Whittier Wire

It is great to have students back! We hope your child had a positive experience at school during the first few days. The start of middle school brings all kinds of emotions with it for both our new students and those returning.

Teachers and staff crafted plans to bring students into the building with activities intended to make connections and help students feel comfortable and supported. Students learned about expectations, practiced schedules, met new people, played some games, and started their new classes.

Not everything went as planned. It was a tough week for staff, as several of us were out sick. We were grateful to have substitute teachers available and appreciated the cooperation of our students in supporting the guest teachers. If you are interested in substitute teaching, we would love to get you on the list. Please consider completing the application.

We opened the year with 144 8th graders and 129 7th graders. Our total student population is down slightly from last year. The 8th grade class continues to be one of the largest classes that RSU 16 has ever seen.

Week 2 will bring a number of new opportunities for students, including the start of some of our fall sports, chorus, and band. A big part of middle school is students learning about themselves through experiences and activities. They learn how to manage time, set priorities, and communicate effectively.

We look forward to being part of the middle school experience with you and your child. Let's work together and make this a great year!

Students will take three head-and-shoulders photos, those poses will be shared online for parents to enjoy about a week after portrait day. Each student will take home a half-sheet of paper with a unique QR code and the link to the gallery.

No price sheets will be sent home ahead of time, so there will be no fussing with collecting forms, etc.

After the gallery of smiles goes live, PortraitEFX will deliver “proof sheets” to the school to pass out to parents, as a reminder to find portraits online. Those proof sheets will provide parents with a way to order manually, if they don’t wish to use the computer/smart phone to order.

Send your students with their best smiles on Wednesday!

In recent years, some students have depended on teachers and staff to provide snacks. This is not possible this year. We continue to offer free universal breakfast and lunch, but students should plan ahead and bring a healthy snack with them. Thank you for your help.

We started Cross Country practice on Thursday. We have 6 kids currently signed up and would love to have more. Our soccer numbers are excellent for both boys and girls. We will field two teams each for boys and girls that are based on grade level. It looks like there will be one combined field hockey team unless we have more sign ups. If your child wishes to sign up for field hockey or cross country, there is room!

Our high school and middle school share an r-schooltoday site to post schedules:

https://prhsathletics.rschoolteams.com/ If you scroll down the page, there are also additional links including the FamilyID link to sign up. Practice for soccer begins Tuesday and will run from 2:30-4:00, while field hockey will be from 3:30-5:00. All athletes must have a doctor's note or wellness check on file to participate. It should contain the date of the visit and is good for 2 years from the date of the visit.

There will be a Parent/Coach/Player meeting at 5:15 on Wednesday, September 7 in the auditorium. We will talk about expectations for ms athletics. I hope to see you there.

On Tuesday, September 6th, students will be learning about the music class offerings at Whittier. Band and Chorus are optional classes and take place in the middle of the school day. The schedule will be explained to the students in their information meetings. Students can either choose one ensemble to join or they have the option of joining both Band and Chorus, and we have arranged a schedule that supports singing and playing an instrument. We certainly encourage this for students who are interested! Music classes will start on Monday, September 12th.

What is Band?

Band class, also known as Concert Band, typically comprises students who play wind instruments (like flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, baritone, and tuba) and percussion instruments (like drums, xylophone, vibraphone, etc.). Students learn how to read sheet music, balance their part in an ensemble, and even get to do a bit of improvisational playing from time to time!

What is Chorus?

Chorus is a class for students who enjoy singing. All students are welcome, and all voice parts (and types!) are welcome. We typically sing a wide range of music, including classical, popular, traditional, and multicultural styles. Students will have the chance to learn how to read music, develop healthy vocal production, and will definitely be learning a few new languages through their music.

What are the expectations of Band and Chorus at WMS?

Students will be graded for their participation in rehearsals which happen on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. They will also be graded for their attendance and participation at three concerts throughout the year. Students do not need to have prior experience in order to join Chorus or Band, though it may be helpful for Band students.

Want more information about these classes? You can view our Whittier Band/Chorus Handbook here! We hope to see your student in our ensembles and can't wait to make music with them!

Mrs. Edwards, Chorus teacher & Mr. Williams, Band teacher

jedwards@rsu16.org lwilliams@rsu16.org

We need your vote! Each vote you, your friends, and your family cast is a vote closer to Whittier Middle School winning a WinterKids grant. It's super easy. Vote here!

The rest of the story:

We would like to purchase 25-30 sets of snowshoes to get students outside and active during the winter months.

Ten years ago, we saw a need to get our students more active. At the time, we only offered physical education to the students once each week. As Whittier Middle School educators, we believe and can see that students are at their best when they have a chance to be active. Building movement into the school day has a positive impact on students’ confidence, focus, preparedness to learn, and performance. We needed to develop a program to provide more opportunity for our students.

In the fall of 2012, we created a full-school running program to get students outside and moving. Twice each week, teachers and staff took the students to the track and provided a program for them to follow. Some ran, others walked, but everyone moved. In addition to the benefits of exercise, the program also helped develop the community within the school, strengthened relationships amongst students and between students and teachers.

The Whittier Run Program has changed over time as we have navigated new schedules, but exercise and activity continue to be priorities, and we are proud to continue to offer our free community 5K event each fall. The Tri-Town Family 5K was created to culminate our first run program in the fall of 2012. Originally named the Whittier Family 5K, the first race was a great success with 236 people finishing the run/walk event. Over the last ten years, approximately 2,500 people have crossed the finish line.

Last year, we were able to finally add our physical education teacher full-time. Students' physical education time increased by 37%, and we continue to seek ways to grow student movement and activity.

Grant money for snowshoes would provide our physical education teacher, health teacher, and advisories great opportunity to explore the fields and acres around our school throughout the winter. This has been something we have talked about for years but have never found a way to bring into the budget.

There are great things happening at Bruce M. Whittier Middle School and your support with this effort will keep that positive momentum going!

"What Did You Read This Summer?" Challenge!

To welcome all students back and get the school year rolling, the library is hosting a "What Did You Read This Summer?" raffle! Stop by the library to say hello and fill out a flip flop with your name and the name of a book that you read this summer. We will display the flip flops on our bulletin board right outside the library. At the end of September, all flip flops will be put into a raffle drawing for a cool prize!

Email: svincent@rsu16.org
Website: https://www.rsu16.org/bwms
Location: 1457 Maine Street, Poland, ME, USA
Phone: (207) 998-3462
Facebook: facebook.com/WhittierMidknights