WMS Newsletter
Dear Wentzville Middle School Families,
The 24-25 school year is off to a great start! With a new school year ahead of us, it's important to start with good school habits. Each night, please encourage your child to share their day with you, discuss upcoming assignments and tests, and also check Canvas or Focus for any missing assignments your child might have.
Another school habit to focus on is regular attendance. Why is your child's attendance important? Click on the article below for great information about why September matters in regards to overall student attendance, and how September attendance can predict our students' attendance for the rest of the school year.
Over the past two weeks, our admin team has met with each grade level of students to review the district Student Misconduct and Disciplinary Consequences document, review behavioral expectations for our building, and also discuss how students can report concerns to our offices. We also discussed the electronics policy and the Dress Code. Every student was given a paper copy of this year's Student Misconduct and Disciplinary Consequences document. Please take a moment to review this document with your child.
We encourage parents to join us on Thursday, September 5 for our Back to School Night! Please attend during the time set aside for your child's grade level. During each specific grade level time, teams will be presenting information about their classes, how to locate information to assist your child at home, as well as team procedures. Special education, PE and Explo teachers will be available during this evening as well if you would like to meet them. Parent tip- ask your child for their schedule and their grade level team name before the event to help you know where to go!
6th grade 5:30-6:05 p.m.
7th grade 6:10-6:45 p.m.
8th grade 6:50-7:25 p.m.
Our Back to School Fundraiser is in full swing and continues through September 6. We are selling $25 coupon cards for discounts to nearby restaurants. It's a great deal! The funds raised will go to our student and staff activities as well as support WMS clubs and sports. We set a building goal of asking each student to try to sell two coupon cards. If your child does not plan to sell their two coupon cards, please have them return them to school no later than September 6. Thanks for your support!
As the Holt football season begins, I want to reiterate expectations for our middle schoolers in attendance. All middle school students MUST have an adult with them at the game- they cannot be dropped off. If your child plans to attend, please be sure an adult is with them, or they will not be allowed to attend the game. Behavioral expectations still apply and discipline will be assigned to students who do not meet these expectations. See below for more information about expectations for the upcoming games.
As always, if you have any concerns in regards to your child, please contact your child's counselor or the WMS admin team. We're here to support you and your child!
Important Dates:
9/3-9/9- Scholastic Book Fair
9/3-9/5- 8th grade Cheer Clinic
9/5- Open House 5:30-7:30 pm (see above for specific grade level time)
9/6- 8th grade Cheer Tryouts
9/12- PTA meeting 5:30 library
9/16- Late Start- School starts at 9:35
9/17-9/18- Kona Ice
9/27- NO SCHOOL- PD day
With our new Focus student information system, there are changes this school year to the way you are required to sign your student in and out of school. We will have a kiosk inside the main office that we are hoping will make the process a lot faster. You will either need to know your student's ID number which can be found in Focus OR if you have the Focus app, there is a barcode that you will be able to scan. We recommend that you screenshot the barcode to make the process easier.
The WMS PTA needs you!
Want a way to get involved in your child's school? Be sure to join the WMS PTA! To stay informed about everything our PTA is doing, follow us on social media at Wentzville Middle PTA on Facebook, @wentzvillemiddlepta on Instagram. We also have a webpage, click HERE. Join us on the first Thursday of the month at 5:30 p.m. in the school library for our PTA meetings.
The Harlem Wizards are coming on October 24! Do you want to see WMS staff members face off with the Harlem Wizards during a fun and exciting basketball game? Join us for some family fun and entertainment, while also supporting the WMS PTA! Everyone is invited! The event will be held at Holt High School. Click here to learn more!
Upcoming Events:
Sept 12- PTA meeting 5:30 in library
Oct 3- PTA meeting 5:30 in library
Oct 24- Harlem Wizards Basketball game @ HHS
Nov 7- PTA meeting 5:30 in library
Nov 16- PTA Vendor Fair
Parents- Click here for more information about volunteering at your child's school. Please note that the process can take several weeks, so please plan ahead and get your paperwork turned into the WMS office early.
WSD Families,
The Wentzville School District is excited to continue our future ready work with the district's college and career readiness platform, Xello. For the 24-25 school year, middle school and high school students in WSD will continue to utilize the platform and will begin teacher-led lessons during student success time. Lessons should be completed during the following windows of time:
Lesson 1: September 30 -October 11
Lesson 2: November 12-22
Lesson 3: January 6-24
Lesson 4: March 10 -20
Xello allows students to document their journey as they build self-knowledge, explore post-secondary options, create plans, construct resumes, build a student portfolio, and continually reassess as they take in new knowledge, skills, and experiences. Students also have the opportunity to apply for colleges, request letters of recommendation and transcripts, as well as learn about current job opportunities and scholarships in our community.
Xello Student Opportunities:
Self assessment through personality, learning styles, and skill assessments
Post secondary pathway exploration experiences
College applications and recommendation letters
Unique student portfolio and resume creation
Individual career and academic planning for high school aligned with WSD pathways
Learn about local job opportunities and scholarships in our area
Watch this Xello for families video for a program overview. More information will be available soon on how to activate your family account to view your child’s progress.
Proof of Residency - 6th Grade ONLY
All 6th-grade families are required to submit proof of residency for the 2024-2025 school year. Forms can be uploaded in Focus and are due by October 1. Click HERE for a list of required documents.
We will contact you if we need additional information. Please note these take time for processing and we will get back to you ASAP, if needed.
As part of our new system, you can now easily check and manage your child’s lunch balance right in Focus! Check out these simple steps to get started. Please note, funds will typically post to student accounts within thirty minutes. Due to heavy traffic in the system at the start of the school year, please allow 24 hours for funds to process.
Password Reminder
Student lunch pins have changed this year. They now are made up of six numbers instead of five. For ease of transition, we added a ‘1’ to the beginning of every student’s old lunch pin. Additionally, all student passwords will be updated to reflect this change with lunch pins by the first day of school.
Additional Resources
Thanks for your patience as we continue to roll out system features and work to make this new system a success. Additional district payment options will be available through Focus in the future. Please stay tuned for updates.
