WMS Parent News

October 2: Culver's Night 5-7:00pm

October 3: PTO Meeting 6:30pm - Office Conference Room

October 5: Chocolate Sale Fundraiser Kickoff

October 12: Fall Conferences 3:30-7:30pm (In person)

October 14: District Marching Band Showcases-8th grade band - 12:30-3:30pm (at ERHS)

October 17: Fall Conferences 3:30-7:30pm (Virtual)

October 19-20: MEA Convention (NO SCHOOL)

October 26: Fall Picture Retakes

Click here to see the full calendar on the WMS website

Our annual PTO chocolate sale through World's Finest Chocolate starts next week with kickoff assemblies on Thursday morning, October 5.

Students who choose to participate will bring home a permission slip to check out boxes of chocolate to sell. We'll start checking out boxes of chocolate here at WMS on Friday morning the 6th in the front lobby.

All sales benefit our PTO, which in turn directly benefits our classrooms and students here at Woodbury Middle. Thank you for your support!

Our first Culver's Night is on Monday, October 2 from 5-7. Stop by Culver's, and a portion of the sales will be donated back to WMS. Each month a different group/team from the school will be there to deliver your order if you eat inside. This month, folks from the AVID program will be helping out! Future dates for Culver's nights are: Nov 6, Dec 4, Feb 5, Apr 1, May 6, and Jun 3 (first Monday of the month)

Principal Kari Lopez will be at our next meeting on October 3 to talk about the upcoming bond referendum and answer any questions you have about the school year. Please join us at 6:30.

This information was sent to students last week via Schoology:

Attention, WMS Wildcats! The Wildcat Files Newspaper is looking for a group of curious, motivated, and responsible individuals to join this year’s staff. Please complete the linked application before the end of the day on September 30 – a week from this Friday – and we will look forward to working together! Send Mrs. Kerttula or Mrs. Dries an email or Schoology message with any questions and keep a lookout for what’s news around you!

Again, apply via the online form (see QR code or your ‘Class of’ Schoology course) by September 30 to join the staff. Meetings are flexible but are generally twice per month - first and last Wednesdays. All of the materials you need are accessed through Schoology. First meeting will be 10/4 in A102 (Dries’ room) at 7:20am.

Application Link

Throughout the year, your child will participate in safety drills and conversations as part of our emergency preparedness. We are hopeful that by doing drills and having conversations we are in the best position possible to keep your child safe at school. Below are some facts regarding our emergency preparedness procedures:

• We use the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) from the I Love U Guys Foundation.

• Safety training develops skill and preparedness to handle those emergencies

• Drills are a practice of the trained responses to emergency situations

• The required security drills, Lockdown and Secure, are not active shooter drills. Our drills are a response to any kind of situation either inside or outside the school, not specifically an active shooter.

• We plan to build capacity as you go through the school year. For example, the first drill may be well advertised but later drills may be without advance notice

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Assistant Principal Josh Eidem at 651-425-4509.

This week, students will be participating in "College Knowledge Week," headed up by our AVID Schoolwide program. As part of the week, each advisory is assigned a college and decorates their classroom door with information.

Later in the year, we'll be having a Career-themed week as well.

Tuesday – Morning meeting, introduction of College Doors project

Wednesday – Work time for College Doors

Thursday – Continued work time/online college tours

Friday – Wildcat Weekly

Did you know you could set your Schoology Notifications up so that you can receive a message any time your child has a missing assignment? This will be beneficial for checking in with your student about their grades and helping them keep up to date with assignments.

Special note: You may need to set this back up this school year even if you had it set up last year.

Notifications are daily or weekly opt-in messages that notify parents, via email or text, of their child’s academic progress. Parents will be notified about homework, graded tests and assignments, recent activity, upcoming tests and other due dates.

Once you are logged into Schoology and you have connected to your child(ren) you can set up notifications.

NOTE: Notification settings affect all children so you only need to setup notifications for one child.

1. Click the dropdown arrow next to your name at the top right
2. Choose any child that you are connected to in Schoology
3. Click the dropdown arrow next to your child's name at the top right, then click 'Settings'
4. Click the Notifications tab and change the settings to your preference. Don't forget to click 'Save Changes'

https://www.sowashco.org/services/technology - schoology for more information

Email for help: schoologyhelp@sowashco.org

ISRs were mailed September 22nd to students who participated in the MCA or MTAS in SoWashCo Schools last year. Here are some helpful resources provided by the Minnesota Department of Education:

• MCA: Quick Guide, Understanding the MCA ISRs Video

• MTAS: Quick Guide, Understanding the MTAS ISRs Video

• Additional Resources for both MCA and MTAS including sample reports and FAQs

• Translated documents can be found here.

Please reach out to Katie Burley at kburley@sowashco.org if you have additional questions.

The District Data and Assessment Committee (DDAC) has three open positions for parents/guardians and one open position for a community member.

The DDAC is a feedback group consisting of district staff members, school administrators, teachers, parents/guardians, community members, and students. The DDAC provides recommendations and feedback to the Department of Program Evaluation, Research and Assessment about state-wide and district assessments.

• The DDAC meets virtually three times a year on the second Thursday in November, February and May from 4:00pm to 5:30pm. This year’s dates are:

• November 9, 2023

• February 8, 2024

• May 9, 2024

• The term-length is two years.

For more information and to apply see: English Flyer and Spanish Flyer.

Free Screening & Dinner Event

"Screenagers Under the Influence: Addressing Vaping, Drugs, and Alcohol in the Digital Age"

Hispanic Heritage Event

As large metro high schools, we host large events and bring community members together to celebrate and support our teams and programs. During these events we are continually assessing and examining our protocols for spectator safety, enjoyment and security. The administration from East Ridge, Park and Woodbury High Schools have collaborated, developed and share similar protocols and messaging for our respective sites addressing expectations for spectators attending our events:

Children, ages infant through middle school must be accompanied and supervised by an adult at all times during the game.

-No backpacks or bags are allowed at games.

-Outside beverages cannot be brought into the stadium.

-Once a spectator leaves the stadium no readmittance is permitted.

-Spectators should not bring balls to throw or play with at events.

-Spectators are not permitted onto the field before, during or after the contest.

-Students should be picked up within 15 minutes of the conclusion of the game.

-Positive and supportive sportsmanship is expected at all times. Spectators who cause a disruption to the game or to other spectators will be removed from the stadium.

-Students from any South Washington County School District schools who violate district policies while attending our games and events will be subject to discipline in accordance with the Students Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.

In case of an emergency, please stay calm and follow directions of the staff at the event.

The Suburban East Conference (SEC) is committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all participants, coaches, officials, and spectators. Sportsmanship and fair play are at the center of education based athletics and activities. We expect you to be positive in your support of our teams. There is no place for behavior that promotes disrespect, hate, or harm to individuals or groups regardless of: race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, ability, home of first language, religion, national origin, age, and/or physical appearance. Any individual or group that demonstrates behaviors that do not support this belief statement are subject to removal from all SEC events.

All Woodbury Middle School Students will be assigned a school-issues Chromebook for the 2023-2024 School year. Students will receive their Chromebooks the first week of the school year.

All students will also be given a Student Planner.

Technology-Student and Parent Portal Information-Please update any changes

South Washington County Schools (SoWashCo Schools) is offering families the option of purchasing a Device Protection Plan to protect district-issued devices from theft (with a filed police report) and accidental damage to the device, damage from fire, flood, natural disasters ,or power surges.

The enrollment fee for individuals opting to participate in the Device Protection Plan is $25 per device annually. Families who qualify for Educational Benefits are eligible for reduced pricing ($12.50 annually per device) or free coverage. It's important to note that the protection fee is nonrefundable. Coverage will begin upon payment receipt and extend until Aug. 31, 2024.

For students who were enrolled in the Device Protection Plan during the previous year, it is essential that they inform the school of any damages incurred over the summer within the first week of the new school year. To sign up and make payments for the device protection plan, families can use the EduTrak website. If you have any inquiries or require a paper form, feel free to get in touch with us at fees@sowashco.org.

Learn more about device protection

Instructions for paying fees through EduTrak

Please note that families who waive the device protection plan will be responsible for the full cost of repair or replacement of the device.

South Washington County Schools (SoWashCo Schools) offers activities and classes for youth through SoWashCo Community Education. Activities and classes are conveniently offered at your child's school, partner locations within our community and online.

The latest activities and classes can be found on our website under Get Involved > Youth Activities.

Featured Class

Middle School Flag Football for boys and girls, Grades 6-8

Develop football skills and teamwork in a little to no-contact environment. Learn the fundamentals of football with an emphasis on skill development and team play. Offered at all SoWashCo middle schools. Teams will participate in matches with other SoWashCo middle schools.

Find More Classes and Activities

Click on this link to purchase your yearbook. https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A09894243.

6th grade Counselor - Rebecca Crislip 425-4512 rcrislip@sowashco.org

7th grade Counselor - Karlie Lehmann 425-4524 klehmann1@sowashco.org

8th grade Counselor - Natalie Herzog 425-4514 nherzog@sowashco.org