• Black History Month
• Career & Technical Education Month
• Feb 2 - Job Shadowing Day for 7th and 8th graders
• Feb 2 - Groundhog Day
• Feb 4 - Archery Tournament at Stover Middle
• Feb 6 - 10 - National School Counseling Week
• Feb 8 - Collaborative Planning Day - Dismissal @ 12:05pm
  
• Feb. 13 - Class Ring Presentation for 7th and 8th grade
• Feb. 15 - School Resource Officer Day
• Feb. 16 - Valentines Dance @ 3:45 - 5:45
• Feb. 17 - Teacher Work Day (No School for Students)
• Feb. 17 - Random Acts of Kindness Day (Do something nice for others!)
• Feb 20 - Weather Make-up Day (No School)
  
• Feb 22 - National Bus Drivers Appreciation Day
  
• Feb 25 - Archery State Qualifier @ CSMS
• Feb. 28 - WKMS SIC Mtg. Zoom @ 5pm

• Please make sure Chromebooks are charged EVERY night.
• Check to make sure that you aren't running low on pencils and notebook paper.
• Check your email, Schoology, and PowerSchool DAILY to help you keep up with everything.
• When in the hallways, please be respectful of the other classes and/or meetings that could be going on around you.
• During afternoon car or bus line, please follow all procedures (these are in place for your safety) and be respectful of peers and adults on duty.
• Be your BEST self every day. You deserve nothing less!

National School Counseling Week 2023 (#NSCW23) is Feb. 6-10, 2023, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems. National School Counseling Week, sponsored by ASCA, highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. National School Counseling Week is always celebrated the first full week in February. A special thanks to Ms. Calabrese (6th Grade counselor), Ms. Neal (7th Grade Counselor), and Mrs. Thomas (8th Grade Counselor) for their work with students and families.

Jennifer Calabrese - 6th Grade School Counselor - jcalabrese@lexington1.net

Marlene Neal - 7th Grade School Counselor - mneal@lexington1.net

Meredith Thomas - 8th Grade School Counselor - mthomas@lexington1.net

Christine Avery - Counseling Office Secretary - cavery@lexington1.net

February 17th is Random Acts of Kindness Day (RAK). Although we aim to be kind each and every day, let's take the time to be extra intentional in showing acts of kindness during this special week. For several amazing ideas, you can visit RAK Foundation, https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-ideas.

Here are some suggestions that are free!

Write a nice note/email to someone

Do a chore at home without being asked

Spend some quality time with a sibling

Hold the door for someone

Draw a picture or write a poem

Help a neighbor with something

Give someone a sincere compliment

Be polite to others

For even more ideas, check out RAK 50 other options for how to show kindness below.

Are there are any apprehensive readers in your household, check out the article below to learn how to choose books that will be interesting and engaging! The more you read the more you grow! How to Choose the Best Books for Apprehensive Readers

Our January I Love Books winner (and winner of a $15 gift card to Books-A-Million) is Izzy Vetter (8th Grade). Izzy recommends the book, We Are Not Free by Traci Chee because "it taught me so much just by reading it. It's a multiple perspective book and it's really a roller coaster of emotions. The book is about 14 Japanese-Americans who all grow up together after being placed in internment camps during WW2 and the racism they faced." Izzy recommends this book to "people who like to read about history and WW2." Check out the details of this book below! It might just be your next favorite book!

Book Details from Amazon.com

* NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST * PRINTZ HONOR BOOK * WALTER HONOR BOOK * ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR LITERATURE HONOR BOOK *

From New York Times best-selling and acclaimed author Traci Chee comes We Are Not Free, the collective account of a tight-knit group of young Nisei, second-generation Japanese American citizens, whose lives are irrevocably changed by the mass U.S. incarcerations of World War II.

Fourteen teens who have grown up together in Japantown, San Francisco. Fourteen teens who form a community and a family, as interconnected as they are conflicted. Fourteen teens whose lives are turned upside down when over 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry are removed from their homes and forced into desolate incarceration camps. In a world that seems determined to hate them, these young Nisei must rally together as racism and injustice threaten to pull them apart.

We are excited to offer a unique opportunity to our rising 7th and 8th grade students for the 2023-2024 school year! We will be continuing the initiative called AVID – Advancement Via Individual Determination. AVID is designed to help students prepare for and be successful in college, career, and beyond. This opportunity will only be available for a maximum of 25 qualified, rising 7th and 8th grade students.

The primary component of AVID is the AVID elective. In this class, students are taught study skills, note taking, time management, writing skills, and research skills all while being in an environment designed to help the students succeed. The AVID elective also includes tutoring sessions, access to information about colleges and universities through field studies, guest speakers, scholarship opportunities and college admission requirement information. It is a very engaging course that is loved by our students!

An ideal WKMS AVID student meets the following criteria:

• Achieved a score greater than or equal to the 40th percentile on the 2022 SCReady ELA and Math assessment

• Achieved a score greater than or equal to the 40th percentile on 2022-23 iReady benchmark assessments in ELA and Math OR has shown exceptional growth over the 2022-23 school year

• Has an average GPA of 2.0 - 3.5 for the 2022-23 school year

• Consistently completes classwork/assignments

• Consistently attends school and has minimal behavior issues

• Has a positive attitude and is a hard worker

AVID Scholars will be selected through an application and interview process. We have included a brief Google Slides presentation. If AVID is something you are interested in and you believe that you meet most of the qualifications above, fill out the application here. All applications are due by March 10th. Remember, we only have spots for 25 rising seventh graders and 25 rising 8th graders. One of those spots could be yours and this opportunity could change your whole future!

We will be having an AVID Elective Parent Night to answer any and all questions on February 23 at 6pm. so mark your calendars now. More information regarding this event will be sent out closer to the date, so be on the lookout.

For any questions or for more information, please email Tiffany Shull at tshull@lexington1.net