WMS Lion's Pride Community Update
February 12, 2024
Our Mission at WMS
The students, educators, and staff of Walkersville Middle School commit to ROAR; respect, organization, achievement, and responsibility. Our academic program is rich with multiple opportunities for students to engage with rigorous curriculum, prepare to master the challenges of high school, and be productive in the community.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Congratulations to the WMS MathCounts team! They competed in the Frederick Regional MathCounts competition and placed top 4 to advance them to STATES! Great work!!! Way to represent WMS, Lions!
Tickets for Beauty and the Beast, Jr!
Walkersville
Middle Theatre
Proudly
Presents
“Beauty And The Beast,
Jr.”
Walkersville
Middle School
March
7 & 8 at 7pm
March
9 at 12 noon and 7pm
Reserved
Seating - $10 (online sales only)
General
Seating - $7 (online OR cash at the door
Online
sales until March 1, 2024
https://frederickcounty.schoolcashonline.com/
After
March 1, 2024, only general seating may be purchased at the door
Rising 6th grade Parent Information Night
Tuesday, February 20 at 6:00 PM in the cafeteria
Due to limited space, we are asking that only incoming 6th grade parents/guardians attend.
Our school counselor, Mrs. Rehm, and administrator, Dr. Marker, will be visiting with students later this week. They will share information about middle school and scheduling.
We look forward to meeting our new WMS Lions and their families!
Drop off/Pick Up of students
Students should ONLY be dropped off and picked up on FCPS property. Students should NOT be dropped off or picked up on W. Frederick Street or Nicodemus Road (across from the school)! There are not crossing guards for crossing W. Frederick St. On most days, all cars are out of the car rider line by 3:10 PM! Please drop off and pick up students on WMS school property!
If you have a student who walks to and from school, encourage them to walk on the WMS side of the road! We will reiterate this with our students at school.
Thank you for your help with ensuring that all of our students are safe!
Bus riders: Ride only the bus assigned
Academy for the Fine Arts hosting shadow day in February
The Academy for the Fine Arts will be hosting a Middle School Shadow Day on Wednesday, Feb. 14. During this time, students will have the opportunity to tour the AFA, meet the teachers, and engage in arts-based activities with current students from each focus area. The AFA is a half-day college and career prep program hosted at Gov. Thomas Johnson High School that is open to students in grades 10-12 from any FCPS High School offering focus areas in Art, Dance, Music, Musical Theatre, and Theatre. This is a great opportunity for students to visit and determine if this is something they would like to be part of their four-year high school plan.
IMPORTANT: Transportation is NOT provided to this event. Students will need transportation to TJ and then back to their home middle schools. A roster of attending students will be sent to each school so the absence is excused.
To register for the MS Shadow Day, please visit: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16058749&calendarID=2286826
For more information about the Academy for the Fine Arts, visit: www.fcpsartsacademy.org
For more information or questions, please contact Jonathan Kurtz at jonathan.kurtz@fcps.org or 240-236-8352.
Learning @ Home
As you may know, Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) has been approved by the Maryland State Department of Education to implement up to three virtual instructional days in lieu of systemwide closure during inclement weather. While not necessarily the first option, the Learning @ Home days provide FCPS flexibility in responding to various weather emergencies. In developing the FCPS plan, our goal is to: mitigate disruption to learning mid-year; minimize additional days that often need to be added at the end of the school year; and keep students connected to learning in the event of an extended closure.
Please click on WMS Specific information:
Get your Yearbook!
Capture this year's school memories by ordering your yearbook TODAY!
Yearbooks are $20.00
Attendance at WMS is important
Arriving to school late: WMS Policy
At WMS, arriving to school on time is important! Being on time to class and ready to learn is one way we can help students be their best.
The school building opens to students beginning at 7:30 AM. Students should be in their first period class and ready for instruction at approximately 7:55 AM. The school day begins promptly at 8:00 AM.
Beginning November 6th, any students who are late to school 3 days will receive a message from an administrator. This message will be shared with parents/guardians. Any students who are late to school 5 days will receive an after school detention.
Our goal is to have ALL students in classes on time and learning!
Absences add up!
Did you know that any student who is absent from school ten days in a school year, regardless of the reason, is considered chronically absent by the State of Maryland? We understand that illnesses happens and want students at school when they are able to learn.
We encourage families to plan any vacations/trips during times when students are not expected to be in school. Should attendance become a concern, your child's school counselor or administrator will reach out to offer support. Please reach out if you have any questions about your child's attendance.
Any attendance notes can be sent to WMS.Attendance@fcps.org
TutorMe- Available 24/7
Frederick County Public School is proud to announce that we've teamed up with TutorMe this school year to empower our 6-12 grade students with unlimited on-demand access to 24/7 online tutoring!
From homework help to test prep, students can get live one-on-one help from 15,000+ verified tutors covering hundreds of subjects anytime, anywhere.
In addition to live tutoring, students can submit essays and papers for prompt, detailed feedback from writing experts within hours. TutorMe is available to all students via their current Clever Portal login. We're excited to partner with TutorMe to further support our students' excellence.
Reference the TutorMe Support Guide to get started: TutorMe Student Support Guide (English) ESP. Guia de Apoyo- TutorMe (Spanish) and click on the TutorMe icon in Clever to get started today.
Health Room
Attention to all parents/guardians of rising 7th graders:
All students entering 7th grade are required by the State of Maryland to have the MCV4 and Tdap vaccines prior to the first day of 7th grade.
At Walkersville Middle School, approximately 58% of 6th graders have already received these immunizations at this time.
Please contact your child’s health care provider and make an appointment now to avoid the rush.
More information about immunization requirements can be found in https://www.fcps.org/backtoschool/immunizations.
Thank you for your support!
FCPS Student Code of Conduct
Did you know that a portion of the FCPS Student Code of Conduct is for parents and guardians? Here is the link for the document in ENGLISH or SPANISH. On page 17, there are important topics to discuss with your child. Some that are included are regarding attendance, bullying, harassment or intimidation, bus conduct, cell phones, laptops, tablets, earbuds and other electronic devices.
WMS is an OFF AND AWAY school with regard to cell phones. They are not to be used between the hours of 8:00 and 3:00. If a student needs to access their device during that time, they need to come to the office to do so.
There is NO use for headphones or earbuds connected to phones during the school day. Our focus needs to be on providing the best learning environment possible and to eliminate distractions.
At WMS, we provide ONE warning to put the device away. Following that warning, if a device or earbuds/headphones are seen, they will be confiscated and brought to the office. Parents/guardians will be contacted and need to collect the device(s) from the school. Should this distraction continue, the devices will need to be checked in at the office daily and will be provided back to the student at the end of the day.
If a student accesses our Alternate Learning Classroom, any phones will be confiscated by an administrator and locked in the front office until the end of the day.
Thank you for your support in eliminating any distractions from our learning time at WMS!
Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact:
Mrs. Miller, principal
Mrs. Sutherin, 6th grade assistant principal
Mrs. Newkirk, 7th grade assistant principal
Dr. Marker, 8th grade assistant principal
Volunteering in FCPS
FCPS is excited to launch our new FCPS Volunteer Center. This new management system features the ability to self-serve for volunteer opportunities in our schools. To begin, you must complete the registration and training as required in our policies.
If you are a new volunteer, please create your account registration using the following link: Create an account.
If you are an existing volunteer in our Volunteer Center, please access your account here: Sign into your account.
For more information on volunteering, please contact the Family and Community Involvement Coordinator.
This video contains important information about administration, schedules, Arrival and Dismissal routines, lockers, FCPS Code of Conduct, Cell Phone Off and Away Policy, Clothing, and Technology.
The slides (without the presentation) is linked HERE
FCPS Calendar
Please check out the FCPS Calendar for additional information about upcoming events.
School Supply Lists
School supply lists are available online at https://www.fcps.org/backtoschool/school-supply-lists
Walkersville Middle School Student and Family Handbook
Please click HERE for our 2023-2024 WMS Student and Family Handbook for lots of information and contacts! This will be posted on the school website, as well.
WMS School Counseling Department
Ms. Rohrer
6th Grade
Ms. Twilley
7th Grade
Ms. Rehm
8th Grade
Glenda Roberts-Daniels
Registrar
PTSA Information!
Next PTSA Meeting: 2/26/24 at 6:00 in the Media Center
ALL ARE WELCOME!!!
Book Fair is back!
February 12-16
Open during the day for students
Evening Hours on Thursday, February 15 – 5:30-7:30
Trivia Night! Sign up!!
Thursday, February 15
Come to the Book Fair from 5:30-7:30pm and stay for Trivia Night!
Trivia Night – Thursday, February 15
Have a team, join a team –
It’s Free to play and fun for the whole family!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080F44A8A62BA6F94-47225009-family
Snacks available for purchase.
Interested in upcoming activities?
We love volunteers!
We need your help with our Fun Run (March 27),
our Rummage Sale (May 18) and Teacher Hospitality (all year long)!
To get more information on how to volunteer with these events or to make donations, please check out the sign-up genius!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080F44A8A62BA6F94-44793691-volunteer
Our 2023-2024 PTSA Board
Treasurer: Amanda Radcliffe
Secretary: Angela Coleman
Vice-President: Brande Waldron
President: Shannon Kelley