Middle School Matters
Whatcom Middle School Newsletter, April 2021
From the Wildcat's Den...
Dear Whatcom Families,
The only constant in life is change – Heraclitus (c. 535 – c. 475 BC)
How could an Ancient Greek philosopher have known 2600 years ago about 2020-21? Here we go. Hang on. There’s another change comin’. Thank you COVID-19! As Dr. Baker announced today we’re headed toward middle school students attending school four days per week. We’ll be ramping up our family surveys in order to determine who: 1) Will attend four days per week, 2) Will stay at two days per week, or 3) Will remain fully remote.
We don’t have a firm start date because there are several logistical considerations including moving stored furniture, make changes to student attendance systems, and creating new classroom configurations that incorporate new social distancing parameters.
I wish you all safety and good health as we head into Springtime. Please stay tuned regarding start dates. Thanks for your collective patience as we work to bring students back for more days.
Jeff
Mark your calendar!
April 19 - Cohort A Intramural Cross Country & Soccer begin
April 22 - Cohort B Intramural Cross Country & Soccer begin
April 20 & 22 - 7th grade Hearing & Vision Screening
First Week of May - School Pictures (see details below)
May 14 - 8th (& final) Rotation begins
May 21 - No School
May 31 - No School (Memorial Day)
Middle School Intramurals begin April 19th!
The Co-Ed Cross Country and Co-Ed Soccer Intramural seasons will run from Monday, April 19 until Friday, June 11. Practices be 2:30 – 4:00 PM. Cohort A will begin on April 19 and Cohort B will begin on April 22.
The Cross Country runners will meet on the F St. side of the building and Soccer players will meet their coach at Battersby Field. Coaches will hand out flyers with more information on the first days for each group. Students should come to school in the dressed in the clothes they will participate in and bring a water bottle. School safety protocols will be followed (mask wearing, 6' distance as much as possible, hand sanitizing). Students coming from home will need to have their temperature taken and complete the health attestation upon arrival.
Students will participate on their cohort days (Mon -Tues or Thurs - Friday). 6th - 8th grade students will only participate with other students at our school and not with other middle schools. There are no fees and no sports physicals required. Our BVL, all remote, BFPP, homeschool, and private school students will choose the A Cohort or B Cohort sports days. If you have not yet signed up and wish to participate, click on this link to Finalforms to do so.
*Students not currently enrolled at WMS will need to contact our registrar, Nancy Howell, prior to signing up for an intramural sport.
7th Grade Hearing & Vision Screening
Vision and Hearing Screenings are scheduled for all 7th grade students attending in-person on Tuesday, April 20 and Thursday, April 22. Please remind your student to wear their glasses or contacts.
Please contact WMS School Nurse, Lori Fransen, for any questions or concerns: lori.fransen@bellinghamschool.org, or school cell phone: (360) 201-9178.
School Pictures in May
- Tuesday, May 4 - Cohort A
- Wednesday, May 5, noon - 6:00 pm - Any WMS Student/BVL/Remote students
- Friday, May 7 - Cohort B
- Make-up day will be Wednesday, May 26th, 3:00 - 6:00
More information will go out to families regarding purchasing photo packets.
From the Counseling Office - 2021-22 Enrichment Choices!
I hope you all enjoyed a relaxing Spring Break. I’m always a little surprised when we get to this time of year, as it seems like the year flew by, but here we are! With Spring come the tasks of finishing the current year while simultaneously preparing for next year. With that in mind, we will be asking our current 6th and 7th graders to make their enrichment choice for next year in their Homeroom class on Wednesday, April 21st. We’ve created a PowerPoint presentation with descriptions of available classes for the kids, which they will view during Homeroom. You can view it here: 2021-2022 Middle School Enrichment Choices – Whatcom Middle School (bellinghamschools.org)
Students will then check their email for a link to a form to make their selection, which they will need to complete while still logged into Homeroom on the 21st. As always, their enrichment class will be opposite PE on the A/B schedule. We’re also excited to introduce a new enrichment option, Plant Science, for our 7th and 8th graders. In this class, students will learn about plant identification, crop production, and how plants are used for food, medicine, crafts, and landscaping. They will also learn about local plant growers, our region’s natural resources, and our general PNW environment. The learning labs will be our school garden and greenhouse spaces, where the kids will get hands-on experience!
Beth Schille-O’Connor: (360) 739-6186, elizabeth.schille-oconnor@bellinghamschools.org
Molly J. Foote: (360) 739-4555, mollyj.foote@bellinghamschools.org
Whatcom TSA State Competition
The following Whatcom Technology Student Association member students persevered through a challenging time and were able to take their projects to the state competition:
Caleb Epps, Scottie Farrington, Paxon Fisher, Keely Frazier, Lukas Gabrisch, Jaiden Garcia, Bre Latham, Jasper Mini, Lulu Munro, Rylan Neem, Calvin Schlegel, Eliot Stockman, Charlotte Swart, Zoe Wasserman, and Iza Wilson.
The Whatcom chapter left the conference with the several awards as well:
1st place for Junior Solar Sprint – Caleb Epps, Paxon Fisher, Rylan Neem
2nd place for Junior Solar Sprint – Calvin Schlegel, Eliot Stockman, Iza Wilson
2nd place for Prepared Speech – Caleb Epps
1st place for Mass Production – Lukas Gabrisch and Lulu Munro
1st place for On Demand Video – Caleb Epps, Keely Frazier, Zoe Wasserman, and Keely Frazier
1st place for Video Game Design – Scottie Farrington, Jaiden Garcia, and Jasper Mini
Our school is so proud of their hard work and dedication!
PAWS Awards recipients exemplify our Pillars: Tenacity, Compassion, Excellence, Stewardship.
Assistance League Scholarships
Hey, is anyone thinking about doing any summer enrichment programs such as art or music camp? If so, have we got a deal for you!! The Assistance League has a scholarship to cover some of the costs. The deadline for the application has been extended to Wednesday, April 21st. For more information or to apply, go here: https://www.assistanceleague.org/bellingham/philanthropic-programs/enrichment-scholarship-program/application-forms/
or contact Ms. Schille-O’Connor or Ms. Foote in the counseling office.
Community Covid-19 Testing Sites
We wanted to let you know that the community testing site at the Bellingham airport remains a very convenient place for families and students to get COVID tests. Families can create an account at www.testdirectly.com/whatcom. Generally people are able to get same day testing and results.
Also, starting this week there will be testing offered outside the Family Resource Center at Shuksan middle school. Here are the details on that testing:
- It will be Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00-5:00
- Families can just show up, no appointment needed
- Families should try to bring their insurance cards and ID
Attendance notes for in-person hybrid learning...
- Students that need to leave early for an appointment must bring a note to the attendance window before school starts, or have an email sent to Beth.Pelto-Fishbeck@bellinghamschools.org signed by a parent or guardian to excuse them from class. Families will not be able to enter the building. Students will be sent outside at the appropriate time for pick up. Alternatively, students are welcome to remain at home and engage in remote learning on days they have appointments.
- Students arriving to school late must come to the attendance window with a signed note from a parent or guardian.
Reminder: the health attestation is an important safety step for in-person instruction
Skyward Emergency Contact Information
Sometimes emergency contacts change phone numbers or the contact in Skyward is no longer available. We would appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to log into Skyward Family Access and make sure your emergency contact information is up to date. If you need help or have questions, you can contact our registrar, Nancy Howell. Thank you!
Tech Support
Do you need a headset? You may request one using the district form. You will receive an email instructing you when and where you pick it up.
Whatcom Middle School PTSA
During this unprecedented time, PTSA is more important than ever. PTSA’s framework of unifying voices for impactful changes for children and youth provides the tools to empower parents and teachers to advocate and speak up for the health, safety, and education of every child.
Whatcom Middle School PTSA is committed to providing teachers and students with the same level of excellent service this year. We are asking you to join PTSA by following the link below. Thank you for your help and please support your PTSA.
www.memberplanet.com/s/whatcommiddleptsa/whatcommiddleschoolptsaforms
PTSA meetings will be on Zoom, unless otherwise posted.
- April 20
- May 18
- June 15
Update your contact information on Skylert
Skylert enables you to receive notifications concerning your children, including messages from Bellingham Public Schools and your child’s school. You have control over which notifications to receive and how you would like to receive them. Skylert is accessed via Skyward Family Access, so it is no longer necessary to login to a separate portal for SchoolMessenger to manage contact preferences.
Whatcom Middle School
Principal: Jeff Coulter
Assistant Principal: Tina Allsop
Administrative Assistant: Aileen Walton
(360) 676-6460
- Attendance, option 1
- Athletics, option 2
- Registrar/Counseling, option 3
- Main office, option 4
Email: aileen.walton@bellinghamschools.org
Website: whatcom.bellinghamschools.org
Location: 810 Halleck Street, Bellingham, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 676-6460