Back Pocket
November 2021
Calendar
Nov 4 – School Picture Make-Ups & Retakes
Nov 5 – Report Cards Issued
Nov 5 – WKMS Spirit Day: Pajama Day
Nov 8 – Dance Workshop (3:00)
Nov 8 – Kickball Club (3:00)
Nov 9 – Moana Auditions (3:00)
Nov 10 – Moana Auditions (6:15)
Nov 11 – Veterans Day
Nov 11 – WKMS Spirit Day – Camo and/or Red, White and Blue Day
Nov 11 – Moana Callbacks (3:00)
Nov 12 – Moana Callbacks (5:00)
Nov 17 – PTSA Meeting (6:30)
Nov 19 – WKMS Spirit Day – Favorite Book or Movie Character
Nov 24 – School Closed (Thanksgiving Break)
Nov 25 – School Closed (Thanksgiving Break)
Nov 26 – School Closed (Thanksgiving Break)
Nov 29 – Moana Rehearsal (3:15)
Nov 30 – Moana Rehearsal (3:15)
Dec 1 - Moana Rehearsal (3:15)
Dec 2 – Moana Rehearsal (3:15)
Dec 6 – Mid-Term (2 Hour Early Dismissal for Students)
Principal's Message
Today was a great day at Windsor Knolls Middle School. For the first time in nearly two years, we were able to celebrate a long-standing tradition of Octoberfest. For our students in band, orchestra, and theater arts today marked their first live performance since December, 2019, and as usual, Mrs. Trawick-Martinez, Mr. Skopek, and their musicians, vocalists, and dancers put on a great show. On behalf of our entire community, I want to commend our students, staff, and parents for making this Octoberfest so special.
Moana Jr. Auditions
We are gearing up for Moana, JR. auditions!
SIGN UPS FOR CAST AND CREW began October 18 and will end October 29!
CREW INTERVIEWS: If needed, crew interviews will take place Monday, November 8 from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.
AUDITION DATES FOR CAST:
Monday, November 8 to Friday, November 12. Students will be assigned a group for their audition on Tuesday and Wednesday. Group 1 will audition Tuesday, and Group 2 will audition Wednesday. During their audition slot, students will perform their music, act their script, and perform their audition dance number.
All information about auditions, audition materials, crew opportunities, and our show timeline are available on our website: https://sites.google.com/fcps.org/wkmstheatre
CAST Sign up form CREW Sign ups & Permission Slip
(parents will be sent a separate permission slip after their student has signed up to audition)
If you have any questions, please e-mail wkmsmusicaltheater@gmail.com.
*SAVE THE DATE: If your student becomes a member of the crew or is cast in the show, a meeting will take place at the WKMS Cafeteria on Wednesday, November 17 to sign contracts, distribute show calendars, and more! The meeting will run from 6:30p to 7:30p.
Rehearsals begin November 29 and run from 3:15p to 5:15p until the two weeks before we open our show. All contracts will need to be completed before students can attend after school meetings and rehearsals.
AUDITION TIMELINE:
- Monday, November 8: Dance workshop - 3p to 5p - Learn and practice the audition dance number!
- Tuesday, November 9: Auditions for Group 1 - 3p to 6p - Each student will perform their song, their script, and their dance number.
- Wednesday, November 10: Auditions for Group 2 - 3p to 6p - Each student will perform their song, their script, and their dance number.
- Callback list will be posted on the WKMS Theatre website by 7:30p and emailed to parents.
- Thursday, November 11: Callbacks - 3p to 5p - During callbacks, students will perform in small groups. Some students may read for parts they did not originally audition for. If this happens to you, review the character's sides/scores, and give it your best! NOTE: If you do not receive a callback, it does not mean you are cut from the show!
- Friday, November 12: Final Callbacks - 3p to 5p
If needed, a smaller group of students will be called for final character reads.
Cast list will be posted to the WKMS Theatre website and emailed to parents Friday evening.
Tutor Me!
TutorMe
Starting this week, all Frederick County Public Schools middle and high school students have 24/7 access to virtual tutoring services for help on any subject. In September, the Board of Education of Frederick County voted unanimously to approve a contract between FCPS and Tutor Me for virtual tutoring opportunities, which are now available for students in Grades 6-12. “FCPS teachers remain the absolute best tutors for our students,” FCPS Superintendent Dr. Terry Alban said. “We believe this virtual tutoring option will be a valuable additional support when students are working on homework, preparing for exams and needing immediate assistance.” Tutor Me provides support for hundreds of subjects on demand and has thousands of verified tutors who are experts in their fields and go through background checks. Students can receive assistance through audio and video chats any time of day or night. Students can decide whether to receive support through messaging. Audio and video chats are also available. Assistance is available on virtually any subject matter. For example, students can get an essay edited or a math question answered. Tutoring is also available for students preparing for Advanced Placement exams. The FCPS Tutor Me service launches this week, starting Monday, October 25. Students can access Tutor Me using the Clever portal. Details for how to do so are posted online.
Wolverine Time
Wolverine Time is a tutoring program that will be used to support students academically, particularly in ELA and Math. Beginning October 4, WKMS staff will offer Wolverine time 4 days per week at a variety of times in the evening in order to create flexibility for our students and families, Wolverine Time will be offered synchronously. Initially, students will 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 & 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.
HOLIDAY ASSISTANCE
If you are in need of holiday assistance for either Thanksgiving or Christmas, please contact WKMS and ask to speak with your child’s school counselor by Monday, November 1, so that we can best support you.
6th grade school counselor Ms. Ruth Travis
7th grade school counselor Ms. Leslie Meyer
8th grade school counselor Ms. Dayna Koshar
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR 8TH GRADE
IB Program
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
Carson Scholar
Each year, WKMS nominates one of our 8th grade students for the Carson Scholarship. The Carson Scholarship is a prestigious award from the Carson Scholar Fund founded by Dr. Benjamin Carson and his wife. The award of $1,000 is given to a student who shows high academic achievement as well as strong humanitarian qualities. WKMS is able to nominate one 8th grade student for this award each year. In order to be considered for nomination, a student must have the following:
- A 3.75 GPA or higher for Term 1
- Demonstrate strong humanitarian qualities in their schools and communities through volunteer work and/or community service.
- A completed essay of at least 450, but no more than 500 words
- Friends play a significant role in our lives. They boost our self-confidence, increase our sense of belonging and enhance our happiness. Everyone needs friends. What are the characteristics of a friend? What makes you a good friend? Share a time when you were a friend to someone in need.
- Parents and teachers promote and encourage responsibility and making responsible choices. But what does it mean to be responsible? As a young person taking on more responsibility, how can you and your peers develop a sense of responsibility? What are some of your responsibilities? Do you wish you had more or less? How are you modeling responsible behaviors for your peers and siblings?
Students interested in applying should submit their essays and a list of volunteer/community service activities to Mrs. Koshar no later than Monday, November 29, 2021. Typed essays will be reviewed by a panel of WKMS staff.
College and Career Opportunities
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.
Advanced Academics
Happy Fall from Mrs. Saylor in Advanced Academics & Enrichment!
I am currently working on a few out of the building trips and learning opportunities. They will be posted on the activity board in the cafeteria and on the door of room 202. The first trip is to IFLY Montgomery Indoor Skydiving. Students will learn to “fly” and receive a science lesson on physics and motion. The date of the trip is November 10th. This is a great activity for students who are interested in STEM. There is a $45 charge for this trip. The school will be paying for transportation. Permission forms are available in the cafeteria on the enrichment board and from Mrs. Saylor. Students attending will be responsible for making up missed classwork. We will leave 9:00 and return by 1:30.
Ms. Brenner and I are currently offering a book club that meets every Monday during ELT. Students should see Mrs. Saylor or Mrs. Brenner for details and titles of books. November 1 is our first club meeting.
Spelling Bee! WKMS will once again participate in the National Spelling Bee. Announcements will be made for students to pick up their study guides and the school Bee will be announced and students will be directed to report to our school Bee during ELT in December. The winner of the school Bee will need to be available on Saturday, March 19th to compete at the county level at Frederick Community College. The snow date in March 26th.
Attention 8th grade students!
Students applying to the International Baccalaureate Program at Urbana High School should follow the directions on the UHS IB website Program Information - Application Information. All applications, teacher recommendations and transcripts are due by December 17th @ 5pm. Please note that the last day for students to request a transcript or recommendation from a WKMS is December 10th @ 3pm. This will allow our registrar and teachers ample time to prepare the requested documents.
Students interested in the Project Lead The Way Pre-Engineering Academy-Honors Program @ Linganore High will be meeting with Mr. Greene and Lenova in the coming weeks in their Science classes. Information about that program is available at LancerPLTW.
If you have any questions regarding these programs please contact the appropriate high school.
E/LA Department
Greetings from the English Language Arts Department. Term 2 is officially underway! Midterm for this term is Monday, December 6th. Students in Mrs. Buckner's Read180 classes are continuing their work in small group, independent reading, and software rotations. All Read180 students will take another Reading Inventory assessment during the week of November 1st, so be sure to ask your student about his/her growth from the start of the school year. 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
Happy fall families! We are very appreciative for all the families that were able to join us during parent conferences. We love seeing smiling faces and hearing about your students. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to reach out to the math teachers or Mrs. Wurster about math progress. We are moving through the curriculum and we have all learned about the many different resources available for use in math. Ask your student about how to use My HRW Go Math online, ALEKS, Desmos, Kami, PearDeck, Deck Toys, or Quizizz, just to name a few (not all grades have accessed all resources yet but we are getting there!). If any of these resources are still unfamiliar to you or your students, reach out to Mrs. Wurster (heather.wurster@fcps.org)to get support for the math learning tools and platforms.
As we start fresh with term two, we ask that you continue to monitor Schoology for progress. Students should be working on their assignments daily Monday through Friday, reviewing skills taught, and checking their assignments weekly. Ask your student to explain the process worked on today in math class. You do not have to know the solutions, just having your student verbalize the process that was worked on in math class helps to solidify the learning that your student is doing daily. If you or your student feel that more support after school would be helpful we have options available. Your student’s math teacher has ELT for tutoring about once every two weeks but Wolverine Time has math support available Monday through Thursday. Students access Wolverine Time with the Google Meet link here. Visit us in the evenings to have your questions answered.