Hello Knight Families!
What an exciting week we’ve had! With Red Ribbon/Spirit Week and Halloween falling on a weekday, our students were buzzing with energy. Despite all the extra fun, I was thrilled to see our students remain focused and engaged in their classes. I am incredibly proud of both our students and staff for their dedication.
October 31st marked the end of the first quarter. Report cards will be available in the Home Access Center (HAC) on November 8th. We will be working with students to reflect on their first quarter and set new goals based on their progress. This is also a great opportunity for you to collaborate with your child to set or reset goals and help them stay on the path to success
Fall Sports are going to the Championship
Congratulations to our soccer and volleyball teams who will both play for the county championship on Thursday, November 7th at 4:30pm at Calvert High School. There is a $3.00 admission fee for adults. Come cheer on our Knights!
School Pictures
Your child should have brought home their school pictures or a proof of their picture should you wish to order them. If you want your child's photo retaken, that will be on November 14th and Classic Photography simply asks that your child brings their original photo package with them and give them to the photographer on retake day. If your child wasn't photographed, they will be this day so that they can be included in the yearbook.
Shout out to Mr. King
Our own PE teacher, Mr. John Alan King ran the Marine Corps Marathon last Sunday finishing in 3'11". Congrats to him on this accomplishment. Many of his students were following his training and race, cheering him on last weekend!
No School:
Reminder that November 5th schools are closed for Election Day. November 11th schools are closed for Veterans Day. Which brings us to one of the attachments below.
WHMS is proud of our Veterans!
Help us honor the Veterans closest to your heart.
Please complete the PowerPoint slide so we may honor & thank our Veterans. You must complete & turn in this slide no later than November 4, 2024. Please email the completed slide to Ms. C. Reid at reidca@calvertnet.k12.md.us.
You may submit multiple slides.
We will be sharing the presentation with students and staff.
YEARBOOK
Our yearbooks will go on sale shortly, but the yearbook cover contest is underway now! See the attached flyer for details.
Carson Scholarship nominations
The purpose of the Carson Scholars Program is to recognize and reward outstanding students in the United States who exemplify academic excellence and humanitarian qualities. The goal of the Carson Scholars Program goes beyond instilling an interest in college early on and assisting with the costs of college.
Students must first apply to be the nominee for Windy Hill Middle School before they can apply to the actual Carson Scholar Award. Only one nominee per school may be selected. Students must go to the attached link and read all information thoroughly prior to beginning their application. All applications to be the school's nominee are due Dec 4th, 2024. https://forms.office.com/r/kW6mnTrw8p
Any questions about the scholarship program can be addressed to their grade level counselor or to Mrs. Dean at deana@calvertnet.k12.md.us who is overseeing the nomination process.
Panorama Mental Health Screener
The fall administration window of the Panorama Education Mental Health Screener will be Monday 11/4 through Friday 11/15 and will be administered to all students grades 3-12. At WHMS, students will be given time to complete this 25 min screener during their advisory period.
Panorama's Social-Emotional Learning Screener is used to allow our WHMS staff to better learn about and support your student. The screener responses will only be shared with teachers and school administrators and it is not a graded assignment. We ask that students respond honestly - their voice is important so we welcome their sharing of thoughts and experiences at school! Please feel free to reach out to Assistant Principal, Mrs. Ratcliff with any questions.
WHMS FACEBOOK PAGE
CCPS has set up Facebook accounts for schools and ours is up and running. The link for our page is https://www.facebook.com/WindyHillMiddleSchoolCCPS/
LAPTOPS
Students need to bring their laptop to school daily. If they forget, they can use the phone in the main office to contact their parent to bring their laptop. Our loaners will be held for students whose laptops are out for repair and we do not have enough to loan them out for forgotten laptops.
LAPTOP CHARGERS
If your child loses their charger, they need to purchase a replacement through the school. The cost is $39 and your student can bring in a check payable to WHMS, exact cash, or you can pay online at this link Windy Hill Middle School (osmsinc.com). We understand that there is less expensive charger available through Amazon; however using these chargers will void the warranty on the laptop. When the 8th grade students turn in their laptops at the end of the school year, the original CCPS issued charger must be returned with the laptop.
PICTURES FOR YEARBOOK
If you are at a WHMS event, game, field trip etc. and get some pictures, we'd love for you to upload them to this link so we can use them for our yearbook, school posters, etc. Thanks!
LATE ARRIVAL/EARLY DISMISSAL
When students are dropped off late or returning after an appointment, they can come in without an adult and sign themselves in. The parent/guardian does need to come in with them when signing the student out. The latest a student can be picked up for early dismissal is 2:45. Thank you
ATTENDANCE ***** Update effective 10/18/2024 *****
Attendance updates are handled by Mrs. Madison, WHMS Guidance Secretary. Notes should be delivered to the Guidance Office or sent to WHMSAttendance@calvertnet.k12.md.us
When your student arrives late or leaves early due to a Health-Related Appointment (Doctor/Dentist/Therapist/etc.): A note is required to code as Legal. Please send a note in with your child when they return to school or email a note to WHMSAttendance@calvertnet.k12.md.us
Please refer to Student Code of Conduct Policy #3005 for Lawful Causes of Absences as defined by COMAR 13A.08.01.03. It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to provide school authorities with verification of the reason for each student absence. Any absence not certified by the parent, guardian, physician, court or other appropriate person/agency will be considered unlawful. Students returning from absences without notes with appropriate signatures certifying lawful absences will be given three school days to provide such certification. Absences not certified at the end of three days will be considered unlawful.
For students illegally tardy:
3 tardies = 1 day lunch detention
4 tardies = 3 days lunch detention
5 tardies = after school detention
6 tardies = Saturday School
LOST AND FOUND
Our lost and found is kept on the stage on the cafeteria and donated or discarded every other Friday. Your child is always welcome to check the cafeteria before school or during lunch for missing items.
CAFETERIA
Please make sure you child has money on their lunch account if they are buying lunch. More information about the Child Nutrition Department and link to set up an account can be found here. School Meal Information - Calvert County Public School District (calvertnet.k12.md.us) Our cafeteria manager has also given us our WHMS menu for the first week of school which is attached below for your reference.
VOLUNTEERS
Calvert County Public Schools uses Raptor for visitors and volunteers to sign in and sign out. Volunteers must apply annually to be an approved volunteer. You will need to apply for the 2024-2025 school year. All volunteers will need to review the volunteer handbook and watch the volunteer training video before completing and Online Volunteer Application. Volunteers must be approved before they may begin service as a volunteer in any school buildings.
CCPS Online Volunteer Application & Process: https://www.calvertnet.k12.md.us/departments/human-resources/become-a-volunteer
SAVE THE DATE
The incoming Freshmen Registration Night for NHS will be Thursday, February 6th at 6:00pm. More information to come.
Thank you
Mark Whidden
Principal, Windy Hill Middle School
