Back Pocket
December 2021
Calendar
Dec 3 - WKMS Spirit Day: Wear Green
Dec 6 – Mid-Term (2 Hour Early Dismissal for Students)
Dec 10 - WKMS Spirit Day: Hat Day
Dec 13 – Kickball Club
Dec 14 – Interims Issues
Dec 15 – Archery Club
Dec 16 – Winter Orchestra Concert
Dec 17 – Winter Band Concert
Dec 23 - School Closed
Dec 24 - School Closed
Dec 27 - School Closed
Dec 28 - School Closed
Dec 29 - School Closed
Dec 30 - School Closed
Dec 31 - School Closed
Jan 3 – School Re-Opens
Jan 7 – WKMS Spirit Day: 1980’s Retro Day
Principal's Message
Kindness is defined as “the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate” and respect is defined as having “due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others.” Kindness and respect are two important character traits that we should all expect from one another. Unfortunately, we have had some recent incidents of unkind, disrespectful, and discriminatory behavior. We will not tolerate any negative behavior that is “motivated by an actual or a perceived personal characteristic including race, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, ancestry, physical attributes, socioeconomic status, familial status, physical or mental ability, or disability.” Please know that one of our primary goals is to create and maintain a safe and non-threatening environment in which everyone, especially our students, can thrive and be their best!
Be Your Best,
Brian P. Vasquenza
Tutor Me
Wolverine Time
Wolverine Time is a tutoring program that will be used to support students academically, particularly in ELA and Math. WKMS staff offers Wolverine Time synchronously 4 days per week at a variety of times in the evening in order to create flexibility for our students and families. Students have the opportunity to drop-in to the tutoring sessions in order to receive support with homework, feedback on assignments, and help with studying for assessments.
Team News and Updates
Each month, WKMS grade level teams will provide updates on curriculum standards, assessments, and upcoming events. In addition to Schoology, this information will hopefully keep parents abreast of important school and classroom information.
Counselors' Corner
We are committed to making sure that our students and families are aware of the many resources available if your child is struggling with a mental health challenge. Please check out this RESOURCES link on the WKMS Counseling website for support services as well as information on the Mental Health Association’s walk-in clinic in downtown Frederick.
Dealing with Grief During the Holidays
Dealing with loss is so difficult, especially during the holidays. Local licensed psychologist Alison Bomba has shared 5 tips that can help adults and children deal with the loss of a loved one during the holidays. Click on the following link: 5 Tips for Dealing with Grief
WKMS Giving Tree Reminder
Thank you to everyone who has participated in our WKMS Giving Tree this year! Any items purchased help to support families in our area through the Greater Urbana Area Food Bank. Please remember that all wrapped items are due to WKMS no later than December 7 with the tag securely fastened to the package. Items can be dropped off at WKMS from 8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Thank you for supporting families in need in our area during the holidays!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR 8TH GRADE
UHS IB Program Information and Deadlines
Information and the application packet for the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Urbana High School is now available for all interested 8th grade students and can be found on the UHS IB website. All application materials, including teacher recommendations and transcripts, should be submitted online and must be received by 5:00pm on Dec 17th, 2021. If planning to apply, please be considerate and allow teachers and the guidance office at least two weeks to complete recommendations and prepare materials. Teacher recommendations are now completed through a Google form. The link to the form is in the application packet as well as on the application page of our site, but we've linked it here as well in case a teacher asks you about it. Questions and completed applications should be sent to UHSIBProgram@fcps.org
UHS Academic Information Night
Rising UHS 9th graders are invited to UHS on Thursday, December 16, from 6:00 - 7:30pm to learn about courses and programs offered at UHS and within FCPS, as well as course sequencing and preliminary registration information for the 2022-2023 school year.
LHS Registration Information Night
Rising LHS 9th graders are invited to LHS on Wednesday, January 19th (snow date is January 24th) from 6:00 – 7:30pm to learn about courses and programs offered at LHS and within FCPS.
4 Year Planning
Ms. Koshar will be visiting History classes for 8th graders from December 13 - 16 to go over the High School Course Plan. High school graduation requirements and high school options will be discussed, and students will also create a sample schedule for their freshman year using Naviance. If students want to log on to Naviance ahead of time, they can follow these directions to navigate to the Naviance Student Login page:
- Go to https://student.naviance.com/windsorkm
- Click Student symbol as your user type
- Click on “CONTINUE WITH SINGLE SIGN ON” on the login page
College and Career Opportunities
Are you interested in what’s available after middle school? Check out this College/Career link to view the many opportunities that FCPS offers for students to explore career pathways, increase the rigor and value of their high school education, and prepare for college.
Media Center
Winter is coming, and students are utilizing the library media center Maker-Space area as a place to visit after eating lunch! Winter break is a great time for students to relax and read. Encourage your children to check out books (we have over 11,000) and talk about what they are reading with you. Not only does reading assist students with expanding their vocabulary; but also, it helps in boosting memory and improving concentration. Students should read for a minimum of 20 minutes every day.
Staff and scholars are using technology to enhance products. It's great to see students practice their communication skills by creating podcasts. They are also participating in the Beanstack, Readers are Leaders reading challenge, working on homework, etc. Students in 6th & 7th grade are participating in the web-quest lesson to learn how to navigate the nonfiction section of the LMC. We have been working on citing sources in music classes and will continue in other classes. Scholars will also be focusing on understanding plagiarism and digital citizenship. Don't forget students can see their Library Media specialist for assistance with writing too.
It's a pleasure working with your children!
Advanced Academics
If you are interested in getting a feel for what it might be like to take a college or AP course consider applying for the program below. Many WKMS students took advantage of this opportunity last year and loved the challenge, rigor, and exciting activities. You will need to apply and Mrs. Saylor will need to help with your application. The registration deadline for the program is January 31st.
William & Mary’s Center for Gifted Education is excited to share their Saturday Enrichment Program (SEP) with your family. SEP is an academically challenging program with an emphasis on inquiry-based learning. The program is not meant to replace the regular school curriculum; rather, it recognizes the importance of allowing able children to explore additional specialized areas of science, mathematics, humanities, and the arts. There are spring virtual courses available in the areas of engineering, music, STEM, coding, writing, social science, and many more. Visit the website or view the flyer for more information and to register.
If you are in 8th grade and are applying for the International Baccalaureate program at Urbana High School all information is available on UHS web page or by contacting Jessica.mcbroom@fcps.org The deadline for references and transcripts from WKMS teachers and guidance office is December 10th, and the completed applications are due at UHS on December 17th.
ELA Department
Greetings from the English Language Arts Department. Believe it or not, the midterm date for second term is Monday, December 6th. All students will take the Performance Series Reading Assessment during the week of December 13th in their ELA classes. Students in Mrs. Buckner's Read180 classes are continuing their work in small group, independent reading, and software rotations. Additionally, all students have received SoMirac Young Authors’ Contest entry information in their ELA classes and entries are due to Ms. Hines by Wednesday, December 1st. As always, please reach out to your student's ELA teacher, Read180 teacher, or to the WKMS Literacy Specialist, Ginny Hines, with any questions or concerns.
Math Department
The Math Teachers would like to share how thankful we are for your students and all the family support we are getting as we are now back in the swing of school. We know that everyone is busy now through the new year but we hope that you will be able to take some family time together to enjoy some of the traditions that make this time of year special. In the math classroom we are working through the second term with formative and summative work. We know that math work can be challenging once your student is home and not in the familiar environment of the math classroom. To best support all learners there are multiple opportunities for support. We have a WKMS teacher available each afternoon Monday through Thursday to support math learning via Wolverine Time, we have Tutor Me available twenty-four hours a day through the Clever platform, and of course there is always ELT with their classroom teacher or Mrs. Wurster during the school day. If you have any questions about any of these math supports please contact Mrs. Wurster at heather.wurster@fcps.org.
In the coming weeks all students will be taking computer based standardized assessments that will allow students to demonstrate their math progress thus far in the school year. These assessments will be part of the student data profile that allow us to best help students engage with mathematics both through enrichment and with supports. These assessments are also indicative of what students will see on the state standardized assessments in late spring. As always, any questions or concerns that arise may be addressed to Mrs. Wurster, the math specialist, at heather.wurster@fcps.org .