SMS Weekly Update
1.26.24
Course Selection for Next School Year
This week our 6th and 7th grade students met with their counselor this week to review the course offerings we have at Stevenson Middle School. They were given course request sheets that are due back to their counselors by February 7th. I am including the Course Description Guide in the link below to help you decide with your child, which classes they are interested in taking next school year.
Our 8th grade students will be meeting with their high school counselors here at Stevenson starting the week of February 6th.
Cold Weather Reminders
We have been experiencing quite a bit of cold weather here in Michigan. We know that winter weather can take a toll on school attendance. Snow, ice and rain can make it hard to get children to school. So can illnesses such as colds, flu, fevers, earaches, etc. Here is some information to help keep your children healthy and in school this winter.
Develop backup plans for getting your children to school. Can someone give them a ride to school if your child usually walks or stands at a bus stop?
Dress for the weather. Even a short walk in frigid weather can be dangerous. Ensure your child has a warm coat, gloves, hats and boots. Elementary students will also go out for recess if the temperatures, with wind chill, are above 20°. Remind older children that a hoodie is not an outdoor coat.
Resources are available. If you need help with winter clothing, please contact your child's school for assistance.
Sick children should stay home. School attendance is important, but sick children should not be at school. Also, if your child becomes ill during the school day, have a backup plan for who can pick them up if you are unavailable.
If your children need to stay home for a prolonged period due to illness, talk to your child's teacher to find out about resources and class assignments they can do at home to keep learning once they feel well enough.
What about snow days? Information about our inclement weather procedures can be found on our website.
School of Choice Application
The 2024-2025 In-District School of Choice window is January 23, 2024 through March 1, 2024, for current students residing within the Wayne-Westland Community Schools boundaries wanting to attend a different home school.
In-District School of Choice Application (link will open on January 23, 2024 at 7:30 a.m. and will close on March 1, 2024 at 4 p.m.)
*If your child is currently approved for School of Choice, you do not need to apply. Only apply if your current School of Choice student is moving to a different building.
Family Meetings Recap
Earlier this week we celebrated our incredible students for their accomplishments in December and finishing up our first semester. Check out some of the highlights below!
STUDENTS WITH PERFECT ATTENDANCE FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER
Grammy Winner Leah Winston - 6th Grade
Grammy Winner Tessa Przybyla - 6th Grade
Grammy Winner Sylvia Holdwick - 7th Grade
Grammy Winner Rhian Amadora - 8th Grade
6th Grade Grammy Nominees
7th Grade Grammy Nominees
9th annual WWCSD Middle School National History Day
Each year, National History Day selects a theme to provide a lens through which students can examine history. The annual theme frames the research for students and teachers alike. It is intentionally broad enough to allow students to select topics from any place (local, national, or global) and any period in history. Once students choose their topics, they investigate historical context and significance and develop the topic’s relationship to the theme by researching in libraries, archives, and museums and by visiting historic sites. This year's theme was Turning Points In History.
Weekly RAPS Focus Areas
Student Space Experiment Program (SSEP) Unboxing!
Today our SSEP students from Mrs. Evanko's class unboxed their project that just returned from space! The experiment to find out if mushrooms grow in microgravity was successfully performed by scientists on the International Space Station. Mushrooms do indeed grow in space!
Thank you and congratulations to Brayden Albright, Michaela DeVries, and Kinnidy Jones for their discovery and their hard work on this project!
Diversity Lunch Group
Talent Show
NWEA Testing
Our NWEA testing for the Winter session is starting soon. Please be sure that you talk to your child(ren) about the importance of doing their absolute best on these assessments as this helps us to place students in classes, shows us where we are instructionally as a building and district, and shows us how our students are doing each testing session compared to the last time that they tested. We are not looking for perfection, rather positive growth per individual student.
NWEA- WWCS MIDDLE SCHOOLS COMPETITION
For the past few years the middle schools of Wayne Westland (Franklin, Adams, and Stevenson) competed to see which school's students had the highest percentage of students meeting their growth goals across the content areas assessed on the NWEA test.
Stevenson Middle School currently houses the massive trophy from winning this competition last year. Students that meet their growth goals will get rewards individually, and if we have the highest percentage of students meeting their growth goals, we will get to keep the trophy and get another year engraved on it. We love a competition! Bring it on Adams and Franklin!
Spelling Bee Winners!!
Spelling Bee Winners!! From left to right: 6th grade winners Lilly King & Leonnel Torres, 8th grade winners Jacob Gines & Kayleigh Weaver, 7th grade winners Courtney Henn and Mikaela LeBlanc
Congratulations to our winners and good luck to them as they compete for the District Championship trophy on February 7th.
Dine to Donate Fundraiser- Save the Date!
Mobile Dentist is Coming in February
February 13, 2024
Great news! Our school has partnered with Smile Programs, these mobile dentists offer dental care at school. Best of all, in most cases there is no cost to you if your child is insured with Medicaid/CHIP! Private insurance and affordable self-pay options are also available.
All interested families must sign their child up and reserve their spot. You can do so at the link below.
All students were given a paper copy of the information needed to register. Have your child turn it in to their 1st hour teacher.
Early College
Wayne-Westland Early College provides students an opportunity to simultaneously complete the high school diploma and an associate degree at no cost to families. To learn more, visit www.wwcsd.net/earlycollege
Stevenson Staff GEM Award
Do you know of a staff member at Stevenson Middle School that is consistently Going the Extra Mile (GEM) for your child? Please take a moment to nominate them for our Stevenson GEM award. They will be put into a monthly drawing for a prize for their hard work to make Stevenson such a great place for our students.
Order Your Yearbook Today!
Attendance Update
Regular attendance is crucial for your child's academic success. Please make every effort to ensure your child attends school on time every day and stays throughout the whole day. Consistent attendance throughout the school day allows your child to engage in learning and maximize their educational opportunities fully.
Illness: If your child is not feeling well and cannot attend school, please notify us immediately. Students who are ill should not attend school to prevent the spread of illness to others.
Excused Absences: We understand that there may be instances when your child needs to be absent due to illness, medical appointments, family emergencies, or other legitimate reasons. Please notify the school in advance whenever possible to classify the absence as excused.
Unexcused Absences: Unexcused absences negatively impact your child's education. Absences without valid reasons will be considered unexcused, and appropriate actions may be taken per district policy.
Timely reporting of absences helps us maintain accurate attendance records and ensures that your child's absence is properly documented. Absences must be reported within 24 hours.
There are two convenient methods for reporting your child's absence to facilitate efficient communication and accurate attendance records.
You can notify your child's school through the dedicated attendance line. Please leave a detailed message stating your child's name, grade, and reason for absence.
You can report absences directly through MiStar, our secure online portal for student information. MiStar provides a user-friendly interface that allows you to submit absences.
Thank you for your ongoing support in creating a positive and productive learning environment for all our students.
Family Resource Center Information
Mental Health Support
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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If you ever have any questions or concerns, please reach out to one of us directly at domank@wwcsd.net (Student Last Names: A-Lei) or phillipsae@wwcsd.net (Student Last Names: Lel-Z).
Sincerely,
Mrs. Doman and Ms. Phillips