Please join us in celebrating the following Wilbur S. Pence students at the annual RCPS Central Office Student Artwork Exhibition: Lilia Bogdanova, Madelyn Vyhoskyy, Damiana Nicolas-Antonio, Dillan Kiracofe, Alicia Branner, and Afton Cook. The event is located at the John H. Kidd School Board Office Building, 100 Mt Clinton Pike, Harrisonburg, VA 22802 on Tuesday, September 28th, 2021 from 4-7 PM.

Are you interested in theater, art, technology, or science? Then Destination Imagination could be for you. Teams meet after school with their parent manager to complete a skit to present to judges at the state tournament in March. There are six Challenges to choose from. If you are interested in learning more about this program, information and registration forms can be found in the purple folder in the library or in the Challenge room -131. Please return your completed registration forms to the folder or to Room 131 by September 24.

Students in Virginia public schools will take growth assessments in grades 3-8 in reading and mathematics. Students will take these assessments in both fall and spring of the 2021-2022 school year to measure growth during the school year. Individual student scores will be provided with details on how students performed on each test item, but the growth assessments do not include a passing/failing score. The focus of these assessments is on identifying what students have already learned as well as the skills they may need additional help with during the school year. For more information please visit https://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/test_administration/growth-assessment/index.shtml

WSPMS Fall 2021 Growth Assessment Schedule

Wednesday, September 22nd @ 1:00pm - Math grades 6, 7, 8

Thursday, September 23rd @ 1:00pm - Reading grades 6, 7, 8

*Please do not plan to pick up your student(s) early from school during these assessments. Thank you!

The assessments students will take - in fall 2021 only - will be based on the previous grade level's content. The intent is to assist in the identification of unfinished learning from 2020-2021 due to the pandemic as well as enable students to show growth during the current school year.

Monday, September 27th, and Tuesday, September 28th will be our first club days for this school year. There are currently eight clubs that will meet during the school day on the 27th and 28th. Teachers will show a short video about our clubs during R Block this week. Short descriptions highlighting club activities will be read on the announcements this week. Students should be on the lookout for more information throughout the week.

September 15 to October 15 is celebrated nationwide as National Hispanic Heritage Month. It traditionally honors the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Latin American countries. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402. Please look over the resources on this website.

https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/

Monday: PJ Day

Tuesday: Mismatch Clothes

Wednesday: Tropical Wear

Thursday: Team Gear

Friday: Black & White

We have set our next School Bus Driver Training for November 15th - 17th. For more information call Chris Sours or Jeremy Mason at 540-433-2458.

Pence will host an out of district volleyball game against Lylburg Downing Middle on Monday, Sept 20th.

Students should NOT stay after school for this game as it will begin at 5:00pm.

Students are welcome to attend this game, but families should plan to drop off students in front of the school no earlier than 4:45pm. The game should last about an hour.

Thank you and Go Knights!

7th Grade Basketball Information

Monday, Sept 20 at 12:05 - Girls Basketball Interest Meeting in the new gym

Tuesday, Sept 21 at 2:30 - Boys Basketball Interest Meeting - in the cafeteria

Monday, September 27th - 7th Grade Basketball Tryouts begin 3:18pm - 5:00pm

Games begin Monday, October 11th

Games are on Mondays and Thursdays at 4:30pm

UPDATED Cheerleading Information - please read

Cheer is open to all students grades 6, 7, and 8

Monday, October 4th - Tryouts begin 5:30pm - 6:30pm

(Students should be dropped off and picked up in front of the school.)

Participants should plan to cheer during both the 7th and 8th grade basketball seasons.

7th grade season: Oct 4 - Nov 15

8th grade season: Nov 17 - Jan 27

*All students must have a current VHSL physical on file at Pence on the first day of tryouts.

As you are attending extracurricular events outside of the school day, please consider uploading your photos to our yearbook photo database. Sometimes the best pictures are taken by you. We would love to potentially include these in our 2022 yearbook. Access https://www.hjeshare.com/eShare/?code=pencems in order to add your photos. Please note that you must include the grade level(s) and name(s) of any student in the photo. If this information is not included, your photo will not be added to the database. The photo must also meet policies according to RCPS. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Dove via email kdove@rockingham.k12.va.us or (540) 578-3459. Also, don't forget to preorder your yearbook now, https://www.yearbookordercenter.com/?event=general.displayLanding&jobnumber=13754 and enter the school code 13754.

Want to pre order your yearbook now? You may visit the following link: https://www.yearbookordercenter.com/?event=general.displayLanding&jobnumber=13754. The school code is 13754. The cost is $20. You may pre order online until March 31, 2022. Beginning in September, there will also be an opportunity to purchase a yearbook via cash or check. More information will be forthcoming later. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Dove, kdove@rockingham.k12.va.us.

A photographer from Strawbridge Studios will be at your school on 10/6/2021, 10/7/2021 to photograph your fall pictures. Pictures are taken during students' PE period.

https://strawbridge.fotomerchanthv.com/clients/wilbur-s-pence-middle-school/fall-pictures-10-6-2021-72/optIn This link allows parents to sign up to receive updates via email regarding their child's school portraits. These updates include promotions, additional deals and the ability to order more pictures at a later time. When entering student information, parents should be sure to enter the student's name as it is on file at the school.

Thank you,
Strawbridge Studios, Inc.

Dear Parents,

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States. According to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the National Youth Tobacco Survey:

• 88% of adult daily cigarette smokers first tried cigarettes before they were 18 years old

• 3.6 million youth use e-cigarettes (vapes, Juuls, etc.)

• 22.5% of high school students use e-cigarettes (vapes, Juuls, etc.) daily

Tobacco, e-cigarettes, vapes, Juuls, etc. contain nicotine and these statistics suggest that a large percentage of high school students are dependent on nicotine.

There are many tools to help end this public health crisis like policy changes, education, and more. As a community, we can start to address this public health crisis by educating parents about addiction and giving them the tools they need to help their children end their dependence on nicotine products. It is important to show our children compassion as we guide them on their journey to quit using these products.

The Central Shenandoah Health District is excited to offer a three session Tobacco Cessation Education Program. This program will take place in the evening and will be offered virtually. This program will include:

• Information about addiction

• Types of tobacco products

• Tobacco myth busting

• How to talk to your children and create a quit plan

• Quitting tools and programs

• And more!

If you are interested in learning more about this program, please complete the survey linked here: https://redcap.link/6uvdfs8v

This program is open to anyone interested in learning about tobacco products and tools to quit. If you have any questions, please reach out to Katherine Smith, Health Educator, at katherine.smith@vdh.virginia.gov.