March 26, 2009.

9. Easter Eggs- For Easter/PT interviews the teachers were treated to Easter eggs with chocolate and an inspirational quote.

10.Healthy Eating Initiative- Taco Soup- prepared Thursday April 16, 2009 in the evening and served
during the morning of the 17th. We had volunteers come out Thursday and then volunteers come out Friday. The volunteers really appeared to enjoy themselves and the kids had positive feedback on the soup.
11. Volunteer Week- This is national volunteer week. We had planned to have an event Thursday the 23rd over noon hour but have cancelled it. Due to conflicts for the time and many didn't feel they had done enough to warrant recognition, we have put this on hold. Many of our volunteers just want to help out .....

12. School Dance- April 29, 2009 will be the next school dance. An email was sent out today to volunteers regarding supervision of the event.

13. Grade 8 celebration- will get involved once information is sent out to the grade 8 parents.

Friends Update

2009-04-24T07:44:00.000-07:00

New Co-Chair

The Friends of NMS welcome Janice MacFarlane as the new CoChair for our parent volunteer group. Janice brings with her many years of experience and loads of positive energy. Janice has been a very active volunteer member in our school this year and we are very pleased that she has agreed to take up the challenge of a leadership role. Janice fills the Chair recently vacated by Vicky Patterson. As one of the founding members of 'Friends', Vicky has worked hard to promote and advance the many projects and initiatives of the group. We are very grateful for Vicky's efforts and wish her all the best.

Janice MacFarlane 474-1132 Mary Leo Dick dickrogr@nbnet.nb.ca Mary Rowe m.rowe1@rogers.com

Thank You

Healthy Eating
We would like to thank all the parents who dedicated their time and culinary skills on April 16th & 17th. The Friends of NMS volunteers prepared and served delicious Taco Soup to the students and staff as a Healthy Eating Initiative. The kids loved it and many offered positive feedback. (See recipe below.) We had lots of fun and a great turnout!

MEXICAN SOUP

1 lb lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup celery
1 can corn niblets
1 28 ox chopped tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 pkg chili macaroni hamburger helper
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
8 cups water

Saute meat, onion, celery and peppers until brown, then drain and rinse. Add all remaining ingredients and simmer until warm. Add pepper to taste. Serve with a few nacho chips crumpled on top. Makes a fairly large pot of soup. Enjoy.

Winter Carnival
Thank you to the group of parents who served hot chocolate to the children participationg in outside activities on Feb.27th. Special thanks to the cafeteria and Janice for loaning the urns to enable us to serve nearly 800.

Women's CIS Volleyball
Thank you to the 3 parents who helped with supervision when 46 NMS students went to watch a CIS volleyball match.

Pink Shirt Day
The office and hall were decorated by parent volunteers and kids as part of the national antibullying campaign. All staff and many of our NMS students showed their support by wearing pink. It was a fun and visual way to promote Anti Bullying. The school received coverage in the Gleaner, Northside News and was spotlighted on CBC. Thank you to all the parents who came out to plaster the walls with Pink!

Talent Show
We were fortunate to be able to help with final preparations for the Talent Show back stage on Feb 19/20th. The days were spent organizing the kids, working with timing, and calming preperformance jitters. Fun was had by all.

Thanks again,
Mary Leo, Janice and Mary

Volunteer Appreciation Day Changed

2009-04-22T05:24:00.001-07:00

We would like to inform everyone that the Volunteer Appreciation Event scheduled for Thursday April 23, 2009 from 11:30-1pm has unfortunately been cancelled as our respondants indicated too many scheduling conflicts.

It is due to the wonderful participation of parents like you that our NMS students and staff have a fun and positive environment in which to grow. Although many of you felt you hadn't done much to warrant an invitation, we want you to know that you did. Every contribution, whether it was donation of a baked good, contribution of time or word of encouragement, was valuable and very much appreciated by our NMS community.

We apologize for any inconvenience and would like to again thank all of you for your contributions in making NMS a better school.

Healthy Eating

2009-04-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

We were hoping to do a healthy eating initiative next week (Friday April 17,2009). Kim has a great recipe for taco soup and we will need volunteers who can come in Thursday night ( ~7pm) to help make the soup. We will also need volunteers who are available on Friday to come serve the soup. If you are available for either time, or both, we would love to hear from you.
You can contact any of the Friend's co chairs: dickrogr@nbnet.nb.ca, vicky.patterson@rbc.com, m.rowe1@rogers.com
Thank you in advance!

Winter Carnival

2009-02-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

WINTER CARNIVAL

The school has planned a Winter Carnival for our NMS students on Friday, February 27, 2009. They are looking for a number of energetic volunteers, (who don't mind spending time outdoors), to help make this day a memorable one for the kids. If you are available between 8:30 am and 1 pm or for a portion thereof on Friday the 27th, the school would love to have your help. If you would like to help out, you can contact the school directly at 453-5436 or email one of the Friends CoChairs (see Below). Don't forget to dress warmly and let's have some fun.

THANKS
We would like to thank the volunteers who came out to support our first Fruit and Vegetable Initiative of the New Year. We were very fortunate to have 8 parents come out on Feb. 2nd to help prepare our fruit dish for the 800+ staff and students. It is true that many hands make light work and everyone had a good time.
We would also like to thank both the parent volunteers who came out to supervise the Feb. 5 Valentines Dance and those who contributed to our Sale Table. We raised ~$190.20 for the Anti Bullying campaign and caught many students "Vegging out".
Finally, we would like to thank the ~20 volunteers who contributed to the Teacher's Appreciation Luncheon on Feb.10,2009. The teachers and staff were very appreciative of the efforts and fine cooking of our Nasis parents. Thank you all for making this possible.

New Initiatives for our Friends

2009-01-30T05:27:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone,

As one of the first initiatives of the New Year utilizing the Fruit and Vegetable Grant, we will be serving up a fruit dish on Monday February 2, 2009. We would love to have anyone available in the daytime to come out and help us feed the close to 800 students at NMS. If you are available, please let one of us know and we will meet at 8:30 Monday morning by the office.

On Thursday February the 5th the school will be holding a Valentine's Dance. To give the kids a bit of variety and make this more festive, the school thought it would be fun to hold a Bake Sale. We would appreciate any (nut-free) donations from parents. Money raised will go toward the school's antibullying program.

Finally, the week of Feb.9-13,2009 is Teacher Appreciation Week. Last year we did up a lunch for the teachers which they greatly appreciated. We would like to do something similar this year on Tuesday, February the 10th. If any of you could help us accomplish this by sending in chili, soup, stew, salad, fruit trays, samosas , Muffins, yogurt etc, we would be very grateful. If you are interested and able, just let any of the Friends' Co- Chairs know.

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer with these events,
Mary Rowe m.rowe1@rogers.com
Vicky Patterson vicky.patterson@rbc.com
Mary Leo Dick dickrogr@nbnet.nb.ca
Co-Chairs of The Friends of NMS

September 30, 2008 - Meeting Minutes

2009-01-14T06:22:00.000-08:00

Minutes of the Friends of NMS General Information Session Sept 30, 2008

Attendees. Mary Rowe, Mary Leo Dick, Vicky Patterson, Alan Atkins, Brent Springer, Sean Davis, Kim Hepditch, Andrew Rowe, Barb Brittany, Susan & John MacKenzie, Susan Knorr, Mitch Claybourn, Laura Allen, and Theresa Pyke.

7:05 Chair thanked everyone for coming. Agendas were distributed. Mary asked if anyone had new business items they wanted added to Agenda. Mitch asked that Elections be added.

Mary Rowe gave a brief history of the Friends of NMS, the task based model chosen, and introduced the Co Chairs, and the school administration in the room. She spoke of compliance to Policy 701 (Protection of Pupils) Policy 18-258 (Confidentiality) and situations where a Criminal record check would be required for volunteers.

Vicky spoke about our communication policy for volunteers and parents. Volunteers forms were sent home and returned with completed volunteers areas of interest, and contact information. We prefer and use email to contact volunteers (100+ last year) as it is the most efficient way of communication, but we do make phone calls to volunteers who do not have email addresses. We post most of our items on the blog. It is the most effective method for us to reach the largest proportion of parents (voicemails only reaches Aliant parents). All voice mails receive prior approval from Mr. Atkins before sending, and we try to piggy back our voice mails along with other items that Mr. Springer is already doing. We make an effort not to over use voice mail as we know they can easily become an annoyance if too long or too frequent.

There is a new Friends of NMS link on the blog (Jeff Whipple was thanked for setting that up. Mr. Springer and Kim Hepditch were thanked for their ongoing update of the site as Jeff Whipple is now divided between the schools.).

Year to date Activities

Vicky spoke about the January-August process of drafting our constitution. Contributors were myself, Mary Rowe, Carol Reimer, Alan Atkins & Dr. Saint. Mitch Claybourn was also involved in the final drafting. Friends of NMS don’t have a treasurer or secretary as we don't hold or control any funds, and the co chairs share secretarial duties on a rotational basis. Spoke briefly about some items in our Guidelines Brochure. Both of these documents are currently posted on Friends of NMS blog.

Mary Leo addressed the updated , reformatted volunteer forms and announced we have 84 volunteers signed up so far this year . The more detail parents supply the better, as we don't want to call and email if people have no interest in helping with certain tasks.

Mary spoke about Septembers’ need of the month – lots of items donated for the breakfast program as well as monetary donations.

Mary Leo talked about our booth at meet the teacher night and gave kudos to Mary for her 3 talks she did in front of the Grade 6, 7 & 8 parents.

Vicky gave a brief summary of the French bookfair. Had 18 volunteers, sold close to $8000 which resulting in profits of over $4000 (which are all taking in books). French teachers have already chosen and received their books. English teachers will each chose their books at the English book fair. This was ~$2480 for the French teachers (~$140/classroom) Remainder of profit will be added to English Book fair for English teachers.

Fall Activities
Mary talked about October Need of the Month. We are partnering with the spirit committee to help them reach their goal of filling a small office with non perishable food items which will then be donated to the Fredericton food bank. People can send in or drop off items to the office.

Vicky again spoke of the English book fair. It will be held Oct 21-24. Hourly schedule to be announced later, and we will coordinate evening times with the Grade 8 Ottawa Excursion meeting. (We want volunteers to have good value for their time). Books are at gr 4-11 Reading levels.

Mary talked about the years’ first upcoming healthy eating initiative; a corn boil ( Last year they picked 1200 cobs of corn). Remainder was donated to the Community Kitchen and a $200 cheque was donated the Food Bank. Volunteers will be at the school this Thursday to husk, cook and serve. Anyone interested in helping can contact one of us.

Mary Leo spoke about the Magazine Campaign Kick off - a few volunteers sorted and stuffed envelopes to help the office get them all out in time. Mr. Davis will ask for me help later on if the office needs it.

She also talked about a Pumpkin Carving Contest- Something new this year that will be fun for the kids, Kids will carve pumpkins and bring them to the school, students will vote using pennies, pumpkins will be displayed . Prizes will be free tickers to a school dance. We are planning this to be a fun event for the kids rather than a fundraiser, but all money (we don't know what the response may be... we may raise get $2 to $10) raised will go toward Christmas families.

Firefighters challenge coming up again. We had lots of men help with this one last year. They need setting up help on the night before and supervision help on the day of. Details TBA ASAP. Once we receive a date, we will be contacting volunteers.

Mary Leo asked for suggestions for Nov. & Dec. needs of the month. (Last year we did the SPCA , warm coats for kids). ? Christmas need for gently used toys. We welcome new ideas.

Talked about doing a Staff Appreciation Pick Me Up table again, which will be set up during parent teacher interview times for the staff to snack on. This was a great way to boost moral and show our appreciation for the teachers. It also allows the opportunity for people who can't come during the school hours to still be involved.

Dance Supervision- school will be looking for dance volunteers to work this years 4 dances. Volunteers will be solicited shortly after dance dates are announced.

Fall Fair Bake Sale; A new task this year in which we may be teaming up with the spirit committee again, and will be seeking our all interested bakers. Note- anyone that does send in baking is requested to list all ingredients used in their recipe (for the safety of persons with allergies /sensitivities ). We can attach recipes on it, it would be a great way to share recipes.

New Business- Elections
Mr. Atkins read from the election section of our constitution. Nomination forms will be sent home to parents, emailed to our volunteers and be posted on the school blog in December. The election will be in January. We will request the school to send details via sent via voice mail as well. Mr. Atkins stated that the election is being held in January, vs. June or September, to encourage Grade 6 parents to put their names forward after having a chance to become familiar with the school. We stated that we would welcome new people and help transition the new executive.

Next Meeting Date- TBA. Motion to Adjourn. 7:44

November 13, 2008 - Meeting Minutes

2009-01-07T09:56:00.001-08:00

Friends of NMS
November 13, 2008
Members present: Mary Leo Dick, Vicky Patterson, Mary Rowe
Minutes from previous meeting approved.
1. Year to date: It was a busy fall. A list is on the Blog. We received many positive comments from volunteers as well as the DEC Rep. Carol Coleman.
2. First General Meeting: Our first General meeting was held on September 30,2008. The format we used was well received. Will check with principal re: next meeting date.
3. PSSC Meetings: Vicky is our PSSC liaison. Persons in attendance were impressed with Vicky's presentation of our "Thanks" and papers provided.
4. Teacher's Munchie Table : This was originally planned for Nov.20,2008 but shifted to the 19th . We will set up after lunch. Parents can drop off items during the day. 18 parents have volunteered to help with this. We will send out a reminder to volunteers on the Monday before.
5. Firefighter's Challenge : Mary initially contacted everyone by phone who expressed an interest on their volunteer forms to participate in this event. Notice was later voice mailed, Blogged and emailed out. No extra volunteers were obtained via the extra notice. 9 people committed for Monday set up and 10 people were scheduled for the event day Tuesday.
6. Bake Sale : Due to the volume of activities Friends was involved in this fall, the possibility of combining a bake sale with the Christmas dance was considered. It would make the dance more festive for the students, and reach other volunteers. We will check with Alan re: feasibility.
7. Nominations/ Forms/ Election/ Annual General Meeting: The notice for submitting proposals for changes to the constitution was posted on the blog on November 7,2008. No amendment requests have been received as of today (Nov.13). Deadlines for submissions is Friday Nov. 14,2008 at 7pm.
Nomination forms will be posted on or about Dec 1. Nominations will close Dec.12,2008. Elections, if needed, will be held on January 7 & 8, 2009. We will meet with the principal to discuss times for voting .
8. New Business: It was suggested that we voice mail every event. Of interest, when the Firefighter's Challenge was voice mailed, no new people came forward. At this point in the year, attempts have been made to contact all listed volunteers either through email or phone calls. Messages were left if they were unavailable. We will continue to try to provide appropriate communication to parents

August 27, 2008 Meeting

2009-01-07T08:37:00.000-08:00

Friends of NMS
August 27, 2008

In attendance: Mary Rowe, Vicky Patterson, Mary Leo Dick, Carol Reimer

1. Welcome Mary Leo- Mary Leo was welcomed. She was appointed to fill Carol's position until the January elections.

2. Thank Carol for wonderful contributions over our inaugural year- Carol was thanked for all her hard work and dedication in helping with the launch of Friends of NMS

3. Volunteer forms- Mary presented the updated volunteer form with new wording and updated activities. Vicky suggested changing 'Office support' to 'School support' and use of check boxes. Preferred delivery to parents would be the 1st week of school or Monday of the 2nd week. To check timing with Administration.

4. Constitution- After a summer of many meetings, the constitution has been finalized and completed by Vicky Patterson, Mary Rowe, Carol Reimer with Mr. Atkins, Mitch Claybourn and Dr. Glenda Saint.

5. Blog- Vicky has been working on the Template and items for the blog. To check status of Friends of NMS Blog Start up with Administration.

6. Contact info for Mary Leo- dickrogr@nbnet.nb.ca
Mary- m.rowe1@rogers.com
Vicky- vicky.patterson@rbc.com

7. Meet the Teacher Night- Would like to have a booth set up similar to last year. Agreed we could do an introductory speech to grade levels similar to last year. Mary volunteered to do the speeches. Will check with Mr. Atkins.

8. French Book Fair-

- Dates& Times : Monday September 23- Thurs. Sept. 25
Hours were shortened to make it easier on volunteers 1-7pm M,T,Th and Noon-7pm on Wed.

- Promotion: Similar to last year- newspapers, radio stations, district 18 and neighbouring districts, email colleagues etc.

9. New Business-
Constitution requires - PSSC Liaison- Vicky
-Chair for meetings- Mary

Adjourned.

January 13 - Meeting Agenda

2009-01-07T08:33:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone! We would like to take this time to welcome you back and invite you to our Annual General Meeting taking place on Tuesday January 13, 2009 at 7pm. We look forward to seeing you there.

Friends of NMS - AGENDA for January 13, 2009 meeting

Welcome
Approval of Minutes
Approval of Agenda
Election Results
Activities from September 30 to Present-
Planned Activities for Spring
Looking Ahead to Next Year
New Business
Next Meeting
Adjournment

Friends Update

2009-01-07T08:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas Families

Thank you to all the NMS families who sent in food donations for the Bake Sale held on Tuesday December16, 2008. The staff and students enjoyed the special treats offered at the Bake Sale table so much, we had sold out by the end of the lunch hour.
The combination of the monies from the Bake Sale and Hat Day totalled $384.00 and will be used to help support some less fortunate families in our school over the upcoming Christmas season.

Friends of NMS Nominations

Nominations for the positions of Co-chairs were held from December 1-December 12, 2008. Mary Leo Dick, Vicky Patterson and Mary Rowe have been acclaimed for another term.
We would like to thank the many volunteers who offered their positive comments to us during the nomination process. We hope that by working together we can continue to make a positive difference in our school community and have fun in the process.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year......Mary, Vicky and Mary Leo (co-chairs Friends of NMS)

Friends Update

2008-12-08T05:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas Dance Bake Sale
To make the upcoming Christmas Dance (Thursday Dec. 11, 2008) a bit more festive for the kids, we thought it would be nice to sell some Christmas baking. If anyone is interested in donating baked goods, or volunteering their time, please let us know. (If you had indicated on your volunteer form that you would like to help with the bake sale, we will be in contact). It would be appreciated if all baked goods could be brought in by Thursday morning (11th) so that we can organize them and wrap them with festive ribbon. As an allergy precaution, we ask that no nut products be used, and that a recipe card/ list of ingredients be included. Hopefully this will add a little Christmas Magic to the children's night. (Proceeds from the sale will be used towards the school's Anti-Bullying campaign).

Tutoring
The school is looking for individuals interested in helping/tutoring some students, particularly in Math. (Please Note: A criminal record check is required when working directly with students). For More information please contact the office.

Firefighter's Challenge
"Burning Down the House 2008" was held on November 25,2008. We would like to thank the 11 volunteers who gave their time to help with the set up and/or running of the obstacle course during the day long event. Thank you as well to Mike Smith and the teachers on the Challenge committee (Alex Yaychuk, Lisa Cormier, Natalie Green, Michelle Skead, Corinne Gallagher and Sarah Jenkins) for the outstanding job they did organizing this event. We cannot forget to mention Marie Lafford with Tim Horton's Human Resource Department for organizing the donation of coffee and muffins from their Main Street Store. Finally, Thank you to Jim McLeod and the Firefighters for making this day so special for our NMS community.

Parent-Teacher Interview Munchie Table
During the November 19th and 20th Parent Teacher Interviews, we were fortunate to have 18 volunteers send in food items for our "Munchie" Table. Thank you for helping to make the Feast such a positive experience for our teachers. They truly appreciated your kindness and hard work, and asked us to pass along their "Thank You" as well.

Friends of NMS Nominations - Information and Nomination ballet

2008-12-01T10:28:00.000-08:00

Nominations & Elections

2008-11-07T05:15:00.000-08:00

As the New Year fast approaches, we would like all of our volunteers to be aware of some upcoming dates:

1. Nominations for the positions of the 3 Co-Chairs will be accepted from December 1, 2008 until 3pm December 12, 2008. Nominations forms will be made available just prior to these dates and will be posted on the Blog.

2. Elections will take place on January 7, 2009 and January 8, 2009.

3. The Friends of NMS Annual General Meeting will take place on Tuesday January 13, 2009.

More information will be made available prior to these dates.

Sincerely,
Mary Rowe, Vicky Patterson and Mary Leo Dick
Co- Chairs of Friends of NMS

Friends of NMS - Thank- you!!!

2008-11-04T12:06:00.000-08:00

Update on Events

2008-10-07T11:15:00.001-07:00

The beginning of the 2008-2009 School year was a busy one for volunteers at NMS

Corn Boil

As part of the Healthy Eating Initiatives at NMS, the Friends of NMS assisted with the School's 2nd annual Corn Boil on Thursday October 2, 2008.

The grade 7 team of Mr. Fournier, Mme. Jenkins and Mme. Sprague ventured to Harvey's Big Potato in Maugerville with their students on Wednesday morning to pick over 1000 cobs of corn. We would like to extend a Big Thank You to Mr. Harvey for his kindness and generosity in supplying NMS the plentiful amount of corn.

On Thursday morning starting at 8:45 am, our energetic grade 6 and 8 students together with our parent volunteers, husked all of the cobs of corn. The corn was then moved to the Home Ec room where it was split and boiled. There was corn "everywhere".... After lunch, the Spirit Committee was instrumental in transporting the cooked corn from the home ec room to the cafeteria where it was served to the masses (800+ kids).

Thank you to our volunteers, staff and students for the hard work and determination they exhibited to get all of our students fed before the 2:50pm bell, and their help with the subsequent clean up. (It was also so nice to have father/grandfather representation in addition to our mothers). Special thanks to Mr. DeCoste, Mrs. Price and Mrs. Hepditch for their assistance throughout the day.

All leftover uncooked corn was donated to the Food Bank.

Everyone came together to make this a Fun and Special Event, proving once again... we are the big school with the bigger heart...

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

Mary Rowe, Mary Leo Dick and Vicky Patterson
Co-Chairs of Friends of NMS

Friends of NMS Meeting

Thank you to those friendly faces that came out to our information meeting Tuesday September 30, 2008. Your interest and your support were greatly appreciated.

Magazine Campaign
We had 3 volunteers come in to help sort and stuff envelopes on Monday September 29, 2008 in order to get them out in time for the Magazine Campaign kick off. Thank you to those who came in.

Measuring for Show Choir
Thank you to the volunteers who gave their time to come in and help Mrs. Ross and Mrs. Hepditch take measurements for the show choir costumes. Your help was greatly appreciated.

Scholastic French Book Fair
Our 2nd Annual Scholastic French Book Fair was held September 22-25, 2008. We had 16 volunteers who came out to help and have a good time. The total profits for the sale were over $4300. Over $2380 was taken in French Books, chosen by individual teachers. The remaining $1977 was set aside to be combined with English Book fair profits which will enable each teacher (including M&R) to purchase ~$140 worth of books for their classrooms.
The Book Fair received coverage in the Northside News, justfred website, local Radio stations and the Gleaner. What positive promotion for our school!

September Need of the Month- NMS Breakfast Program
Our Need of the Month for September was the NMS Breakfast Program. We informed parents of our September Need at meet the teacher night and on the blog. We had a good response with families sending in cereals, jams, cheese whiz etc. The school received monetary donations as well. Thank you to those who helped support this valuable program.

Grade 6 BBQ
The Friends of NMS assisted with the pick up and preparation of the food for the Grade 6 Welcome BBQ held on Friday September 5, 2008. The students enjoyed the hotdogs and juice. Special Thanks Theresa Jeffries at the Southside Superstore for her assistance in obtaining the donation of buns and gift card to help offset some of the costs of the BBQ.

News for your Friends of NMS

2008-09-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

Reminder: The Friends of NMS will be holding their first Meeting on Tuesday September 30, 2008 at 7pm. Hope to see you there.

Corn Boil

As our first Healthy Eating Initiative of the school year, we will be helping with a Corn Boil on Thursday October 2, 2008. We will be husking cobs of corn, helping to boil them and then prepare them to be served to all of our NMS students. For those of you who would like to help out with this activity, please contact the Friends of NMS.

Thank you in advance,

Mary Rowe, Vicky Patterson and Mary Leo Dick
Co-chairs of Friends of NMS

October Need of the Month: Fredericton Food Bank

This month, we have decided to partner with our NMS Spirit Committee for our Need of the Month. Our students would like to collect enough non perishable food items during the month of October to fill one of the offices on the main floor (near the guidance office).
If you are able to help us out, please send or drop off your donations of food items to the NMS office.

Thank you in advance,

Mary Rowe, Vicky Patterson and Mary Leo Dick
Co-chairs of the Friends of NMS

Meeting Agenda - September 30, 2008

2008-09-23T05:24:00.000-07:00

1. Introduction
2. Policy 701, District Confidentiality Form, Criminal Record Check
3. Communication
4. Activities year (summer) to date
5. Planned Activities (Fall)
6. Fall Fair/Bake Sale
7. New Business

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer with the Friends of NMS, please contact Mary or Vicky.

Thank You

2008-09-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who helped, here is a list of all the great things the Friends of NMS were able to accomplish last year!

Nms Thanks Friends

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

Welcome

2008-09-22T09:14:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the website for the Friends of NMS.