West Pine Middle

Ignite! Engage! Grow!

A Note From Mrs. Wiley

Wildcat families,

Congratulations to our Bridge Building Team for placing 2nd at the NCDOT Bridge Building State Championship last Friday!

See our athletics section for lots of upcoming information.

West Pine Middle will host a rising 6th grade open house Tuesday. This is a floating event from 4-5:30pm.

Our PTSO will celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week May 8-12! Be on the lookout for more information.

For planning purposes, our END OF YEAR iReady Diagnostic Assessments in reading and math will take place May 10-11. These assessments will begin immediately after announcements.

I appreciate your continued help with our student dress code. In addition, I ask that you talk with your child about his/her compliance with our cell phone policy at school. Phones must be turned off and placed in the locker during the day. If your child needs to call home or if you need to contact your child, our office staff will help. It is imperative that our students' focus is on finishing strong and preparing themselves for a successful end to the 2022-23 school year.

Take care,

JW

8th Grade Luau (sponsored by the PTSO)

8th graders: mark your calendars! You don't want to miss out on a fun night just for YOU!

Details:

Student fees must be paid in order to attend. The balance cannot exceed $50.
Academic requirement: passing 3 of your 4 core classes
Discipline/Behavior requirement: No OSS for the year, no more than 2 ISS referrals during the 2nd semester, and no more than 5 minor incidents between May 1 - June 2.

8th Grade Information

Reminders

All fees/fines must be paid in order to participate in end of year activities. Contact our bookkeeper, Kathleen Mullen, if you have any questions.
Students must pass three of their four core subjects for the year and be in line with the NC attendance requirements for promotion.

Upcoming Dates

June 2: 8th grade dance (sponsored by the PTSO), 6-8pm
June 8: 8th Grade Picnic, 12-3pm
June 9: 8th Grade Promotion Celebration, 9am, baseball field (In the event of rain, the celebration will be moved indoors to the gym with admission by ticket only - 2/student.)

Grading Reminders

The MCS middle school final grades are calculated as follows:

Students will receive their actual EARNED average for the 4th quarter.
For a single semester course, a student’s final grade shall be determined based on the final exam 15% of the final grade) and the grade for each nine-week marking period (each marking period representing 42.5% of the final grade).
For a year-long course, a student’s final grade shall be determined based on the final exam (15% of the final grade) and the grade for each semester (semesters are the average for two nine-week marking periods with each semester representing 42.5% of the final grade).
Middle school students taking high school courses will be graded using the Grade 9-12 formula.
ELA, math and science (8th) will use the EOG as the final exam. For courses without an EOG (6-8 SS, 6-7 SCI, and encore classes), the final exam will be determined and created by the teachers. World History and Math 1 follow HS guidelines. Here is the link to the grading policy for the district.

Summer School Updates

This year, summer school will take place June 14-15 and 19-22. Students attending will receive 4 days of intensive review in math and/or reading followed by the opportunity to retest the RDG and/or MA EOG. The hours of summer school are 8:30-11:30am. Transportation is not provided.

In addition, these dates and times will be used for students who are required to attend summer school in order to be promoted to the next grade due to poor attendance and/or grades. Parents will be notified no later than June 7th; however, parents can always review their child's grades and attendance in PowerSchool and reach out to their child's homeroom teacher if they have any questions.

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WILDCATS Pawing Through Pages

March is National Reading Month! All WPM students will be participating in a school-wide collaborative reading challenge, WILDCATS Pawing Through Pages!, for the duration of the school year. For every 100 pages read, students will create and add paw prints to a Wildcat paw chain along each hallway. The goal is to work together as grade levels and as a school to read so many pages that the chains merge in the intersection and travel through the main hallway. Happy READING to all!

Attention 6th Grade Parents

Per North Carolina law, all students are required to show documentation of both the Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis) and MCV (meningococcal conjugate) vaccines in order to enter 7th grade. Now is the time to schedule an appointment with your health provider to receive these important immunizations. Please remember to send a copy of the immunization record to the school. Any questions/concerns, feel free to contact the school nurse.

Club and Academic Team Updates

Meeting Days

Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday: Quiz Bowl and Robotics
Thursday: Military Club
Friday: Dance Club and FCA

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Wildcat Athletics

Baseball and girls soccer travel to Sanlee on Monday, 5/1. WPM hosts West Lee on Thursday, 5/4. Eighth grade recognition will take place for girls soccer during halftime!

Game times start at 4:00pm. Parking available in front of the school and staff parking lot. Please refrain from parking at West Pine Elementary & the bus parking lot. Concessions available. Tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for students. Students staying after school must have rides by 5:30pm.

The boys soccer interest meeting for rising ninth graders was rescheduled for Friday, 5/5 at 8:00am with Coach Blake from Pinecrest High School. This meeting is for any eighth grader who played on the boys soccer team this school year. This meeting will take place in the gym.

Cheer tryouts for WPM are from April 16 thru Friday 5/19 in the WPMS gym. This is for all rising sixth, seventh, & eighth graders. Students must have a completed BigTeams profile and updated physical in order to try out. Packets available in the front office with Mrs. Allen as well as all our elementary feeder schools. All packets and BigTeams forms are due to Coach Geldner and Mr. Willms by Wednesday, 5/10 for eligibility purposes.

Rising seventh and eighth grade students interested in playing football next school year, mark your calendars now! Conditioning week is Monday, 8/14 thru Thursday, 8/17. Official tryouts will start on Monday, 8/21. Times to be determined.

Upcoming Dates

May 8: Interim Reports
May 9: Spring Band Concert, 6:30pm
May 10: Spring Orchestra Concert, 6:30pm
May 11: Spring Choral Concert, 6:30pm
May 19: Wildcat Reality Check, grades 7-8
May 26: 8th Grade EOG SCIENCE
May 29: Memorial Day Holiday
May 31: 6th & 7th grade EOG MATH; 8th grade EOG READING
June 2: 6th & 7th grade EOG READING; 8th grade EOG MATH; MATH 1 EOC
June 2: 8th grade dance (sponsored by the PTSO), 6-8pm
June 6: World History Final Exam
June 8: PBIS School Bash (during Encores)
June 8: 8th Grade Picnic, 12-3pm
June 9: 8th Grade Promotion Celebration, 9am, baseball field
June 9: Last Day of School/Early Release, 12pm

Please note: There will be no early checkouts during EOG/EOC TESTING until all testing is completed in the building.

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School Information

Please acknowledge the MCS Student Code of Conduct in Parent Portal.

Instructional (including the encore fees) and technology fees can be paid online, or students can bring in cash or check. Contact Ms. Mullen, our bookkeeper, if you have any questions.

Dogs are not allowed on campus. If your dog is in your car during our morning and/or afternoon carline, we ask that you ensure your dog is restrained when your child exits or enters the car.

Don't forget to review the dress code with your child. In particular, students must wear clothing that covers their skin from chest to mid thigh with opaque (non-see-through) fabric in front, back, and on the sides. Clothing must cover undergarments, and breasts, genitals and buttocks must be covered with opaque (non see-through) fabric. For more information, visit the MCS Student Code of Conduct.

Bus Transportation Information: Students are not allowed to ride a bus in which they are not assigned. They can only ride their assigned bus.

Routes: Transportation can be viewed on Parent Portal (web browser only, NOT the app). Here you can verify your child's transportation information.
Communication: Please continue to contact the call center (910-947-5861) for any concerns or questions about your student's route.

Attendance Matters

When Moore are present, Moore succeed!

School attendance is important and in order to receive the best education, students need to be present to fully support their academic success. School administrators and teachers track student attendance in PowerSchool. Parents should monitor their child’s attendance and ensure that students do not accumulate excessive absences. Both excused and unexcused absences count towards student attendance. Failure to meet minimum attendance policies may jeopardize a student’s ability to participate in sports or promote to the next grade. Parents will be contacted by school administration or a school social worker under the following circumstances:

The child has accumulated three (3) unexcused absences in a school year.
After not more than six (6) unexcused absences, the principal shall notify the family by mail that they may be in violation of the Compulsory Attendance Law.
When student absences, excused or unexcused, reach five (5) in a semester or eleven (11) in a year in grades 9-12, or fifteen (15) in a year in grades K-8, the principal will contact the family.
Students in grades 9-12 who are absent from a class more than eight (8) days, excused or unexcused, during a semester course shall not receive credit for the semester or year.
Students in grades K-8 who are absent more than twenty (20) days during a year shall be referred to an interdisciplinary attendance committee which shall determine if the student should be retained. Additional policies are outlined in MCS Board of Education Policies, Section 6000.

Car Line Key Points

Mornings

Doors open at 7:30am. For our students' safety, we ask that you not drop off your child prior to that time as there are no staff members on duty.
All students are dropped off at front of school in the morning. Please do not drop off in the bus parking lot, grassy area, tennis courts, at WPES, or at a local business.
Students who work the school store or are involved in an early morning club meeting may be dropped off in the grassy area or front driveway.
We are getting our students in to the building on time, so that is great news! The line will remain long unless more students ride the bus or families carpool.

Afternoons

Older siblings will go to the younger sibling's car line for pick-up.
Don't forget, 7th grade is picked up on the service road behind the baseball field. Cars will enter at WPES.
8th grade cars may proceed to the staff parking lot for afternoon dismissal. Once that area is full, 8th grade cars must remain in the main car line with the 6th grade cars. A staff member will be outside to help direct traffic. Use your right turn signal to alert the staff member on duty that you are going to 8th grade pick-up.
Cars are asked to pull all the way up to the first open spot. The students will walk to your car. Do not stop when you see your child. Staff will direct you to keep moving as we have MANY cars to move through the line.
Friday car lines will be much longer due to students not having athletic practices after school. Expect longer wait times.

Support our School: Link Your Lowes and/or Harris Teeter Cards!

When you link your card to West Pine Middle, a percentage of your purchase is donated to our school. These funds support many of our programs.

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WPMS PTSO News

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 8-12. We hope you will support the PTSO in their celebration of our teachers and staff. They deserve it!
PTSO General Business Meetings and Parent Informational Sessions. Mark your calendars and join us to learn how we all can support our students.

Parent Involvement

PTSO

Do you want to get involved but don't know where to start? Join the WPMS PTSO. For more information, reach out to one of our board members or email them at wpmptso@gmail.com.