Volume 1, Issue 1

October 1st, 2015

The Falcon The Newsletter for Northville Middle and High School MS/HS October Events

A Teacher’s Perspective:

Oct. 1—Open House, 6:308:00 p..m. Oct. 2—End of Five-Week Marking Period Oct. 9—No School, Superintendent’s Conference Day Oct. 12—No School, Columbus Day Oct. 19-23—Fall Spirit Week Oct. 26-30—College Application Week Oct. 30—Senior Pictures Due to Mr. Long Nov. 1—Daylight Saving Time Ends Nov. 6—End of FirstQuarter Marking Period

Mrs. Straub Looks Ahead to a Positive Year! Already, at the beginning of this academic year, I am noticing many positive changes that have occurred throughout our middle and high school here at Northville. Our new secondary principal, Mr. McFarland, has added the key ingredients for academic and personal success to our school. In our current culture of high-stakes testing and student achievement outcomes, it can become easy to forget about building personal and professional relationships. This, however, is not the case for Mr. McFarland. Mr. McFarland is visible, reliable,

and genuinely interested in what is going on in all of our classrooms. He frequently stops by to watch a lesson, interact with students and teachers and ask questions. Under Mr. McFarland's leadership, Northville is developing a space where students and teachers feel comfortable taking risks, collaborating and learning. He is accessible and supportive with consistent communication. Mr. McFarland has helped the faculty and staff at NCS refocus their energies toward creating a school where learning, culture and

Mrs. Straub (formerly Ms. Colaneri) teaches Social Studies in the High School.

community is the focus. I am so happy to welcome Mr. McFarland as our leader and look forward to working with him! Sara Straub

Adjustment to Middle School Begins With Orientation The 2015-16 school year kicked off a little early for NCS’s newest middle-schoolers when students and parents gathered on August 26th for Sixth-Grade Orientation. Following a welcome back pizza party and an introduction to their new principal and teachers, the sixth -grade students and their parents were led on a tour of the middle school classrooms by Student Coun-

cil members who volunteered their time to help their fellow Falcons adjust to life in “the big leagues”. The sixth-graders also got some much needed practice dialing their locker combinations and had plenty of time to set up their shelves, books and accessories. NCS hopes a smooth start to middle school paves the way for greater student success in the future.

Mr. McFarland shared a laugh with several of the Student Council tour guides before orientation got underway. Photo courtesy of Mr. Fitzgerald

Falcons to Take Flight Under the Lights! Last fall, Northville used portable lights generously rented by the NCS Booster Club to host its first-ever nighttime soccer games. Building on the success of last year’s Boys’/ Girls’ Varsity double-header, the Booster Club and athletics department have combined their efforts in order to present a slate of six games over four nights this October 6th though 9th. Athletic Director John Karbowski said the decision to add more night games to the schedule this year was an easy one. “The atmosphere (last year) was electric,” Mr. Karbowski said, adding that “there is something special about playing at night under the lights. We decided to increase it to a week-long event, which will give each of the Varsity teams the opportunity to play two games under the lights and also give the JV teams an opportunity to play one night game apiece as well.” The week will culminate on October 9th with the 4th Annual Pinkout, a Girls’/Boys’ Varsity double-header benefitting breast cancer research. A $2.00 donation is suggested, with all proceeds directed to the search for a cure. Fans looking to show additional support for the fight against breast cancer can order NCS Pinkout 2015 apparel at

clearimageny.com/falconspinkout through October 2nd. Booster Club members and soccer players parked cars at the Fonda Fair in August to raise a portion of the light-rental expenses. Admission will be charged to the week’s first four games (those played prior to the Pinkout games) to cover the remainder of the costs. Mr. Karbowski said he hopes the nighttime soccer games are as exciting for the community as they are for the players, stating “we are really looking forward to the week, and expect big crowds will come out to support our student-athletes.” “NCS Under the Lights” Schedule Tues., Oct. 6—Boys’ Varsity vs. Mayfield, 7 pm Weds., Oct. 7—Girls’ Varsity vs. OESJ, 7 pm Thurs., Oct. 8—Girls’ JV vs. Mayfield, 5 pm and Boys’ JV vs. Mayfield, 7 pm Fri., Oct. 9—4th Annual Pinkout Girls’ Varsity vs. SPA Catholic, 6 pm Boys’ Varsity vs. SPA Catholic, 8 pm

A Student’s Perspective: Junior Richard Arnold Enjoying a New Sense of Freedom The atmosphere at Northville High School has greatly improved this year. The boost has in part been created by the new principal, Mr. McFarland. In my personal opinion, the atmosphere seems to be an improvement for all people in the building. The teachers and students have a new attitude from past years, and the school feels like it is more welcoming for students as well. As a member of Student Council, I can say Mr. McFarland is promoting change in the proper way. He wants to slowly roll out new ideas and seek approval from the staff and students. An obvious and notable change is the cell phone policy, which is more lenient in comparison to previous years, yet still has rules that need to be followed in order to keep phone use in school. Another change that was discussed was the “Up-Street” policy. Mr. McFarland feels that the students are lucky to have such a privilege, but that it can be modified to help treat all students, such as the “average” students, with more privilege as well. Lastly, in my opinion, the scheduling has improved, which is making this year more enjoyable. I also feel the support that the

Richard Arnold (back row, right) is a student in Mrs. Raffetto’s Writing Workshop class; he and his classmates recently posed in front of some of their work. teachers and new principal are showing is having a tremendously positive effect on the student body. Richard Arnold

Northville Secondary School Vision - Northville Secondary School will empower all students to achieve excellence in their school, community and lives through rigorous academics that promote literacy and college and career readiness.