We are officially done with quarter 1 and are already making gains in quarter 2. Our students will take the NC Check-ins in reading and math beginning Tuesday. Please ensure your child arrives on time to school as we will begin school-wide testing following the morning announcements. 8th grade students will take the NC Check-in for science in their science class Thursday. These assessments give our teachers a better understanding of what your child has mastered and areas that need more support. Please encourage your child to do his/her very best.

Congratulations to the many students named to the Moore County All-County Band. Also, I want to congratulate our All-County Orchestra students on a wonderful concert last week. Our six fall sports teams have concluded their seasons and captured 5 conference championships and 1 runner-up conference championship. Many thanks to our advisers and coaches for their leadership.

On Thursday, we will celebrate our veterans with a Donuts for the Distinguished event from 8-8:30am in the school's cafeteria. Please reach out to Mrs. Florcita Hancock-Rios at frios@ncmcs.org to reserve your spot and your child's. Our band and orchestra students will perform a few musical selections, and a few students will share poems.

On Tuesday, November 15th at 6pm, our PTSO will host a parent engagement series entitled "Dangers Teens Face Online." This presentation will last approximately 90 minutes and will be led by our school social worker, Stacey Gatling, and SBI Special Agent Pulliam. It is geared more for parents/guardians. We hope you will join us.

Our PTSO is hosting the 2nd annual "We Are Thankful For You" luncheon for the WPMS staff, and they need your help. Please use this link to sign up.

Now that our fall sports have concluded, you will notice the afternoon car lines will be a little longer. Our first priority is safety, so we thank you, in advance, for your patience. As a reminder, we ask that you refrain from being on your cell phone while in the car line and proceed slowly. Also, please keep small children seated in your car while driving on campus.

There is no school Friday in observance of Veterans Day. We thank our veterans for their sacrifice and service to our nation.

As always, it's a great day to be a Wildcat.

Take care,

JW

• November 15: PTSO Meeting and Dangers Teens Face Online, 6pm, multi-purpose room
  
• November 23: Teacher Workday
• November 24-25: Thanksgiving Holiday/No School
• November 29-December 6: Book Fair
• December 9: Interim Report Cards for At-Risk Students
• December 16: Early Release Day, 12pm
• December 19-January 3: Winter Break/Holiday

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.

• 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.
• We are getting our students in to the building on time, so that is great news! The line will remain long unless more students ride the bus or families carpool.

• 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. Use your right turn signal to alert the staff member on duty that you are going to 8th grade pick-up.
• 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.
• Friday car lines will be much longer due to students not having athletic practices after school. Expect longer wait times.

• 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
• Meredith Morgan-Coleman - treasurer
• Karyn Schwagel - board member

Parent Advisory Representatives

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

• Parent Advisory Council (PAC): Chiquita Monroe
• Military Family Advisory Council (MFAC): Alison McCloskey
• Hispanic Community Advisory Council (HCAC): Elizzeth Salgado
• 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