Washington MS December '22 Update
It's a Great Day to be a Junior Husky!
⚕️ NOTES FROM NURSE NASH
IMMUNIZATIONS
Seattle Public Schools requires students to be in compliance for their required immunizations to attend school. Immunization exclusion will start on February 9, 2023.
In compliance means:
1) Student is fully vaccinated or in the process to be vaccinated (conditional status).
2) Student has a laboratory titer report to prove student doesn’t need a particular vaccine.
OR
3) Student has a signed Certificate of Exemption for a personal, religious or religious membership exemption.
*Exemption for MMR - no personal accommodation permitted.
For more information please see:
https://www.seattleschools.org/departments/health-services/immunizations/
Nurse Nash is here to support and answer questions about immunization compliance. Please reach out to Nurse Nash if you have received an out-of-compliance notification.
Vaccine Clinic Opportunity
School Vaccine Clinic hosted by Seattle World School
Location: 1700 E Union Street, Seattle WA 98122
Date: December 10, 2022
Time: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Who: SPS students only (family member must be present to sign forms)
Medical Provider: International Community Health Services (3 vaccinators)
Vaccines Provided: Dtap/Tdap/Td, IPV, MMR, Varicella, Hep A, Hep B, MCV, HPV
Vaccines Not Provided: COVID-19
Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4ea4ae22a2ffc25-seattle
VISION AND HEARING SCREENING
The state-mandated vision and hearing screening for 7th grade students was completed in November. Referral letters will be coming home this month. If your student receives a vision referral and you need assistance finding a provider or do not have eye insurance, please contact the school nurse for assistance.
If your student recently got glasses, encourage them to stop by the nurse office and show off their new glasses and report how they are working for them!
Stephanie Nash, BSN RN
(206) 252-2607
🩺 KAISER WELLNESS CENTER HIGHLIGHT
Sports Physicals
You can get your sports physical easily at the Wellness Center. Just come by for an appointment and we’ll get you on the schedule.
Find more about the Wellness Center in the Health Center December Newsletter: https://washingtonms.seattleschools.org/news/washington-wellness-center-news-december-2022/
🏟️ ATHLETICS 🏟️
⚽ Fall Sports Wrap-Up 🥏
Fall sports are wrapping up. Our Coed Ultimate had a successful season in which 40+ players played in games all over Seattle. While wins weren’t very common between the 2 teams, fun, exercise, and competition were very common! Eighth Grader August C. led the ‘A” squad along with our fabulous head coach Xtehn Frame. Special thanks to assistant Leland Oshins, who taught 6th grade and cared for his newborn when not assisting Frisbee.
Girls' Soccer is still playing strong. Head Coach Jessica Kronstad and Assistant Hannah Lewis (along with super mom Brianne Veitengruber) have provided awesome leadership for all of athletics. The team has been led by 8th Graders Gemma, Maya, Sula, and Sheila. Several sixth graders have played a role for this young team: Amazing, Rakiyah, and Janet!
⛹️♂️ Winter Sports Begin! ⛹️♀️
Winter sports started with a few open gym sessions for basketball. Official tryouts are the week of December 5 for both boys' and girls' teams. Players must have ALL paperwork completed to play! See Mr. Townsend or Head Girls' Coach Isabell Boyd for the paperwork. Be sure to look for signs for the exact days of tryouts.
The WMS Athlete Code
WMS and AD Townsend are rolling out their Athlete Code starting with basketball. Our athletes are leaders in the school and we will be looking for them to provide leadership around the building while excelling in the classroom!
Inspire. Be a leader.
You are great young people.
Be present, be on time, be kind.
We all care about you and will help you succeed.
👩👨👦👶 A WORD FROM PTSA
WMS PTSA Annual Fund and Brightening WMS Families’ Winter Break
Please donate to the PTSA Annual Fund. To date, we have raised $4,000 of our $40,000 goal. You can join the PTSA and/or contribute to the annual fund at wmsptsa.com. Your contribution is valued.
Also, our WMS Counselors are collecting gift cards for Fred Meyer and Amazon to make some of our WMS families' holidays a little brighter. Gift cards can be dropped off at the WMS office. We are going to have 1-2 days prior to winter break to give out the jackets (see below) and some extra food bags, in conjunction with TAF and Communities in Schools.
Volunteering at Washington Middle School
Winter Warm Jacket and Hat Roundup
Please drop off coats, jackets, and warm hats to our Jacket and Hat Drive donation box in the main office at Washington Middle School. The box is open for donations until December 2nd, 2022.
📆 UPCOMING EVENTS 📆
12/15-1/2 Winter Break
📚 Library Lounge
New Book Club!
December Reading Challenge
Library Celebrations
🤗 COUNSELOR'S CORNER
As we welcome winter, the counseling team is focusing on the importance of compassion and community. To begin student conversations around compassion, we held a compassion event during lunches. Students had the opportunity to write ways they can commit to spreading compassion within our school community. We compiled all response cards and made a compassion mural on a lunchroom bulletin board!
We are looking forward to all of the growth and learning that will take place this month! Please stay tuned for more counseling updates!
Thank you,
Ms. McKinney, Ms. Pan & Ms. Weber
Counseling Small Groups
Counseling small groups are up and running! We are so excited to begin this work with students to support their social-emotional needs, build confidence, and facilitate self-discovery. Below are some of the small groups that are currently running and/or upcoming next semester:
Executive Functioning Group
A small group that is focused on organizational skills, task attention, and other skills that support daily success both at school and home.
Black Student Union Group
The mission of the black student union is to first be a place of safety to connect with those who share a cultural and oppressive background. Our goal is to create a space to have full, heart-heavy, genuine discussions where students can express not only the racism they experienced in school but also in society. Our vision is for this to become a community of unity and validation. A space where experiences and knowledge are shared; All of which are needed in a world that daily invalidates the experiences and emotions of black people. We want each student-led meeting to feel like food to all of our souls. The doors of the Black student union are open to everyone.
Art with Heart Group
This small group is focused on anxiety and self-exploration. Students are working through the ‘Art with Heart’ workbook to learn, draw and build a toolkit to support and cope with anxiety symptoms, triggers, etc.
Attendance Group (coming soon)
Friendship/Social Group (coming soon)
Washington Middle School
Email: jwwilliams@seattleschools.org
Website: washingtonms.seattleschools.org
Location: 2101 South Jackson Street, Seattle, WA, USA
Phone: 206-252-2600