Bruin Bulletin
March 2023
The Principal's Den
Hello Bruin Families!
We had a great time celebrating Black History Month with lots of fun, educational, and meaningful activities. Take a look at this video to see a sampling of what we did.
March is a busy month for our Bruins. We will celebrate Reading Month with fun activities and competitions, including a used book drive to contribute to a local shelter. We are also emphasizing good attendance for our students by holding our own March Madness Attendance Contest. Students with no more than 1 absence from March 6-April 6, and no major referrals, will be invited to an assembly in April. We are also holding another Movie Night on March 24th.
We are also excited to announce that next school year, WBM will follow a modified block schedule for instruction. Our start and stop times will not change, but the bell schedule will be modified. Current 6th and 7th grade parents received an email with additional information, and we will continue to provide updates throughout this school year.
As we approach the end of March, 8th grade students will be ready for the very-important SOL Writing test. All students will be finishing up classwork since the marking period ends April 6. Excitement peaks April 7-14 as we celebrate Spring Break.
Beth Pallister
Principal
Western Branch Middle Study Hall
We offer study hall for students! Please encourage your child to take advantage of this time for one-on-one help with our amazing teachers.
Scan the QR to sign up for Study Hall
Tuesdays-Virtual 4-5pm
(link will be emailed to you via the tutor)
Wednesdays- In Person 3-4 pm
(must have a ride to pick you up or walk home)
Attendance Matters
We are seeing an increase in student absences. We understand that during this time of year there are lots of illnesses and viruses going around. Please be sure that when your child is out sick you submit a note within (4) days of them returning. You also have the ability to submit a note in Parentvue especially if you know of an appointment ahead of time. Please encourage your child to make up any missed assignments. Excessive unexcused absences can cause students' grades to fall or even result in truancy proceedings.
As long as your child is healthy, please encourage showing up to class when school is in session.
Every day of school is an important opportunity for students to learn as well as to connect to their peers and teachers.
If your family or your child needs support, please reach out to our school counselors for help.
Electronic Devices Policy
Parents, we need your help. Please remind your child about the WBM cell phone policy.
Cell phones can be a distraction and disruption to the learning environment.
Students may not possess, or carry on their person, cell phones, smart watches, or ear buds/headsets. Students must turn off and secure their cell phones and electronic devices in their lockers during the school day. If a student is found with or using an electronic device during the school day, the student is subject to a disciplinary consequence. Please see the Student Handbook for additional information.The Counselor's Corner
March is Women's History Month
Scheduling
March 3rd-March 7th, parents will be able to review their child's schedule in Parentvue. This is the time for parents and students to make any schedule changes for the upcoming school year.
Social and Emotional Care
This is a very stressful time of the year for many students. Students are worried about SOL testing and maintaining or bringing up their grades.
Some ways that you can help your child handle stress:
* Children learn how to handle stress by watching how their parents handle stress. Be sure you are handling stress in a positive way.
* Get moving. Exercise helps burn stress.
*Discuss time management and setting goals.
* Healthy diet and sleep.
* Slow down. Find things that help you relax.
*Teach children how to prioritize.
*Teach children to identify what they can control.
*Have family time to sit and talk or play games.
*Positive affirmations for encouragement.
School counselors are certified/licensed educators who improve student success for ALL students by implementing a comprehensive school counseling program. School Counselors can help students by providing:
- individual student academic planning and goal setting
- school counseling classroom lessons based on student success standards
- short-term counseling to students
- referrals for long-term support
- collaboration with families/teachers/administrators/community for student success
- advocacy for students at individual education plan meetings and other student-focused meetings
- data analysis to identify student issues, needs and challenges
Your School Counselors
Mrs. Tonya Edmonds--7th grade counselor and Guidance Director tonya.edmonds@cpschools.com
Mrs. Vicki Moore--6th grade counselor vicki.moore@cpschools.com
Mr. Ray Hines--8th grade counselor ray.hines@cpschools.com
Congratulations to Triniti Skipper who came in 3rd in the region at the ScrippsBee spelling bee competition. Watch it on WHRO on April 1.
Bruin Forensics
Congratulations to the following students who participated in the VHSL Forensics Tournament. You represented us well!
Kaylee Feick- 7th
Rylee Shaw- 6th
Lucy Fischer- 6th
BRUIN DEBATE
Congratulations to the follow students who participated in the VHSL Debate Tournament.
Kenley McClure, Charlotte Hicks, SuGi Liu, Brooklyn Weaver, Willa Sargeant, and Victoria Self.SCA NEWS
It’s a GREAT day to be a Bruin! The Bruin SCA enjoyed the warm weather and decorated the front walk and bus ramp with positivity! Remember to R.O.A.R. The Bruin Way!
Bruin Athletics
Sports and Team Pictures
It's that time of year when we would like to "re-share" the sports ordering process available to athletes and their families.
Sports photos taken throughout the year will be accessible on our website all year long!
Pictures will be available to purchase online four weeks after the photo day.
Please share this, feel free to copy and paste it.
To Order:
Go to www.candidcolor.net
Click on Sports Portraits
Enter your schools online code WBMSM23
Follow the on-screen instructions to order team and individual photos.
Come out and support our spring sports teams!!
Congratulations to our student athletes who made the spring sports teams. We are excited to watch you compete!
Visit our school calendar for game dates.
We encourage the purchase of season passes since it's very cost effective.
Annual Athletic Passes are available for purchase online only using the GoFan website. Passes available for purchase include:
Student Annual Pass – $20
The Student Annual Athletic Pass provides admittance to any VHSL or CMSL regular season games in Chesapeake, including CMSL tournament games. The $20.00 price includes the service fee for GoFan. Students will redeem their passes using their smartphones at each eligible athletic contest.
Adult Annual Pass – $40
The Adult Annual Athletic Pass provides admittance to any VHSL or CMSL regular season games in Chesapeake, including CMSL tournament games. The $40.00 price includes the service fee for GoFan. Guests will redeem their passes using their smartphones at each eligible athletic contest.
If you have any questions, please reach out to our athletic director: Ray Hines.
WBM Music Programs
Congratulations to the following students who were the only middle school students in the area to be chosen to sing in the American Choral Directors Association's National Honor Choir. They traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio last weekend for their concert.
Vedant Bhende
Bryce Koziel
Kamari Outlaw
Colby Hannah
BAND UPDATE!
ROAR
The PTA’s mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.
The PTSA is a volunteer committee made up of parents, teachers, students, and community members. This year committee board is made up of all parents who strive to make an impact in the academic school year by providing financial and physical assistance through sponsorship, volunteering and fundraising. All funds that are generated go directly to helping the staff and students at Western Branch Middle School.
1. Who: Britani Martinez (President), Vacant (Vice President), Latasha Jenkins (Treasurer), Kashena Ogburn (Secretary)
2. What: We come together to assist the staff and students in a multitude of ways. For instance, we can help provide resources, supplies, and chaperones or volunteer helpers when necessary.
3. When: During the academic school year.
4. Where: In, on, and outside of school grounds usually at School or PTSA sponsored events.
5. Why: We understand the importance of coming together for a common goal.
6. How: Through fundraising (hosting functions such as Bruin Bash, selling spirit wear, selling membership etc) sponsorship and volunteering. The PTSA's main objective is to help the students, teachers and the WBMS staff have a successful year and whether it is volunteering in the classroom, providing ideas to help improve the school, establishing workshops, assisting in school activities, purchasing new equipment, helping obtain edible supplies for science experiments or helping obtain classroom supplies, we are ready to assist.
In closing, team work makes the dream work, or as Mrs. Pallister says, “Together, Everyone, Achieves, More."
Please help support the WBMS PTSA. The PTSA is seeking new members. Want to join but don’t know how? Please go to wbmsptsa.memberhub.com and join. Don’t feel comfortable joining electronically, please email westernbranchmiddleptsa@gmail.com and we will help you. You can also join by filling out PTSA form in the office and leaving cash/check .
Please also follow us on Facebook on the Western Branch Middle School PTSA page.
Library Media Center News
March is Reading Month, and we have lots of activities planned to promote reading!
- Students may participate in Trivia Tuesdays with prizes!
- Everyone should wear RED for Reading each Wednesday.
- There will be a book donation drive competition by grade level. (6th vs. 7th. vs. 8th)
- "DEAR" Drop Everything And Read weekly during Core Plus
No book? No problem!
Click Link Destiny - follettdestiny.com
Select Western Branch Middle School
Click Log In
Student Password Code: 2 digit bday, 3 lower case letters month, 2 digit year, ! (exclamation mark)
Example: June 3, 2009 password: 03jun09!
Feel free to email Mrs. Waggoner michele.waggoner@cpschools.com with any questions.
We are a Purple Star School
Welcome Our Military and Family Life Counselor!
Hello,
My name is Natasha Ewa, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW, LCSW-c) and I am a Military & Family Life Counselor (MFLC) at Western Branch Middle School. First, I would like to thank you sincerely for your service.
My role at Western Branch Middle School is to support active-duty children and families (and parents) by providing non-medical, short term, solution-focused counseling services. This type of short-term counseling is intended to address issues that your child and family may experience across your military lifestyle. This includes but is not limited to helping the family cope with normal reactions to the stressful situations that deployment, reintegration and other military life challenges can create.
With parental consent, I can provide support to your youth in both individual and group settings. The service is free and confidential except for State and Department of Defense duty to warn and mandated reporting mandates.
I also invite you to visit the Military Onesource website for additional information on the program at https://www.militaryonesource.mil/confidential-help/non-medical-counseling/military-and-family-life-counseling/child-and-youth-behavioral-military-and-family-life-counselors/.
Also, feel free to contact me at the number provided below if you have further questions about the program and how I can assist you and your family.
I look forward to the opportunity to work with your child.
Natasha Ewa, MSW, LCSW, LCSW-c
Military and Family Life Counselor
757 - 759 - 2802
The Department of Family and Community Engagement will be holding its second annual Operation Military Families event at Great Bridge High School on April 1, 2023. Breakfast and sign-in will begin at 9:00 a.m. and the conference kickoff will be at 9:30 a.m. This is an informational conference for active duty and retired parents and their kids. There will be sessions for military kids led by other military kids. Parent topics include Supporting Your Child Through Deployment, High School Credit from Coast to Coast, and Fleet and Family Support. Register at tinyurl.com/CPSMilitaryFamily and see more information here.
New Chesapeake Public Schools Dress Code
Clothing must cover all undergarments; straps are okay
Length of shirts must at least meet the top of pants; no crop tops
Sleeveless tops must be connected by straps
Bottom lengths must be at least mid-thigh high
Ripped clothing must not have exposed skin above mid-thigh
Headwear generally not permitted; exceptions have been added (approved by principal)
Open toed shoes, sandals, slides and Crocs are now permitted; designated spaces require appropriate footwear (i.e., PE, science labs, Tech Ed classes, or wherever necessary)
TECH Know
Protect Your Chromebook
With the spike in consumer prices today, many of us are doing our best to make the wise financial decisions. That’s why having our school system provide a Chromebook to each student has been very beneficial, not only by enhancing student learning, but also from a financial perspective. So, as a reminder, please stress to your child the important responsibility of taking care of the Chromebook. Some tips for accomplishing this are to remind your child to hold the Chromebooks with both hands and not transport it by gripping the screen. They should slowly and gently close the devices and never place anything between the screen and the keyboard. Additionally, heavy items placed on top of a Chromebook case can damage it because the case is not guaranteed protection.
A cracked Chromebook screen costs $102.00, so it pays to take good care of the device. Invoices are mailed out when a screen is damaged, and you don’t want this to happen to you ...
We encourage you to review the student handbooks with your child.
See Something, Say Something
Harris Teeter Together in Education
Link your Harris Teeter card!
Harris Teeter’s Together In Education program gives schools a chance to earn funds when you link your VIC card and shop Harris Teeter brands.
Harris Teeter has donated over $32.4 million to Together In Education schools since 1998! When you shop Harris Teeter brands, a percentage of your purchase is donated to the school that your VIC card is linked to.
There are NO LIMITS to how much a school can earn!
Any customer with a VIC card can link their card to a school.
Please use this link:
Thank you to these businesses and community partners who contribute to our school!
We'd love to have additional community partners. Please contact the school for more information.
STAY in the KNOW
We are proud to show-off all the great things happening at our school!
The Western Branch Middle website is updated several times each week. Register for update notifications by visiting cpschools.com/wbm/subscribe. Also, please consider joining
our WBMS social media accounts (Twitter: @BranchMiddle and Instagram: wbm_bruins). We will use these accounts to showcase our students, teachers, and programs.
Another resource to help stay informed is our PTSA. We have a supportive and active PTSA, so
whether you want to lead a committee or support your child through membership, we hope you connect with the PTSA. You can also follow them on Facebook by joining https://cpschools.com/wbm/wbms=ptsa
Finally, we network with parents through our Parent Advisory Council. This group of parents is the first to hear about the latest news in Bruin Country. To participate, please contact Mrs. Kasper in the main office at 638-7920.
Western Branch Bruins
Website: https://cpschools.com/wbm/
Location: 4201 Hawksley Drive, Chesapeake
Phone: 757-638-7920
Twitter: @BranchMiddle