North Branch Area Middle School

Last week, the AFJROTC program was at NBAMS to introduce 8th grade students to the exciting world of JROTC! Cadets led immersive activities, giving students a hands-on experience with leadership, teamwork, and life skills that help them succeed in high school and prepare for college and careers after graduation. See more photos at the AFJROTC Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1KPE5JRzfr/

NBAMS 6th grade Spanish students spent a week creating games to teach Kindergarten Spanish students basic conversation words. The 6th graders then visited the Ed Center and spent the class period teaching and playing their games with the younger students. Sounds like fun!

All are invited to join NBAPS for a FREE fun and inspiring talk about building self-worth, resilience, confidence, joy, and strong connections. Joe Beckman brought his message to students, now it's your turn! Thursday, Feb. 20, 6 - 7:15 p.m. See flier for more details.

Mrs. Falen's 8th grade art students just finished their weaving unit while working on inkle looms. The word "inkle" means strap or band, so these looms are designed to create long, narrow weavings. We have 18 inkle looms and a plethora of colorful spools of cotton warp, thanks to a grant through the North Branch Area Education Foundation. Students worked with a team of 3-5 students per loom and learned weaving vocabulary, including: warp, weft, heddles, shuttle, tension bar, shed and fringe. Everyone took their turn "stringing up" their chosen color of warp on the loom, applying heddles to hold each of the top warp strands in place and weaving at least 3" of the team weaving. After the team weaving is complete, students can sign up to work on the loom on their own and choose their own length, width, colors and pattern if they'd like. Students were very excited and surprised when they cut their completed weavings off the loom!

📣 Attention Parents of Future Kindergartners! Join us for Incoming Kindergarten Parent Information Night at North Branch Area Education Center! 🗓 Date: Tuesday, February 4 🕕 Time: 6:00 – 7:30 PM 📍 Location: 38705 Grand Ave, North Branch, MN Come learn about our kindergarten program and all it has to offer your child. Plus, child care will be available! 🎉 Let’s give a warm welcome to the Class of 2038 – Future Vikings! For more information, call us at 📞 651-674-1220. We can't wait to meet you and your future kindergartner!

Coming up in Community Ed! Pickleball Lessons Starts Jan 13 / 5-6:30 PM The World Groove Movement Starts Jan 15 / 6:30-7:30 PM Seven Steps to Reverse or Prevent Diabesity Virtual Workshop Jan 15 / 6-7:30 Home Alone Grades 3-6 Jan 17 / 12:30-2:30 PM Child and Babysitting Safety Grades 4-8 Jan 17 / 9 AM -12 PM Registration here: https://northbranch.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/getprogram/ or call 651-674-1025.

🎉 Winter ECFE Classes Are Here! 🎉 ✨ Classes start January 6th – enroll now! 📚 Learn, Play, Engage! Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) offers: ✅ Parenting resources ✅ Child development activities ✅ Opportunities to connect, learn, and grow 🗓️ Class Options: 👶 Infant ECFE (Wednesdays, FREE!) 👦 ECFE for All Ages (Mondays, $49/family – Scholarships available!) 🌟 Terrific Tots (Fridays, $49/family – Scholarships available!) 🍽️ Evening ECFE (Tuesdays, $10/family – Dinner included!) 📍 Register today: www.nbaeonline.org 📞 Have questions? Call us at 651-674-1220. Don’t miss this chance to support your little one’s growth while having fun together!

SKOL! and congratulations to NBAHS 2001 alumnus Mitch Savage! He is Colorado's Golf Course Superintendent of the Year: https://youtu.be/KiPri-xvUTs Proud dad Mark (a retired teacher here) had this to say: "It all started at North Branch Golf Course...working a summer job while attending NBAHS. The power of being a Viking is endless!"

Merry Christmas to our students, staff, families, partners, and community members!

Taher, the district's food service provider, has over a half-dozen job openings at NBAPS. These positions are perfect for parents looking for something while their kids are in school. To apply, see Taher's Indeed page at: https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=Taher&l=North+Branch%2C+MN&fromage=1&from=searchOnDesktopSerp&vjk=59a32d5429a7f055 Here also is Taher's jobs site: https://recruiting.adp.com/srccar/public/RTI.home?c=1171051&d=ExternalCareerSite#/ Put North Branch in the "where" box to see openings. For questions, contact Kali Mewhorter, K-12 Assistant Food Service Director at NBAPS: kalimewhorter@isd138.org or 651-674-1520.

The Viking Newsletter - December 2024 is now available! Click here to read: https://secure.smore.com/n/5und4

Student's in Heisick's 7th and 8th grade classes battled in the Marshmallow Igloo Challenge. Students had to create an Igloo that followed the expectations of circular walls, domed roof, and could fit a lego figure inside. A wide variety of engineering strategies were used, but fun times were had by all!

Coming up in Community Ed! Learn the Sport of BMX Bike Racing Jan 2 / 5:30-7:45 PM Drivers Education Zoom Class Starts Jan 6 / 3-6 PM Snowboard & Ski Club Starts Jan 6 / 3-9:30 PM Register here: https://northbranch.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/getprogram/ or call 651-674-1025.

Middle School students were greeted by the MS Jazz Band this morning. What a great way to start the day!

The NBAHS Dance Team is hosting the Conference Meet at NBAHS this Thursday, Dec. 19! The meet starts at 6 p.m. Don't miss your one and only chance to see the Vikettes at home!

Eighth grade art students just finished their Mixed Media Mannequin projects. Each student drew 2 of the 12” wooden mannequins, posing them in a way to convey their chosen theme. Each mannequin was highlighted with a white charcoal pencil and shaded with an Ebony pencil to match their light source, cut out and placed in the best layout to fit their idea. They also chose background paper and had to incorporate at least one paint “splotch” to further fit their theme. Students chose a wide variety of themes, including: baseball, volleyball, music, the balance of ying and yang, dancing, surf boarding, paint ball, playing the piano, soccer and even various emotional states of mind. Proud art teacher is Lee Ann Falen.

Author and speaker Joe Beckman, of TILL360, is in the district this week, talking with kids of all ages about the importance of creating and maintaining human connections. Joe will also be doing a community event in February for people of all ages (see flier below). Thanks Joe, it's great to have you here!

SKOL and congrats to the NBAHS Dance Team! The Vikettes placed 3rd at the Forest Lake Invitational over the weekend!

If you haven't checked out the NBAHS Dance Team, you have plenty of opportunities starting this Saturday! Here's a complete schedule for December and January. Saturday Dec 7: Invite Forest Lake High School Saturday Dec 14: Invite Chisago Lakes High School Thursday Dec. 19: Conference meet at NBAHS Saturday Jan. 11: at Simley High School Saturday Jan. 18: Totino Grace High School Saturday Jan. 25: at Mounds view Saturday Feb 1: sections at Totino Grace Evening meets generally start at 6-6:30 pm. Saturdays usually start at 10:00 am. If you want to see a video of the squad in action, check out the district Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbapschools

Our Girls High School Hockey Team- The Northern Tier Stars High School- Co-op of St. Francis, Cambridge Isanti, and North Branch Area High Schools is having a "Hockey Fights Cancer" Night at its Tuesday, Jan. 28, game at East Bethel Ice Arena - Northern Tier Stars vs. Princeton - JV 5:15 and Varsity. If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt or hoodie, please click this link (https://forms.gle/uxfQCtCiFdfVbk3n9) or scan to place your order and send your payment to either: Joe Fredrickson at SFHS or, Heidi Sanders at SFMS. Proceeds will be donated to furthering cancer research. Come to the event and fill out a "I Fight For..." to honor someone you know who has, or is currently fighting cancer. The hockey community is more than a sport—it's a family. And like most families, many of us have been touched by cancer in some way. To honor those affected and bring awareness to the fight against this disease, the Northern Tier Stars are hosting a special "Hockey Fights Cancer" event. Show your support by ordering exclusive event apparel. Each purchase helps us raise awareness and stand united in support of the individuals and families impacted by cancer. Together, as a hockey family, we can make a difference—one shift at a time. Come to the game and honor who you fight for by completing a support sign as well. COMPLETE THE FORM MULTIPLE TIMES FOR ADDITIONAL ORDERS. Full payment needs to be turned in by Sunday, Dec. 8 to Heidi Sanders or Alicia Overby. Checks made out to "Redliners" add $5 additional for PayPal.