Principal's Weekly Update
October 23, 2020
Dear Wamsutta Families,
I am pleased to be getting back to less frequent and more predictably timed communication this week. Again, my goal is to get to once a week communication that has everything you need to know to stay informed.
I wanted to share what Mr. Heal and I discussed with each and every student in all homerooms over the past two days: All of our students, when here in person, have just done an amazing job complying with all health and safety protocols. It's been remarkable. As such, we are doing well keeping our building a healthy one. We encouraged all of them to stay vigilant as cold and flu season sets in and complicates matters. From the student survey results, an overwhelming majority of students are enjoying their in-person days, and, if we wish to continue them, we will all need to continue to do our part.
We also congratulated students on their remarkable dedication to academics while here in-person, but pointed out that many need to step up their efforts on their remote days. We know this a lot to ask of middle school students and their families right now, but we want to ensure that students still receive a rigorous education despite the many challenges we face. The teachers and administrators stand ready to help with this in any way we can, so please let us know if we can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Joseph Connor, WMS
Principal
Halloween
New Student/Family Travel Guidance
Wamsutta Virtual Book Fair
Ms. Rohen is hosting a virtual book fair in lieu of our normal in-person variety. WMS will receive 25% of all sales to be used for the purchase of books for the library. The fair will run from November 4th through the 17th.
Here is the link. We hope this will be as successful as our fairs have been in the past.
School Council: Seeking Family Volunteers
Second Notice: Virtual After School Activities
Our normal offering of after school activities have (like everything else) been severely disrupted by COVID. So we are starting off with just a few offerings and will add more as we go.
We begin with Band which is open to returning band members from last year and students with some instrumental experience who are new to us. It will be on Tuesdays after school and interested students should contact Ms. Harney at sharney@attleboroschools.com. We hope to add beginner band and chorus once we have this rolling.
Ms. James will be hosting a monthly Harry Potter Book Club on Tuesday, November 10 and Tuesday, Dec 10 at 3:30. Contact Ms. James at jjames@attleboroschools.com if interested.
Remind
We are excited to share that Attleboro Public Schools (APS) is rolling out Remind district-wide! If you're not already familiar with Remind, it's a classroom communication tool that makes it easy to stay involved with your child's learning. Remind is free to use, and you'll be able to get and send messages on any device.
As part of this roll out, official accounts will be created for all the educators, parents, and students at APS. On Monday, October 26, you'll receive an email or text message from Remind. Please follow the steps in the message to finish setting up your account. Here is a video demo to see how Remind works.
If you already have an account that we have associated with a phone number or email we have on file, this should not affect any of your groups or classes.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Monday, October 26 Mid-Trimester Point/Music/STEM Switch
Tuesday, October 27 Virtual PTO at 6:30
Tuesday, November 3 PD Day - No school for students
November 4-17 Virtual Book Fair
Thursday, November 5 Cohort A Picture Retake Day*
Friday, November 6 Cohort B Picture Retake Day*
Wednesday, November 11 Veteran's Day - No School
*Virtual Academy Students wishing to retake pictures or take one for the first time this year may come on November 5 or 6 from 9-12. Please call our office to let us know you are coming.
Resources for Families
Readiness Check An interactive tool that helps parents see how their child is progressing in foundational math and reading skills and connects them to skill-specific videos, activities, and more to support learning at home.
At-Home Learning Roadmap tool, From grade-level expectations to how to support life skills, find interactive resources on a range of topics parents care most aboutThis week we had our first ‘Virtual Office Hours’ with a volunteer interpreter from Emmanuel College. Read THIS FLYER if any of our Spanish speaking families are interested.
Be Heard: Community Coalition for Education will have the first meeting of the school year next Wednesday, October 28. This flyer contains the information.
Wamsutta Middle School
Email: jconnor@attleboroschools.com
Website: http://wms.attleboroschools.com/
Location: 300 Locust Street, Attleboro, MA
Phone: (508)223-1540
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wamsuttamiddleschool
Twitter: @WamsuttaMS