WMS Family Smore

To translate this newsletter, please use the link to the right.

Para traduzir este boletim, clique nele e use o link à direita.

Para traducir este boletín, haga clic en él y luego use el enlace a la derecha.

لترجمة هذه الرسالة من المدرسة ، اضغط عليها ثم استخدم الرابط الموجود على اليمين.

Այս տեղեկագիրը թարգմանելու համար կտտացրեք այն, ապա օգտագործեք աջ կողմում գտնվող հղումը:

Чтобы перевести этот бюллетень, нажмите на него, затем воспользуйтесь ссылкой справа.

Bu bülteni çevirmek için üzerine tıklayın ve ardından sağdaki bağlantıyı kullanın.

We hope you've enjoyed some extra time with your children this week off of school. We look forward to getting back into our school routines on Monday, which will be a day D2 (drop Yellow block).

Here are some other quick announcements:

• Information about FY23 Spring Athletic Registration
  
• Check out our new WMS Monthly School Nurse Update. This month contains information about upcoming Postural Screenings.
  
• Spring clubs will be starting soon! A flyer will go home with students this week, and we will share the flyer here next week with more information.
• Construction on the garden level of WMS, in preparation for us sharing the space with WHS next year, will begin on March 6th. We will continue to share more information about how this may impact our students as we receive it.

• February 27: Diversity Council (3-4pm in person, room B107 - check into the main office first)
  
• March 2: WFPL Bookmobile parked on Bemis Street (2:45-4:30pm)

Respectfully yours,

Ms. Jennifer Chen Fein, Principal

Ms. Susan Carle, Assistant Principal (Clusters 1, 3, 5)

Ms. Jennifer Sarmiento, Assistant Principal (Clusters 2, 4, 6)

Click on the links below to find updates from your child's teachers. These cluster/class smores are a helpful tool to know what your child is learning. These s'mores are shared and updated every other week in the WMS Family Smore.

Cluster 1

Cluster 2

Cluster 3

Cluster 4

Cluster 5

Cluster 6

The Specialists

Reading

Connections

LB Math

ELD/Phonics

Wilson Reading

School Nurse

Grade 6: Thursday, March 30th

Grades 7: Thursday, March 16th

Grades 8: Tuesday, March 14th

Virtually via Zoom, all dates from 7-8pm

Zoom link and RSVP form to be sent in coming weeks

Please join the WMS math coach and the math coordinators to learn about how your students are developing their math skills.

• Essential skills and concepts taught at each grade level

• Future math programming in upcoming grades

• How to support your mathematician at home

Contact Elizabeth Kaplan, K-7 Math and Science Coordinator with any questions

elizabeth.kaplan@watertown.k12.ma.us

Our Student-led Caregiver Conferences are coming up with both virtual and in-person opportunities to meet with your child's teacher(s). As these are student-led conferences, students should attend the conference. There will be interpretation in a variety of languages available.

Cluster teachers will be reaching out to caregivers soon with information on how to sign up for a conference.

This time around, we will also have counselors, specialist teachers, and other support staff available in the WMS Library during our in-person conference times. Caregivers are encouraged to stop by the library to ask any questions of the educators there, to receive help navigating PowerSchool, or for any other questions you may have.

Thursday, March 23

1:00-3:00pm (virtual)

5:00-7:00pm (in-person)

Tuesday, March 28

1:00-3:00pm (in-person)

6:00-8:00pm (virtual)

We are hiring for a few positions:

• Lunch Aide
• School Nutrition Worker
  
• Building-Based Substitute Teacher
• Substitute Instructional Assistant

Please share with your networks.

Dear Watertown Middle School 7th Grade Parent(s)/Caregiver(s):

This letter is to notify you about the required Massachusetts school health screenings. Massachusetts regulations 105 CMR 200.500, (2009) for the Physical Examination of Children requires that Watertown Public Schools perform:

Physicals exams for students in Grade 7 are to be on file in the nurse’s office, and the following mandated school health screenings are to be done:

• Vision
• Hearing
• Postural screening
• SBIRT screening

SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) is part of Watertown Public schools mandated screenings in grades 7 and 9. SBIRT screening was part of the Opioid Bill signed into law by Governor Baker on March 14, 2016 and is focused on discussing substance use/abuse and the importance of making healthy decisions. Your child’s screening will be conducted by staff trained in SBIRT screening.

Your student’s privacy will be respected at all times. The results of your child’s screenings are strictly confidential.

You should have received a formal letter at the beginning of the year regarding the SBIRT screening and the process in which the testing is done. This form also allows you to Opt-Out of the screening for your child if desired. If you have this form, please send it back with your student and it can be passed into the nurse.

If you wish to exclude your child from any of these school health screenings, please notify the nurse in writing specifying which screenings or if all of them.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

The WMS Diversity Council meets once a month. Our next meeting will be after school in person on February 27 from 3-4pm in room B017, with the meeting after being on Thursday, March 16 virtually, at 7pm.

We will be focusing on planning and hosting an in-person event that celebrates the diversity of our school, as well as actionable steps outlined in the district equity audit taken last school year. Any and all are welcome to join.

The WMS SSC meets once a month on the first Tuesdays at 7:00pm, virtually. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, with our K-7 and 8-12 Science Coordinators coming as special guests.

The PTO meets virtually on the second Wednesday of each month, and the next meeting is on Wednesday, March 8 at 7pm. Reach out to the PTO President Erin Macomber at erin_macomber@neds.org with any questions or to express interest.

We will be meeting on March 15th from 7-8 pm at the Hosmer Learning Commons to learn more about bullying and supporting students around this topic. Any parent whose student who has been in the English Learner Program is welcome to attend. Please let Kate Phillipson (kathryn.phillipson@watertown.k12.ma.us or text 617-581-8200) if you will attend and need an interpreter.

You can register for Winter II Recreation Actvities at https://watertown.activityreg.com.

In the event that a student is absent, a parent or caregiver must call the absence hotline at 617-926-7783 before 8:30 a.m. Please state the name, grade, homeroom of the student and the reason for their absence. In the event that the absence is not reported, a Robocall will automatically go out to the student’s home or the place of employment of the parent or caregiver to inform them that the student is absent. Students are responsible for working with their teachers to make up work they missed while absent.

Check out page 26 of the WMS Family Handbook to see all of our attendance procedures in more detail.

We live in New England, and whether we love them or hate them, snow days may be just around the corner. As such, please review the information contained in this section regarding school closure protocols. State law requires 180 days of instruction and also requires that any school closures (“snow days”) be made up before June 30. In the case of inclement weather or school closure for emergency reasons, information about school closures can be found at this link.

• February 27: Diversity Council (3-4pm in person, room B107 - check into the main office first)
  
• March 2: WFPL Bookmobile parked on Bemis Street (3:15-4:30pm)
  

• March 7: School Site Council meeting (7:00pm, virtual)

• March 8: PTO Meeting (7:00pm, virtual)

• March 8: Quarter 3 Progress Reports reminder emailed home

• March 10: MCAS Infrastructure Trial, special schedule
  

• March 14: Grade 8 Parent Math Night
  

• March 15: Early Release PD Day, 12:30pm dismissal with grab n go lunch (Day D2, will see every class for a shortened period of time)
  

• March 15: Bandarama 4th-12th grade (7:00pm, WHS Gymnasium)

• March 16: Grade 7 Parent Math Night

• March 23: Early Release Day, 12:30pm dismissal with grab n go lunch (Day D1, will see every class for a shortened period of time) - Student-led Parent Teacher conferences (Virtual 1:00-3:00pm, In-Person 5:00-7:00pm)
• March 28: Early Release Day, 12:30pm dismissal with grab n go lunch (Day A2, will see every class for a shortened period of time) - Student-led Parent Teacher conferences (In Person 1:00-3:00pm, Virtual 6:00-8:00pm)
  

• March 30: Grade 6 Parent Math Night

• April 12-13: ELA MCAS, special schedule

• April 28: Music Fest (5:30-9:00pm, WMS)
• May 15-16: Math MCAS, special schedule
• May 23-24: STE MCAS (8th grade only), special schedule

• Watertown Public Schools Calendar 2022-2023
  

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter

Website: https://wms.watertown.k12.ma.us/
Location: 68 Waverley Avenue, Watertown, MA, USA
Phone: 617-926-7783