Welcome to the 2022-23 school year! We are getting back to the basics at WPMS this year, and our Wildcats will be laser-focused on being the best students they can be. Please help us by ensuring your child gets enough sleep each night, stays current with all assignments, and comes to school each day with a positive attitude.

Lockers are back! Your child will receive his/her locker over the next two weeks. Book bags will remain in the locker during the day. In addition, if your child brings a phone and/or wireless earbuds to school, those items MUST REMAIN in the locker. They will not be allowed in class. SMART watches are discouraged. We want your child's attention on instruction. Phones are available in the office if your child needs to make a call home, and you are always welcome to leave a message for your child by calling the school. Until lockers are assigned, phones/wireless earbuds must remain in the book bag during the school day.

Congratulations to Ms. Stephanie Kern on her retirement. She has devoted 29 years to public education. She will be missed.

I am looking forward to seeing all our Wildcats back on campus. It is going to be the best year yet! As always, it's a great day to be a Wildcat!

Take care. JW

• Doors open at 7:30am. For our students' safety, we ask that you not drop off your child prior to that time as there are no staff members on duty.
• All students are dropped off at front of school in the morning. Please do not drop off in the bus parking lot, grassy area, tennis courts, at WPES, or at a local business.
• Students who work the school store or are involved in an early morning club meeting may be dropped off in the grassy area or front driveway.

• Older siblings will go to the younger sibling's car line for pick-up.
• Don't forget, 7th grade is picked up on the service road behind the baseball field. Cars will enter at WPES.
• 8th grade cars may proceed to the staff parking lot for afternoon dismissal. Once that area is full, 8th grade cars must remain in the main car line with the 6th grade cars. A staff member will be outside to help direct traffic.
• Cars are asked to pull all the way up to the first open spot. The students will walk to your car. Do not stop when you see your child. Staff will direct you to keep moving as we have MANY cars to move through the line.

School attendance is important and in order to receive the best education, students need to be present to fully support their academic success. School administrators and teachers track student attendance in PowerSchool. Parents should monitor their child’s attendance and ensure that students do not accumulate excessive absences. Both excused and unexcused absences count towards student attendance. Failure to meet minimum attendance policies may jeopardize a student’s ability to participate in sports or promote to the next grade. Parents will be contacted by school administration or a school social worker under the following circumstances:

• The child has accumulated three (3) unexcused absences in a school year.
• After not more than six (6) unexcused absences, the principal shall notify the family by mail that they may be in violation of the Compulsory Attendance Law.
• When student absences, excused or unexcused, reach five (5) in a semester or eleven (11) in a year in grades 9-12, or fifteen (15) in a year in grades K-8, the principal will contact the family.
• Students in grades 9-12 who are absent from a class more than eight (8) days, excused or unexcused, during a semester course shall not receive credit for the semester or year.
• Students in grades K-8 who are absent more than twenty (20) days during a year shall be referred to an interdisciplinary attendance committee which shall determine if the student should be retained. Additional policies are outlined in MCS Board of Education Policies, Section 6000.

• August 29: First Day of School
• September 5: Labor Day Holiday
• Week of September 26: Interim Reports
• October 10: Teacher Workday
• October 28: Early Release Day

Athletics:

A reminder that tryouts for softball, tennis, and golf start this week and practices will resume or start for football, cheerleading, and cross country. All online forms and physicals must be completed in order to participate. Eligibility requirements will be checked by Mr. Willms within this process. Please visit the WPMS website under the athletics section for detailed information. Please note the changes for golf as the golf courses for tryouts have been switched and the changes for cheerleading as practice days have changed.

Softball Tryouts: 8/29 - 8/31 from 3:00pm - 5:00pm. Students need to wear a t-shirt, athletic pants/shorts, sneakers/cleats, and bring a water bottle, glove, and bat (if you have one). The final roster will be selected and posted on the WPMS website under the athletics section on the evening of 8/31.

Golf Tryouts: This past week Coach Cowell had to step down as the head coach. We thank Coach Cowell for his leadership and commitment to the students over the last few years. Taking his place is Coach Chapman (also our new eighth grade math teacher at WPMS). The final roster will be selected and posted on the WPMS website under the athletics section on the evening of 9/8. Tryouts will be from 4:15pm - 5:45pm for seventh and eighth graders from 8/30 - 9/1 and for sixth graders the following week from 9/6 - 9/8. The new locations for tryouts are as follows:

8/30 & 9/6: Longleaf Family & Golf Club (Southern Pines)

8/31 & 9/7: The Azalea Course @ Pinewild Country Club (Pinehurst)

9/1 & 9/8: Beacon Ridge Golf & Country Club (Seven Lakes West)

Tennis Tryouts: 8/30 - 9/1 from 3:00pm - 5:00pm. Students need wear a t-shirt, athletic shorts, and sneakers, and bring a water bottle and tennis racquet for each tryout. The final roster will be selected and posted on the WPMS website under the athletics section on the evening of 9/1.

Cross Country Practice: 8/30 - 9/1 from 3:00pm - 4:30pm. Please reach out to Coach West for additional information for the upcoming season. Her email is: jwest@ncmcs.org

Cheerleading Practice: Cheerleaders will meet for practice from 8/30 - 9/1 from 3:00pm to 5:00pm. Cheerleaders will NOT practice on Monday as originally stated in the previous athletic message.

Football Practice: 8/29 - 9/1 from 3:15pm - 5:30pm. Football players should continue to wear a t-shirt, athletic shorts, sneakers or cleats, and bring a water bottle for each practice. Parents, please start picking up your child in the staff parking lot near the football field this week.

Athletic Booster Club Information

• The Wildcat Booster Club needs your support. For more information, contact Mark Dutton, booster club president, at mld206@nc.rr.com or Mr. Willms at bwillms@ncmcs.org.
• Booster Membership Link

• Harris Teeter - Together in Education
• Lowes Foods - Cart to Class

PTSO

Do you want to get involved but don't know where to start? Join the WPMS PTSO. For more information, reach out to one of our board members or email them at wpmptso@gmail.com.

• Alison McCloskey - president
• Amanda Peterson - secretary
• Suzanne Johnson - TBD
• Karyn Schwagel - board member

Parent Advisory Representatives

Here are your parent representatives for the 2022-23 school year.

• Parent Advisory Council (PAC): TBD
• Military Family Advisory Council (MFAC): Alison McCloskey
• Hispanic Community Advisory Council (HCAC): Flor Martinez
• African American Community Advisory Council (AACAC): Whitney Alford
• School Improvement Team (SIT): Alison McCloskey and Lynn Antil

Booster Clubs

Band, Orchestra , Choral Music/Theater, and Athletics