West Pine Middle

Ignite! Engage! Grow!

A Note From Mrs. Wiley

Wildcat families,

It's CTE Spirit Week this week. See the graphic for a list of the days.

Our soccer and volleyball teams travel to New Century Tuesday and play at home Thursday. For more information, visit our athletics section.

On Wednesday, students will take part in a suicide prevention program during ROAR. Presented annually in MCS secondary schools, Signs of Suicide (or SOS) encourages students to seek help if they are concerned about themselves or a friend. See below for more information.

Thanks to private donations, our PTSO, and our athletic department, we have raised enough money to install a flag pole, sidewalk, lighting, and planting area at our athletic fields. We are so grateful for these contributions which will benefit our Wildcats now and in the future.

I want to commend our students who are doing the right things on campus. From staying focused on instruction to following our school-wide behavior expectations and everything in between, most of our students are demonstrating The Wildcat Way. Please continue to encourage your child to come to school prepared each day with a focus on learning.

Help us take care of our school grounds. Please refrain from throwing trash or cigarette butts out on our campus. Our custodians do a wonderful job of keeping our campus neat and clean.

As always, it's a great day to be a Wildcat.

Take care,

JW

SOS

West Pine Middle School will present a suicide prevention program to all students February 22nd during ROAR. Presented annually in MCS secondary schools, Signs of Suicide (or SOS) encourages students to seek help if they are concerned about themselves or a friend. This is an evidence based program that provides universal suicide prevention to all students. According to the CDC, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for students between the ages 11-18. The program focuses on risk reduction, health promotion, and promotes learning and resiliency in all students so that peers can help each other. The program teaches students to ACT…Acknowledge that you are seeing signs of depression or suicide and that it’s serious; let your friend know that you Care about them; and to Tell a trusted adult. We will have extra counseling staff on campus to assist any students who need to speak to an adult. Visit www.sossignsofsuicide.org/parent for information on warning signs for youth suicide, to access useful resources, and to learn more about the key message all students will learn in class.

Transfers and Discretionary Admissions for 2023-24

Requests for transfers and discretionary admissions are being accepted until Tuesday, February 28, 2023. Click here to request a transfer or discretionary admission. Click here for more information.

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: NCDOT Bridge Team, Quiz Bowl, and Musical Theater
Wednesday: Wrestling Club, Robotics and Quiz Bowl
Thursday: NCDOT Bridge Team, BOB, and Military Club
Friday: FCA

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Wildcat Athletics

Girls Volleyball & Boys Soccer Schedule: Week of 2/20

Tuesday: Away at NCMS
Wednesday: Athletic Pictures
Thursday: Home vs SanLee

All games start at 4:00pm. Students staying for home games must be picked up in front of the school by 5:15pm. Concessions will be available at both indoor and outdoor locations.

Wrestling End of Season Celebration - Thursday, 5:30pm, school cafeteria

Football End of Season Celebration - Friday, 5:30pm, school cafeteria

NC Middle School Golf Championship @ Longleaf CC - Saturday, 9am

BASEBALL: C35 is hosting a field prep day on Sunday, 2/26 to prep the field for the spring. Any families that would like to assist are welcome to join anytime during the day.

Upcoming Dates

March 2: Interim Reports
March 2: Mitch Capel Performance for 6th Grade
March 3: Teacher Workday
March 22: NC Check-Ins #2 - 6th & 7th RDG; 8th Math & Math 1
March 23: NC Check-Ins #2 - 6th & 7th Math; 8th RDG
March 24: Early Release Day, 12pm
March 24: Seussical, Jr at Moore Montessori School, 7pm
March 25: Seussical, Jr at Moore Montessori School, 2pm
March 31: End of Quarter 3
April 3-7: Spring Break
April 14: Report Cards
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 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 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.

The MCS middle school final grades are calculated as follows:

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.

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

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.