West Pine Middle

Take a look at our athletic information for this week and in the coming weeks. Congratulations to our tennis team who finished their season undefeated and are the 2022 Lee/Moore Conference Champions! Cross country, football, golf and softball are still in the hunt for their conference championship.

Our PTSO is sponsoring our next family learning series this Thursday at 6pm. The topic is "Understanding My Middle School Child." We hope you will join us to learn the "why" behind those pesky teenage behaviors and strategies to support them. Our school counselors will be presenting.

We have our first afterschool social of the year this Friday. Tickets for the Fall Bash will be sold before school each morning on grade level halls. No tickets will be sold at the door. Admission is $5 and concessions will be available. Rides must be here at 5pm, and pick up will be at the front of the school. This is a PTSO sponsored event.

Our PTSO is sponsoring a "Keep Our Campus Clean" beautification day this Saturday. The link to sign up can be found below in this newsletter. We have two custodial vacancies in the building, so any help is greatly appreciated.

As always, it's a great day to be a Wildcat.

Take care,

JW

*8th grade Band will perform at the middle school football game on October 26th. Band students please arrive at Pinecrest by 5:30 and parents must provide transportation to and from.

*All County Band auditions are November 1st at New Century Middle School. We are providing transportation to the audition but not from the audition. Parents will need to pick their students up by 5:00 at New Century Middle.

Join in to help keep Wildcat Country beautiful!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A92FA5F85-campus

Please acknowledge the MCS Student Code of Conduct in Parent Portal.

Club Info: Military Club - Thursdays 3-4pm; FCA - Fridays 3-4pm

Instructional (including the encore fees) and technology fees can be paid online, or students can bring in cash or check. Contact Ms. Mullen, our bookkeeper, if you have any questions.

Free/Reduced Lunch Forms are due ASAP.

Don't forget to review the dress code with your child. In particular, students must wear clothing that covers their skin from chest to mid thigh with opaque (non-see-through) fabric in front, back, and on the sides. Clothing must cover undergarments, and breasts, genitals and buttocks must be covered with opaque (non see-through) fabric. For more information, visit the MCS Student Code of Conduct.

Bus Transportation Information: Students are not allowed to ride a bus in which they are not assigned. They can only ride their assigned bus.

• Routes: Transportation can be viewed on Parent Portal (web browser only, NOT the app). Here you can verify your child's transportation information.
• Communication: Please continue to contact the call center (910-947-5861) for any concerns or questions about your student's route.

The MCS middle school final grades are calculated as follows:

• For a single semester course, a student’s final grade shall be determined based on the final exam 15% of the final grade) and the grade for each nine-week marking period (each marking period representing 42.5% of the final grade).
• For a year-long course, a student’s final grade shall be determined based on the final exam (15% of the final grade) and the grade for each semester (semesters are the average for two nine-week marking periods with each semester representing 42.5% of the final grade).
• Middle school students taking high school courses will be graded using the Grade 9-12 formula.

***ELA, math and science (8th) will use the EOG as the final exam. For courses without an EOG (6-8 SS, 6-7 SCI, and encore classes), the final exam will be determined and created by the teachers. World History and Math 1 follow HS guidelines. Here is the link to the grading policy for the district.

• October 26: WPMS vs SMS Football at Pinecrest HS, 6pm
  
• October 28: Early Release Day, 12pm
• November 3: Parent/Teacher Conferences (set up by teams), 3:30-5:30pm
• November 4: Teacher Workday/Parent Teacher Conferences (set up by teams), 8:30-12:30pm
• November 11: Veterans Day/No School
• November 15: PTSO Meeting and Dangers Teens Face Online, 6pm, multi-purpose room
• November 23: Teacher Workday
• November 24-25: Thanksgiving Holiday/No School

Athletics

1. Tryout Signups

Boys and girls basketball and wrestling tryout sign up sheets for students are posted at the cafeteria windows at this time. Students interested in trying out will need to sign up by Friday, October 21st to check for eligibility!

2. WPM Tennis

Congratulations to the WPM Tennis team as they went undefeated (9-0 overall and 6-0 in divisional play) to win the conference championship for the 2022 season!

2. Athletic Schedule This Week

Monday, October 17th - Coach Martinez will host his annual tennis family event. Eighth grade recognition will also take place.

Tuesday, Oct. 18th - Golf plays at Sanford Golf Course

Tuesday, Oct. 18th - Cross Country Conference Meet at East Lee MS

Wednesday, Oct. 19th - HOME Cross Country Invitational

Wednesday, Oct. 19th - Away Football game against North Moore @ Elise MS. Cheerleaders will join as well!

Thursday, Oct. 20th - West Pine Softball will play either North Moore or New Century for a one game postseason matchup to determine the conference championship for the 2022 season. Families please be on the lookout Tuesday evening for a message from Coach Simpson on where this final game will be played. Tennis will join softball for an extra match against either one of these schools on Thursday as well!

Start time is 3:30pm for the final two golf meets of the season.

Start time is 4:00pm for all softball, tennis, and football games or matches.

Start time is 4:15pm for all cross country meets.

3. Basketball

Any students who are interested in trying out for either girls or boys basketball teams this school year are invited to open gym conditioning sessions with Coach Eury. The final dates for conditioning are October 24th & October 27th from 3:00pm - 4:45pm. Students must have an updated physical uploaded to the BigTeams athletic website in order to attend conditioning. This information can be found on the Athletics page on the WPMS website. Parents, please pick up your child promptly at 4:45pm. Information about try out dates and tiems will be released next week!

3. Wrestling

Students interested in wrestling this school year are invited to an interest meeting at 2:15pm on Tuesday, October 18th with Coach Robins and Coach DuBose. Practice officially starts on November 7th! All athletic and medical forms must be completed on the BigTeams website in order to join the wrestling team.

When Moore are present, Moore succeed!

School attendance is important and in order to receive the best education, students need to be present to fully support their academic success. School administrators and teachers track student attendance in PowerSchool. Parents should monitor their child’s attendance and ensure that students do not accumulate excessive absences. Both excused and unexcused absences count towards student attendance. Failure to meet minimum attendance policies may jeopardize a student’s ability to participate in sports or promote to the next grade. Parents will be contacted by school administration or a school social worker under the following circumstances:

• The child has accumulated three (3) unexcused absences in a school year.
• After not more than six (6) unexcused absences, the principal shall notify the family by mail that they may be in violation of the Compulsory Attendance Law.
• When student absences, excused or unexcused, reach five (5) in a semester or eleven (11) in a year in grades 9-12, or fifteen (15) in a year in grades K-8, the principal will contact the family.
• Students in grades 9-12 who are absent from a class more than eight (8) days, excused or unexcused, during a semester course shall not receive credit for the semester or year.
• Students in grades K-8 who are absent more than twenty (20) days during a year shall be referred to an interdisciplinary attendance committee which shall determine if the student should be retained. Additional policies are outlined in MCS Board of Education Policies, Section 6000.

Mornings

• Doors open at 7:30am. For our students' safety, we ask that you not drop off your child prior to that time as there are no staff members on duty.
• All students are dropped off at front of school in the morning. Please do not drop off in the bus parking lot, grassy area, tennis courts, at WPES, or at a local business.
• Students who work the school store or are involved in an early morning club meeting may be dropped off in the grassy area or front driveway.
• We are getting our students in to the building on time, so that is great news! The line will remain long unless more students ride the bus or families carpool.

Afternoons

• Older siblings will go to the younger sibling's car line for pick-up.
• Don't forget, 7th grade is picked up on the service road behind the baseball field. Cars will enter at WPES.
• 8th grade cars may proceed to the staff parking lot for afternoon dismissal. Once that area is full, 8th grade cars must remain in the main car line with the 6th grade cars. A staff member will be outside to help direct traffic. Use your right turn signal to alert the staff member on duty that you are going to 8th grade pick-up.
• Cars are asked to pull all the way up to the first open spot. The students will walk to your car. Do not stop when you see your child. Staff will direct you to keep moving as we have MANY cars to move through the line.
• Friday car lines will be much longer due to students not having athletic practices after school. Expect longer wait times.

When you link your card to West Pine Middle, a percentage of your purchase is donated to our school. These funds support many of our programs.

• Harris Teeter - Together in Education
• Lowes Foods - Cart to Class

• PTSO will be selling Wildcat tee-shirts at all home football games this season. Shirts are $15 (cash or check - payable to WPMS PTSO).
• PTSO will sponsor the FALL BASH AFTER SCHOOL SOCIAL Friday, October 21 from 3-5pm. Volunteers are needed!
• Coming Soon: PTSO General Business Meetings and Parent Informational Sessions. Mark your calendars and join us to learn how we all can support our students.

1. October 20 (tentative): Understanding My Middle School Child, presenters: Tracy Mosher and Stacy Newton, school counselors; 6:30pm
2. November 15: Dangers Teens Face Online, presenters: Stacey Gatling, social worker and Dee Pullium, Special Agent with NC State Bureau of Investigation (This session is for adults and is more explicit.)

• Help us celebrate the staff at WPMS with our annual "We Are Thankful For You" luncheon on Friday, November 18. More information will be coming, but volunteers are needed to bring in food and beverages and serve as cafeteria monitors.

PTSO

Do you want to get involved but don't know where to start? Join the WPMS PTSO. For more information, reach out to one of our board members or email them at wpmptso@gmail.com.

• Alison McCloskey - president
• Amanda Peterson - secretary
• Meredith Morgan-Coleman - treasurer
• Karyn Schwagel - board member

Parent Advisory Representatives

Here are your parent representatives for the 2022-23 school year.

• Parent Advisory Council (PAC): Chiquita Monroe
• Military Family Advisory Council (MFAC): Alison McCloskey
• Hispanic Community Advisory Council (HCAC): Elizzeth Salgado
• African American Community Advisory Council (AACAC): Whitney Alford
• School Improvement Team (SIT): Alison McCloskey and Lynn Antil

Booster Clubs

Band, Orchestra , Choral Music/Theater, and Athletics

Email: wpmsquestions@ncmcs.org
Website: wpms.ncmcs.org
Location: 144 Archie Road, West End, NC, USA
Phone: (910) 673-1464
Facebook: facebook.com/westpinemiddlemcs
Twitter: @WestPine