Dear Wayland Middle School Caregivers,

We had many bright sides this week brought by our students, our teachers, and you, our parent and caregiver community.

Thank you to grade 7 staff for their work to create Holiday Helpers. Each 7th grade homeroom created a "gift basket" to donate to a family in need in our community. Included in the basket were home baked goods made by our students who participated in the baking extravaganza on Tuesday after school. These students were beaming as they came into school on Friday, proud of the contribution they had made and the joy they had experienced.

These gift baskets were made possible through the generosity of our 7th grade families and our amazing PTO. In the spirit of giving thanks, thank you to our families for donating the necessary items, thank you to our PTO for sourcing the bins for the collection and helping to get local grocery store donations, and thank you to My Brother's Table and our METCO team for helping to get these beautiful baskets out to our neighbors.

On behalf of all members of our community, I would like to give a gratitude shout out to our Teaching Assistants, the professionals who champion our students every day, providing the support they need to be successful young people and students.

Rebecca, Courtney, and I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving, replete with sumptuous spreads and memorable moments with family and friends. For those traveling, we hope your journeys are safe and smooth. The three of us are filled with a sense of gratitude for all that we have and all that we share in the WMS community, our new “home”.

Deborah

• Wednesday, November 27: Thanksgiving Early Release. School dismisses at 12:20 PM. Grab and Go Lunch available 🦃
• Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29: Thanksgiving Recess - NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday, December 3: MS/Select Chorus at WHS 7:00-8:00
• Wednesday, December 4: SUPER Wednesday Early Release. School dismisses at 12:20 PM. Grab & Go Lunch available
• Thursday, December 12: WMS Choral Concert 7:00 -8:00 PM. 🎤
• Tuesday, December 17: Principal's Parent Coffee 9:15-10:15 AM.
• Tuesday, December 17: WMS Band Concert 7:00 -8:00 PM. 🎺
• Monday, December 23 - Tuesday, December 31: Holiday Break - NO SCHOOL
• Wednesday, January 1: New Year's Day - NO SCHOOL 🥳

We are excited to host The Amazing Nano Brother Juggling Show for our Super Wednesday on December 4th. They are currently in residence at the Museum of Science in Boston. The following is an excerpt from the Nano Brothers Educator Guide:

“The Amazing Nano Brother Juggling Show is a 40-minute live dramatic performance exploring nanoscale science and technology. Using an engaging blend of juggling, drama, and comedy, the show introduces students to the mysteries of matter - including atoms, molecules, nanoscale forces, and scanning probe microscopy."

Save the date!

Please return the entire original package to the photographer on retake day. Write the student’s name and the reason for the retake on the envelope and a new package will be ordered using the retake day photo.

Students who were absent on original picture day and did preorder will have that order fulfilled with the retake day photo.

Students who were absent on original picture day and did not preorder may be photographed as well. Please print a copy of the order form attached below. Please fill out the bottom in its entirety and send with your cash or check payment into school on retake day.

All schools in the Wayland Public School district are focusing on the importance of regular school attendance for students’ academic growth and sense of belonging. To support this important district goal, we ask you to please schedule family vacations and other activities when school is not in session. On the rare occasion that a student is absent due to a trip or extended vacation, please have your student check the online google classroom and complete work as assigned to the best of their ability. Teachers are not required to provide work in advance. If possible, students should try to complete any quizzes or tests before leaving. Otherwise, they should make up any missing work within their first few days of their return to school. Please note that not all of WMS coursework is easily portable and that, as parents, you may have to guide your student through the work.

As we continue to foster BERT, especially belonging, in our community, we ask that party favors, especially clothing based party favors, remain outside of the school setting. When large groups of students all come in on Monday after a function wearing identical t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, etc. which advertise the celebration, it does not feel good and unintentionally sends an uncomfortable message to those who were not on the invite list. If you could ask that your student not wear an item as part of “group wear”, we would appreciate it. Fitting in and finding one’s way through the middle school years can be challenging. We are grateful for any help you can offer in this area as it will reduce in-school, social angst as students navigate the middle school landscape.

The Wayland Middle School PTO's annual holiday gift drive for kids living in residential homes of Wayside Youth & Family Support Network has begun!

Imagine if your child had nothing to open during the holidays…That’s what can happen to some of the tweens and teens living just a few miles away from WMS in one of residential homes of Wayside Youth & Family Support Network. Wayside is a group home for kids between 12 and 18 years old, many of whom will not have contact with any family members during the holiday season. There are about 85 young people who's lives we can positively impact.

How can you help? It's actually easy–the kids in short and long-term residence at Wayside Youth & Family Support Network have compiled an Amazon list of gifts they'd like. You can donate gifts via Wayside’s Amazon registry of items created especially for the Wayland Middle School PTO gift drive. Your selection will ship directly (later to be wrapped by WMS Community Service Clubs). Most gifts range from $25-100, and all are 100% tax deductible.

Please give a gift if you can. Thank you, and happy holidays!

Go to: Gift Drive Amazon Link

*Select "Wayside Campus-Gift Registry c/o Tim Hagen Address" for Shipping

Wayside Youth & Family Support Network is a local organization offering support, housing, and education to children who have experienced abuse, neglect, and trauma.

Learn more about Wayside Youth & Family Support Network.

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

The Community Service Club is hosting a Coats for Kids and Families Drive. We are collecting gently used coats that can be for kids or adults. Donations can be dropped off in a labeled box in the lobby of the middle school. 100% of all donations will go towards making sure local families stay warm this winter. The coats will be cleaned at Anton Cleaners, and then they will be donated to Coats for Kids and Families. Thank you for helping us out!

The coat drive here at the middle school ends November 30, 2024.

Thanks!!

Luann Duesterberg and Chitra Prasad

Registration is open for basketball! WMS Girls and Boys Basketball is open to 7th and 8th graders. Basketball players should be prepared to commit to practices/games Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays beginning in early December through the week before February vacation.

Coach Hip and Coach Pinzone will be holding informational meetings in the coming weeks and will provide additional information regarding tryout dates, schedules etc. Interested student athletes must be registered via ArbiterSports (formerly FamilyID) and must have a current physical on file with the nurse in order to participate in tryouts. Registration will close on December 6, 2024.

The cost of Middle School athletic programs is $125 with payment due upon the completion of tryouts. For additional information, please reach out to the appropriate coach.

🏀 Boys Basketball: Thomas Pinzone - thomas_pinzone@waylandps.org

🧺 Girls Basketball: Hip Rivera - hipolito_rivera@waylandps.org

Artists: Georgia Cinti

Grade: 8

Medium: Mixed Media

Thank You to everyone who has donated to the middle school PTO this fall! With your support we are at 91.7% of our goal! We will very soon be issuing our grants for this year. If you have not yet donated to Gift Your Child, please help us reach our fundraising goal - we are so close, with less than $2K to go!

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!

We're in need of bakers/volunteers! Please sign-up here to bring 2 dozen cookies (homemade or store-bought) or beverages to support our holiday cookie staff appreciation event on Monday, Dec 9. We're also looking for a few volunteers willing to pop into the middle school 1-2x during the year to help set-up or clean-up a staff appreciation event, please email Heather at hwgrimmett@gmail.com to learn more or volunteer. Thank you!

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!

Communications/Social Media PTO Chair

We are looking for someone that can create engaging content for the WMS Facebook Group and future Instagram account. The PTO uses canva.com to create fun videos, social media posts and more.

Other opportunities to volunteer

To see some of the descriptions, click on the volunteer opportunities below.

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