WMS Weekly Newsletter

Dear Wayland Middle School Caregivers,

Our Bright Sides continue as we approach the December break!

In our English language arts classrooms, our students are absorbed in their self-selected independent reading books across our school. Independent reading is an important component of a vibrant language arts experience for middle school students. Through independent reading, students broaden their exposure to diverse genres, explore places both real and imaginary, and build a greater understanding of themselves and the world. Students have an opportunity to apply skills and content learned in their language arts lessons in an authentic and meaningful way. During independent reading time, English language arts teachers act as coaches to their students, meeting with them for 1:1 reading conferences. We thank our ELA teachers for cultivating a love of reading, a habit that supports students’ academic and personal growth well beyond school.

On Thursday night, our 6th grade, 7th grade, and 8th grade choruses in addition to our Select Chorus filled the WMS auditorium with their joyful voices. Each group performed with strength and spirit, reflecting all of the focused learning, practice, and coaching they had received in the preceding weeks. Thank you to Bernadette Vanaria for her commitment to our performing arts program and to all of our choral students.

I wish you, your family, and your friends near and far a peaceful and happy holiday season and new year. 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

• Tuesday, December 17: Principal's Caregiver Coffee Cancelled - CHANGE IN DATE TO JANUARY 21 (see below).
• Tuesday, December 17: WMS Band Concert 6:00 -7:00 PM. 🎺
• Monday, December 23 - Tuesday, December 31: Holiday Break - NO SCHOOL
• Wednesday, January 1: New Year's Day - NO SCHOOL 🥳
• Wednesday, January 8: Super Wednesday. School dismisses at 12:20 PM.
  Grab and Go Lunch available

• Wednesday, January 8: WMS Orchestra Concert 7:00-8:00 PM. 🎻

• Monday, January 20: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL
  Wayland METCO Community Celebration Luncheon 1:30-3:30 PM
  Yawkey Club of Roxbury

• Tuesday, January 21: Principal's Caregiver Coffee 9:15-10:15 AM.

• Wednesday, January 29: Lunar New Year - NO SCHOOL

Thursday, December 26 and Friday, December 27: 8:00 - 11:30

Monday, December 30 and Tuesday, December 31: 8:00 - 11:30

Food insecurity can be a real fear during the holidays. Please join former student and 9th grader Mia Koopersmith (former Project 351 ambassador) and the 6th grade community service club in alleviating some of that fear. Donations are going to My Brother's Table in conjunction with Project 351. Please help restock the shelves for the winter holidays. Please send in donations December 2 - December 17.

As part of our annual clean up before the December break, we will clean out WMS’ Lost and Found. There are many water bottles, hoodies, and jackets in our Lost and Found at this time. Please ask your student(s) to check the Lost and Found to see if any missing items belong to them. Also, if you are in the building for one of our wonderful upcoming events, please check the Lost and Found; the Lost and Found is found opposite the entrance to the library. On December 20th, items in the Lost and Found will be cleaned and donated when possible or discarded.

During the December break, we suggest that students replenish their supplies so they are prepared to engage fully in their learning when they return to school in January. Replacing pens, pencils, notebooks, and planners is recommended. A box of tissues to contribute to the classroom is always appreciated as well!

As we continue to foster BERT, especially belonging, in our community, we ask that holiday gift giving remain outside of the school setting. We want our students to be able to focus on their learning in the final days as we approach the December break. We are grateful for any help you can offer in this area as it will help us to maintain a positive and productive school climate.

We appreciate your support as partners in ensuring that our school is a device-free learning environment. Electronic devices are a concern as they impact students’ learning and social/emotional health. At the middle school, students are expected to turn off devices such as cell phones, SMART watches, Fitbits, airpods, and headphones and put them in their backpacks before entering the school each day.

As you give thought to providing your student with a device, please be sure that your student understands the school’s policy. Also, consider giving your student a device that is specialized for communication and not for internet based apps. In other words, don’t give a smartphone as a first phone. In an earlier community forum, more than one parent mentioned Pinwheel Phones as an alternative to explore. Most importantly, monitor your student’s device use and engage in conversations about their virtual experiences.

Thirteen-year-old problem solver, Edwina, dishes out advice with the help of her friends and a little song and dance!

SHOWS:

Thursday, February 6: 7:00 PM

Friday, February 7: 7:00 PM

Have your child join the google classroom for all the info!

https://classroom.google.com/u/0/c/NzI5NDk3MzA0MDE3

Artists: Uma Isenburg

Grade: 8

Medium: Watercolor & Buttons

Thank you to the many 7th grade families that donated to the Holiday Helpers Thanksgiving gift baskets in November. A special thank you to House Leaders, Susan Chisholm, Brian Reddington and Dylan Merry for the project coordination and for working closely with the PTO so we could provide the funding and support needed.

We would also like to thank the 7th grade homeroom teachers for the collection of donations. Students enjoyed an afternoon of baking bread and pies with Luann Duesterberg, Stacey Drahusz and Jada Williams. The baked goods became a special part of the gift baskets. We appreciate JaNae Hood and Laurie Hojlo for the coordination of gift basket recipients in Boston and Wayland and to Ingride Francoeur for making deliveries.

We are also grateful to our parent volunteers, Krupali Shah, Tonya Cunningham, Andrea Winkler and Shirra Baston for her beautiful Thanksgiving graphic. Stop and Shop was very generous in donating all 11 gift cards to complete the Thanksgiving meals for families. We were overwhelmed with gratitude!

Thank you to everyone who took time from busy December schedules to contribute baked goods or beverages, and make last Monday's WMS holiday staff appreciation event amazing! The staff were excited and appreciated the delicious spread. Extra thanks to Jen Lux, Krupali Shah, Nicole Williams, Cathy Horwitz and Heather Grimmett for setting up and cleaning up the event.

We are so close! We are currently at 95.8% of our fundraising goal ($833 short). Please help us reach our goal so we can provide more great programs, activities and classroom materials for our students.

Grant requests

We are currently receiving grant requests form staff and will soon be putting your donations back into the classrooms.

Please see more examples of what we can support with your help.

Many companies will match an employee's gift to a charity one-to-one or even more in donations! Ask your employer if they offer a charitable match!

The WMS PTO adds weekly updates in the Monday newsletter, but additional details, reminders, photos and videos are shared on the WMS PTO Facebook Group. Stay in the loop!

Other opportunities to volunteer

To see some of the descriptions, please see here.

We have many ways to get involved! Please fill out our survey below or send an email to Waylandmiddleschoolpto@gmail.com

We are looking for volunteer(s) that would like to create engaging content for the WMS Facebook page and assist with other communication related tasks. The PTO uses canva.com to create fun videos, graphics and more. Please send and email to: Wayalndmiddleschoolpto@gmail.com