WMS Community Bulletin 02-07-21
EXCELLENCE*EQUITY*COMMUNITY
If you are on a computer, open this in a new page. Then to translate this newsletter, click on the link to the right.
If you are on a phone, touch the person in the black circle to get the translate button.
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Se você estiver em um computador, abra uma nova página. Em seguida, para traduzir esta newsletter, clique no link à direita. Se você estiver em um telefone, toque na pessoa no círculo preto para obter o botão de tradução.
(Portuguese)
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Si está en una computadora, abra esto en una nueva página. Luego, para traducir este boletín, haga clic en el enlace a la derecha. Si está en un teléfono, toque a la persona en el círculo negro para obtener el botón de traducción.
(Spanish)
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إذا كنت تستخدم جهاز كمبيوتر ، فافتح هذا في صفحة جديدة. بعد ذلك ، لترجمة هذه النشرة الإخبارية ، انقر فوق الارتباط الموجود على اليمين.
إذا كنت تستخدم الهاتف ، فالمس الشخص الموجود في الدائرة السوداء للحصول على زر الترجمة. (Arabic)
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Եթե համակարգիչ եք, բացեք սա նոր էջում: Ապա, այս տեղեկագիրը թարգմանելու համար կտտացրեք աջ հղմանը: Եթե հեռախոսով եք, դիպչեք սև շրջանի անձին ՝ թարգմանության կոճակը ստանալու համար: (Armenian)
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Bilgisayar kullanıyorsanız, bunu yeni bir sayfada açın. Ardından, bu bülteni çevirmek için sağdaki bağlantıya tıklayın. Telefonda iseniz, çevir düğmesini almak için siyah daire içindeki kişiye dokunun. (Turkish)
Watertown Middle School 2020-2021
Happy Super Bowl Sunday! There is snow in the forecast for a couple of days this week, so please stay tuned for Dr. Galdston's updates about snow days or remote days.
Thank you to those of you who have contacted your student's homeroom teacher or me about changing from hybrid to remote status, or vice versa. Please continue to keep in touch with us if your child's status changes.
**We will be starting to contact families individually to confirm remote versus hybrid status if your child is hybrid but learning remotely on a particular day. Please be sure and contact the office if you decide your child needs to learn remotely for a day due to not feeling well. A parent/guardian needs to contact the office please, not the child.**
Black History Month will continue this week with Part 2 of the MLK Assembly! Many great discussions were heard in Community Meetings all week after the viewing of Part 1!
New Webpage on WPS (Currently Under Construction): WPS Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging . This section of our website highlights earlier, ongoing, and upcoming work across the Watertown Public Schools in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI & B). These are central tenets in the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional support of our students and staff. All of our work supports our WPS District Strategic Initiative --- To engage all WPS faculty and staff in embracing anti-bias and inclusive practices that promote equity and ensure all students feel valued and supported in their learning. We will be adding items to it throughout the spring. At Watertown Middle School, for Black History Month and beyond, some highlights are:
Daily announcements and slides read by students regarding important accomplishments of Black Americans, both in the past and currently
Student read-alouds of poetry and other literature during the announcements (Authors include Mahogany L. Browne & Jason Reynolds)
Students in the Kingian class created an MLK Video Assembly, which will be shown and discussed over three weeks in Community Meetings each morning
Curriculum Coordinators/Coaches provided teachers with several lessons to integrate into the curriculum throughout the month. Examples include:
The legacy of Henrietta Lacks linked with the cell unit in grade 6 science;
Author Spotlight lessons on Jason Reynolds, Mahogany Browne, and Elizabeth Acevedo for ELA classes;
Grade 6 will be studying Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court in connection with their study of Hammurabi in Social Studies
In the FAPA department this week, highlighting Rhiannon Giddens for Music and Viola Davis for Drama
From the Watertown Free Public Library: “The Watertown Free Public Library has a new resource for Watertown students called Brainfuse. With your library card one can logon to receive free, on the spot, one-on-one support with a qualified tutor. Students can get feedback on essays before submitting them. To learn more, please go to https://www.watertownlib.org/613/Brainfuse. If you have any questions, please call the Teen Department at 617-972-6437 or email libraryteendepartment@watertown-ma.gov.”
Have a nice week!
Respectfully yours,
Donna Martin
Principal
Here are some important upcoming dates:
Monday, February 8 - First Day of Term 3 - all students will be in a new specials class starting Tuesday, 2/9.
***A REMINDER AS WE START TERM 3...there are several classes after 12:30, including Resource, that students need to be attending. Office Hours at 2:30 are important for asking questions and getting extra help. If not attending a class, students should be completing asynchronous work.
Tuesday, February 9 - School Pictures for Cohort A (more info below)
Wednesday, February 10 - School Pictures for Cohort B (more info below)
Wednesday, February 10 - PTO Meeting 7:00 pm
Join Zoom Meeting https://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/91312161001
Friday, February 12 - Term 2 report cards will be mailed home
Monday, February 15 - Friday, February 19 - NO SCHOOL - February Vacation
Monday, February 22 - Anti-Bias Coalition 5:00-6:30 pm
Join Zoom Meeting https://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/96683897149
Events to mark your calendars with - More info to come ASAP
Monday, March 1 - i-Ready ELA kickoff
Monday, March 8 - i-Ready Math kickoff
Monday, March 15 - Grade 7/8 Assembly with Mykee Fowlin 10:45 am
“Mykee's programs combine both his professional acting talents and his psychological training. His mission is to create an atmosphere of worldwide inclusion, not just tolerance, towards all people. He has worked extensively with all age groups in the United States and in other countries. His work has included peer mediation, diversity trainings, gender equity workshops, and violence prevention seminars.”
“You Don’t Know Me Until You Know Me” is the show he will be sharing with us:
“To varying degrees, we all wear masks. We are conditioned to hide our true selves, out of fear of being rejected and/or judged. We are taught to devalue or ignore our pain, as if its utility is better served hidden than exposed.”
Thursday, April 1 - Parent Conferences 1:00-3:00 pm and 6:00-8:00 pm
Tuesday, April 6 - Parent Conferences 1:00-3:00 pm and 5:00-7:00 pm
Thursday, April 8 and Friday, April 9 - MCAS Infrastructure Trial/Practice Days
ELA MCAS
Monday, April 26th - remote students
Tuesday, April 27th - Cohort A
Wednesday, April 28th - Cohort B
Math MCAS
Thursday, May 6th - Cohort A
Friday, May 7th - Cohort B
Monday, May 10th - remote students
Science MCAS (grade 8 only)
Tuesday, May 18th - Cohort A
Wednesday, May 19th - Cohort B
Monday, May 24th - remote students
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Winter Clubs: Winter Club sign-ups are currently taking place. Here is the flyer with all of the offerings.
Yearbooks: The deadline to order yearbooks is April 23rd, and flyers will be coming home soon with additional information. We are excited that school pictures will be included in this year's yearbook as usual!
Please email me with any questions, concerns, or input you may have. As always, we will work together as a community! #wmsstrong
Take good care of each other,
All my best,
Donna
School Photos this week!
SCHOOL PHOTOS THIS WEEK!
School Pictures: We will be having school pictures taken on Tuesday, February 9th and Wednesday, February 10th. In-person students will have them taken while they are in school. Fully remote students will have the option of coming to school to get them taken after 12:30 pm, when the other students have gone home.
For Fully Remote Students Only: Please use this Sign-Up Genius to choose a time to come in on Tuesday (Cohort A) or Wednesday (Cohort B) between 12:30-2:40 pm to have your picture taken. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040d48a5ac2fa1f49-wmspicture
Some in-person students may have brought home flyers from Lifetouch. There are more available in the main office. However, most of you may prefer to order online. Here is the information on how to do that:
The Parent Notify tool gives you the ability to send an automated email with a link for ordering school photos directly to your families. This will give families peace of mind knowing they can place their portrait orders on-line and will dramatically help reduce the number of paper orders brought to school on picture day which will eliminate the need for any physical interaction between the student and photographer on picture day.
It takes less than 3 minutes to set up Parent Notify, check out this quick tutorial:
You will access the Parent Notify tool through your school's specific Lifetouch Portal. WMS Picture Day ID: EVT2M4FJB
Here is the information for online ordering:
Order at mylifetouch.com
School ID EVT2M4FJB
Picture Day Safety Information from LifeTouch
Thank you - please let me know if you have any questions.
CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH : STUDENT VOICE "EXPRESSIONS" SHOWCASE
We are very excited to collaborate with you and share the WPS Black History Month Student Voice "Impressions" Showcase. The submission form is open from January 22 - March 1, 2021.
Here is the link to our 2021 WPS Black History Month Student Voice "Expressions" Showcase" that hosts the submission details, some student work examples for inspiration, few guidelines, and the student work submission form.
The theme for this year is " We Stand Together"
Student COVID testing (for students attending in-person) continues this week!
Student COVID testing will continue this week on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Update on the testing: New Massachusetts mandates are allowing students of any age to self swab under supervision. Nurse Michelle will still be helping all of our students and making sure samples are collected correctly, but the process will be much quicker with even less interference to learning time. She said it's going very smoothly!
**A note from the nurses:
Thank you to all who have signed up for pool testing thus far. It is not too late to enroll your children in weekly pool testing, if you are interested please fill out the google form below. Moving forward, only positive pools and close contacts will be alerted with the weekly testing results. If you do not receive an update 24-48 hours after your child participates in pool testing, it means their pool tested negative. Positive pools will be contacted as soon as possible and given further information and instructions at that time.
Again, if you wish for your student to be testing, please fill out the google form below. Please note that pool testing is only offered to hybrid students who participate in IN PERSON learning, we are not currently able to test remote students.
If you have signed your child(ren) up to be tested, please remind them that they will be tested every week, and that it is not a one-time occurrence. Student testing will occur during grade level mask breaks.
From Dr. Galdston:
WMS COVID-19 testing will continue into the new year. If you have already signed up your child, there is no need to fill out the form again. If you would like to sign up your child, please read the message below and fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/9gqu867ae6TB2ULf6. You only need to sign up once for the ongoing weekly testing.
Please consider being part of the testing! Testing prevents the spread of COVID-19 and it's free for families at this time as we using grant funding to cover the costs.
Best,
Dede Galdston
***Here is the SMORE Newsletter which was sent out originally with all of the details of the testing.***
Thank you!
YARD ART 2021!
Anyone can participate–no fees and no age requirement. Your creation should be family friendly and viewable from the street or sidewalk. Your project will be listed on the YardArt map and you’ll receive a yard sign to mark your location.
Plan to have your project up and ready for viewing by March 5, 2021. The townwide “exhibit” will remain up until April 2, 2021 for COVID-safe enjoyment.
Signup, map, and additional information for YardArt are available at mosesianarts.org. Register there and look for any late breaking news on the project. Paper registration forms are also available at the Watertown Public Library and Hatch Makerspace. To contact YardArt email YardArt@mosesianarts.org
Weekly Learning Plans
Grade 6 Website and e-Learning Plans - click here
Grade 7 Website and e-Learning Plans - click here
Grade 8 Website and e-Learning Plans - click here
If you have any questions, please email (or have your student email) the teacher.
Thank you!
Technology Information for WPS Families
We look forward to supporting you with your educational technology questions.
Here is a link to the Weekly 02/06 Family Ed-Tech for All Newsletter, LIVE Ed-Tech Support Sessions & WPS Family Ed-Tech Website with resources, just for you.
Do you need help with Ed-Tech? Please complete the WPS Ed-Tech Support Request Form. A member of the WPS Ed-Tech team will reach out to you within a school day.
Celebrating WPS Black History Month Student Voice "Impressions" Showcase
We are very excited to collaborate with you the 2021 WPS Black History Month Student Voice "Impressions" Showcase which hosts some student work examples for inspiration, few guidelines and the student submission form.The student work submission form is open from January 22 - March 1, 2021. Please email me if you have any questions.
The theme for this year is " We Stand Together"
Few additional resources:
1. Link to Common Sense Media Resources about Race and Racism
2. Link to BrainPOP Black History Month Resources
Thank you and have a terrific day,
Rashmi Pimprikar (District Ed-Tech Coordinator), Digital Learning Team and IT Team
COMMUNITY SERVICE!
***DUE TO COVID, THEY WILL NOT BE COLLECTING ANY MORE PLASTIC AT THIS TIME.***
Community service is up and running at WMS! Please see the attached document to view information on safety, tracking hours, and opportunities. Just as a reminder, it is recommended that 6th-grade students complete 10 hours of community service, 7th-grade students 15, and 8th-grade students 20.
One main Community Service opportunity which is currently taking place is our annual Coats for Kids collection!
Coats For Kids
When you drop off coats for our annual Coats for Kids drive, you will earn 20 minutes for each coat (3 coats = 1 hour) The coat donation box will be placed right outside the Waverly Ave entrance Monday through Friday 8:30 - 12:30.
Collection has been extended to February 28, 2021!!
PTO Update!
Please help us as we embark on new ways of fundraising for the WMS PTO for what will definitely be a new and challenging year! Click the campaign below to see our fundraising goals this year and what we are hoping to support.
Stop and Shop Program:
Our school, Watertown Middle School, ID#: 10628 has the opportunity to participate in and earn CASH from A+ School Rewards, a great fundraising program run through your local Stop & Shop! See the letter attached below for more information. It's an easy way to earn money for the students of the school!
Emergency Rental Assistance Application - Deadline Extended!
Dear Applicant,
Please read the following information before you begin your Emergency
Rental Assistance Application!
You will need to have the following documents for every household member/s
over the age of 18 ready to upload at the time of submission.
1. The most recent pay stub for all current wage earners in the household.
2. Document supporting evidence of reduced income (Unemployment
Monetary Determination Letter, furlough or letter from employer or 1
“before” 3/23/2020 and 1 most recent paystub).
To print your UI Monetary Determination Letter: Sign onto UI, go to the UI
Inbox, Look for Monetary Determination letter-Page 1 ONLY)
3. Supporting documents for any other income source (child support, alimony,
pension/retirement etc.)
4. Copy of current year’s lease or a letter from your landlord with his name,
address, email address & phone number evidencing your monthly rent
amount.
5. Most recent checking and/or savings account bank statement/s (EVERY
PAGE) for each bank account for every household members over the age
of 18.
Go to this link: https://metrowestcd.org/rent-a-home/information-for-
Case sensitive Password is: HEREtohelp2020
LUNCH/MEALS PROGRAM UPDATES
School meals are free for ALL students for the entire school year.
Students can order a lunch in Community Meeting each morning and will be given out at the end of the day.
Lunches should be eaten after you leave school at 12:30
The meals will be packaged in easy to carry bags and will contain multiple breakfasts and lunches.
If a student requests meals on both of their in-person days they will receive breakfast and lunch for 7 days.
SEE SCHOOL NUTRITION WEBSITE FOR MENU.
GRAB & GO MEAL SITE WILL BE OPEN:
EVERY MONDAY
12 - 1:30PM
&
4:30 - 6PM
WMS Attendance Policy and Procedures
From the Handbook (with some Remote Learning updates):
Attendance is the most important aspect of educating our students. When students are not here, they do not have access to instruction.
At Watertown Middle School, we pride ourselves in maintaining a very high attendance rate throughout the year. Understandably, there will be times when our students will need to take time away from school for a variety of excused reasons. The following procedure is in place to ensure good attendance, support our families, and follow state and federal laws.
Students are expected to be present and punctual for all classes. All students must be in Homeroom/Community Meeting (in-person or Zoom) by 8:30 a.m.
If you are having trouble with your Chromebook or have any Tech Difficulties (computer, camera, charging cord, hot spot)...
Call 617-926-7783 and let Ms. Cardillo or Ms. Brackett know.
“My name is (your name) and I have (teacher name) right now and I am having Tech Trouble. Can you please let my teacher know?”
Tardiness
A student is considered tardy if he or she is not in homeroom by 8:30 a.m. Teachers will mark students tardy when they are late to homeroom and/or late to class.
Absences
In the event that a student is tardy or absent, a parent or guardian must call the absence hotline at 617-926-7783 before 8:30 a.m. Please state the name, grade, and homeroom of the student. In the event that the absence is not reported, the school will call the student’s home or the place of employment of the parent or guardian to verify the absence.
Please see the Handbook for further details describing Excused Absences versus Unexcused Absences.
Resulting Actions:
● After 3 days of unexcused absences with no contact to the school from the parent, the Assistant Principal will be notified.
● After 5 days of absences (both excused & unexcused) per quarter, a letter of concern will be sent to parents/guardians. At ten absences, a support meeting will be scheduled with parents/guardians, guidance, and administration to create an Attendance Plan, which clearly outlines the school, parent, and student obligations to improve the problem. If absenteeism continues, further action will be taken, up to and including petitioning the Juvenile Courts with a Child Requiring Assistance, (C.R.A.).
**EMERGENCY ALERTS**
Watertown Middle School
Email: donna.martin@watertown.k12.ma.us
Website: https://wms.watertown.k12.ma.us/
Location: 68 Waverley Avenue, Watertown, MA, USA
Phone: 617-926-7783
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watertownms/