WMMS Tiger Times
Fostering Community. Empowering Students.
January 2022
Happy New Year!
We are excited to welcome students back on January 4th and to begin our second semester!
The new year is commonly a time to reflect on where you have been and where you want to go. As we come back to school, I would like to reflect with our students on what success looks like? That is a broad question that can help us find direction in our lives and in our learning. There are some traditional measures that one can use such as achieving a certain grade or completing a project, but I hope to inspire our students to look beyond these traditional measures and find a spark in themselves that ignites their personal journey through 2022 and beyond.
Help your student achieve success as we start back this semester by returning to regular routines that focus on healthy eating and activity, regular sleep schedules, and set times for homework and hobbies. Spend time talking with your student. Find out the things that excite them and the things that worry them. Connecting with your student each day can provide a sense of security and helps build the resilience kids need to roll with life's ups and downs.
Here's to a healthy and successful new year!
Sincerely,
Julie Esquivel, WMMS Principal
Semester and Quarter Classes Change
When students return, any semester long or quarter long class will change. Students can access their schedules through the TylerSIS portal. Students should be familiar with logging into the system, but if they have questions, they can stop in the office
Parents/guardians can also access student information. If you have not logged into ethe TylerSIS parent portal this year, contact the middle school office and we can help get you logged in.
Fun Night
Join us January 28 from 7:00 - 9:00 pm. Admission: $3.00. WMMS Students only.
Students need to be in the building by 7:30 and must be picked up by 9:00.
Mental Health Minute
Mental health concerns have been growing in the adolescent and teen populations in recent years. In an effort to share resources to help students and families, we will share different mental health resouces in our monthly newsletter. This month, we highlight NAMI Missouri.
NAMI Missouri is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, and was founded in 1985 to provide education, support and advocacy on behalf of people with serious mental illness and their families regardless of race, religion or national origin.
Mission – The mission of NAMI Missouri is to improve the quality of life and recovery for children and adults with mental illness and their families. We accomplish this through support, education, and advocacy.
Vision – In our envisioned future mental illness will no longer thwart a person’s fulfillment of his or her potential, with early diagnoses, interventions and targeted medications and service.
Goals – NAMI Missouri is committed to advocating at the local, state and national levels for non-discriminatory access to quality healthcare, housing , education and employment for people with mental illness. We will work to:
- Eliminate the stigma of mental illness.
- Educate the public about mental illness.
- Advocate for increased funding for research into the causes and treatment of mental illness.
NAMI Missouri
Website: https://namimissouri.org/
3405 W. Truman Blvd., #102,
Jefferson City, MO 65109
Email info@namimissouri.org
Phone (573) 634-7727
Fax 573-761-5636
Helpline 1-800-374-2138
MLK Essay Contest
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. we invite Kirksville area students to contribute an original essay reflecting on his legacy. Dr. King once said, "The time is always right to do what is right." One way to do the right thing is to help others even when no one is watching. Consider how this quote applies to you and your community as you honor Dr. King.
The essay contest is for students in 6th - 12th grade who live in or near Kirksville, MO. Essays are limited to 300 words. Think of a time when you helped someone when no one else was watching. Describe that memory and explain how you helped. Why do you think it was important that no one else was watching you help the other person?
Details:
- Submit entries electronically using this form: https://forms.gle/vivLuBVFjB4ETCze6
- Entries are due January 17, 2022
- Prizes will be awarded in February
- Email questions to kirksvillemlk@gmail.com
Submissions are subject to a CC BY-NC 4.0 license (can share or remix, with attribution for non-commercial purposes) and may be used to promote future MLK Day celebration events.
Cardboard Boat Race
Social Contracts
As we return from winter break, we will refocus on our social contracts. The social contract is an agreement of behavior. Students answered these four questions together in advisory:
How do you want to be treated by me (leader)?
How do you want to be treated by each other?
How do you think I (the leader) want to be treated by you?
How do you want to treat each other when there is conflict?
The responses are now the expectation for how we interact with each other throughout the school day. See the section below to read each grade level's responses.
8th Grade Social Contract
Listen
Effort
No Put-Downs
Respect
Responsible
Forgiving
Treating and acting maturely
Cooperative
Patience/time
Honest
Kindness
Don’t pressure others
7th Grade Social Contract
Respect
Equality
Safe
Kind
Accepting
Understanding
Patience
SOLAR
Motivating
Honesty
Cooperative
Positive
Golden Rule
Honor
Calm
No Judging
Motivating
Patience
Considerate
Responsible
6th Grade Social Contract
Fair
Consistent
Respectful
Responsible
Effort
Considerate
Calm
Listen
Golden Rule
Helpful
Accepting
Kind
Forgiving
Safe
Encouraging
No Put-Downs
Honest
Positive
Cooperative
Understanding
Calendar of Events
- STUDY HALL: Every day at 7:10 -7:43 am in the computer lab beginning January 10 (no study hall on late start days)
- Choraliers: Monday and Friday mornings at 7:15 am
- FCA: Thursday mornings at 7:15 am in room S7 with Mr. Cook (Dcook@kirksville.k12.mo.us)
- January 4: Start of 2nd semester
- January 5: 1st semester grades emailed
- January 17: No School
- January 22: 3-week progress reports emailed
- January 28: Fun Night 7:00 - 9:00 pm
- February 14: Late start. Building opens at 9:10. Classes begin at 9:48.
2021-2022 School Calendar
On a regular school day, the building opens nat 7:10 and first hour begins at 7:48. Students who plan to eat breakfast at school should be here by 7:30 to have enough time to eat and make it to class on time.
Late-Start: When we run a late-start, each building will begin 2 hours later than normal. For WMMS that means our building will open at 9:10 and first hour will begin at 9:48. Students will be dismissed at 2:45. The bell schedule for early outs is located in the student handbook that is linked later in the newsletter. Breakfast is not served on late-start days.
Remaining scheduled late start dates: November 8, February 14, and April 11.
The District may also use a late start due to inclement weather. See the District Transportation webpage for complete details.
Early-out: On early-out days, the middle school will dismiss at 12:45.
Remaining scheduled early-out dates: December 22, May 19
The District may also use early outs due to inclement weather. See the District Transportation webpage for complete details.
Tyler SIS Parent Portal
Tiger Alerts! Textcaster
Kirksville R-III Calendar
Who should I call?
Scheduling/Student Concerns: Mrs. Yoder (6th grade and Mag 7) and Mrs. McConnell (8th grade and Eagles) are here to help! (660) 665-3793 extension 4
Medical Concerns: Nurse Gabby can help if your child has medical needs or if you have questions about your child's health. (660) 665-3793 extension 5
Classroom Questions: The easiest way to reach your child's teacher is via email. Click here for a list of emails.
Transportation: If you have a question about your child's bus or about signing your child up to ride the bus, please contact the transportation office at (660) 626-1444.
General Questions: If you are not sure who to contact for your specific question, our amazing office secretaries, Mrs. Parsons and Mrs. Hulet, can help answer your question or connect you to the right person. (660) 665-3793
CARES Center
Purpose: To provide accessible and affordable urgent/walk-in and preventative/well health services on-site at the school district’s campus to students, faculty, and staff. Students will not be able to be seen at the center without the consent from their parent/guardian. (*We are currently able to do some appointments via virtual/telehealth visits.)
Location: The center is located in the northwest corner of the Kirksville Area Technical Center (KATC) at 1103 South Cottage Grove. Using the north entrance to the building, the CARES Center lobby is the first door on the right. There will be limited, designated patient parking west of the entrance.
Hours of Operation: 7:30am-4:30pm Monday-Friday
Some of the Services Provided at the CARES Center: Urgent/Walk-in care, Preventative Care, Wellness Visits, Immunizations (free for medicaid eligible and uninsured students through VFC and billed as normal for commercial), Flu Vaccine, Sports Physicals, Point-of-Care Testing (ie - Rapid Strep and Influenza Testing), can arrange for COVID testing if needed.
Team at the CARES Center: Provider (either Physician or Nurse Practitioner), Licensed Nurse, and Clinic Coordinator
Complete Family Medicine CARES Center at (660)956-7011