WMS Weekly Newsletter

Dear Wayland Middle School Caregivers,

We hope that you all enjoyed your long weekend and the snow Monday. Please keep warm these next couple days and remember to send your children to school with the appropriate winter gear, including gloves and a jacket.

Take Care,

WMS Faculty and Staff

• Wednesday, January 22: 6th Grade Ski Trip - Henry Cluster - RESCHEDULED (see below)

• Thursday, January 23: 6th Grade Ski Trip - Thoreau Cluster - RESCHEDULED (see below)

• Thursday, January 23 or Friday, January 24: Lunar New Year parade during lunch for each grade level on one of these days.

• Wednesday, January 29: Lunar New Year - NO SCHOOL

• Wednesday, February 5: 6th Grade Ski Trip - Henry Cluster

• Thursday, February 6: 6th Grade Ski Trip - Thoreau Cluster

• Thursday, February 6: WMS Winter Musical at 7:00 PM (see below)

• Friday, February 7: WMS Winter Musical at 7:00 PM (see below)

• Monday, February 17: President's Day - NO SCHOOL

• Tuesday, February 18 - Friday, February 21: February Break - NO SCHOOL

• Thursday, February 27: WMS Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

We are thrilled to share that Peer Mediation will now be offered as part of our school’s response to student conflict. Peer mediation is a conflict resolution process where trained students help their peers resolve disputes in a constructive way. It promotes communication, understanding, and problem-solving, allowing both parties to reach a mutually agreeable solution.

There are currently twenty-four trained Wayland High School (WHS) peer mediators. Their preparation began with three full-days of training which focused on the skills needed in a facilitative mediation model such as active listening and reframing. Mediators fully understand that neutrality and confidentiality are critical in their roles and are only involved in mediations in which there is no conflict of interest. WHS peer mediators hone their skills through authentic mediation sessions as well as weekly practice mediations facilitated by the WHS assistant principal. In every mediation, there are two student mediators and one trained adult in the room to support the mediators.

Referrals for peer mediation will only be made by WMS counselors or WMS administrators to ensure that referrals are appropriate for peer mediation. Given past experience at the high school, referrals for peer mediation will primarily be in cases of social conflicts between students.

Thanks to the collaboration of WMS counselors, administrators, WHS Assistant Principal Sean Gass, WMS PTO board members, WHS peer mediators, WMS will now benefit from the peer mediation program at WHS.

Please be sure that your HAC account is working properly. If you need assistance, please contact our main office at 508-358-3801. Grades will close on Friday, January 24. Caregivers will be able to view grades in HAC on Monday, February 3.

While you are checking your HAC account, it is also a great opportunity to be sure that your contact information, especially email, is correct in Eschool. Correct information in Eschool is particularly important for caregivers of 8th grade students as you will receive information directly from the high school using the contact information.

The School Committee has requested that we as a district examine our current policies/practices related to cell phones (and other student devices) and make recommendations that will support both the academic and emotional lives of our students.

As such, the district has created a district Cell Phone Working Group. This group includes School Committee members, School Council members at both the middle and high schools, representatives from our elementary school community, and district leaders.

The Cell Phone Working Group met for the first time on Monday, January 6th. The first task of the group is to assess how current practices are working this year. Please complete the linked survey by Thursday, January 30th.

Wayland Middle School Parent/Caregiver Cell Phone Survey - 2025

With Cold and Flu season in full swing and the temperatures plummeting, we understand that many students may be absent due to illness. If your child is diagnosed with any illness, please call the school or the nurse line 508-358-3809 for notification and tracking purposes.

Additionally, as a gentle reminder, any student who is not feeling well or is hurt is expected to go to the nurse for evaluation and dismissal. Calling or texting a parent to be picked up is against school cell-phone policy. Please reference the Student Handbook for more information.

Thank you for your understanding, attention and cooperation with this matter.

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

Artists: Nova Oman

Grade: 7

Medium: Digital Photography

We need several more soups

Let's celebrate our SOUPER middle school teachers and staff!

On January 24, let's provide a comforting lunch of soup and salad as an appreciation for all they do to support our children. Please sign-up here to contribute!

How much soup? We're asking for 12 crockpots' worth, assuming an average size of 6-7 quarts. PLEASE INDICATE which soup you're bringing, to guarantee a variety of offerings.

No time to shop? We've also included a few easy items from Amazon! Have them delivered directly to me, or drop them at your convenience. Address: 8 Brackett Rd, Wayland.

When to drop off? Soups should be delivered to the Middle School by 10am on Jan 24. Non-perishable items can be dropped off at 8 Brackett Road by January 23 before 5pm or to the school by 10am on January 24.

Any questions? Please contact ShirraBaston at shirra.baston@gmail.com

Reminder: Please label any items you would like returned to you!

Thank you to our WMS community for helping us reach our fundraising goal! The PTO is now able to fund more great programs, enrichment activities and unique classroom materials for our students.

Grant requests

We are currently reviewing grant requests from staff and will soon be putting your donations back into the classrooms.

It's not to late to donate.... (See link below)

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!

The WMS PTO adds weekly updates in the Monday newsletter, but additional reminders, school news and photos are shared on Facebook.

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

Other opportunities to volunteer

To see some of the descriptions, please see here.

We are looking for volunteer(s) that would like to create engaging content for the WMS Facebook page and assist with other communication related tasks. The PTO uses canva.com to create fun videos, graphics and more. Please send and email to: Wayalndmiddleschoolpto@gmail.com