WBMSHS Principal Update to Families

I hope this newsletter finds you well. Please take some time to read it and learn about all the great things happening at the MSHS and the community. I hope it can provide you with some important information and give you a glimpse into what we are doing throughout the school year.

As always please feel free to reach out to us at anytime with any questions or concerns.

Have a great weekend.

Mrs. Page

High School Dates

Grade 10

March 26, 2024 - ELA Session I

March 27, 2024 - ELA Session II

May 21, 2024 - Math Session I

Mary 22, 2024 - Math Session II

Grade 9

June 4, 2024 - STE Session I

June 5, 2024 - STE Session II

Middle School Dates

March 27, 2024 - Grade 7 & 8 ELA Session I

March 28, 2024 - Grade 7 & 8 ELA Session II

May 1, 2024 - Grade 7 & 8 Math Session I

May 2, 2024 - Grade 7 & 8 Math Session II

May 15, 2024 - Grade 8 Science

Schools receiving the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have achieved either 50% or higher female exam taker representation in one of or both AP computer science courses, or a percentage of female computer science exam takers that meets or exceeds that of the school’s female population.

1,127 schools are being recognized for their work toward equal gender representation in 2023.

• 834 schools received the award in AP Computer Science Principles.
• 225 schools received the award in AP Computer Science A.
• 68 schools received the award in both AP computer science courses.

These institutions represent a broad range of high schools from across the country and around the world. They include private, public, and charter schools, large and small student bodies, rural and urban populations, and specialized high schools, along with generalized programs.

Mr. Despier and the Social Studies department would like to congratulate the winners and the honorable mentions of The Seventh Grade National History Day. ALL seventh grade students did a great job and each and every student should be proud of the work they produced! A special thank you to all of the seventh grade parents/guardians for being so flexible and providing transportation for the next round of competition!

Winners:

• Ellis Island: group exhibit by Charlotte Farrell-Fren, Hannah Dragonetti, and Abbigail Rudolph!

• The Railroad: group documentary by Tristan Hambly, Arran Hambly, and Christopher Jones!

Honorable Mentions:

• Jamestown: group exhibit by Abby Besarick, Ella Holland, Shayla Howard, Nora Schroeder, and Kylie Torrey
• Pilgrims in America: group exhibit by Myles Mussari, Matthew Navin, and Sam Schneeweis

The week of February 12, 2024, we will be holding class meetings with students in grades 8-11 to discuss the course selection process for the 2025 school year. Grade 7 students will be given a Google form later in the month to select their choice of a world language. Coordinators, counselors and administration will review the Program of Studies and the pathways of each department. This will be a great opportunity for students to ask questions and get clarification on the process. Mrs. Page will be emailing instructions to families via Aspen.

Coed Flag Football Registration is now Open through 3/1.

Sign up today on our New Crossbar Website: https://www.wbwildcats.com.app.crossbar.org/

Games will be played on Sunday's starting 4/21. We are always looking for volunteers to help with coaching, please let us know if you are able to help - Wbwildcatsflag@gmail.com

Project Contemporary Competitiveness Advanced Studies Program, (PCC), is an overnight summer camp, which affords students the opportunity to take unique classes in a four week experience.

Informational nights will be held at Stonehill College on January 10th & 29th at 7:00pm. These nights are a great opportunity to come to the campus and check out a presentation on what PCC is all about. There will be a slideshow and an opportunity for parents/guardians to ask any questions.

Interested students and families can choose which night that works best for them!

If you have any questions please contact the guidance office.

• Juniors who plan on attending college, there will be a field trip on May 2, 2024 to the National College Fair in Boston. Registration is required so please see your guidance counselor for more details. Transportation will be provided but the cost will be determined later.

  
  

• The School Adjustment Counselors will be going into the 7th grade homerooms for the next 5 weeks teaching deep breathing techniques.
  

• All seniors should be prepared to pay $100 by the end of term three. This amount covers the cost of the yearbook, graduation cap/gown and stole. Money may be paid in cash, check or online. Any student/family who has a financial hardship should contact the main office.
• Seniors are STRONGLY encouraged to check the Google Classroom for the 2024 Scholarships and/or come to guidance to browse through the material. Please do not miss out on these opportunities. Also, remember to share your acceptance letters with your counselor.
• The Senior Ball will be held on Friday, March 22 2024 at LeBaron Hills Country Club. The cost for seniors is $55 and the cost for a guest is $65. Payments may be made in the form of cash, check or on-line. All payments are due by February 26, 2024.

Class of 2024 Yearbook Personal Ads- Family and Friends can purchase yearbook ads for the Class of 2024 students online using the following link: https://yearbookforever.com/schools/west_bridgewater_juniorsenior_high_school_buy_yearbook_2740/PRSR6aloTFvrkFYYUL7d87g2 The cost to purchase an ad is $185 for a full page, $135 for ½ of a page, $85 for ¼ of a page and $50 for ⅛ (business card size) of a page. Please contact sdelorenzo@wbridgewater.com or edesimone@wbridgewater.com with any questions. The deadline for ads is Friday, February 16, 2024.

Business Ads Class of 2024 Yearbook- Business ads are now for sale using the following link: https://yearbookforever.com/schools/west_bridgewater_juniorsenior_high_school_buy_yearbook_2740/PRSR6aloTFvrkFYYUL7d87g2 . The cost to purchase business ads are $225 for a full page, $165 for a ½ page, $100 for ¼ page and $60 for ⅛ of a page. Please contact sdelorenzo@wbridgewater.com or edesimone@wbridgewater.com with any questions. The deadline for ads is Friday, February 16, 2024.

Students grades 7-11 can order yearbooks online at: https://yearbookforever.com/schools/west_bridgewater_juniorsenior_high_school_buy_yearbook_2740/PRSR6aloTFvrkFYYUL7d87g2 . The cost is $65/book. Yearbooks can be picked up in the Main Office starting on June 3, 2024. SENIORS DO NOT NEED TO ORDER A YEARBOOK. All Senior yearbooks are pre-ordered by the yearbook advisors at the start of each school year. Please contact sdelorenzo@wbridgewater.com or edesimone@wbridgewater.com with any questions.

The Climber yearbook needs sports photos and candid photos. Please go to https://yearbookforever.com/schools/west_bridgewater_juniorsenior_high_school_buy_yearbook_2740/PRSR6aloTFvrkFYYUL7d87g2 and click on the yearbook snap tab to upload any photos you want to contribute to the 2024 yearbook. Photos can also be emailed to sdelorenzo@wbridgewater.com. Thank you!

Mrs. Warnock has begun a new club in WB named “Living with the Land”. Students in the club have been hard at work putting together growing equipment, and germinating our very first seeds to grow edible plants inside our classroom. We currently have several species of edible plants growing, among them lavender, chives, basil, and pinto beans. Our goal is to have a small harvest of edible plants to give to our cafeteria staff to use in a dish for our student body.

Students in Ms. Brennan's class collaborated with their peers to deign a paper airplane that would fly the furthest distance.

Middle school students had a lot of fun at the annual Midnight Madness. All students were amazing and made the night enjoyable for all. Thank you to all the staff and parent/guardian volunteers.

Students in Mrs. Massa’s art classes started their “Gingerbread Architecture” project. Art students work in groups to build a recognizable building out of food. Students researched well known real and fictional buildings to figure out their design plan. Popular buildings this year include the Krusty Krab, the Home Alone house, the Tilted Tower from Fortnite, Rapunzel's Tower, and Cinderella’s castle to name a few. Students are challenged to build to a certain height, have it be free standing, and include recognizable details. Pictured are CP1 students working on their designs.

Click the button below to watch the elephant toothpaste experiment in Mr. Pike's class.

Students in Señora Oliveira’s Spanish V class had a great debate in the target language to close out their unit on health and wellbeing before break. After studying traditional food and diets in Spanish speaking countries and comparing them to habits here in the US, students had to argue from the perspectives of fast food restaurant owners and the average consumer to decide whether or not these companies could face legal repercussions for their lack of healthy options. All students did a great job of using their language skills to represent their respective side and really showed their proficiency in the debate. Job well done!

Ms. Kotsovolos’ first year Spanish students started the year off on the right foot! Students were instructed to decide on a goal or a resolution for themselves either in their academic, athletic, or personal lifes and get creative in their displays. All artwork was hung up as a reminder to students to always be working toward their goals, whether in Spanish class or outside the classroom.

Grade 8 students attended the Kennedy Institute on January 23, 2024. Students worked hard and represented West Bridgewater with amazing behavior and participation. Staff and students would like to thank the Howard Trustees for awarding money to help offset most of the transportation fees.

Students were immersed in a Senate Simulation on Climate Change. Ultimately, we did not pass the legislation we created but we worked together, debated and lived the life of a senator! The students should be commended for their effort. It was amazing to see them show their knowledge and skills at such a great place! Thank you to the teacher chaperones and the employees at the institute for assisting in an unforgettable educational day!

Students in Ms. Brogna's A&P class worked on their brain silhouette project where they had to create a 3-D model of the brain. Students had to flag their structures using toothpicks and labels.

Thank you to Kathy Turner, from Kisses from Kyss, for bring Kyss the dog to visit our classrooms. The students loved Kyss and she made their day!

High School Video Production students invited Mr. Despier’s 7th grade social studies class to the program’s annual game show production, Are You Smarter Than A Seventh Grader? Host Elijah Popotte welcomed senior contestant Ava Xayavong to compete against the select 7th graders! The studio production is the final project in Video I and students worked on it for several weeks. The contestants played on the show to evaluate how all the planning worked out. It was a success and the 7th graders won!

Mr. Ennis and the Photo Club got to use some DSLR cameras and play with light and shadows. Students staged items and then used flashlights and homemade reflectors to see how light and shadows can enhance a photograph. Students got to learn a bit about how DSLR cameras work and had fun composing their photos.

Students in Ms. Kotsovolos' class completed a “carousel activity”. Students walked around the room independently practicing numbers 31-1,000,000. They completed a WebQuest activity with fun facts about Spanish speaking countries using dates and numbers in the millions! They have come so far since the beginning of the year in Spanish 1 and there's much more learning of the language to come! Ms. K is so proud!

Students in middle school on Monday joined in the auditorium for some winter fun for our December powerblock challenge. We wrapped gifts, unwrapped gifts with oven mitts on, we made snowmen on paper plates and played an intense game of name that tune! A good competition for all! What a great way to start the week before break! Good job to all students who won!

Students in Model UN attended the St John’s Prep meet on Saturday December 9, 2023 where they engaged in debate, problem solving and research. West Bridgewater had three students on Darfur's Happiness committee and two students on The Protocols for The Use Of Outer Space. The keynote speaker was Harvard Professor and author Bob Bordone who presented on conflict techniques and resiliency. This was an excellent educational opportunity on many levels. Our next MUN meet is at Medfield High School taking place on February 3, 2023.

The WB Garden Club has been making progress in our new conservatory. We repurposed an old wooden ladder, affixed some drawers, added soil, and created an herb garden! Over the past few weeks we have started some seedlings, which will hopefully be ready for spring. Since we are a new club, there are a lot of things that need to be purchased, so stay tuned for a garden club fundraiser which will be in the works soon!

Before the break, Mr. Ennis’ American Legal Class got some first hand experience from SRO Pope about traffic stops. Officer Pope showed students all the electronics, first aid and other equipment that officers carry in their vehicles. He then “pulled over” a student’s car and walked through what officers do and why they do it. He even had students take the place of an officer to get an idea of what they can, and cannot see when they approach a car. Students had great questions and as always, Officer Pope had informative answers and was able to relate class topics to real life experiences as a law enforcement officer. Despite the cold weather, it was a great and educational experience. Thank you Officer Pope!

On this episode of CSI West Bridgewater , SRO Pope stopped by the Biotechnology/Forensics class today to assist the student sleuths during their investigation of a mock "crime scene." Students were tasked with identifying, collecting and preserving evidence, mapping the scene, and working together to solve the case.

Students in Mrs. Warnock’s Biology class recently completed a unit studying how water and solutes move through cell membranes. To mimic the movement of water through a membrane, students designed and performed a lab experiment exposing gummy bears to different solutions. They were so surprised to see their gummy bears grow and shrink in response to the solutions they were placed in. It was a great way to wrap up our unit on cellular transport.

Grade 8 students will be going on a field trip to the Kennedy Institute in Boston on January 23rd. We applied for a lottery to get free admission and got in! We also were awarded a grant from the Howard Trustees in town who helped pay for some of our transportation costs. This trip cost $6 dollars per student. This is a great opportunity for our 8th graders to simulate the US senate with all they have learned! Students will be working in both Ms. Martin’s Civics classes and Ms. Blye’s science classes to prepare for the simulation as the topic on the senate floor will be climate policy in the United States. This will allow for cross curricular collaboration for civics on how the legislative branch works and for science in regards to climate. What a great opportunity for real world learning that we hope all students will attend. Permission slips are due Jan. 12th to powerblock teachers. Any questions, please reach out to the middle school advisors, Ms. Martin or Ms. Romano

A fun and easy way to practice deep breathing is to pretend you are breathing in the scent of a beautiful flower on the in-breath and then on the out-breath imagine you are blowing out the candles on a birthday cake or if you are a frosting lover, pretend you are breathing in the sweet smell of frosting on the in-breath and on the out-breath imagine you are blowing out the candles on your cake.

To receive the most benefits from these deep breathing strategies remember to breathe out all the air in your lungs on the out-breath. These two strategies include a visualization which elicits good feelings and connects deep breathing to something pleasant. If you want to really practice deep breathing and become comfortable with this relaxation strategy try teaching it to someone else!

Check out our Winter Sports scores, highlights and posts below. As always make sure to check out our coaches X (Twitter) as well as @WBMSHSAthletics for updates on the schedule and highlights from games and matches. Make sure to check out the link for Spring Sport Sign-Ups. The link is open and ready for student athletes to register! Make sure you have an up to date physical on file with Emma, our Athletic Trainer,

Check out the Power Rankings for our Winter Teams!

Updated Winter 2024 Power Rankings are now available, based on scores entered into Arbiter as of 4 a.m. today (1/30).

Boys Basketball

Girls Basketball

Boys Hockey

Girls Hockey

Are you a high school sophomore wanting to compete in College Sports? Don't delay your initial eligibility.

Indoor Track and Field - It was an exciting day for boys and girls winter track on Sunday, watching Kenly Laime, Ella Dunbury, Aly Bassett, Sam Salter, Ryan Nunes, Dustin Panos and Sean Hancock compete at the Coaches Invitational at the Reggie Lewis Center. The Coaches meet has tough competition. Our athletes fought hard and we came away with a personal best for Ella Dunbury in the mile with a time of 5:14.86, 3 medals. Ella Dunbury finished 4th in mile, 3rd in 2 mile, and Aly Bassett 4th in 55 hurdles. Kenly Laime cleared 5’10 in high jump and threw 38’8.25” in the shot put. Dustin Panos filled in at the last minute in long jump and Dustin Panos, Sam Salter, Ryan Nunes and Sean Hancock ran a strong 4 x 200 m race. It is a joy to watch our hard working and dedicated athletes!!! Keep up the good work!

Gymnastics - The Co-op team of Bridgewater-Raynham and West Bridgewater defeated the Co-op team of Cohasset/Norwell at home on Tuesday 1/23. BR/WB scored a 142.85 to Co/No's 129.3. Freshman Natalia Flores tied her career high on Vault with 9.45 for the win. Freshman Lindsay Woodbury was second with a 9.35 and Senior Captain Lexi Fabrizio was third with a season high 9.1. On Bars Sophomore Lily Moreira won with a 9.1. Senior Captain Brianna Buckley was second with a 8.7 and Junior Cecilia Meoli was third with a 8.5. On Beam Moreira won with a career high 9.45, Meoli was second with a 9.3. On Floor, Meoli won with a 9.1 Moreira was second with a 8.9 and Junior Grace LaRose was third with 8.8. BR/WB will have their final regular season meet at home on Monday 2/5 against Carver/Middleboro at 8pm.

Boys Basketball - The Varsity Boys Basketball team lost to Seekonk in a tough game 62-55. They battled back after being down 13 to tie the game up in the first half. The team did a great job creating open looks on offense and increasing their defensive energy as the game went on. They look to bounce back against a talented Bourne Team.

The JV Basketball team lost to Seekonk in a close game 42-56. It was an exciting back and forth game for the team. They look to rebound positively against Bourne.

The freshman boys basketball team continues to be on fire as they remain unbeaten. The team picked up great road wins at Somerset Berkley and Seekonk high school. Phenomenal defensive pressure, aggressive rebounding, great passing and ball control have been the keys to their success. The freshman team is back in action on Tuesday February 6th at 3:30 at WB against Dighton Rehoboth.

Middle School Boys Basketball -After starting off on another strong season at three and one we have suffered some big losses but hope to finish above 500. We have a very young team and the loss of our two captains to the freshman team has hurt us. We are looking forward to finishing the season strong!!

Girls Basketball - WB varsity girls basketball defeated Cardinal Spellman 42-35. Jenella Jacobs had a game high 17 points, Mia Harrington had 11, and MacKenzie Ryan added 6 for the Wildcats! The JV Girls Basketball team picked up a win at home against Cardinal Spellman 24-13. Great defensive performance for the Wildcats! Great to see the team continue to succeed. They have put forth great effort when it comes to their games. Way to Go WB!!

Girls MS Basketball - The girls middle school basketball team has been having a tough season but a lot of fun. The girls work hard every day and all of them have made noticeable progress. We have some girls who started with little to no experience and girls who play almost all year round, but they all play with respect for each other and the teams we face. They are continuing to learn how to implement feedback and stay consistent in their skills but overall have been a great group of girls. The season has only two games left, both on the road where the girls will get to show off their talents to wrap up the season.

Girls Ice Hockey - The WEB Girls Ice Hockey team battled hard against Leominister but came up short losing 3-2. Caitlin Kelly and Mackenzie Whitman scored goals. The goals for WEB were assisted by Mackenzie Whitman and Kate Carabin. Congratulations to the player of the game Grace Ogilvie.

Boy’s Ice Hockey - The WEB Boys Hockey team lost on Saturday night 4-2 to Middleboro!! Once again Brayden Bates was the star making 52 saves!! Goals were scored by Christian Bates and Daniel Vaughn. Assists by Christian Bates, Tyler Henderson, Matt Whitaker, and Kaleb Silva. They will take on Norwell next at the Bridgewater Ice Arena.

Congratulations to Kaleb Silva and Christian Bates as they celebrated their Senior Night when the Hockey team took on Cohasset/Hull. Good luck going forward!

Cheer Team - A huge shoutout to our Cheer team for all their support and energy during the games! Well done! The team is preparing for their Tri-Valley League Tournament which will happen on February 24th at Bellingham at 1:00! Good Luck!

Other Athletic News:

Congrats to WB Football Wildcat Alumni Sean Carter, who just signed to play football for Franklin Pierce!! We wish him the best of luck!!

WB Athletics has partnered up with NOSOLO again!!

Thank you to all those that came out to watch the Varsity Girls Basketball team take on Cardinal Spellman Monday, January 29th at 5:00PM in support of mental health!!

WB Athletics partners up with NOSOLO!
NOBODY GOES SOLO. NOSOLO

Monday, January 29thth @ WBMSHS Gym

Support Mental Health

WB Girls Basketball vs Cardinal Spellman 5:00PM!!

We sold NOSOLO Apparel with the WB Logo and $10.00 of each sale went towards helping to defray the cost for another guest speaker to discuss Drug Prevention and Mental Health Awareness. Congratulations to Colin Maher, Thomas Stapleton and Lamar Valentina all made half court shots and Colin Maher won the contest in support of No Solo! Thank you for the support and Congratulations!

**WB-CAM:

A big thank you to the WB-CAM for live streaming our athletic events! They do an amazing job! Please follow them on Twitter to find out which athletic events are being live streamed. Let's Go Wildcats!

Twitter: @WBCAM0998

Universal free school meals - Both Breakfast (mid-morning snack)and Lunch are permanently Free! We hope your student dines with us!

Menus - Click on WB Food Services to find February's menus. Locally grown apples from CN Smith Farm are still being served each week.

Cafeteria Taste Testing- We are bringing back taste testing! We tasted a chicken bacon ranch pizza last week with the Middle School and it will appear on the menu on 2/2. On February 8th we will give out samples of a whole grain veggie fried rice that will be offered for lunch on February 12th as we recognize Chinese New Year.

Food Assistance- Project Bread Food Source Hotline , West Bridgewater Food Pantry.

New Hire!- We'd like to welcome Steve Bonasera as our new cook! Steve has several years of experience as a corporate chef and we are excited to have him join our team as we strive to increase the amount of scratch cooking offered to students.

Position available- Great at social media and interested in food photography? There is a stipend available for an individual to promote our School Nutrition program on social media. Hours are very flexible and variable but the applicant will need to be available during the day.

Questions, concerns, suggestions? Contact Ann Marie Grinder, Food Service Director at agrinder@wbridgewater.com or (508)894-1220.