North Dickinson 4 on 4 Basketball Tournament

North Dickinson will be hosting a 4 on 4 basketball tournament on Saturday, November 2nd for boys and girls in grades 3rd-6th. Early registration is due by October 23rd.  Contact Angie Jungwirth or Chris Mattson with questions.

***Click here for registration forms.


School Meals

Just a reminder that there is no charging of school meals. Make sure to send lunch money to cover the costs of your child/children’s meals. Breakfast is $1.00 for all full pay students, $.30 for reduced students . Lunch is $3.00 for Elementary and $3.25 for the Middle and High school, $.40 for all reduced students. Adult lunches are $4.00.
You also have an option to fill out a free and reduced application. If you qualify for either free or reduced price meals it not only helps you financially but also benefits our school. Funding for schools is determined in part by the number of students who qualify for free or reduced meals.
The free and reduced breakfast and lunch program can help families make the most of their resources by helping bridge the financial gap and make school meals affordable for families. Applications can be picked up in the office or you can go to www.go-nordics.com, click on the link Parents Menu, then click on “Free and Reduced Lunch Applications” to print one off and return it to the school office.
We encourage parents to come in and eat lunch with your child/children. Please be sure to call the day prior or in the morning to ensure that there is enough food prepared.
Please be advised all milks without a meal are .40 regardless of free/reduced status. Please make sure your child knows not to take a milk if you did not give them permission.


Freshman Class Fundraiser

The North Dickinson Freshman Class will be having their Holiday greenery/gift items fundraiser through Sherwood Forest Farms the end of October.  Delivery will be prior to Thanksgiving.  We have been fundraising through this company for three years and they offer high quality products at a reasonable price.  Greenery items include various wreaths, swags, and cedar garland.  There will be a poster displaying the items in the entrance near the office.  If you would like to order, contact a Freshman or Ms. Hord.  


Sophomore Class Rada Sale

The Sophomore class will be selling Rada knives, dips and kitchen items the last week in September and the first few days of October.  Please see a sophomore class member, Angie Mattson, or Amy Hord to look at a catalog! Thank you! 


Flu Shot Clinic
 
Flu shot clinic will be held at North Dickinson on Tuesday, October 8th from 3:00-5:00 PM.


Use of Microwaves 

The microwaves in the commons area are for Middle School and High School use. We have had requests from elementary school students to heat up their lunch or to use the microwaves themselves. The adults monitoring the commons will not be able to heat lunches for your children unless there has been pre-arranged approval with Mrs. Inglese. We do not allow students in K-5 to use the microwaves on their own. Therefore, if you send your child with cold lunch, please do not send something that needs to be heated in the microwave. 
 

End of 1st Marking Period/Report Cards Issued

Friday, November 1st is the end of the 1st nine week marking period. Report cards will be issued on Wednesday, November 6th.


News from the Counseling Office
By: Mrs. Angela Jungwirth
 
Our school uses a program called Career Cruising with our 6th-12th grade students to make student educational development plans (EDP’s).  Career Cruising is an Internet-based career exploration and planning tool your child uses to explore career and college options and develop a career plan. Career Cruising can be accessed from school, from home, or wherever your son or daughter has access to the Internet. We are using this program to find students career interests to help guide the students plans throughout school. Features of the program include: Interest and Skills Assessment,  Career Profiles, Multimedia Interviews, College and Financial Aid Information, Electronic EDP Tool, and a Resume Builder.  To find out more about Career Cruising, we encourage you to login at www.careercruising.com using the school’s access information. 
Username: ndcs
Password: Nordics
You can also request access to review your child's EDP. Please contact Mrs. Jungwirth if you would like access to your child's Career Cruising account.


Financial Aid Information and Financial Aid Night for Seniors

Students will be able to file a 2020–21 FAFSA as early as October 1, 2019. Because of the early submission students will use earlier income information. For your 2020–21 FAFSA, students will be required to report income information from an earlier tax year. For example, on the 2020–21 FAFSA, students (and parents) will report their 2018 income information, rather than their 2019 income information.  Please contact Angie Jungwirth if you have questions or would like help submitting the FAFSA.
 
For additional help and information regarding financial aid and paying for college, the school will be hosting a financial aid night on October 16 at 6:00 PM. A representative from Northern Michigan University will be presenting information that will apply to all students planning to attend college even if the student is not attending NMU. The NMU representative will provide parents and students with information regarding filing the FAFSA, financial aid resources, and he will also be available to answer questions students and parents may have. All senior students and parents are encouraged to attend.


Yearbook

The 2018-2019 yearbooks will be in the beginning of October. If you ordered a yearbook, please stop by the office to pick up your copy. If you didn’t order in advance and would like to purchase one, hurry, we only have a few extras that can be purchased for $40.
We have a great ND Yearbook Committee this year! We've been out taking pictures at events, but would welcome any photographs you have taken that can be used for the yearbook. The more pictures to choose from the better! Pictures can be emailed to athoune@go-nordics.com.
Once again, the committee will be having a yearbook sale where you can purchase a yearbook at a discounted price. More information will be given in the coming newsletters.


School Pictures
 
School pictures will be taken in the morning on Wednesday, October 2nd. Pricing information will be sent home with the students and can also be picked up in the school office. Picture retakes are scheduled for Tuesday, November 5, 2019.


PTO

Important! - The Box Tops for education program is changing!  Please help our PTO out by sending in any box tops that you have already clipped and also by downloading the new Box Tops app on your smart phones! Printed Box Tops on your grocery and household items will soon be discontinued.  In order for our school to get credit, parents, and other family members will need to download the Box Tops for education app onto their smart devices.  Once you do this, it will ask you to choose and organization to support.  Please choose North Dickinson PTO.  Then, please scan your receipts when you are done shopping (from grocery stores and department stores) and we will get it added to our total.  Then please keep sending in your Tadychs and Super One receipts to school.  These are our main source of funds for all the projects we do here at school!  Thank you Nordic families! 


Thank You

We would like to thank the Nordic Athletic Booster Club for the purchase of a new paint sprayer for the football field. This sprayer is used to paint the lines and numbers on the field. Again, thanks to the Booster Club for the continued support of Nordic Athletics.


Walkers Welcome

Walkers are welcome to use the high school halls before school from 7:00 -8:00 AM and after school from 3:30-5:00 PM. The weight room will also be open during these times.

 
School Driveways and Parking Lots

We would like to remind the public about several items related to traffic for safety and security reasons. First is that traffic is only permitted in the front driveway and lower parking lot during school hours. Traffic is not permitted around the sides or rear of the building except for school buses, school maintenance vehicles or emergency vehicles. This includes dropping off or picking up daycare/preschool children and when picking up students after school dismisses. The children need to be picked up in the front of the school, do not drive around the back of the school.
Upper parking lot is one-way traffic. In the upper driveway and parking lot, the traffic should enter from the east and drive to the west. Traffic should enter from the side towards the potato fields and exit the side towards the Nordic Trading Post. Signs have been ordered and will be posted soon.
The driveways and parking lot maximum speed is 10 mph. SLOW is the correct speed. Please drive slow and expect young children to dart out from behind other vehicles.
The front of the school along the sidewalks is for loading and unloading. A spot is reserved for school buses, law enforcement and maintenance vehicles. The signs are posted along the sidewalk, please obey the signs.
And last but not least the speed limit on M69 has been increased in the school zone to 35 mph. The speed limit in the school zone and the times that the speed limit must be reduced are mandated by state law. A reminder to all, that traffic fines are doubled in school zones.


Forestry Commission Position

The North Dickinson County Schools Forestry Commission is seeking letters of interest to fill a vacancy on the 3-member commission. The Forestry Commission provides oversight and management of the nearly 1,000 acres of the district owned school forest property with an emphasis on educational use and sustainable management practices. Preference will be given to residents of the school district with a background and/or experience in the forestry industry. Please submit your letter of interest prior to Wednesday, October 9, 2019. You can drop it off at the school office, or send US Mail to: Forestry Commission, North Dickinson School, W6588 State Highway M69, Felch, MI 49831. Or by email: doman@go-nordics.com, or by fax 906-542-6950. If you have any questions about the position contact Mr. Darrell Oman at the email address above, or by cell phone 906-221-5471.


Board Highlights – September 2019

-Changed board meeting start time to 7:00 p.m.
-Hired Carol Sgarlotti as a K-3 Early Literacy Teacher for three hours per day for three days a week
-Approved the 2019-2020 course catalog as presented
-Authorized the superintendent to enter into a Letter of Agreement paying trained teachers a $100 stipend per pupil to teach online classes
-Authorized the superintendent to post and seek letters of interest from the public sector to serve on the School Forestry Commission
-Approved the Precision Technology security system update for $6,894.23 to update door intercom kit


Parent-Teacher Conferences / Early Dismissal

Parent-teacher conferences will be held on Thursday, November 7, 2019. School will be dismissed at 12:45 PM. Teachers will be available from 1:30-4:00 PM and 5:00-7:30 PM.

Smiles on Wheels

Smiles on Wheels will be here the week of October 7, 2019. Information regarding the program will be sent home soon. Students should return the forms to their teacher even if they are not interested.

 
News Release

On September 6th a group of students from North Dickinson attended the 2019 Great Lakes Heavy Equipment and Logging Expo held at the UP State Fairgrounds in Escanaba. Students were exposed to hundreds of vendors, displays and exhibitions during the day field trip. The visit exposes them to literally hundreds of companies and organizations that are related to forestry in one way or another. Because the forestry industry plays perhaps the most significant role in our local economy, recreation and ecosystem, it is an excellent way to expose students to career opportunities and more education about the industry itself. We are fortunate to have the support of the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association. They provided free admission to the expo. Denny Olson of Quinnessec once again met our bus and provided the students with a brief introduction to the expo and guided them on their way to get started. Local logging company Finntown Custom Roadsiding provided money so each student could buy lunch on the grounds. Wheels to Woods is a grant program funded by several in the forestry industry. This program helped by providing funding to cover the transportation costs for this field trip. Over the past six years, we have sent a bus load of Nordics to this three times; each time in Escanaba. We always get great reports back from the students and from the members of the logging industry who meet our kids there. It is well worth the trip and a day of learning outside of the classroom. This year it was a home football game so several of them were wearing Nordic colors so it was easy to spot them.


Robotics

Last year was the first year for North Dickinson to have a robotics team. We were able to enter a few competitions and for our first year we did very well. At the Kingsford meet we were ranked 7th and were alliance captain number 6. At LSSU we were ranked 13th and were a part of alliance number 4. The students needed to work together and learn to be part of the team. Some of the members designed our banner, a few worked on designing our T-shirts, some worked on programming and others worked on building the robot. There are many aspects of being part of the robotics program and we are looking forward to this upcoming year.
Part of having a robotics team at North Dickinson is also the expense. We need to pay to participate in the different competitions. We are looking for sponsors and or donations to help us continue to have our team. We know that our community is constantly supporting all of the different programs at our school and we are so very thankful for everything that you do. It isn’t that we aren’t willing to have fundraisers, because we will do what is necessary so that we can have a team. It is due to all of the other fundraising that we are trying to approach the expense from a different angle.
There are many different companies that support other robotic teams that we encountered this past year. It may be a tax write-off for the different companies to do so. We will also display your company logo in our work station at the different meets.


Homecoming

This year’s Homecoming game will be Friday, October 18th against the Ontonagon Gladiators at 6:00 pm. The Theme for this year’s Homecoming is a “Flash in the Past”. The high school classes will each be selecting a decade from the past to build their float.

Dress Up Days:
Monday: Get Up and Go Day
Tuesday: Meme Day for Middle School and High School
                Class Color Day for Elementary
                Kindergarten: Blue
                1st Grade: Red
                2nd Grade: Orange
                3rd Grade: Black
                4th Grade: Green
                5th Grade: White
Wednesday: Decades Day
Thursday: Yooper Day
Friday: Maroon and White Day


Head Lice Awareness

This article is to increase head lice awareness so that you may take steps at home to help prevent your child from becoming infested with head lice. Any time children come together, particularly at the start of the school year or following any social grouping like Girl/Cub Scouts, Brownies, Little League, dance groups, or sleepovers, detected head lice cases commonly increase. Recent studies show that head lice are seldom spread in the school setting. Direct, physical, head-to-head contact is the usual method of transmission. Lice do not jump or fly. They survive only for a short time away from the human head and have difficulty crawling or clinging to smooth surfaces. Check your child’s head weekly for lice and/or nits (eggs). Mature lice, which are no bigger than a sesame seed, avoid light and are hard to see. Lice eggs or “nits” are usually found close to the scalp – usually within one quarter inch. They appear as tiny whitish ovals that are “glued” to the hair shaft. They cannot easily be flicked away as dandruff can. Head lice do not transmit disease and are not a serious medical condition. They cannot survive on your pets. If you find head lice on your child, please notify the school and treat him/her with lice shampoo following package instructions. A second treatment may be required in seven to ten days. Continue to examine the child and all family members for three weeks and treat only if live lice or if nits are found one quarter inch or less from the scalp.

Steps to help prevent the spread of head lice include:
* Check your child’s head weekly for signs of head lice.
* Teach your child not to share or trade personal items such as hats, combs, brushes, headbands, and barrettes.
* Contain long hair in braids or ponytails, especially in younger children.
Teach children to avoid head-to-head contact.

For more information regarding head lice or its treatment, please feel free to contact the school office or your local health department.