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.

Next week is a short week due to the Thanksgiving Break! We will be dismissing at 12:15pm on Wednesday rather than the usual 12:30pm dismissal time. I hope that all of you are able to enjoy time with those who bring you joy.

Thank you to all of the families and students who have been bringing in food items for our Thanksgiving Basket drive. We are grateful to all of you giving back to our community in tangible ways.

All Watertown Public Schools students, faculty and staff will receive at-home COVID tests prior to Thanksgiving Break, and the December Winter Break. Thank you for your continued efforts to keep our school community safe.

Here are some upcoming dates this week:

• November 21: Quarter 1 Report Cards mailed home
  

• November 23: Early Release Day: Thanksgiving Recess Begins 12:15pm dismissal with the opportunity for students to get lunch before leaving the building (Day E1, will see every class for a shortened period of time)

• November 24-25: Thanksgiving Recess - No School
  

• November 25: Deadline to complete 8th Grade Washington DC Trip registration/payment

Be well and take care of one another.

Respectfully yours,

Ms. Jennifer Chen Fein, Principal

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

Mr. Patrick Dayton, Interim Assistant Principal (Clusters 1, 3, 5)

Click on the link 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.

Clusters 1 and 2

Cluster 3

Cluster 4

Cluster 5

Cluster 6

Connections

LB Math

Wilson Reading

The Specialists

ELD/Phonics

Quarter 1 Report Cards will be mailed home on Monday, November 21.

Here is the cover letter that will be with your child's grades:

Quarter 1 Cover Letter - English

Quarter 1 Cover Letter - Spanish

Quarter 1 Cover Letter - Portuguese

Quarter 1 Cover Letter - Arabic

Here is an additional resource for family members who want to learn more about why WMS is beginning to examine our current grading practices, and considering what new practices we are shifting towards.

White paper on Grading for Equity (Introduction from Joe Feldman, 2018)

*** 8th GRADE ONLY*** Below you will find the link to the registration form for this year’s Washington D.C. Trip. Through this form you will be able to register your child, and make your first payment. Please complete both the registration and payment by the extended deadline Friday, December 2.

If you need financial assistance for this trip, please check the box on the form that says, "I will be paying the $100 deposit by debit or credit card and will need financial assistance" Also, to avoid the convenience fee for credit or debit card payments, use the eCheck option that requires your bank account information.

Please reach out to christopher.mcdermott@watertown.k12.ma.us or laurie.brackett@watertown.k12.ma.us with any questions.

The MCAS testing schedule has been set. Please add these dates to your calendar as important dates for students to be in school to show what they have learned! We have also scheduled an infrastructure trial, which will also give students a chance to practice navigating the MCAS platform including using the calculator for math.

• Infrastructure Trial: Friday, March 10
• ELA: Wednesday, April 12 and Thursday, April 13
• MATH: Monday, May 15 and Tuesday, May 16
• SCIENCE (Gr 8 only): Tuesday, May 23 and Wednesday, May 24

The Department of Public Health and Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics are sharing this message to remind families about steps they can take to prevent illness this season:

1. Vaccinate children ages 6 months and older against influenza as soon as possible.

2. Vaccinate children ages 6 months and older against COVID-19, including updated booster shots for children 5 and older who had their primary series more than 2 months ago.

3. Remember that people can get a COVID-19 vaccine and flu shot at the same time.

4. Stay on schedule for monthly treatments for infants who have been offered treatment with protective antibodies due to their prematurity or another condition.

5. Practice hand hygiene and cover coughs and sneezes.

6. Clean high touch surfaces in at home frequently with household disinfectants.

7. Keep children home from daycare or school who have a fever, especially with a cough, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, congestion, runny nose, or sore throat, until they are fever-free for 24 hours without medications that reduce fever.

8. Avoid social gatherings if ill.

9. Contact a pediatrician or healthcare provider if a child needs medical care.

The WMS SSC meets once a month on the first Tuesdays at 7:00pm, virtually. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, December 6th.

The next meeting is on Wednesday, December 14th, and the PTO meets virtually on the second Wednesday of each month. Reach out to the PTO President Erin Macomber at erin_macomber@neds.org with any questions or to express interest.

The WMS Diversity Council will meet once a month on the third Thursdays at 7:00pm virtually, with the next meeting on December 15, 2022. We will be focusing on actionable steps outlined in the district equity audit taken last school year.

Reach out to Jen Sarmiento at jennifer.sarmeinto@watertown.k12.ma.us to express interest in joining or with any questions.

On Monday, Ernie Thebado from the Recreation Department will visit students during lunch in order to advertise the winter programming at the Recreation Department.

• November 21: Quarter 1 Report Cards mailed home
  

• November 23: Early Release Day: Thanksgiving Recess Begins 12:30pm dismissal with grab n go lunch (Day E1, will see every class for a shortened period of time)

• November 24-25: Thanksgiving Recess - No School

• November 25: Deadline to complete 8th Grade Washington DC Trip registration/payment

• December 6: School Site Council (7:00pm, virtual)

• December 14: Early Release PD Day: Day 12:30pm dismissal with grab n go lunch (Day F1, will see every class for a shortened period of time)
• December 14: PTO Meeting (7:00pm, virtual)
• December 26-January 2: Winter Recess - No School
  

• January 3: School Site Council (7:00pm, virtual)

• January 11: PTO Meeting (7:00pm, virtual)

• January 13: PD Day - No School
  

• January 16: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School

• Watertown Public Schools Calendar 2022-2023
  

Website: https://www.instagram.com/watertown_middle/https://wms.watertown.k12.ma.us/
Location: 68 Waverley Avenue, Watertown, MA, USA
Phone: 617-926-7783
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watertownms
Twitter: @middlewatertown