Middle School Matters
Whatcom Middle School Newsletter, May 2021
From the Wildcat's Den...
Dear Whatcom Families,
COVID continues to surprise. With just a few weeks left in the school year vaccines are now available for kids 12 and older. Many of our students had appointments right away, with families making quick pickups at school and heading off to get shots. Yesterday’s CDC announcement about mask wearing now has distinct parameters involving those who are vaccinated and addressing specific contexts such as mass transit and crowded public places, but fewer restrictions overall. Its an ever changing landscape.
Here at Whatcom, we will continue to follow our District protocols and maintain an orderly, safe, and reasonable learning environment that ensures the safety of our students, staff, and faculty. June 18 is clearly in our sights and the warmer weather brings thoughts of summer rest and some relief from the structures of teaching and learning in a pandemic. We still have teaching to accomplish and learning to engage in. Like most years, summer looms at this time of year, but we’re not quite there yet. Let’s finish this particularly challenging year with composure, grace, and patience. As a District and School Community, we’ve done so much good work and we’ve just a few weeks to go. We’ve got this. We can finish together.
Wishing you good learning,
Jeff
Mark your calendar!
May 14 - 8th (& final) Rotation begins
May 17 - 25 - Book Fair
*May 19 - PTSA Meeting, 7 pm
May 21 - No School
May 25 - 5th gr. Parent Information Night via Zoom
May 26 - Picture Make-up Day, 3:00 - 6:00 pm
May 31 - No School (Memorial Day)
*note date change
COVID-19 vaccines available at schools for students 12 and older
Please note that immunizing your student against COVID also minimizes the impact of COVID protocols on their learning opportunities. For example, if your student is vaccinated, they would not need to quarantine for 10 days if they were identified as a close contact to a confirmed case of COVID-19 and they would be able to continue to attend in-person school and extracurriculars.
Picking up students early from school...
The quickest way to check your student out early is to send them with a note to the attendance window in the morning before school starts. Or, send an email to Beth.Pelto-Fishbeck@bellinghamschools.org. Your student will receive a pass allowing them to leave the building and meet you at your vehicle.
If you call the attendance office, (360) 676-6460, opt. 1, for an unplanned check out, please allow us time to locate your student. You are required to sign your student out, however, families will not be able to enter the building at this time. We will meet you with your student at the front doors (pillars).
Students arriving to school late, or returning from an appointment, must come to the attendance window with a signed note from a parent or guardian.
Last year's Sports Uniforms
Will you please take a few minutes to see if your student still has a uniform. All uniforms may be returned at the attendance window. Thank you for your help!
From the Counseling Office - 2021-22 Enrichment Choices!
It is so great seeing so many kids back at school, out on the blacktop at lunch, in their classes, etc. I’ve so missed their energy and laughter throughout the building. I was in a meeting yesterday where we were discussing the impact of limited social contact over the last year; someone in the meeting remarked that they’ve learned that it’s important to drop the pressure of schedules, what we’re “supposed” to be doing, and our emphasis on “achievement,” and just connect with each other and have fun; if we do that, the other things will follow. That really resonated with me! As I’ve watched the kids (and adults) around school these last few weeks, I’ve been struck by how happy we all are to connect with each other again. I’m reminded that we’re inherently social creatures and relationships are what sustain us. So, I’m wishing everyone connection and fun with people you care about; maybe that’s the real “supposed” to! Happy Spring!
Beth Schille-O’Connor: (360) 739-6186, elizabeth.schille-oconnor@bellinghamschools.org
Molly J. Foote: (360) 739-4555, mollyj.foote@bellinghamschools.org
News from the Garden...
Hello Whatcom Middle School families! We are extremely happy to be back teaching lessons in person as of April 12th, and we’re looking forward to seeing all of your faces out in the garden soon following our new COVID protocols! Our Zoom cooking classes have been put on pause for the time being. However, you can still find gardening and cooking resources on our website, by signing up for our newsletter, or by following us on Facebook or Instagram @CommonThreadsFarm. We have been planting a lot of leafy greens, peas, carrots, potatoes, and much more in the garden the past couple of weeks. We are looking for Spring and Summer garden care volunteers, if this is something you would be interested in, you can read about it and sign up here!
Hola familias de Whatcom Middle School! Estamos muy emocionados de regresar a lecciones en persona desde el 12 de Abril, y a ver sus caras en el jardín muy pronto! Nuestras reglas de COVID todavía están puestas, pero con la adicción de “mordidas de aventura”. Por el momento las clases de cocina virtual están pausadas, pero todavía se puede encontrar recursos de jardinería y cocina en nuestra página de red. También puedes registrarte en nuestro boletín informativo, o por siguiéndonos en el Facebook o Instagram @CommonThreadsFarm. En el jardín hemos plantado muchas diferentes lechugas, chícharos, papas, zanahorias y perejil estas últimas semanas. Estamos buscando voluntarios de jardín para la primavera y el verano. Y si eso es algo que quisiera hacer, ¡puedes leer y registrarte aquí!
High School Merchandise
PAWS Awards recipients exemplify our Pillars: Tenacity, Compassion, Excellence, Stewardship.
Reminder: the health attestation is an important safety step for in-person instruction
Skyward Emergency Contact Information
Sometimes emergency contacts change phone numbers or the contact in Skyward is no longer available. We would appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to log into Skyward Family Access and make sure your emergency contact information is up to date. If you need help or have questions, you can contact our registrar, Nancy Howell. Thank you!
Tech Support
Do you need a headset? You may request one using the district form. You will receive an email instructing you when and where you pick it up.
Whatcom Middle School PTSA
During this unprecedented time, PTSA is more important than ever. PTSA’s framework of unifying voices for impactful changes for children and youth provides the tools to empower parents and teachers to advocate and speak up for the health, safety, and education of every child.
Whatcom Middle School PTSA is committed to providing teachers and students with the same level of excellent service this year. We are asking you to join PTSA by following the link below. Thank you for your help and please support your PTSA.
www.memberplanet.com/s/whatcommiddleptsa/whatcommiddleschoolptsaforms
PTSA meetings will be on Zoom, unless otherwise posted.
- May 19
- June 15
Update your contact information on Skylert
Skylert enables you to receive notifications concerning your children, including messages from Bellingham Public Schools and your child’s school. You have control over which notifications to receive and how you would like to receive them. Skylert is accessed via Skyward Family Access, so it is no longer necessary to login to a separate portal for SchoolMessenger to manage contact preferences.
Whatcom Middle School
Principal: Jeff Coulter
Assistant Principal: Tina Allsop
Administrative Assistant: Aileen Walton
(360) 676-6460
- Attendance, option 1
- Athletics, option 2
- Registrar/Counseling, option 3
- Main office, option 4
Email: aileen.walton@bellinghamschools.org
Website: whatcom.bellinghamschools.org
Location: 810 Halleck Street, Bellingham, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 676-6460