WMS Community Bulletin 4-24-20
EXCELLENCE*EQUITY*COMMUNITY
To translate this newsletter, click on it then use the link to the right. (English)
Para traduzir este boletim, clique nele e use o link à direita. (Portuguese)
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لترجمة هذه الرسالة من المدرسة ، اضغط عليها ثم استخدم الرابط الموجود على اليمين. (Arabic)
Այս տեղեկագիրը թարգմանելու համար կտտացրեք այն, ապա օգտագործեք աջ կողմում գտնվող հղումը: (Armenian)
Чтобы перевести этот бюллетень, нажмите на него, затем воспользуйтесь ссылкой справа. (Russian)
Bu bülteni çevirmek için üzerine tıklayın ve ardından sağdaki bağlantıyı kullanın (Turkish)
I hope this communication finds you and your families healthy and well. My weekly community bulletin does typically come out on Sunday, and I will have additional information on Sunday, but I had a few updates that I thought should be communicated sooner so as to answer some frequently asked questions.
To be sure, no one was surprised to hear Governor Baker's announcement last Tuesday that school would be closed through the end of the year, but I think it affected us more than expected. It is truly sad that we will not all gather together again before the end of the school year, but the entire school community will continue to work together to provide academics and social-emotional learning to all students. We miss them terribly!
As the weeks go by, and the curve continues to hopefully flatten, we will develop a plan so that students may retrieve their items from their lockers and classrooms in a safe and organized manner.
For 8th-grade parents/guardians:
- The 8th-grade students will be receiving course verification sheets from WHS very soon. WHS guidance counselors and Mr. Cloherty will be working with the students to ensure that students are placed in the correct course for next year. Below I have added a video explaining the math course pathway, as it can be confusing. I will forward the science course pathway soon as well. WHS will be having a virtual Program of Studies night soon to make up for the one missed earlier this month. Please stay tuned for information about that program.
- We will be working together to determine ways to honor our 8th-graders in lieu of the traditional graduation and other fanfare. We will be able to make better decisions in a few weeks as we see the guidelines from the state, but we will certainly figure something out! If you have any ideas, please feel free to email me or any of the 8th-grade teachers, or join our next PTO meeting (date to be announced soon).
Have a nice weekend,
Take care,
Donna
TERM 3 Report Cards
Report Cards were mailed home earlier this week. I have included the information I sent out on April 9th for your reference. Please contact your child's teachers if you have any questions.
***Note: Due to a glitch, some of the comments on the report card may be from Term 2. I apologize for any confusion which may arise as a result.***
GRADING for Terms 3 and 4:
The GOAL is: to reinforce skills already taught this school year, apply and deepen these skills to prevent regression, catch students up to have all students starting at a similar place upon their return, and to prioritize new key concepts throughout the end of the year, especially at the secondary level, to the extent possible in an extended learning environment.
Here are the details of the term dates and the codes which will be used to indicate the students' grades and progress:
Term 3
January 28 - April 12
Grading will be EE (exceeding expectations), ME (meeting expectations), NY (not yet)
Work that counts toward grade from January 28 - March 12
Teachers may ask students to finish and complete any work possible by 4/10 (or beyond for 2 weeks to change a grade from NY to ME)
Report cards will be mailed home
Term 4
April 13 - June 22
New Term 4 classes of General Music, Grade 8 Drama, Art, Health, Library, and Tech. Ed will begin on Monday, April 13.
Grading will be CR (credit) / NC (no credit) (until at least May 4)
The Term 4 Rubric (see below) will be used to determine the Term 4 grade.
Final Grades
Final Grade for Semester 1 Courses:
These were complete prior to the school closure and will not be changed
Final Grade for Semester 2 Courses:
Will either be CR (credit) or NC (no credit)
Final Grade for full-year courses:
Final Grade is either a letter grade (A, B, C, D), Pass (P), or Fail (F) as follows:
If Term 3 is ‘EE’, ‘ME’, or 'NY' and Term 4 is ‘CR’, then the final grade is the letter grade resulting from a calculation of Term 1 and Term 2, or ‘P’ (Student choice by class)
If Term 3 is ‘NY’ and Term 4 is ‘No Credit’, and the calculation of Term 1 and Term 2 grades is passing, then the Final Grade is ‘Pass’ (no option for a letter grade).
If Term 3 is ‘NY’ and Term 4 is ‘No Credit’, and the student failed Term 1 or Term 2, then the Final Grade is F.
Only the Final Grade will show on transcripts.
I apologize if this grading system appears confusing at first glance. Teachers, guidance counselors, and administration will work with students and parents/guardians to navigate assessment in Term 4. We will focus on the academic GOAL of the WPS Remote Extended Learning Plan (stated above) as well as the social-emotional well-being of all students.