WMS Community Bulletin 01-01-20
EXCELLENCE*EQUITY*COMMUNITY
Watertown Middle School 2019-2020
Happy New Year! Feliz ano nuevo! Feliz ano novo! It is very difficult to believe it is 2020! I hope you all had wonderful holidays and a restful break. Time to get back to work! :)
Congratulations again to our Geography Bee finalists! The 10 finalists were : Grade 6: Caleb Hardy; Grade 7: Andrew Airasian, Gabe Berkowitz, Rose Cohen, Izzy Delorio, Cammy Farrar, and Ollie Maillis; Grade 8: Noah Affany, Chris Devaney, and Mason Poillucci. They competed to be the WMS Geography Bee champion on Friday 12/20 before vacation, and Mason Poillucci was the runner-up and Chris Devaney was the winner! Congratulations to Chris, who competed in the Geography Bee in all three grades - quite an accomplishment!
As we enter the new calendar year and several important months of learning, I wanted to share some Attendance Reminders from the WMS Handbook:
Attendance is the most important aspect of educating our students. When students are not here, they do not have access to instruction. To focus attention on the importance of attendance, the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act or No Child Left Behind, specifically mentions attendance, reflecting the increasing awareness that attendance is a key indicator for assessing school and student success.
Students are expected to be present and punctual for all classes. All students must be in homeroom by 8:30 a.m. The school doors open at 7:45 a.m. for students participating in the morning programs, and at 8:20 a.m. for all others. Students are expected to arrive at school at 8:20 a.m. to be ready for the school day.
Tardiness
A student is considered tardy if he or she is not in homeroom by 8:30 a.m. Students who are tardy must report to the office window to sign in and get a pass before going to class or homeroom. Students arriving at school after 11:00 a.m. are considered “absent by tardy,” as they have missed a significant amount of the school day, and will be marked absent for the day.
Students who are frequently late to school will meet with a guidance counselor to problem solve and work with parents/guardians. Students will also be issued a detention for every five times they are late to school and may receive more consequences if the pattern continues. Additionally, if the pattern continues an administrative meeting will be held with parents/guardians, student, guidance and administration.
For Drop Off / Pick Up - Please be sure and use the Bemis Street entrance (NOT Waverly) before 8:30 am. The buses and vans use the Waverly entrance until 8:30 am and it is a safety issue to also have cars use that entrance.
Here are some important upcoming dates:
January 2 - School Resumes - Welcome Back!
January 3 - Progress reports distributed
Jan 6 - Jan 9 - ACCESS testing
January 8 - School Site Council meeting 6:30-8:00pm
January 15 - Early Release Day - 12:30 pm dismissal
January 15 - i-Ready Mathematics Diagnostic
January 15 - PTO meeting
January 16 - Equity Event @ WMS 6:00-8:00 pm (see flyer below)
January 22 - Grade 8 to visit WHS
January 23 - i-Ready Reading Diagnostic
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*** In the event there is a snow day at some point, the "A" and "B" days stay the same as currently assigned ***
Monday, Dec. 23 - Wednesday, Jan. 1 - Winter Vacation
Thursday, Jan. 2 - A day
Friday, Jan 3 - B day
Monday, Jan 6 - A day
Tuesday, Jan 7 - B day
Wednesday, Jan 8 - A day
Thursday, Jan 9 - B day
Friday, Jan 10 - A day
Monday, Jan 13 - B day
Tuesday, Jan 14 - A day
Wednesday, Jan 15 - B day - Early Release - 12:30 pm dismissal
Thursday, Jan 16 - A day
Friday, Jan 17 - B day
Monday, Jan 20 - NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Tuesday, Jan 21 - A day
Wednesday, Jan 22 - B day
Thursday, Jan 23 - A day
Friday, Jan 24 - B day
Maintenance work at WMS over vacation
Here are the large jobs which were completed:
- The cafeteria walls were painted
- The walls and lockers of the 7th-grade hallway were painted
- Walls on the lower level hallway were painted
- New floors were installed in the remaining five classrooms on the 6th-grade floor (the other classrooms received new floors this summer)
The school looks terrific! We are looking forward to welcoming back all students and staff in the morning!
Kingian Community Course Registration
This 16-hour course will provide an introduction to Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation. Participants will receive an overview of Dr. Martin Luther King’s philosophy and methodology of nonviolence. They will explore how these teachings have been applied in diverse settings across the globe and learn concrete tools for addressing and de-escalating conflicts within our families, schools, community and beyond. Using a variety of interactive techniques, participants will also reflect together on how to apply what they have learned in our current environment. Trainers will include faculty and students from Watertown Public Schools as well as Watertown police officers.
Dates: Saturday, February 1st from 9 am to 6 pm (12-1 lunch) and Saturday, February 8th from 9 am to 6 pm (12-1 lunch).
Registration Form **The link is fixed now**
Location: Community Room, Watertown Police Department, 552 Main St.
Registration deadline: January 24, 2020
Parent Attendance Survey - please read and complete ***
In an effort to help students be in school regularly and on time, one of the teacher Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) is surveying students and parents/guardians about attendance. Please click the link below and complete the survey. Thank you for your input and help!
Digital Citizenship Lessons
Guidance Counselors
Grade 6 - Ms. Ashley Cohen
Grade 7 - Ms. Amanda Skypeck
Grade 8 - Ms. Stacy Mahoney
Community Service - Get Involved! :)
The link will also be posted on the WMS website.
Two Reminders from Student Council!
- For Coats for Kids, please remind your 7th and 8th graders to ask three new people for coats, any family or friends that they will see over the holidays. The deadline is Thursday, January 2nd.
- For plastic recycling, families can turn in plastic film and bags, especially after opening their holiday gifts. We are collecting plastic until April.