Hello Knight Families!
We’ve had another fantastic week here at WHMS as routines are settling in nicely. Just a quick reminder: the annual student update was sent out to all families on September 3rd. It’s important to review and submit this form. If no information has changed, it’s as easy as clicking a button! This helps us keep the most accurate and up-to-date information for your child.
OPEN HOUSE
Exciting news! Our Open House is coming up next week on Wednesday, September 11th, from 6:00-7:30 PM. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet your child’s teachers and learn about their curriculum and expectations for the year. Due to space limitations, we encourage families to leave children at home if possible. We’ll also have representatives from PTSO, SGA, Boy Scouts, and several other community groups joining us that evening.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Attached to this document and also found on our WHMS website is our Parent Handbook with lots of information about WHMS.
CELL PHONE/ SMARTWATCHES CONSEQUENCES
1st Offense = Administrator takes the cellphone/ smartwatch and calls home, student serves a lunch detention, student picks up cell phone/ smartwatch at the end of the day.
2nd Offense = Administrator takes the cell phone/ smartwatch and call home, students serves three lunch detentions, PARENT picks up cell phone/ smartwatch.
3rd Offense = Administrator takes the cell phone/ smartwatch and calls home, student serves after school detention, PARENT picks up cell phone/ smartwatch.
LAPTOPS
Students need to bring their laptop to school daily. If they forget, they can use the phone in the main office to contact their parent to bring their laptop. Our loaners will be held for students whose laptops are out for repair and we do not have enough to loan them out for forgotten laptops.
WHMS SPIRITWEAR
Our PTSO spiritwear store is NOW OPEN. It will be open for one month. Check out this link for some fun, new WHMS spiritwear! https://wearyourspiritwarehouse.com/WHMS22/shop/home
SUICIDE PREVENTION WEEK
Wednesday, September 10th we ask all students to wear yellow in recognition of suicide prevention week.
ATTENDANCE
When your child is late or leaves early due to a doctor's appointment, please send a note with your child or email a note to madisonw@calvertnet.k12.md.us in order for the absence to updated to a legal absence. Students returning from absences must submit a note vial email at the same email address or drop a note in the guidance office within three days of returning to update the absence.
Tardies - in the next few weeks we will begin enforcing our tardy policy. For students illegally tardy:
3 tardies = 1 day lunch detention
4 tardies = 3 days lunch detention
5 tardies = after school detention
6 tardies = Saturday School
LOST AND FOUND
Our lost and found is kept on the stage on the cafeteria and donated or discarded every other Friday. Your child is always welcome to check the cafeteria before school or during lunch for missing items.
CELL PHONE/ SMART WATCH POLICY
Also updated for the coming year is the CCPS Cell Phone Policy. For your convenience, excerpts from the CCPS Cell Phone Policy are provided below.
- Students may bring their phone/smartwatch, but once school begins the device must be powered completely off (not on vibrate or silent mode) and remain in a non-visible, secure location throughout the entirety of each school day.
- Students may use their phone/smartwatch on the bus or school-charted vehicle, but it must not be disruptive or cause a distraction to the driver at any time. Sound must only be audible through headphones. Phone conversations are prohibited.
- If there is an emergency, parents/guardians are encouraged to contact the school. All cell phone/smartwatch guidelines, expectations, and discipline consequences apply even if communicating with parents/guardians.
PTSO EVENTS UPCOMING
PTSO will host our Back-to-School Food Truck Event on Friday, September 20th, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. See the attached flyer for details. This is a fun, family event to kick off the year. The first dance will be October 11th 5:30-7:30.
CLUBS
Our chess club is starting in October and permission slips are in the main office for students to sign up for chess as well as attached below. Cooking club will be held in January-February and more information about this club will come out in January. Book Club starts up September 6th and the flyer is in the main office and attached here as well for this club. Fellowship of Christian Athletes, FCA, begins on September 17th. This is a morning club, so no permission slip is needed. Students are dropped off at 7am. We also have a boys basketball clinic for three sessions in Oct/Nov for any boy interested in some court time. See attached flyer for details. All that's needed to stay for this is the permission slip returned.
CAFETERIA
Please make sure you child has money on their lunch account if they are buying lunch. More information about the Child Nutrition Department and link to set up an account can be found here. School Meal Information - Calvert County Public School District (calvertnet.k12.md.us)Our cafeteria manager has also given us our WHMS menu for the first week of school which is attached below for your reference.
VOLUNTEERS
Calvert County Public Schools uses Raptor for visitors and volunteers to sign in and sign out. Volunteers must apply annually to be an approved volunteer. You will need to apply for the 2024-2025 school year. All volunteers will need to review the volunteer handbook and watch the volunteer training video before completing and Online Volunteer Application. Volunteers must be approved before they may begin service as a volunteer in any school buildings.
CCPS Online Volunteer Application & Process: https://www.calvertnet.k12.md.us/departments/human-resources/become-a-volunteer
Thank you
Mark Whidden,
Principal, Windy Hill Middle School
