WMS Lion's Pride Community Update
January 8, 2024
Our Mission at WMS
The students, educators, and staff of Walkersville Middle School commit to ROAR; respect, organization, achievement, and responsibility. Our academic program is rich with multiple opportunities for students to engage with rigorous curriculum, prepare to master the challenges of high school, and be productive in the community.
Get your Yearbook!
Capture this year's school memories by ordering your yearbook TODAY!
Yearbooks are $20.00
Congratulations to our WMS Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr Award Recipient
Congratulations to Zyan Sims, our Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Award Recipient. He exemplifies the character that was exemplified by Dr. King, Jr. We are so proud to have you as a member of WMS!
Upcoming Incentive Day
On January 18, the school will celebrate all of the positive achievements of Semester 1! In order to participate, students may not receive any major referrals between now and January 12. Major referrals are those that result in classroom disruptions or school disruptions that result in consequences from administration like suspension. Please encourage your children to do their best while in school so we are all able to celebrate together!
8th Graders going to Walkersville High School: Save the Date! January 24th
Registration Information Night at Walkersville High School will be Wed. January 24th from 6-7:30. Come to hear about course offering and requirements for the next school year. Have opportunities to discuss classes with teachers, counselors, and administrators. We hope to see you there!
Applications are available for Remote Virtual Program for the 24-25 school year
Applications are now being accepted for the FCPS Remote Virtual Program for students entering Grades 3-8 and the FCPS High School Remote Virtual Program for Grades 9-12.
Applications will be reviewed on a first come, first-served basis, with enrollment offers to approved applications by mid-March. The program will close to new applications once student enrollment capacity has been reached.
High school student applications are due by February 2.
Elementary/Middle School applications are due by February 15.
To register for the FCPS Remote Virtual Program (Grades 3-8), please follow this link.
To register for the FCPS High School Remote Virtual Program (Grades 9-12), please follow this link.
2024 National Civics Bee
All middle school students are encouraged to participate in the 2024 National Civics Bee, sponsored by the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. Students have until January 8, 2024 to submit a 500-word essay on identifying a problem facing their community and explaining how a citizen might solve the problem.
Judges will select 20 finalists to participate in the local competition that includes a live quiz event testing civics knowledge. The top three students from each local competition will advance to the state competition. Local and State first place contestants receive a $1,000 cash prize.
Rules and guidelines can be found at the following site: www.frederickchamber.org/civics-bee-2024. Middle school social studies teachers have received this information and posters have been sent to schools to further promote the program.
Essay Contest: How do the actions of Francis Scott Key inspire you to serve others?
The Glade Valley Lions Club and the Lions Club of District 22-W know how important it is to share our American Heritage and how to use that knowledge to inspire volunteerism. Did you know that Francis Scott Key, a lawyer, author ans poet, is famous for writing the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry” which eventually became the lyrics to our national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner”? Our contest will include Heritage, Preservation and Patriotism. We hope that you will consider taking part in our essay Contest. We have opened this contest to Walkersville High School, Walkersville Middle School, Walkersville Elementary School, Glade Elementary School and Woodsboro/New Midway Elementary School students.
The American Heritage, Preservation and Patriotism essay topics for 2023-2024 are as follows:
Middle School (6-8): How do the actions of Francis Scott Key inspire you to serve others?
Essays will be judged by the Glade Valley Lions Club and awards will be given for winning essays. The essay program rules for participation and compliance guidelines are:
· Use 8 ½ by 11” white paper
· Essays must be either typed or computer generated and doubled spaced. Handwritten copies will not be read
· Minimum of 300 words, maximum of 500 words
· Attach a separate cover sheet which includes the following information
o Entrant’s name
o Entrant’s home address including street, city, state and zip code
o Entrant’s home phone number
o Name of school or ‘home schooled”
o Name of sponsoring club (Glade Valley Lions Club)
Those interested in participating should forward their essay to me via e-mail at jjcorl53@gmail.com no later January15, 2024. Local award winners will be recognized at a club meeting in March 2024 and prizes will be awarded. First place winner’s essay will be sent to our zone chairman by January 22, 2024. Winners at the District level will be requested to read their essays at the last cabinet meeting on March 23, 2024. District winners will be presented a U.S. flag and a cash award.
Attendance at WMS is important
Arriving to school late: WMS Policy
At WMS, arriving to school on time is important! Being on time to class and ready to learn is one way we can help students be their best.
The school building opens to students beginning at 7:30 AM. Students should be in their first period class and ready for instruction at approximately 7:55 AM. The school day begins promptly at 8:00 AM.
Beginning November 6th, any students who are late to school 3 days will receive a message from an administrator. This message will be shared with parents/guardians. Any students who are late to school 5 days will receive an after school detention.
Our goal is to have ALL students in classes on time and learning!
Absences add up!
Did you know that any student who is absent from school ten days in a school year, regardless of the reason, is considered chronically absent by the State of Maryland? We understand that illnesses happens and want students at school when they are able to learn.
We encourage families to plan any vacations/trips during times when students are not expected to be in school. Should attendance become a concern, your child's school counselor or administrator will reach out to offer support. Please reach out if you have any questions about your child's attendance.
Any attendance notes can be sent to WMS.Attendance@fcps.org
TutorMe- Available 24/7
Frederick County Public School is proud to announce that we've teamed up with TutorMe this school year to empower our 6-12 grade students with unlimited on-demand access to 24/7 online tutoring!
From homework help to test prep, students can get live one-on-one help from 15,000+ verified tutors covering hundreds of subjects anytime, anywhere.
In addition to live tutoring, students can submit essays and papers for prompt, detailed feedback from writing experts within hours. TutorMe is available to all students via their current Clever Portal login. We're excited to partner with TutorMe to further support our students' excellence.
Reference the TutorMe Support Guide to get started: TutorMe Student Support Guide (English) ESP. Guia de Apoyo- TutorMe (Spanish) and click on the TutorMe icon in Clever to get started today.
FCPS Student Code of Conduct
Did you know that a portion of the FCPS Student Code of Conduct is for parents and guardians? Here is the link for the document in ENGLISH or SPANISH. On page 17, there are important topics to discuss with your child. Some that are included are regarding attendance, bullying, harassment or intimidation, bus conduct, cell phones, laptops, tablets, earbuds and other electronic devices.
WMS is an OFF AND AWAY school with regard to cell phones. They are not to be used between the hours of 8:00 and 3:00. If a student needs to access their device during that time, they need to come to the office to do so.
There is NO use for headphones or earbuds connected to phones during the school day. Our focus needs to be on providing the best learning environment possible and to eliminate distractions.
At WMS, we provide ONE warning to put the device away. Following that warning, if a device or earbuds/headphones are seen, they will be confiscated and brought to the office. Parents/guardians will be contacted and need to collect the device(s) from the school. Should this distraction continue, the devices will need to be checked in at the office daily and will be provided back to the student at the end of the day.
If a student accesses our Alternate Learning Classroom, any phones will be confiscated by an administrator and locked in the front office until the end of the day.
Thank you for your support in eliminating any distractions from our learning time at WMS!
Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact:
Mrs. Miller, principal
Mrs. Sutherin, 6th grade assistant principal
Mrs. Newkirk, 7th grade assistant principal
Dr. Marker, 8th grade assistant principal
Volunteering in FCPS
FCPS is excited to launch our new FCPS Volunteer Center. This new management system features the ability to self-serve for volunteer opportunities in our schools. To begin, you must complete the registration and training as required in our policies.
If you are a new volunteer, please create your account registration using the following link: Create an account.
If you are an existing volunteer in our Volunteer Center, please access your account here: Sign into your account.
For more information on volunteering, please contact the Family and Community Involvement Coordinator.
This video contains important information about administration, schedules, Arrival and Dismissal routines, lockers, FCPS Code of Conduct, Cell Phone Off and Away Policy, Clothing, and Technology.
The slides (without the presentation) is linked HERE
FCPS Calendar
Please check out the FCPS Calendar for additional information about upcoming events.
School Supply Lists
School supply lists are available online at https://www.fcps.org/backtoschool/school-supply-lists
Walkersville Middle School Student and Family Handbook
Please click HERE for our 2023-2024 WMS Student and Family Handbook for lots of information and contacts! This will be posted on the school website, as well.
WMS School Counseling Department
Ms. Rohrer
6th Grade
Ms. Twilley
7th Grade
Ms. Rehm
8th Grade
Glenda Roberts-Daniels
Registrar
PTSA Information!
Morning Roar Coffee
Support all the schools in our community with 1 purchase!
Morning Roar Coffee is available at Dublin Roasters (online or in-store).
Proceeds donated to: WMS, WHS, WES, Glade, NMW and Rock Creek.
dublinroasterscoffee.com/store/
*only available until December 25th!
Interested in upcoming activites?
We love volunteers!
We need your help with our Fun Run (March 27),
our Rummage Sale (May 18) and Teacher Hospitality (all year long)!
To get more information on how to volunteer with these events or to make donations, please check out the sign-up genius!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080F44A8A62BA6F94-44793691-volunteer
Our 2023-2024 PTSA Board
Treasurer: Amanda Radcliffe
Secretary: Angela Coleman
Vice-President: Brande Waldron
President: Shannon Kelley
Next PTSA Meeting January 22, 2024 6:00 PM in the Media Center
Not affiliated with FCPS: Frederick Flying Cows!
This is Chris Jenkins, General Manager, of the new Frederick Flying Cows professional basketball team.
- YOUTH CAMP: We have partnered with the Frederick YMCA to host a 3 day basketball camp during the upcoming MLK break (1/15-17)! All campers will receive a free t-shirt that gets them into all 2024 Flying Cows home games for free! Flyer is attached. Here is the registration page: https://operations.daxko.com/Online/5251/ProgramsV2/Search.mvc?program_id=TMP8918&locations=B186
- SCHEDULE RELEASE: Our 2024 game schedule has been released. You can find the full schedule here: https://goflyingcows.com/schedule/