WMS Community Bulletin 9-23-19
EXCELLENCE*EQUITY*COMMUNITY
Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year at Watertown Middle School!
Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Happy Autumn! Although it certainly still feels like summer. :)
Here are some important upcoming dates:
September 25 - i-Ready Mathematics diagnostic - please be sure your child has headphones!
September 25 - Early Release Day - Professional Development - 12:30 pm dismissal
September 25 - Equity Team meeting - 2:45 pm - Phillips Building
September 25 - Grade 6 Students/Parents/Guardians Pasta & Bingo Night 6:00-8:00 pm
September 26 - WMS Back to School Night 6:00-9:00 pm
September 27 - Progress reports distributed
October 2 - School Site Council meeting 7:00 pm
October 9 - PTO meeting - WMS Library - 7:00 pm
October 10 - Cluster 5 Field Trip
October 11 - Cluster 6 Field Trip
October 14 - NO SCHOOL
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Monday, Sept. 23 - A day
Tuesday, Sept. 24 - B day
Wednesday, Sept. 25 - A day - Early Release 12:30 pm
Thursday, Sept. 26 - B day
Friday, Sept. 27 - A day
Monday, Sept. 30 - B day
Tuesday, Oct. 1 - A day
Wednesday, Oct. 2 - B day
Thursday, Oct. 3 - A Day
Friday, Oct. 4 - B Day
Monday, Oct. 7 - A day
Tuesday, Oct. 8 - B day
Wednesday, Oct. 9 - A day
Thursday, Oct. 10 - B day
Friday, Oct. 11 - A day
Monday, Oct. 14 - No School
Tuesday, Oct. 15 - B day
Wednesday, Oct. 16 - A day - Early Release Day - 12:30 pm
Thursday, Oct. 17 - B day
Friday, Oct. 18 - A day
Monday, Oct. 21 - B day
Tuesday, Oct. 22 - A day
Wednesday, Oct. 23 - B day
Thursday, Oct. 24 - A day
Friday, Oct. 25 - B day
Monday, Oct. 28 - A day
Tuesday, Oct. 29 - B day
Wednesday, Oct. 30 - A day
Thursday, Oct. 31 - B day
Friday, Nov. 1 - A day
After School Programs at WMS
Late buses will leave at 4:30 pm and run from Monday-Thursday. Students do not need a bus pass to ride the late bus.
Remember also to check out all of the terrific programs at Watertown Recreation:
The Watertown Recreation Department offers many programs for students of all ages. Programs and information are available on the Watertown Recreation link found on the Town website – http://www.recreation.watertown-ma.gov/ (this link has been fixed)
GIRLS WHO CODE
BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT THIS WEEK!
Back to School Night for parents and guardians will be on Thursday, September 26th from 6:00-9:00 pm. Students will be bringing home information and completed schedules to you, but here are the overall details / blank schedules for each grade: Back to School Night
The purpose of the open house is for you to meet each of your child’s teachers, and have them provide a brief explanation about what will be taught during the year. Parents and guardians are strongly urged to attend this important event, as it will give you a first-hand opportunity to see what your child will be learning during the upcoming year. Back to School Night is not intended for specific conversations with teachers regarding your child, however. As always, if you have concerns or questions about your child in school, please contact your child’s teacher or guidance counselor.
PASTA DINNER AND BINGO NIGHT FOR 6TH GRADE FAMILIES
This event will be on Wednesday, September 25th from 6-8 pm in the WMS Cafeteria. Flyers were sent home with the students, and details can be found on the WMS website as well! I’m sure it will be a super fun night, and I’m looking forward to seeing all of the grade 6 families and calling the Bingo numbers!
***Please don't worry if you haven't registered yet for this event! You may check-in and pay at the door. We would love to see as many grade 6 families as possible! :)
WMS School Site Council Meeting
The first meeting will be on Wednesday, October 2nd. The Watertown Middle School Site Council, composed of the principal, teachers, parents, and community members, is charged under DESE guidelines to develop and monitor the annual School Improvement Plan. The School Site Council meets monthly from October through June to oversee the school’s goals and action strategies, examine data that pertains to school improvement and create the school improvement plan for the following year. The oversight process happens in the fall (October – January) and plan development happens in the spring (February – June).
***Please email me if you are considering joining the School Site Council. I would like to gauge the interest of parents. Thank you.
Upcoming i-Ready diagnostic testing
What is i-Ready?
Many of you are familiar with i-Ready from last year, but as a reminder, i-Ready is an online program that will help us determine your child’s needs and monitor progress that occurred throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child exactly where he or she is and provides data for us to increase your child’s learning gains.
The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student sees is individualized based on his or her answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier questions. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade, but instead to determine how best to support your child’s learning. Your child will participate in three diagnostic, 45-min assessments (one literacy, one math), three times per year (fall, winter, and late spring) to illustrate growth.
What happens next?
The i-Ready Diagnostic will be administered first during late September and will provide results that help teachers identify what your child already knows and determine next steps for instruction. If you have any questions about i-Ready, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or me. You can also learn more about i-Ready by visiting i-ReadyCentral.com/FamilyCenter. This year, we will be giving specific feedback to parents and students regarding i-Ready results and using those results to set goals with students for their individual learning and growth. We are fortunate to have two instructional coaches to help us with this process.
The i-Ready Diagnostic dates at WMS are as follows:
Wednesday, September 18th – Literacy
Wednesday, September 25th – Mathematics
As always, thank you for your continued support and for being a partner in your child’s learning! It is much appreciated.
Fall Sports Information
Dear Student, Parent and/or Guardians:
Hope you are all enjoying your summer and are getting ready for a successful 2019-2020 sports season and academic school year!
This year the fall athletic season starts on Monday, September 9, 2019, immediately after school is dismissed, and we are offering the following sports:
· Boys Cross Country
· Girls Cross Country
· Boys Soccer
· Girls Soccer
· Girls Field Hockey
Registration is now open. Please use the following link to register.
LINK: 2019-2020 FALL ATHLETIC REGISTRATION
If you are an incoming 6th grade family, you will need to setup a new account. However, if your student participated in a sport during the last two years at the Middle School, you do NOT need to start from scratch. Login to FamilyID using your account name and password. You then pull up your student from the family list and apply them to the Fall Sport they will participate in. However, you will need to re-sign all permissions areas as well.
If you cannot remember the login/password information on your account, please contact FamilyID (their contact info is on the login page) for your account information. Please do not setup a new account as we will lose your/your student's athletic history.
FEES
The current fee structure is $50.00 for the year. This fee allows your student to participate in up to 3 sport for the year. Fees are due at the time of registration.
There are reduced fees available to students included in the *Free or Reduced Meal Plan Application. In order for us to qualify your student for a reduced athletic fee, you will need to complete the permission by checking the 'Yes I Do' box and sign the electronic signature box in FamilyID. You will be notified via email of your fee contribution.
* Present Free and Reduced Meal Plan Applications from last school year are valid for fall Athletic Registration. If you think you are eligible but do NOT have a meal plan in place, follow this link to the form to apply for Free or Reduced Lunch Meal Plan:
LINK: MEAL PLAN APPLICATION
If you do not want to use the online payment system and you can submit a MONEY ORDER in person or via mail to the Athletics Office at:
Watertown High School
Attn: Athletics Jae Smith
50 Columbia Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Please put the name of the athlete and the sport in the memo section of the money order. This fee is due at the time of registration. Unfortunately, no student may participate or receive a uniform with an outstanding balance.
PHYSICALS
All student-athletes must have a physical examination from their doctor on file. The physical examination must have taken place within 13 months in order to practice or play and should be turned in to the Nurse's office. This is an MIAA requirement and will be strictly enforced. For incoming 6th grade students, PLEASE ATTACH A COPY OF YOUR CURRENT PHYSICAL when prompted in FamilyID. It will save a lot of time clearing you to participate.
The School Nurse will be the contact person for having your son or daughter cleared medically with the processing of the annual physical examination or other medical conditions. Please check the renewal date of your physical examination now and make appointments in advance so your son or daughter does not miss any athletic time.
Middle School Nurse, Ms. Michelle Laracy, may be reached at 617-926-7783 or by email at michelle.laracy@watertown.k12.ma.us. Physicals can be mailed to:
Watertown Middle School
Attn: Nurse Michelle Laracy
68 Waverly Avenue
Watertown, MA 02472
I hope you/your student has a successful year in the classroom and an enjoyable experience at Watertown Middle School.
Ms. Jae Smith is the Athletic Administrative Assistant. She will assist with questions you may have about athletic issues. She also will be able to assist you in online registration and online payments and she may be reached at 617-926-7748 or via email at judith.smith@watertown.k12.ma.us.
GO RAIDERS
Ryan Murphy,
Athletics Director
HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK!
About WMS
Email: donna.martin@watertown.k12.ma.us
Website: https://wms.watertown.k12.ma.us/
Location: 68 Waverley Avenue, Watertown, MA, USA
Phone: 617-926-7783