Middle School Matters
Whatcom Middle School Newsletter, August 2022
Welcome Back!
Dear WMS Students and Families,
We at Whatcom Middle School are so excited to have all our wonderful families back, and our new families joining WMS! WMS is full of kind, and caring students who are curious, and growth minded. We are so grateful to be a part of such a wonderful community! We cannot wait to hear of their summer adventures and share our new ideas, learning, and plans for the 2022-23 school year!
Our WMS staff is so excited to connect with our students! As a school team, we will continue our focus on developing a strong positive school learning community that supports all students not only academically but socially/emotionally. Students will continue to have voice, share their ideas, and take active roles in their daily learning. We will also continue celebrating all the wonderful choices our students are making and empowering students to have a voice in creating a positive, inclusive learning community at WMS. We strategically work to ensure every student is learning at their highest levels possible, as well as supporting them socially and emotionally. Through our core classes, electives, arts, P.E, interventions and team-time, we strive to provide highly engaging learning experiences to ensure every student’s success and love of learning.
Ms. Hulford and I are so thrilled to join an amazing Whatcom team and Community! The most important aspect of our work as administrators at WMS is building meaningful relationships with students, families, and staff, as well as the greater WMS Learning Community. That being said, we will be visible continuously in classrooms, in the hallways, and in the lunchroom building and strengthening relationships with our students. In addition, it is also important to ensure all students are highly engaged, and connected to their learning, while equally feeling safe, and excited to come to our WMS each and every day.
Our doors are always open. If you have any questions, comments, or ideas, please feel free to call, email, or stop by to schedule a time we can chat.
Can’t wait to see you all soon. Enjoy the last days of summer!
Sincerely,
Mischelle Darragh, Principal
Breann Hulford, Assistant Principal
Mark your calendar!
Aug 24 7th & 8th gr. Orientation
Aug 25 CAT Day (6th gr. Orientation)
Aug 30 First day of school
Sept 5 No School - Labor Day
Sept 15 Back to School Night, 6:30 pm
Sept 19 PTSA Meeting, 7:00 pm
Sept 22 12:00 dismissal
Sept 23 No School - Teacher Workday
Sept 27 Picture Day
Welcome to our new staff members...
Cindy Schuitema, Administrative Assistant to the Principal
Geraldo Cisneros, Campus Monitor
Aaron Fischer, 7th grade LA/SS
Kayla Callanan, 8th grade LA/SSMargie Scribner-Greene, 8th grade Math
Julie Shaughnessy, Bridges
Matt Holmes, PE
Carissa Vaughn, PE
TDAP Vaccine Booster is Required for all 7th Graders
For the 2022-2023 school year, all students attending grades 7 through 12 must have had one dose of Tdap vaccine.
- For students in 7th through 9th grade, the Tdap vaccine must be given at or after age 10 to be accepted for school entry.
Skyward Family Access will have a current list of the vaccinations we have received for your child. Please login to your Skyward account to check if we have received record of this vaccine for your child.
To update your child’s Tdap immunization record at the school, you will need to turn in a medically verified immunization record to the Counseling Office. Your child’s health care provider can print this for you, or you can print it from MyIR or MyIRMobile, which are free Department of Health online tools that allows families to view and print their official immunization records themselves. For detailed information about how to get access to MyIR or MyIRMobile visit: https://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/Immunization/ChildProfileHealthPromotion/ForParents/AccessyourFamilysImmunizationInformation
Soccer and Track begin Monday, Sept. 12
We're still looking for coaches for both soccer teams and an assistant coach for track. If you are interested in coaching, please call Breann Hulford (360) 676-6460 for more information. Submit applications through the BSD website.
WMS Back to School Night, Sept 15
2022 - 23 Student school supplies & school lunches
Student Planners, composition books, and other school supplies will be provided once again this year at no cost to the student. Families may wish to provide backpacks, pencil pouches and water bottles.
Great news! Thirteen district schools will have universal meals available again this year
Great news for students at Whatcom! Our school is participating in a federal program available to select schools as part of the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program called Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). This means students are eligible to receive breakfast and lunch at no charge throughout the 2022-23 school year, regardless of family or household income. Read more about school meals in 2022-23 here.
· There is nothing you need to do to sign up – every student enrolled at our school may eat breakfast and lunch any (or every!) school day.
· Whatcom will start the school year with breakfast before the bell offered at no cost; stay tuned for breakfast-after-the-bell opportunities in the month’s to come!
· The Good Food Project includes scratch-cooking from the central kitchen, fresh salad bars, locally-sourced products, and a variety of options with broad appeal
Important note: Families with students who only attend CEP schools do not need to submit a federal free and reduced price meal application. We will follow up with more information about a family income survey that will help the district access state funding dollars for education programs.
If you have any questions about the food services program or CEP, please visit the food services webpage, email laura.davis@bellinghamschools.org or call 360-676-6504. School menus will be posted as we get closer to the first day of school.
Visit school day information to learn more about school meals, school supplies, transportation, safety, weather procedures and more.
Picture Day
From the Counseling Office...
Welcome back to school! I hope everyone had a great summer. I’m excited to see all the kids again, meet our newest Wildcats, and get the year off to a great start. I’m looking forward to visiting classrooms, introducing myself, and making sure all the kids know how to access their counselors. Rita Hocking-Kombol will be back subbing for Molly Foote again this Fall; please reach out to either of us with any questions, as we’re happy to help. See you all soon!
Beth Schille-O’Connor and Rita Hocking-Kombol, Whatcom Middle School Counselors
Getting to School
Halleck St. (in front of the school) is closed to all vehicles except school buses. Please do not attempt to drop off your student on Halleck St. Please use one of the side streets instead.
Students not riding buses should not arrive until 9:00 am. At 9:00 students will be allowed to enter the building and go directly to their first period classroom. The first bell rings at 9:10 am signaling the time to be in their seats and the late bell rings at 9:15 am.
Bike racks are available in front of the school. Bikes should always be locked to prevent theft. If a student happens to forget their lock, we can help with securing the bike in the building for the day. Scooters and skateboards can be stored in the main office.
ParentSquare for communications
Bellingham Public Schools is now using ParentSquare to streamline school-to-home communications. ParentSquare is used for mass communications (school newsletters, district information, urgent alerts), classroom communication (one-to-one and group messaging, parent-teacher conferences), and related school services. The web-based/app-based platform will allow parents/guardians to update their contact preferences and manage their messages from schools and the district. Go the bellinghamschools.org/parentsquare for more information.
Picking up students early from school...
The quickest way to check your student out early is to send them with a note to the attendance window in the morning before school starts or send an email to Beth.Pelto-Fishbeck@bellinghamschools.org. Your student will receive a pass allowing them to leave the building at the appointed time and meet you at your vehicle.
Do not make arrangements with your student's teachers! Call the Attendance Office!
If you have an unplanned check out, please call the attendance office, (360) 676-6460, opt. 1. Please allow us time to locate your student by calling in advance. You will then be required to come inside and sign your student out.
Students arriving to school late, or returning from an appointment, must come to the attendance window with a signed note from a parent or guardian. Your student will then receive a pass which they will take to their teacher.
Clubs
Whatcom Middle School PTSA
Whatcom Middle School PTSA is committed to providing teachers and students with an excellent level of 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
2021-22 PTSA Board:
- President - Justin Nelson
- Vice President - Lorrie Melton
- Treasurer - Daniele O'Connell
- Secretary - Audra Stiles
The first meeting is set for Wed., Sept. 19th, 7:00 pm in the WMS Library and also on Zoom. Links will be sent out as it gets closer to the meeting date.
Cell phone policy
Parents needing to contact their students may do so by emailing your student's district email address or by calling the Main Office or Attendance Office. Your child can call you from our attendance office.
School Dress Code
Part of The Bellingham Promise, our strategic plan, strives to develop students and graduates who are respectful and compassionate humans. We want students to respect themselves and others. While we encourage individuality, the district’s dress code aims to foster a positive and healthy environment.
- Students should dress casually and comfortably for school, while wearing clothing that is well-suited for a school environment.
- Appropriate headgear may be worn for warmth and protection outdoors, and inside for religious reasons or special circumstances.
- Clothing, drawings, tattoos and accessories that display or promote negative messages are not permitted. These could include drug, gang, weapon, alcohol or tobacco-related information, obscenities, put-downs, stereotypes, sexual innuendo, offensive words or graphics.
- A violation of the dress code will require a change of clothing.
- Special circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
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!
BSD Family Handbook and 2022-23 Calendar
Follow us on Instagram @whatcom_ms
Whatcom Middle School
Principal: Mischelle Darragh
Assistant Principal: Breann Hulford
Administrative Assistant: Cindy Schuitema
(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