Windsor Middle School
7/20/20 Announcements
Windsor Middle School Communication
Community Message - School Opening Update
Please see the latest message from the Weld RE-4 School District below:
“July 17th, 2020
We have important updates to share with you today on our plans and schedule for opening as well as health and safety protocols that will be in place as we go back to school. Before we get to these details, we feel it is important to share our district’s priorities in opening, and the factors that will most likely get us there. As we shared with the staff members we met with this week for roundtable reopening discussions and community members and parents we have spoken to, our priorities are:
1. Protecting the health and safety of students and staff; and
2. Opening schools and remaining open
Please keep this in mind as you review the information below. As a reminder, we expect discussions and interactions on these topics to be respectful and to assume good intentions. Please know we are making the best decisions we can based on guidelines from the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Department of Health & Environment, in a rapidly evolving environment, to keep everyone in (and around) our school communities safe.
Masks will be required for all staff and students.
The medical community (including the CDC) widely agrees wearing cloth face coverings is a behavior that reduces the spread of COVID-19. Face coverings will be required for students in grades K-12. Everyone in a district building will be required to provide their own cloth face coverings; wearing them will be enforced in our schools and on school campuses as part of our dress code policy. We ask that you please review this CDC article, “How to Wear Cloth Face Coverings,” with your child/children and practice use prior to the start of school.
Physician-recommended medical exemptions will be reviewed (more information to come); however, we encourage those seeking a medical exemption to consider enrolling in Inspire4 K-12 Online School. We are reopening registration for Inspire4 through Thursday, July 23. This fully online school may be a good option for your family and more aligned with your personal comfort level regarding in-person learning, distancing guidelines, and/or mask wearing. Click here to learn more and enroll.
Changes to the first day of school.
Our current plan, which is subject to change as circumstances evolve, includes half of Weld RE-4 students returning to schools on August 12 and the other half on August 13. All students will be in school on Friday, August 14 after which our normal daily schedule will resume. This “soft opening” approach will allow us two days to adapt to the new protocols around getting students into buildings, taking their temperatures, keeping them at a safe physical distance throughout the day, serving lunch in a variety of spaces, implementing enhanced cleaning protocols, and enforcing the use of masks.
Your school will inform you which day (August 12 or 13) is your student’s first day of school by July 28. This will be consistent with the hybrid group (A or B based on neighborhood so families schedules are aligned) your child will be assigned to in the event the district transitions to a hybrid model during the school year.
Transportation (if eligible) will be provided (see eligibility below).
Changes to transportation eligibility.
We are taking steps to reduce capacity on our buses to provide a safer environment due to COVID-19. The bussing radius will change to 1.5 miles for elementary schools (increase from 1 mile) and 2 miles for middle schools (increase from 1.5 miles and same as high school). New rules will be in place for bus riders including pre-screening by parent/guardian for COVID-19 symptoms, sitting two to a seat, assigned seating, and requiring face coverings for students and student transporters. Enhanced cleaning protocols will also be in place. Families will receive more information on this in a letter from the transportation department later this month.
Enhanced health and safety measures.
All Weld RE-4 schools will follow State of Colorado guidelines to protect the health and safety of our school communities when students return to school, including:
Enhancing cleaning practices.
Respecting physical boundaries.
Monitoring students and staff for COVID symptoms.
Providing Personal Protective Equipment to staff as necessary based on their job function.
Increasing the availability of hand sanitizer and encouraging increased hand washing.
Enforcing the use of masks.
Working in conjunction with health officials.
In-school screening of student’s temperatures will take place daily with a non-contact infrared forehead thermometer or temperature scanner. Temperatures will NOT be recorded and facial recognition technology is NOT in use. Students will be reminded and encouraged to wash their hands often, throughout the day. Handwashing will be made easier by the fact that 193 Weld RE-4 classrooms contain sinks. Student interactions (aside from those within their own classrooms) will be more confined. Lunch, recess, and passing periods will be adjusted for distancing and to limit contact and individual classes may operate differently. School-specific plans will be shared with staff and families.
We know this is a lot of information to process. We encourage you to flag this email (or print it out) and review it more than once. Please remember the new deadline to enroll (or unenroll) in the Inspire4 K-12 Online School is Thursday, July 23. We appreciate your patience as we move forward. This is a stressful time for everyone, and we ask that as a community we assume best intent in each other and show the same grace for others that we would like for ourselves.“
Annual Family Check In (AFC) - Mandatory for all students!
The Weld RE-4 School District uses our annual family check in to verify student information. Annual Family Check In (AFC) is a mandatory process that ALL parents will need to complete annually.
Note: we can not start building your child’s schedule for the year until this has been completed. Please complete your AFC as soon as possible!
Parents are now able to verify and update the following 2020-2021 school year information online:
Census & Household information
Emergency Contacts
Code of Conduct
Technology approval (6th grade)
Publication Consent
Immunizations (6th grade)
Early Dismissal
Parents may update AFC now by logging into the Portal and navigate to either of the highlighted areas pictured below.
Thank you Front Range Energy!
Clearview & Weld RE-4 Library Books
Please see the message below regarding Clearview’s partnership with Weld RE-4.
“As you may have seen on our district social media pages, Clearview Library District has offered to collect Weld RE-4 school library books at their dropboxes or at the bookmobile. This convenient option is available to families all summer!
How will library items be returned to school buildings?
I am collecting district library books from Clearview on a weekly basis. The books are being housed in my office at the DO until mid-July, when I will return them back to schools.
How can students find out if their item was received?
I am checking all Weld RE-4 library items in as they are received. If you have any families who are concerned about the status of their items, please feel free to send them my contact information.
Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thank you!
Mollie Amundson | Library Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA)
970-686-8089
In addition to the listing above, students and staff now have access to Sora! Sora is a student reading app from Overdrive where there are audiobooks and ebooks available.
Join Music!
Swim Camp 2020-21
If your 6th grader is interested in participating on the WMS Swim and Dive team this fall, please see important information from Coach Moon here!
School Info
Office Hours 8:00am-4:30pm (entrances will open at 8:00am for screening)
Our first bell rings at 8:35am and the tardy bell will ring at 8:40am.
Attendance: Please call the attendance line at 970-686-8205 if your student is going to be absent. We also encourage you to call the attendance line if you know in advance that your student will be gone. To have your child ready for early pick up for an appointment during school hours, please call the attendance line to obtain a "Blue Pass".
Athletics: The most up-to-date information regarding athletic events can be found on our website at http://wms.weldre4.org/athletics, then click on the specific sport.
Staff contact information can be found here.
Safe2Tell
Upcoming Dates
(events are pending due to extensive school closures throughout Colorado to prevent the spread of COVID-19)
Aug 12 - First Day of School (soft start with ½ of our students)
Aug 12 - Studio 5 Picture Day
Aug 13 - First Day of School (soft start with ½ of our students)
Aug 13 - Studio 5 Picture Day
Aug 14 - First Day of School (with all of our students)
Sep 7 - Labor Day (No School)
Sep 18 - No School
WMS Athletic and Other Event Calendars
For a complete schedule of a particular sport, click here, choose the sport you're interested in (located on the left side of the page), then click on the schedule link.
Windsor Middle School
Email: wms@weldre4.org
Website: wms.weldre4.org
Location: 900 Main Street, Windsor, CO, United States
Phone: 970-686-8200
Facebook: facebook.com/wmsco
Twitter: @wmsprin