Greetings, Wildcat Families!
10 days and counting until winter break! There are SO MANY great things happening at Woodmont Middle over the next two weeks. Please see all the important dates below.
Parents in the afternoon car circle, please keep young siblings inside the car when you are queued for dismissal. The noise and activity is distracting to instruction and business taking place in the front office. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Important Dates:
Tuesdays & Thursdays - After-school Program
Monday, 12/5 Basketball vs. Hughes - AWAY
Tuesday, 12/6 Chorus, Strings, & Band Combined Winter Concerts 6-8:30 PM
Thursday, 12/8 Basketball vs. Ralph Chandler - HOME
Friday, 12/9 Lunch and Learn with Limestone University football player Charles Couch
Friday, 12/9 Donaldson Center Trip - 8th Grade
Monday, 12/12-Friday, 12/16 Student Government SPIRT WEEK! See below for themes.
Monday, 12/12-Friday, 12/16 PTA Santa Shop
Monday, 12/12-Thursday, 12/15 Mathia Gauntlet during grade level Electives
Monday, 12/12 Basketball vs Greenville Middle - AWAY
Tuesday, 12/13 RIZE Parent Meeting @ 5:30 PM - 6th grade only (RSVP below)
Wednesday, 12/14 Saluda River Grill WMS Spirit Night (see below)
Thursday, 12/15 Basketball vs Mauldin - HOME
Friday, 12/16 Half Day - Dismiss at 12:45
Monday, 12/19- Monday, 1/2 Winter Break
Tuesday, 1/3 Welcome back, students and staff!
Jennifer Couch
Principal
6th Grade RIZE Parent Meeting
RIZE Prevention is going to be at Woodmont Middle School on Tuesday, December 13th at 5:30 pm to talk to parents and guardians of 6th-grade students about how to help your child resist drug use and make healthy lifestyle choices. Itโs important for you to attend, as you play the most important role in preventing your child from experimenting with or using drugs and other addictive substances. Be on the lookout for an email invitation to attend. Parents who attend will receive a $40 gift card. RSVPs are required for this event. Please RSVP at least one day in advance using this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScS1R2ag1BSMwYOwLaprDqgYvav7CoIH1ZULeP7HYzjIV7nKQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
Media Center Updates
The Media Center is having a Gnome Scavenger Hunt! Get a pass to the Media Center or come with a pass during lunch and see if you can complete the hunt! All entries are due by December 14th to the Media Center! A winner will be chosen by raffle and will receive a fun holiday prizes!
The Media Center will be hosting a DIY Bookmark Creation event next Tuesday the 13th during lunches. If you want to make your own bookmark, sign up in the Media Center or on the Media Center website.
Student Government Spirit Week!
Next week, Student Government will sponsor Holiday Door Decorating Contest during LIFT. The winning class will win a popcorn party after break.
There will also be themes each day as part of our Spirit Week! All attire must be school-appropriate.
Monday 12/12 - Holiday Festive - dress up head to toe with holiday spirit
Tuesday 12/13 - Channel Your Flannel - wear your favorite flannel
Wednesday 12/14 - Winter Wonderland - wear your blue, white, and glitter
Thursday 12/15 - Elf vs. Reindeer
Friday, 12/16 - Polar Express - wear your comfy PJs
Flu & Covid Testing Sites
Flu/Covid Drive-through Testing Sites:
Starting Monday, November 28, there will be free, drive-through testing for both Flu and Covid-19 provided at three locations. GCS students, employees, and their household contacts can get tested. Results will be provided in approximately 1 hour. An important change from last year: parents and employees are responsible for reporting any positive results directly to the school or their supervisor. DHEC has again contracted Mako Medical to administer the testing, and the three sites are the same as last year: Fountain Inn High School, MT Anderson Support Center, and Northside Park. All of the information has been updated on the GCS website, which includes flyers in both English and Spanish.
There are some notable changes from the process last year:
- They will test for both Flu and Covid-19: one swab, two tests.
- In addition to GCS students and employees, household contacts of both students and employees can get tested at these sites for free.
- Results will be provided in approximately 1 hour.
- It is the parentโs responsibility to report positive results to the school, and employees must report positive results to their supervisor. GCS will not be automatically alerted to the results.
- Pre-registering will help expedite the testing process.
- Be sure to check the flyer before going to a site. The flyer will reflect the latest information and reflect any updates such as changes in hours, location closures, etc.
Beta Club Canned Food Drive
We will be having a canned food drive for the weeks of November 14 to December 9. We will be collecting cans and other food items for the Food banks in the area. We will collect cans as a competition for the Clemson-Carolina games. The cans will be collected in Lift classes/homeroom classes. Student Council and Beta Club members in that homeroom class will keep track of how many cans each class collects. The homeroom that collects the most cans will earn a treat at the end of the food drive. The Student Council and Beta Club members will report these totals to Ms. Schwieger and Mr. Bagwell on a weekly basis. These members will take these cans to the cafeteria after the cans are recorded. The students who bring in the cans will designate which team they want their cans to go to. Our Food Banks in the community do appreciate these donations. Thank you for all of your help in supporting this project. If you have any questions see Ms. Schwieger or Mr. Bagwell.
WMS Housequake & LiveSchool Parent Accounts
Parents, in addition to being a Woodmont Wildcat, your child also now belongs to one of 4 Houses that are unique to our school....Oncilla, Serval, Amur, or Caracal.
The link below will take you to an overview of our House system and show you how our new LiveSchool platform will play a HUGE part in the spirit of House competition AND keeping you even more in the loop at home.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/12ZQR3if9opA2_gFTH12lKHQUm6SCJBMzOP1VHXst4K0/edit?usp=sharing
Your child has been given information to bring home on how to set up your parent account (including 2 unique codes specific to YOUR child). After you set up an account, you can access the platform whenever you want...but we know how busy you are! You can also opt to automatically receive a recap email each week. We hope you will choose to partner with us to help bring Woodmont Middle to a whole new level!
Student IDs
As a reminder, ID sets are always available for sale in the media center for $7, or broken down as follows:
Photo ID - $5
Grade Level Lanyard = $1
House Color ID Cover = $1
Please send a check or exact change with your child.
WMS Clubs & Activities
Our extracurricular clubs are ramping up! Please click HERE for a complete list of offerings.
Students of all grades are invited to participate in our clubs. Please contact the sponsor directly if you would like more information or are interested in having your child participate. We are always looking for volunteers to assist as well! If you have a talent or passion and would like to sponsor an afterschool student club, please contact Ms. Couch. Level II volunteer clearance is required.
Wildcat News Broadcast!
WMS is SO EXCITED to be starting a student-created news broadcast!
Broadcasts will be aired on our YouTube Channel every Wednesday and Friday mornings. See Ms. Gosnell if you're interested in being a part of the crew!
Dress Code Reminders
Please be sure you've reviewed our student dress code with your child. We want all our students to be able to remain in class once they arrive to school! In the past, we have provided tape to cover up holes in pants that are above the knee. This year we would like to ask your help in making sure this is taken care of before students arrive to school.
CELL PHONES OUT OF SIGHT!!!
Parents, we need your help. Please talk with your child about responsible and ethical use of technology. It is a school rule that cellular devices and wireless earbuds remain out of sight (preferably stored in bookbags) while in the school building. It is our hope that students are able to adhere to this rule and keep the privilege of carrying these devices on their person throughout the day.
Please note, parents of students who violate this policy will be contacted by a teacher and/or administrator and assigned a locker and combination on their grade level hallway. Students will be required to lock up their cell phone upon arrival and retrieve it at dismissal. The requirement to keep the cell phone locked in the assigned locker will remain in effect for the rest of the school year. Again, this consequence will only happen if students are unable to abide by our request to keep phones and earbuds stored out of sight throughout the day.
Our school phone lines are always available for two-way communication between students and parents. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and effective learning environment. Please contact administration if you have any questions.
Morning Arrival
Our doors open at 7:30 a.m. Please do not drop off students before that time, as no supervision is available. In order to keep a long line from forming, please PULL ALL THE WAY DOWN before unloading your child.
Breakfast is provided FREE OF CHARGE to all students. Breakfast for car riders closes at 8:15 a.m. Breakfast for bus riders extends until the last bus arrives. All students should arrive before 8:30 a.m. to be counted present and on time for the day.
Parents, I know mornings are a busy time for us all, and many of you head to work after dropping off your child. However, please note that parents are not allowed to "skip the line" in morning drop-off. This creates a safety hazard for your child!
We have a SINGLE LINE drop-off. Once our doors open at 7:30, we do our best to quickly clear the line by having parents PULL ALL THE WAY DOWN before unloading their child. It does take a few minutes when there is heavy traffic.
If you need to ensure drop-off right at 7:30, please arrive by 7:15 so you can be at/toward the front of the line.
Afternoon Dismissal
Afternoon Dismissal: Parents who pick up their child each day, please observe the following procedures:
- Form double lines while waiting for dismissal.
- Display your dismissal number so we get your child into the queue.
- The use of cell phones while the line is moving is prohibited.
- MERGE at the cones, taking turns from each line (one from right, one from left, etc.). Be courteous.
- PULL ALL THE WAY FORWARD before stopping and loading your child.
- Stress to your child to report to the carline as soon as their name is displayed and WATCH for their car. Pickups requiring extra time due to student delays will be asked to circle back through the carline.
Backpack Blessings
Backpack Blessings is a program that the Columbia Baptist Church organizes and provides to our Woodmont Middle School students. We are so thankful for their generosity! If your student is in need of school supplies, boxed lunch/dinners, hygiene products, or clothing, please fill out the Google Form Survey below. If you have specific needs or questions about this program, you may contact the 6th Grade Counselor, Ms. Genova.
