Hello Rustler Families!

Thank you to those of you who were able to attend our student led conferences. We had a spectacular turn out and were able to maximize our time with so many students and families.

Congratulations to our one and only Ms. Kristen Brook for being awarded with "One Class at a Time". She received a $500 donation towards her classroom as well as a gift card to City Brew. The Rustlers are so proud of you!

Sports:

• Monday, October 7th: Football A team HOME vs. Ben Steele- 5 pm
• Monday, October 7th: Softball B team AWAY vs. Lewis and Clark
• Tuesday, October 8th: Football B team AWAY vs. Riverside
• Thursday, October 10th: Cross Country Meet @ Amend Park-11:00 am
• Thursday, October 10th: Softball A team AWAY vs. Ben Steele
• Thursday, October 10th: Softball B team HOME vs. Ben Steele- 5 pm

Clubs:

Mondays:

• Yearbook Club 3:15-4:00 pm in Room 116 with Ms. Kailey- Beginning October 7th

Tuesdays:

• Swing Choir 7:00-8:00 am in room 121 with Mr. Hammond- Beginning October 1st
• Studio Strings 7:10-8:00 am in Room 128 with Ms. Jeppesen
• reACT Club 7:40-8:00 am in Room 129 with Ms. Heinert
• Math Club 3:15-4:00 pm in Room 131 with Ms. Kugler
• Drama Club 3:15-4:00 pm in room 132 with Ms. Heier

Wednesdays:

• Student Council (Every other Wednesday) 7:30-8:00 am in Room 110 with Ms. Curnow- Beginning October 2nd

Thursdays:

• Jazz Band (7-8 grade only) 7:00-7:55 am in Room 122 with Ms. Grummett
• All Nations Club- lunch time in Room 120 with Ms. GoodLuck
• Equity Club- 3:15 pm in Room 112
  

Have you signed up for ParentSquare?

• ParentSquare pulls information from PowerSchool, so make sure their email and phone number are correct in PowerSchool.
• Follow this 'Getting Started Guide.'
• There are more resources available here, including a 'Getting Started Guide' in Spanish and short videos.

We want to hear about your experience with your student’s education. We invite you to participate in completing the School Climate Survey. This survey includes questions about your student’s learning, school safety, and interpersonal relationships, as well as your attitudes about the institutional environment and your personal involvement in school. Your responses will be very helpful in improving student relationships, learning conditions, and the overall school environment.

Beginning today, October 4th, we invite all parents, guardians and caretakers to complete this survey for our school. The survey is completely anonymous and brief; it contains 21 questions and takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. You can take the survey online by using the following unique school link or QR code: https://forms.gle/T85X3a9svwBB1gvo6

Please submit your responses by October 31st. All your responses are completely anonymous. We have no way to connect you to your answers, and results will only be reported as group responses. There are no right or wrong answers. We just want to know about your personal experiences.

As you respond to each item, think about your own personal experiences as a parent, caregiver or guardian at your student’s school. Please answer all of the questions, or your answers won’t be recorded, but you can mark “I prefer not to answer” if you don’t want to answer a question about you.

We hope you will take the time to provide us with this valuable information. Feel free to call our office at (406)-281-6100 if you have any questions. Each school’s total survey results will be used to inform and develop appropriate strategies, procedures, and/or programs to enhance our school climate.

The link to complete the survey is https://forms.gle/T85X3a9svwBB1gvo6

Thank you for your time and participation!

If you have been with Will James for some time, you know that our location for dropping off or picking up students from the building is less than ideal, especially during the busier times of the day (before school and after school). For the 2023-2024 school year, we will be implementing a new system as seen below on the map. Please read through the bulleted points to help familiarize yourself with the new procedure.

• Transportation will follow arrow route to the section titled “Student Drop off/pick up”.
• Students must wait in car until their vehicle reaches a drop off point.
• Student exits onto sidewalk and enters the “Student Holding Zone”
• If a student bikes, walks or uses MET bus for transportation to school, they need to use the sidewalk along the building to meet others in the back by Exit 10.
• Students may enter the cafeteria to eat breakfast as early as 7:40 am.
• Bussing and visitor parking is located at the main entrance.
• In the event of inclement weather, all students will be let into the building after 7:40 am.
• Avoid parking and waiting to drop your child off in the pull through line. This causes vehicles to back up, not allowing other students to be dropped off appropriately.
• Avoid cutting across the parking lot to prevent accidents with pedestrians and other vehicles.
• For additional parking, you may use Belvedere, Lewis Avenue, 30th Street, Meadow View, or the LDS parking lot.
• Encourage your student to use necessary cross walks on busy streets and be mindful of all traffic. We ask the cooperation of students and parents so that problems can be avoided.
• It is important to communicate with your student where they will be picked up at the end of the day.
• At the end of the day, students need to use the main entrance to exit.

Please take a moment to review our student handbook found below.

Sometimes, as a parent or legal guardian, you may feel like your student is struggling to achieve academically or behaviorally at school. Your first step is to have your child work with the teacher to solve an issue they may have in that class (i.e.- missing assignment, missed test, etc). If unsuccessful, you may contact your student's teacher(s) to seek ways in which you may collaborate to help your student succeed. If the academic or behavior need is more significant, students are identified by the staff at Will James Middle School and interventions are provided to support progress towards expected outcomes through a systematic approach known as the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). However, there are rare instances when you, as a concerned parent or legal guardian, need to partner with the administration and MTSS team. If this is you, please continue reading to find out what you can do to request additional assistance for your student to achieve academic and/or behavioral success. Please access this link to complete a brief survey about your student: https://forms.gle/JZVyjp3STLNbR2mr7.

Take a look at the newsletter and access the 2024-2025 school calendar that will be mailed out to families below:

Hey, WILL JAMES MIDDLE SCHOOL fan!

• Check us out on social to learn more. Go WILL JAMES MIDDLE SCHOOL! Use the link below to order your gear:

http://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/montana/billings/will-james-middle-school

Navigating the early adolescence years can be challenging. Please find some useful resources below:

• Middle School Survival Guide
• Helping Your Child through Early Adolescence
• Child Mind Institute
• 2.1.1 Montana

Becky Carlson~ Principal

Will Neuman~ Associate Principal

Email: carlsonbl@billingsschools.org

Vision: Inspiring Minds, Shaping Futures, Branding Excellence
Website: https://www.billingsschools.org/our-schools/middle-schools/will-james
Location: 1200 30th Street West, Billings, MT, USA
Phone: (406) 281-6100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Will-James-Middle-School-134213373974612/