WBMS Friday Notes
Nov 6th-10th
Reflections from Ms. Perkins
WBMS parents and guardians –
November is Family Engagement Month in Georgia, and I want to take this opportunity to thank you for valuing education and supporting the work of WBMS. The partnership between home and school is vital for our students and our school to be successful. Each day I am fortunate to witness our students engaging in discovery, inquiry, and questioning; and I know the confidence they exhibit when they dig into their learning comes from the principles you all set at home and we get to ignite daily. As we navigate our current budget crisis, I am acutely aware of how lucky our community is. Our students are still able to enjoy educational field trips because of your support and the dedication of our staff. Together we make up the wonderful Webb Bridge community, and we all have much for which to be thankful.
In collaboration,
Rebecca Williams Perkins
Principal, Webb Bridge Middle School
Dates To Remember
Nov 11-GMEA All State Chorus, Band and Orchestra
Nov 14- Blood Drive
Nov 15-17- 8th Grade South Ga Trip
Nov 20-24- Thanksgiving Break
Nov 29-Dec 1- Jr. Beta Convention Trip
Canned Food Drive
The annual Food Program hosted by The North Fulton Community Charities, will be held the weekend before Thanksgiving, from November 17-19. The Student Council and Beta Club will be helping with the collection of the items listed below and we would appreciate our parents and community helping us out with such a wonderful event. NFCC will be delivering crates for food collection the first week of November and we have asked they pick up the items around November 17.
If parents, teachers, or students from our school wish to volunteer at the NFCC Thanksgiving Program site, they must register online at www.nfccholiday.org. Individual volunteers must be at least 16 to serve without an adult, groups of teens 16-18 must have an adult chaperone for every group of four. Each teen 13-15 must be accompanied by an adult. Children under 13 may not volunteer at the site.
We are just doing the collecting of the items, however the NFCC is looking for volunteers as well. Please see the list below to help us make the Thanksgiving collection a success for those in need.
Thanksgiving Donations for NFCC 2017
For Thanksgiving donations, we need non-perishable food items for a Thanksgiving meal and grocery store gift cards in $25 increments. Last year we provided the makings for a Thanksgiving meal to nearly 600 families!
Below is a grocery store list of suggested items. Consider getting an item in each category for a family of four or buying several items in one category:
- Canned Vegetables (Corn, Beans, Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, Squash, Greens, etc.)
- Boxed or Bagged Potatoes and Rice (Mashed or Scalloped;
- White, Brown or Yellow Rice)
- Boxed Pasta Mixes (Mac-n-Cheese, Side pasta mixes)
- Boxed or Bagged Stuffing Mixes (Cornbread, Herb, Plain)
- Bags of Flour, Cornmeal, and Biscuit mixes (Wheat, All-Purpose, White)
- Boxes of Baking Goods (Cake Mixes, Brownies, Pie makings, Cornbread)
- Cans of Gravy (Turkey, Chicken)
- Cans of Fruit (Apple, Cranberry, Cranberry Sauce,
- Pineapple, Applesauce, Peaches etc.)
- Please limit your donations to specific
- items for a Thanksgiving meal.
WBMS Library and STREAM Space Student Advisory Councils
Students with ideas on how to improve our media center and STREAM space at WBMS, with input on everything from purchasing books and digital materials to new STREAM Space items to renovation ideas for the media center are urged to complete this application The WBMS Library and STREAM Student Advisory Councils will meet during lunch periods, so students won’t have conflicts with clubs or help sessions. Please see Ms. Brown with any questions.
Student Technology Competition
Students who enjoy programming or 3D modeling, making videos or podcasts, animation or game design, or robotics are encouraged to enter the WBMS Student Technology Competition. Details on project categories and requirements, as well as the district competition, are available here. Our school competition will take place the week we return from winter break, and applications should be submitted by December 20th, so students should consider starting their project now. Please see Ms. Brown with questions.
Final Exam Reminders
In preparation for the transition to high school, final exams will be administered to students in all core subject areas: mathematics, language arts, science, social studies, world language, reading, and health. Most exams for each semester, in all grade levels, will be comprehensive in nature. No students will be permitted to take an exam early. Students who have an excused absence on the day of an exam must work with that subject area teacher to establish a time to make up the exam after receiving approval from the principal. Exams are scheduled and publicized through school communications. Students must make up exams within 10 school days after the end of each semester. Administration strongly encourages family travel not be scheduled during exam times.
Final Exam Schedule
Dec 18th - Reading, World Language, and Social Studies
Dec 19th - Math and ELA
Dec 20th - Science and Health
Dec 21st - Grandparent Coffee, Fine Arts Assembly
Parent University
*If you missed the Oct 17th Parent University- here is the link for the presentation.
AHS- IB Program
International Baccalaureate Community Meeting
Join us on the evening of November 13, 2017 from 6:30-7:30pm in the Alpharetta High School Media Center for an informational meeting regarding Alpharetta High School’s work as a candidate school. This meeting will provide an excellent opportunity for parents to learn more about the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and to stay informed of the work that AHS has been doing toward becoming an authorized IB World School. Parents and students are invited to join us for this information session.
If you have any questions, feel free to email AHS’s Diploma Programme Coordinator, Frank Fortunato: fortunatof@fultonschools.org
*There will be a Parent University meeting in December regarding this topic @ WBMS
Publicity
Parents and guardians,
We want to share the great work happening every day at Webb Bridge and - since a picture’s worth a thousand words - we’d love to share photographs of your children excited about their learning. We do realize that some families have privacy concerns and want to acknowledge your right to limit sharing of your own child’s image publicly. Since collection of information related to publicity has moved to the district level, it can be difficult to determine which families in our school wish to restrict public sharing of their children’s images. To address this, we are asking any parents or guardians who prefer to restrict publicity regarding their students to complete a separate form for Webb Bridge MS so we may honor your wishes when we are sharing on our website, Friday Notes, Twitter, etc. and/or with the press.
The link to the form is http://bit.ly/WBPubOptOut17
WBMS Basketball Tryouts
WBMS Basketball Tryouts will occur the week after Thanksgiving.
Boys – November 28-30
Girls – November 29-30
Students need to be there the first day of tryouts. Informational packets are by the PE board.
All paperwork must be turned in to Coach Sell before tryouts.
Jr. Beta Club
Our next meeting is December 6th @ 8:00am in the cafeteria. Remember meetings are mandatory. If for some reason you are unable to attend, please make sure you contact us via Edmodo or email.
Chess Club
Webb Bridge Process to Performance After School Acting Classes
Thursdays 4:15-5:45 This session will work on improvisation, scene study, physicality, character development, and audition techniques. Students will also work on one-act plays. This is a phenomenal class to work skills as well as gain stage experience!
For more information: www.buildingcharacter.org
email: info@buildingcharacter.org
Lost and Found
All lunch boxes and water bottles need to be put near the cafeteria on the left side entering the café, and will be donated or thrown away the last day every week.
All items in the lost and found next to the clinic will be donated or thrown away on the 15th of every month.
All Items of value: glasses, electronics, jewelry etc. should be given to the front office.
Attendance Myths
Research-based from the Department of Education
Does it really matter if my child misses a few extra days each year? Here is one of the myth’s about student attendance.
Missing a few days of school each year is normal and doesn’t matter that much.
- Data indicate that missing more than five days of school each year, regardless of the cause, impacts student academic performance and starts shaping attitudes about school.
- From the 6th grade through the 9th grade, student attendance is a better predictor of dropping out than standardized test scores.
- Excused absences and unexcused absences have similar impact on student academic performance.
Thank you for helping to prioritize daily school attendance.
Please Support PTA
Dear Jaguar Families,
It’s never too late to donate! Please click on the link below to make a tax deductible contribution to the PTA and help fund programs in your child’s school.)
Meetings and Public Comment
Webb Bridge’s School Governance Council meets in the morning one Friday each month in room 116; our next meeting is December 15th @ 7:30 in the PLR room. We hold a Public Comment period starting at 7:30 AM. Please feel free to attend and help us start our planning! If you cannot come to issue public comments, please fill out the form below.
Please Support Our Business Partners!!
The Northeast Atlanta Chapter of the National Charity League, Inc. (NCL)
The Northeast Atlanta Chapter of the National Charity League, Inc. (NCL) is currently conducting its annual membership drive for the 2018 school year. NCL’s mission is to foster mother-daughter relationships in a philanthropic organization committed to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences. Members include mothers and daughters in grades 7 through 12 (a 6 year experience). Our chapter will be accepting new members in the rising 7th and rising 8th grade for 2018-2019. Please visit the NCL website:https://northeastatlanta.nationalcharityleague.org/community-service/ for additional information or contact our local chapter Northeast Atlanta VP of Membership, Michele Colturi at michelecolturi@comcast.net. Thank you for your interest.
Alpharetta Environmental Offerings
- The Household Hazardous Waste and Paint Collection is scheduled on November 4th for residents within the City limits. Registration is now available online at http://www.alpharetta.ga.us/about/news/2017/09/27/household-hazardous-waste-and-paint-collection-offered-for-alpharetta-residents
- We added an Audubon Birding Walk and Talk on November 11th. It will be at the Alpharetta YMCA Teen Center from 10:00am to 11:30am. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/alpharetta-offers-audubon-birding-walk-and-talk-tickets-38599058824?aff=ehomecard
Helping Children/Youth After A Loss
If you have a child who has experienced the loss of a parent, sibling, or other close loved one, there is a FREE weekend retreat for kids 7 years old to a high school senior. Camp MAGIK—Mainly About Grief In Kids (www.campmagik.org) --is a having their weekend retreat October 13-15, 2017 (deadline is October 4th). There is also a retreat available for adults who want to process their own grief with other adults who are grieving. It is held on the same campus and led by professional bereavement counselors. Transportation to/from the camp is available. Please contact Rene Searles McClatchey, PhD, at rsm@saf.com, 404.790.0140, for more information.
Low Cost Internet
Get assistance with low-cost internet providers for your student’s Surface by clicking this link:
http://www.cheapinternet.com/low-income-internet
This link has a listing of various programs in our area offering low cost internet connectivity for qualifying families.
As always, please exercise caution when reviewing options and choose what will work best for your income and family’s need.
2017-2018 School Year
First Semester
August 1 – 4 ........................................... Preplanning for teachers
August 7......................................................... First Day of School
September 4........................................Labor Day (schools closed)
October 6 ......................................Teacher Workday (students off)
October 9 ......................................Columbus Day (schools closed)
November 20 – 24.............. Thanksgiving Holidays (schools closed)
December 21 ....................................... Last Day of First Semester
December 22 – 29 ...........................Winter Break (schools closed)
Second Semester
January 1 – 3...................................Winter Break (schools closed)
January 4.......................................Teacher Workday (students off)
January 5....................Professional Development Day (students off)
January 8.........................................First Day of Second Semester
January 15..............Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday (schools closed)
February 16*................... Student/Teacher Holiday (schools closed)
February 19 ......................President’s Day Holiday (schools closed)
March 9*.......................................Teacher Workday (students off)
March 12....................Professional Development Day (students off)
April 2 – 6 .......................................Spring Break (schools closed)
May 24........................................................... Last Day of School
May 25.................................................................. Post Planning
May 28...............................Memorial Day Holiday (schools closed)
* Designated as inclement weather make-up days (if needed).
Our School Release Days
These are the dates approved through the RFF process as part of School Governance. WBMS students will NOT attend school on the following dates:
September 1, 2017
October 5, 2017
January 16, 2018
March 8, 2018
Menu Item Change 11/17
Menu for Thursday 11/9/17 is Thanksgiving feast: Turkey with gravy, roll, stuffing, candied sw. potatoes, green beans, fresh & canned fruits.