Greetings, Wildcat Families!
It's Benchmark Testing Week at Woodmont Middle! All students will test ELA on Monday and math on Tuesday. Sixth grade students will also test Science on Wednesday. We have worked with students to set growth goals for these assessments and appreciate them doing their very best; the results are used to guide our work for the 2nd semester.
On Friday, we will have our 2nd Quarter Awards Day during grade level Electives. This will be streamed and archived for Woodmont Families via Facebook Live. Students will be recognized for All As, All As and Bs, and Profile of the Graduate (PoG) Awards.
Last week, we began piloting a new procedure for our Level I Discipline Points. In the past, students have received an "accumulation consequence" at 15 Discipline Points (DPs) and each multiple of 15 thereafter. Beginning this week, a new procedure will be in effect. DPs will be reviewed each Friday. Any student who accumulated 10 or more DPs within the week will be assigned a consequence the following week. Multiple 10-point accumulations within the semester will still result in an increase in the duration of the consequences (typically increasing the number of days a students is assigned to ISS/OSS).
Cumulative DPs will still be monitored by administration. In other words, a student who receives 5-9 DPs over multiple weeks may not trigger a weekly consequence but will be required to conference with teachers/parents/administration about their behavior and may be assigned consequences outside of the week-by-week review.
Congratulatory Points (CPs) will still accumulate throughout the semester and provide opportunites for students to earn rewards and incentives while taking pride in their good citizenship!
We feel this system will be easier for students and parents to monitor, as the weekly Recaps that are emailed to students and parents are listed by week instead of by semester. It also gives students an opportunity to "reset" each week and have a growth mindset about their choices and decisions. We hope you will partner with us to encourage your student to make good choices, accept accountability for actions, and celebrate growth and good citizenship. Please contact your child's counselor or administrator if you have any questions or need helping logging in to your LiveSchool parent account to enable weekly "Recap" emails to be delivered directly into your inbox.
Important Dates:
After-school program runs Tuesday and Thursdays
PTA School Store runs Wednesdays and Fridays
Monday, 1/23 ELA Benchmark Testing
Tuesday, 1/24 Math Benchmark Testing
Tuesday, 1/24 WMS Basketball vs. Bryson - AWAY
Wednesday, 1/25 WMS Spirit Night at Saluda River Grill
Thursday, 1/26 WMS Basketball vs. RCMS - HOME
Thursday, 1/26 D-Team Football Banquet at WHS, 6 p.m.
Friday, 1/27 First Semester Awards Ceremonies (by grade level during Electives; livestreamed via Facebook)
Friday, 1/27 House Color War! Students show off their House Colors for additional CPs!
SAVE the DATE:
Friday, 2/17 Valentine's Day Dance - Tickets $5 available the week of the dance. Please note, students who are assigned ISS/OSS AFTER 1/25/23 are not eligible to attend. School issued IDs will be required for admittance.
Jennifer Couch
Principal
House Color War!
This Friday, the 27th, we will be hosting a House Color War. Dress in your houses color from head to toe. The house with the most spirit will receive extra points. During Lift those students wearing their house color will receive additional points as well. Who will show the most spirit, Caracal? Serval? Amur? Oncilla?
Preorder your Yearbook!
Preorder your yearbook and check it off your list!
RESERVE YOUR COPY -- PREORDER TODAY
If a picture is worth a thousand words, this yearbook is a tale of epic proportions! Guarantee your copy by preordering before Friday, January 27, 2023.
BUDGET FRIENDLY PAYMENT PLAN
It’s easy to purchase your yearbook now, then use Jostens Jpay™ to spread your payments over three months with no interest.*
*Credit card installment plan available on orders of $30 or more.
Media Center Updates
Ms. Fuller and Mrs. Davis are starting a book club! The first meeting is on February 9th during lunches and students will be able to share with others about their favorite books or what they are currently reading. To join Book Club, you must sign up! If you want to join, you can find more information in the Media Center or on the Media Center website!
Tdap for Rising 7th Graders
Parents, please begin making arrangements to ensure your child has had the Tdap vaccine before the start of next school year! Seventh grade students who have not had the vaccine will not be allowed to start school in August. We want to see all of our students on the first day! Please don't wait until the last minute, as appointments are sometimes difficult to get over the summer. See below for additional information and let us know if we can help you in any way.
Ms. Couch
South Carolina law requires that all students entering the seventh grade receive one (1) dose of Tdap vaccine. Tdap vaccine protects children from three serious diseases: tetanus, diptheria, and pertussis (often called whooping cough). State law began the requirement for the Tdap vaccination in the 2013-14 school year.
If your child has already had the vaccine, you must provide the school with proof that they have had it. If your child has not received the vaccine, please contact your health care provider as soon as possible to schedule an appointment for your child to be given the vaccine. The Tdap vaccination is given by health care providers, many pharmacies, and the Greenville County Health Department. Once your child has received the vaccine, please remember that you must provide proof to the school nurse.
Students entering the seventh grade, who have not received the Tdap vaccine by the beginning of next school year (August 2022), will not be allowed to attend school until they have received the vaccine and provided proof to the school nurse.
For More Information:
Contact the school nurse at your child’s school or call 864-355-3100
Se Requiere la Vacuna de T-dap (Tos Ferina) para estudiantes entrando al séptimo grado
La ley de Carolina del Sur requiere que todos los estudiantes que ingresan al séptimo grado reciban una (1) dosis de la vacuna Tdap. La vacuna Tdap protege a los niños de tres enfermedades graves: tétanos, difteria y tos ferina. Esta ley estatal que ordena que la vacunación de Tdap sea obligatoria se hizo efectiva durante el año escolar 2013-14.
Si su hijo/a ya ha recibido la vacuna, debe traer a la escuela una prueba de que la ha recibido. Si su hijo/a no ha recibido la vacuna, comuníquese con su proveedor de atención médica lo antes posible para programar una cita para que su hijo/a reciba la vacuna. La vacuna Tdap es administrada por proveedores de atención médica, muchas farmacias y el Departamento de Salud del Condado de Greenville. Una vez que su hijo/a haya recibido la vacuna, recuerde que debe proporcionar una prueba a la enfermera de la escuela.
Estudiantes que ingresan al séptimo grado, que no han recibido la vacuna Tdap al partir del próximo año escolar (agosto de 2022), no se les permitirá asistir a la escuela hasta que hayan recibido la vacuna y proporcionado pruebas a la enfermera de la escuela.
Para Más Información:
Comuníquese con la enfermera de la escuela de su hijo/a o llame al 864-355-3100.
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.
