WMS Family Smore

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Чтобы перевести этот бюллетень, нажмите на него, затем воспользуйтесь ссылкой справа.

Bu bülteni çevirmek için üzerine tıklayın ve ardından sağdaki bağlantıyı kullanın.

Believe it or not, we are more than halfway through the 22-23 school year already! Students started Q3 on Friday, and we will be starting up new WIN groups next week. Teachers are finalizing grades for Q2, and we will be mailing report cards home in about two weeks.

We are proud of all of our English Learners who persevered through their ACCESS testing these past two weeks.

Is your child looking for ways to get extra help with school? The Learning Lab is available in the WMS library M-F from 7:45-8:15am and 3:00-4:15pm. Late buses run M-Th.

• February 1: WMS Vocational Education Night for caregivers of 7-9th grade students (6:00-7:00pm, WMS Auditorium)
  
• February 2: Bookmobile parked at WMS Main Entrance (3:15-4:30pm)

Respectfully yours,

Ms. Jennifer Chen Fein, Principal

Ms. Susan Carle, Assistant Principal (Clusters 1, 3, 5)

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

In order to make collaborative recommendations for the Clough Memorial updates, we are assembling a committee to determine the next steps for the Memorial, as it is meant to fully embrace and illustrate our core value of equity in a more systemic and focused manner.

If you wish to participate, please complete the form linked here, no later than Monday, February 6th at 9am. Committee members will be notified on the 6th, with an optional invitation to introduce themselves on a brief zoom call on the 7th at 6pm.

Committee Composition:

Director of DEIB (1)

School Committee Member (1)

Clough Family Representative (1)

WMS Teacher (1-2)

Community Member/Caregiver (1)

Participant Requirements:

Participants can expect to meet on the following days, at a time and ina way that best fits the committees needs (options listed in the participation form):

• February 7- Introduction and Stage Setting (Optional)
• February 27
• March 20
• April 24
• May 15
• June 12

Faculty/Staff will be compensated according to the contract @ $35/hour

Please reach out to Dr. Henry, the Director of Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Belonging with any questions at kimberlee.henry@watertown.k12.ma.us.

Click on the links 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.

Cluster 1

Cluster 2

Cluster 3

Cluster 4

Cluster 5

Cluster 6

The Specialists

Reading

ELD/Phonics

LB Math

Connections

Wilson Reading

The WMS SSC meets once a month on the first Tuesdays at 7:00pm, virtually. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, with our K-7 and 8-12 Science Coordinators coming as special guests.

The PTO meets virtually on the second Wednesday of each month, and the next meeting is on Wednesday, February 8 at 7pm. Reach out to the PTO President Erin Macomber at erin_macomber@neds.org with any questions or to express interest.

In addition, please join us for a night out soon - February 10th at Donahue's from 7:00-10:00PM. Even if you can't make it, you can make donations to the WMS PTO at our venmo account here.

The WMS Diversity Council meets once a month. Our next meeting will be after school in person on February 13, with the meeting after being on Thursday, March 16 virtually, at 7pm. We will be focusing on planning and hosting an in-person event that celebrates the diversity of our school, as well as actionable steps outlined in the district equity audit taken last school year. Any and all are welcome to join.

The Bookmobile is coming! Starting in January, the Bookmobile (aka The Speed Reader) will be making regular stops at Watertown Middle School.

If you haven’t been able to get to the Watertown Free Public Library, the library is now coming to you. We’ll be able to check out books, get new library cards, learn about library services and talk to friendly librarians.

Catch the Speed Reader in the WMS Waverly Ave front parking lot on the first Thursday of each month from 3:15-4:30pm. Upcoming dates include:

• February 2
  
• March 2

In the event of inclement weather, Bookmobile service will be cancelled.

The MIT Club of Boston Science Trivia Challenge (web.mit.edu/trivia) for middle and high school students is returning to an in-person format this year. Moderated by MIT's former Maker Czar, Professor Marty Culpepper, it will be held at the Broad Institute in Cambridge on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, from 5 to 9 pm.

This fun and educational event includes “Meet the Scientists and Engineers” (face-to-face conversations prior to the Challenge), dinner, refreshments, and STEM-related swag for all participants, plus prizes for the top three teams in each division, featuring a private tour of an MIT lab for the first-place winners.

Could you please let your STEM faculty know about this opportunity for their students? Registration is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please see the attached flyer for additional information.

I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.

Thanks,

Chris Santos (she/hers)

Member, MITCOB Science Trivia Challenge Planning Committee

Registration for Waltham/Watertown Youth Lacrosse is open! We are looking for new and experienced boys and girls from grades K-8 to join our Lacrosse community. The Waltham and Watertown Youth Lacrosse organizations merged a few years back and we are looking to continue to grow this sport we love so much and know your kids will too.

The boys are a part of Mass Youth Lacrosse (MYL) which represents most towns in Massachusetts while the girls play in the Founders Girls Lacrosse League. Practices are at Waltham High one-to-two weekday nights (and/or Saturday mornings) depending on age group. Home games are played on Sundays at Waltham High School. Practices, weather permitting, will begin in March with games scheduled to begin in early April. If there are any questions please feel free to reach out to John O'Brien (jobrien32@hotmail.com).

The registration link is here: https://waltham.demosphere-secure.com/_registration

And be sure to follow Waltham Youth Lacrosse on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Waltham-Youth-Lacrosse-103060247927982

Thank you!

Waltham Youth Lacrosse

The Watertown Free Public Library will be hosting immigration lawyers from Greater Boston Legal Services on a monthly basis. They will be providing free and confidential legal consultation for immigrants.

Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 17th | 6-8 PM By appointment

Second Tuesdays of the Month, 6-8 PM By appointment

Register for a free immigration legal consultation with a representative from Greater Boston Legal Services at the Watertown Free Public Library by calling 617-603-1808.

In the event that a student is absent, a parent or caregiver must call the absence hotline at 617-926-7783 before 8:30 a.m. Please state the name, grade, homeroom of the student and the reason for their absence. In the event that the absence is not reported, a Robocall will automatically go out to the student’s home or the place of employment of the parent or caregiver to inform them that the student is absent. Students are responsible for working with their teachers to make up work they missed while absent.

Check out page 26 of the WMS Family Handbook to see all of our attendance procedures in more detail.

We live in New England, and whether we love them or hate them, snow days may be just around the corner. As such, please review the information contained in this section regarding school closure protocols. State law requires 180 days of instruction and also requires that any school closures (“snow days”) be made up before June 30. In the case of inclement weather or school closure for emergency reasons, information about school closures can be found at this link.

• February 1: WMS Vocational Education Night (6:00-7:00pm, WMS Auditorium)
  
• February 2: Bookmobile parked at WMS Main Entrance (3:15-4:30pm)
• February 7: School Site Council meeting (7:00pm, virtual)
  
• February 8: PTO Meeting (7:00pm, virtual)

• February 9: Quarter 2 Report Cards mailed home

• February 10: WMS PTO Trivia Night (Donahue's, 7:00-10:00pm)

• February 16: Diversity Council (7:00pm, virtually)

• February 20-24: February Recess - NO SCHOOL

• March 2: Bookmobile parked at WMS Main Entrance (3:15-4:30pm)

• March 7: School Site Council meeting (7:00pm, virtual)

• March 8: PTO Meeting (7:00pm, virtual)

• Watertown Public Schools Calendar 2022-2023
  

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Website: https://wms.watertown.k12.ma.us/
Location: 68 Waverley Avenue, Watertown, MA, USA
Phone: 617-926-7783