E-Cigarettes, Important Information for Parents

As the use and interest in e-cigarettes and vaporizers increases, it is important for parents to learn about these products and talk about their use with young people. 

Below is a letter from the Surgeon General. This is a good place to start educating yourself. In addition, I recommend the CDC Youth and Tobacco Use Fact page: /https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/youth_data/tobacco_use/: 

E-cigarettes and the Surgeon General Report Dec 2016

On December 8, 2016,  U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy published a report on an emerging public health threat affecting our country. E-cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General is the 33rd Surgeon General’s report in 53 years to address the impact of tobacco on health. It is the first to focus on e-cigarettes.  

This report confirms that there is no acceptable level of nicotine when it comes to our kids. It notes that e-cigarettes are often a delivery system for nicotine, a highly addictive substance that can harm the developing brain. The report also confirms that the aerosol from e-cigarettes is not harmless. It can contain chemicals and particulates that are dangerous to the person using these products (“vaping”) and to anyone who may inhale that aerosol second-hand. 

The Surgeon General’s report is available at E-cigarettes.SurgeonGeneral.gov. There you will also find tools for parents and a brand new Public Service Announcement from Dr. Murthy. Please help us promote this important publication by sharing it with your networks. We would also appreciate your help getting the word out on social media, using the hashtag #NoEcigs4Kids in your posts. 

Like previous reports of the Surgeon General, this one discusses the marketing techniques to glamorize e-cigarettes. The Surgeon General calls on the industry to stop advertising practices which encourage young people to try these products. Our children are not an experiment, and we know enough about the risks of e-cigarettes to take action to protect them. 

To mark the release of this report, the Office of the Surgeon General and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office on Smoking and Health will host a live press conference today at 9:30 am EST.  You can watch the livestream at www.hhs.gov/live. 

We must never wait to prevent harm, especially when it comes to our kids. Together, we can protect America’s youth from the harms of e-cigarettes. When we know better, we must do better. 

Graham Crackers, Frosting and Plate Tectonics

Under the guidance of Ms. Alexander and Mr. Bissell, our 6th grade science students are engaged in a "Snack Tectonics" activity today. To illustrate the concept of plate tectonics, students are building models using some very tasty snacks. The fruit roll up oceanic crust moves nicely across the frosting mantle to illustrate sea floor spread and the moist graham cracker continental plates crash together to form mountains (illustrating the formation of mountains such as the Himalayas). Students are also becoming familiar with new vocabulary and using scientific terms to describe the movement of their "snacks."

See below for some visuals...

8th Grade Clipper Crew Strikes Again

Our 8th grade Clipper Crew is continuing their efforts to build community and bring kindness to our school. Before Thanksgiving they welcomed us with inspiring statements on the sidewalk and this week they have started a "happiness challenge" for the 8th grade. The challenge for yesterday was to leave a positive sticky note for someone. As you can see below the group follows their own advice...

Writing on the Walls

You can learn a lot about what is going on in a school by the posters, artwork, bulletin boards, and papers hanging on the walls. Here are just a few of the words I found hanging on the wall this week...

Singing at the Nock--6th grade Chorus

I had the chance to visit 6th grade chorus classes today. The group below was hard at work practicing melodies, memorizing lyrics, and following along to the accompaniment of Ms. Sokoloski's guitar. In the room next door another group was with Mr. Nickerson belting out a very raucous rendition of Eye of the Tiger. Nothing beats a little music in the hallways!

Lot's Going On...

Just a few reminders:

• It's a Wonderful Life opens on Thursday at 7:00. There will also be shows on Friday at 7:00 and Saturday at 2:00 and 7:00. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10/student and $12/adult. If your middle school student will be attending the show with a group of friends, please help us by reminding them of the expectations for a live show audience:

• Please do not talk during the show. 

• Please do not leave your seat during the show. If you need to exit the theater, you will be asked to wait in the foyer until intermission.

• Please do not eat or drink in the theater. 

• Please turn off your cell phone during the show.

• Profiles of Student Life Survey will be conducted with grades 6 and 8 in the next week. This survey is used by Newburyport Youth Services and the district to measure student assets and student risk behaviors. Information on the survey went home over email to all grade 6 and 8 parent/guardians.
• Grade 8 Parent Night at Newburyport High School-Wednesday, November 28 at 6:30 - Join NHS staff and students to learn about the high school experience
• Thursday, December 1 is an early release day - The Newburyport School District has been in conversation with the Mayor, members of the Chamber of Commerce, and the Newburyport Police Department about concerns from business owners around student behavior downtown on early release days. Our students need opportunities to feel independent and we are lucky to live in a safe and welcoming community where they can explore. But some business owners are expressing concerns around students not knowing how to act appropriately in shops and restaurants. Please take a moment to have a conversation with your child about traveling in groups and etiquette around eating at restaurants and visiting shops. 
• Report Cards will be mailed home on December 9th

Facing History and Ourselves--Nock Professional Development Partner

As we continue to work on enriching and developing our curricula, Nock ELA, social studies, art, and special education teachers have been working with Facing History and Ourselves.

Facing History is a nonprofit educational organization whose mission is to "engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry."


Our partnership with Facing History will support us in continuing to create opportunities for conversations about how our identity shapes our understanding of each other, our school community and the world. Teachers can borrow resources from Facing History's extensive library, take workshops, and continue with individualized coaching from our school consultants. 

Facing History resources and teaching strategies are being used in units of study throughout the school including a Holocaust study unit in grade 7, a Civil Rights unit in grade 8, and a unit based on the novel To Kill a Mockingbird in grade 8. Other new and re-imagined units are also in process.

You can learn more about Facing History and Ourselves and their extensive experience working with schools at www.facinghistory.org.