WRMS Weekly Update

Please remember that there can be no drop off or pick up in front of the school on either the Northbound or Southbound sides of Third Avenue. Westwood PD is enforcing this safety precaution, and you may be ticketed for violating the ordinance.

Please use the 2nd Avenue Cul-De-Sac, one of our lots, or the surrounding streets with the help of our excellent crossing guards!

We anticipate work will begin on the Field Refurbishing Project on Monday. As such, the field will be closed until further notice. On fair weather days we will have a modified outdoor recess, in the gym and on the blacktop around the gym.

As the weather gets cooler, please ensure that your child is bringing the appropriate clothing to go outside during recess. In particular, students should bring winter attire in addition to what they wear in the building. Should your child not have the appropriate clothing for the weather, he/she will not be permitted to go outside. We will be going outside as long as the "feels like" temperature is at least 32 degrees.

Westwood Regional Middle School has a comprehensive bullying prevention program. We are committed to taking serious, proactive steps to curb a problem that is found in schools everywhere. Our efforts this year focus on raising awareness about bullying and cyberbullying with students and parents.

We have recruited Mr. John Halligan, an international speaker and author to conduct a presentation on October 22nd for the students. He will relay his own tragic experience as a Dad whose 13-year-old son took his own life in 2003, after peers bullied him since the 5th grade, both in school and online. Mr. Halligan further shares that Ryan wrestled with underlying mental health issues and depression and that these factors contributed to Ryan’s vulnerability and ultimate suicide. His story is riveting and compelling and reminds students that there is a face, a person, a heart, on the other end of the screen.

His presentation will begin with a short video collection of home movie clips and still pictures of Ryan. John will then tell the story of Ryan’s life and the factors that led up to his son’s suicide. The students will gain a perspective from inside the family of a child who is a victim of bullying and cyberbullying. In the wrap-up session, they will receive life-changing lessons about forgiveness, suicide prevention, the role of bystanders and a challenge to apologize to someone. We encourage you to visit a website named for his son: www.RyansStory.org for more information. In addition, parents are encouraged to attend Mr. Halligan’s presentation for parents on October 22nd at 7:00 p.m. in the Hurley Theater at Westwood Regional High School.

Because of the sensitive nature of the topic, we wanted to inform you about it in advance. We encourage you to ask your child about the presentation and discuss it together. If for any reason, you would prefer that your child not attend this presentation, please email Mrs. LaForgia before Friday, October 18th.

Should you have further questions, please feel free to contact us at 201-664-5560 and/or shelley.laforgia@wwrsd.org.

The week of October 21st - October 25th is designated as School Violence Awareness Week in New Jersey. At WRMS we will be focusing on proactive strategies, such as mindfulness as a positive coping strategy to reduce stress and prevent unsafe behaviors. Our LEAD officers from the Westwood Police Department will continue to work with students in Health classes to promote problem solving and deter students from drug use, drug related crimes, bullying and violence. Our School Safety Team will be meeting to review policy and procedures and our District Security Specialist will meet with staff to review safety protocol in the building.

Please remember that the Counseling Department is available to assist students with any social, emotional or academic issues that may be causing stress and can provide a variety of resources for parents and families. Please visit the Counseling Department Website for more information.

The week of the 28th is our first Spirit Week!

• 10/28 Monday: Pajama Day

• 10/29 Tuesday: Disney/Marvel/TV Show Fan Day

• 10/30 Wednesday: Sports Day

• 10/31 Thursday: Halloween Costume (see rules below)

• 11/1 Friday: WRMS Pride

• 6th Grade: Wear Black

• 7th Grade: Wear Red

Students will be permitted to wear costumes all day on Thursday, October 31st for Halloween. It is important to be mindful of the following expectations as you and your child plan a potential costume to be worn to school:

• Normal school dress code will be in effect.
  
• Weapons of any sort (real or fake) are strictly prohibited. If they are brought to school, they will be dealt with according to the code of conduct.
  
• Masks, head coverings, or face paint that make a student unrecognizable are not permitted.
  
• Costumes may not prohibit a student's ability to partake in normal classroom instruction (e.g. he/she must be able to sit in a desk, students must not block/obstruct hallway traffic while in a costume).
  
• Costumes must be in "good taste".
  
• Candy is not to be brought to school or distributed.
  
• Administration may exercise their own judgment to determine whether or not a costume is school appropriate.
  

Please remember the normal instruction of the school is paramount. If you and/or your child feel his/her costume violates any of these expectations, do not come to school in it, rather wait until after school hours to dress in the costume. Should a student come to school inappropriately dressed, the code of discipline will be followed.

Any daily attendance issues should be communicated with Mrs. McDonough in the main office via phone (201-664-5560 x6000) or email at ms-attendance@wwrsd.org or sharon.mcdonough@wwrsd.org.

If your child is leaving early, please have them bring a note to the main office first thing in the morning so we can issue a pass and have them ready for you. An email will also work, please still have your child stop in the main office before school starts to pick up a pass.

Sixth and seventh graders take the online Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt Math Inventory to assess their grade level skills three times a year (fall, winter and spring). Students take the inventory in their Dynamic Connections class and results can be viewed in the “Assessments” section in Genesis. For an understanding of what the score means, please take a look at their Understanding Assessment Results resource. Please know that students are being assessed on previous and current grade level standards, so growth is expected over the course of the year.

These results provide students and teachers with individualized, specific areas of strengths and weaknesses of specific math standards, allowing them to then get additional, targeted practice through the IXL website. Results will also be used with placement decisions for next year, so we always encourage our students to take their time and give their best effort!

Please visit our website for information regarding the WRMS PSO. The PSO is seeking volunteers for our upcoming events. If you are interested, please email them at middleschoolpso@wwrsd.org.

Look for an email from Toolkit (formerly My School Anywhere) to setup your Middle School account and pay your dues. Future purchases for swag, activities, and more can be made through this site. You can also sign up to volunteer through this program.

You can now order swag through Toolkit. Sales have been extended one week to next Saturday the 26th!

We're looking forward to a great Fall Festival next week! Click here for more information including the permission slip.

Big News for Box Tops!

• Box Tops are due Oct. 25! Have your child deposit your unexpired Box Tops in their team box in the school entryway, and the team with the most Box Tops will win a prize!
• Download the new Box Tops app and keep earning for our school! Box Tops is in the process of going digital. While you will be able to clip and send them in the traditional way while products remain on store shelves, earning 10 cents for the school with each Box Top you send in (and these really add up!), we will be shifting toward individual online submission and an all-school goal. Please download the app at the Apple App Store or on Google Play to participate. Anytime you purchase items featuring the new Box Tops label, you’ll simply need to scan your receipt and all such items will be recorded—with just one scan. Scanning these receipts also gets us entered in contests that win bonus Box Tops for our school—right now, for instance, there’s a chance to win 5,000 bonus Box Tops and a chance to win a $20,000 school makeover!

Keep on clipping and start scanning!

Please see the included notifications from PSE&G regarding the pipe replacement work in Westwood and Washington.

Please review the notification from WWPD regarding drop-off and pick-up at WRMS.

Please click here to access an online library of electronic flyers for our community partners.

Save the date for the Community Center's Halloween Party during Teen Night on November 1st!

Please mark your calendars for important upcoming events...

• 10/22 - Ryan's Story Assembly for Students
  
• 10/22 - Ryan's Story Assembly for Parents, 7:00 PM @ Jr./Sr. High School
• 10/23 - Picture Retakes
• 10/23 - Fall Festival, 2:45, Berkeley Field (10/24 rain date)
• 10/28 - Spirit Week!
• 10/30 - PSO Meeting, 9:00 AM
• 11/8 - No School
• 11/15 - End of 1st Marking Period
• 11/18 - PSO Meeting, 7:30 PM
• 11/21 - Board of Education Meeting, 7:30PM @ Jr./Sr. HS
• 11/22 - Report Cards available in Genesis
• 11/27 - Early Dismissal @ 12:36 PM
• 11/28 & 29 - No School

Monday is an "A" day!

Email: shelley.laforgia@wwrsd.org
Website: http://www.wwrsd.org/westwoodrms
Location: 23 3rd Ave, Westwood, NJ, United States
Phone: 201-664-5560