Dear Wayland Middle School Caregivers,
Wayland Middle School experienced many Bright Sides in the last week. I hope you will join me in acknowledging the work of our students and staff in creating the vibrant learning community that is WMS.
What a wondrous World Languages Week (WLW) we had!
World Languages Week at WMS officially began on Monday with a school-wide performance of “Zuzu African Acrobats”, a group of skilled acrobats originating from Tanzania. Our bilingual staff and students joined by our Spanish Immersion students launched the program by introducing themselves and welcoming the performers, honoring the many languages spoken in our school. The performers then taught us how to greet someone and ask about their well being in Swahili; this language learning experience culminated in an enthusiastic whole school sing-a-long in Swahili. The performers mesmerized us with their artistry and athleticism which included human pyramids, hand to hand balance, juggling, tumbling, student participation and much more. Many thanks to the PTO Cultural Council for bringing this special program to our school.
As a community, we showed our World Language Week spirit by sporting BLUE, PURPLE, RED, and YELLOW clothing on each of Monday-Thursday. Friday, a personal favorite of mine, gave us an opportunity to learn more about one another as its theme was “Where you’re from, where you’ve been, and where you’d like to go” day.
Special thanks to our amazing cafeteria staff who created outstanding menus to align with each day of World Language Week. Students raved about the selections and boasted about how many lunches they ate each day. We also thank the many members of the WPS community who came to help serve the special lunches to students.
The wondrous week ended with Interactive International Workshops on Thursday and Friday that included dance, history, music, myths, interactive trivia, and craft making across cultures and languages. Please see the attached description of workshops as it’s not possible to capture all that was offered to our students Interactive International Workshops 2025.
We are grateful to the leadership of Ms. Klara Sands, World Language Coordinator, and all of our world language teachers for their hard work, creativity, and commitment to this celebratory and educational experience for our students.
In addition to WLW, we enjoyed String Jamboree and Bandfest!
String Jamboree is a source of magic that we know is a product of hard work. On Tuesday evening more than 500 orchestra members, grades 3-12, came together with their conductors to provide a memorable celebration of music, collaboration, and growth. Last week's concert was exquisitely executed with a beautiful progression of repertoire including a culmination in which all of the students played together! Thank you to Whitney Tandon, WMS orchestra conductor, whose tireless efforts with our middle school musicians create this magic.
Following the Jamboree was Bandfest on Wednesday evening. In the words of Susan Memoli, WPS Fine Arts Director, the bands, representing grades 4-12, “looked and sounded fantastic, and the sense of community was palpable! The grand finale literally left the audience in suspended animation, as they took in the majesty of the musicians joining together, lifting the lid off the WHS Field House”. Thank you to Greg Harris, WMS band conductor, and his colleagues Joe Oneschuk, Susan Memoli, and Whitney Tandon who provided in-the-moment support to the middle school performers.
I am so grateful to the WMS educators who collaboratively create excitement for learning as well as an appreciation and understanding of the linguistic, musical, and cultural diversity of our community and the world. As always, my door is open. Whether you have questions, concerns, or simply want to share in the excitement of the school year, I encourage you to reach out.
Deborah
