Worthingway Weekly

Our motto at Worthingway is to “Be Kind and Work Hard”. We have embedded this motto into the conversations we have with students in the classrooms, hallways, and common areas. Part of being kind is using positive and supportive language with each other.

One of my least favorite parts of my job is when a student says something hurtful to someone else. However, one of my favorite parts of my job is helping students to grow and become better during those teachable moments. We have an obligation to teach students that our words matter.

On Sept 30 and October 1, we will facilitate a special lesson with our 8th grade students in their Social Studies classes. Our goal is to focus on harmful language and the impact it can have on people in current and historical contexts. Even if it is done unintentionally, using harmful language can have far reaching effects. The purpose of this lesson is to help students understand the history and impact of slurs, how to respond in situations in which slurs are used, and to provide clear expectations to our students that harmful language is not acceptable in our building.

Middle school is a formative time in the development of young adults. We want to partner with you to equip them with the knowledge and skills to make positive choices and properly navigate difficult situations with others. When we have these lessons in school, we will be providing supplemental materials ahead of time for you to process some of these concepts at home. We want to make sure we're all working together and transparently to make this school a safe and supportive space for all our students.

If you placed an order for school photos, packets have been placed in Assist teacher mailboxes for distribution to students. Please be sure to ask your student for their photo packet at home. If you have concerns or issues with your photo order, please contact HR Imaging at 740-369-4215 or visit their "Contact Us" customer service page on their website. Thank you!

Worthington Ski & Board Club will be having their information meeting at WKHS on Thursday, October 3 at 7:30 in the auditorium. If your son/daughter is interested in this club and you want to find out more information, please plan on attending this meeting. Cost, dates, sign-up procedures, rentals, lessons, etc will be discussed at the meeting. Ski & Board Club is open to all 6th, 7th and 8th graders.

If you missed the Sixth Grade Camp informational meeting (was held on August 26 from 7:30-8pm), here is the information you need:

Presentation Slides

Parent/Guardian Handout (google doc)

Parent/Guardian Handout (pdf version)

You need to complete this link (click on RSVP) by September 6.

Our district tech department has provided this resource to help you ensure that you are receiving emails from Worthington School email domains.

If your student rides the bus home, please read this quick note. UPDATE: This announcement has been in the newsletter for several weeks but we are still having students miss their bus because they are not looking for their bus. You can help by having a conversation with your student about looking at the side number on each bus.

Some of our buses arrive before student dismissal but some arrive between 3:50-4:00. The buses also typically park in the same spots. Students are expected to look for and find their bus. There are many staff members at bus pickup to ensure student safety but the adults are not finding and pointing out the buses for the students. The students need to be responsible for looking for and finding their bus. Sometimes there is a "sub" bus. When this happens - the original bus number is displayed on the side of the bus by the door. We have taught students to look for this each day.

If a student misses their bus, we ask that they come into the office where they can call and wait for a family member to pick them up.

This is the image we show our students daily in our attempt to teach them how to identify their bus:

School safety is of utmost importance and a top priority for us in Worthington. We strive to create the safest school environment most conducive to student learning. There has been recent research and reports about the negative impact of cell phones on the school environment and on student learning. Many states, including Ohio, have recent legislation requiring public school districts to develop cell phone policies.

Therefore, we are a cell phone free school during the school day. Students are allowed to bring their cell phone to school but they are not to be used or visible from 9:10-3:50. If you need to get in touch with your student during the school day, please call our front office at 614-450-4300 and we will assist you. We appreciate your partnership in ensuring that our students’ cell phones are not in use and not visible during our school hours.

Resources for Families

• All student-athletes must be registered in Final Forms in order to receive athletic communications and participate in any athletic tryouts, open gyms/fields, and practices.
• Worthington students in grades 6-12 who provide their student ID will be admitted free into any home Worthington athletic contest.
• You may use this link to purchase tickets for athletic events through Hometown Ticketing.
• Check out our athletic website for more information
• Team schedules can be found here

Worthington Schools offers breakfast and lunch to students. Pricing for meals will be based on family eligibility. New Meal Applications are required for families every school year. Families may find the online Free/Reduced Lunch Eligibility Form HERE. All students use their Lunch ID for meals. The student's number can be found in the Parent Portal by selecting the Student ID tab and then look for their student's Lunch PIN.

Families may add money to their lunch account through My Payments Plus. They may also use My Payments Plus to track their student's account and see much money remains on it. My Payments Plus is also used to pay other fees, like high school parking permits and AP testing fees.

Students that are dropped off or picked up by car will enter via our main office entrance (Rieber Street). Buses will drop off and and pick up at our 6th grade entrance (Guyer Street side). Important notes:

• Student Safety is our top priority. Please be mindful of our walkers and bike riders (we have bike racks on our bus drop off side). If you exit on the Guyer Street side, please yield to crossing students AND incoming buses.
• Doors open at 8:50 for student drop off. Students will be instructed to remain in the cafeteria or gym until 9:02. Classes begin at 9:10 and end at 3:50.
• We ask families to pull all the way forward to the end of our main lot at pick up time. Cars that stop at the front doors can create backups that extend onto Rieber St.
• There should be no cars in the bus drop off lanes during both drop off and pick up.

The first sentence of this article made me laugh to myself because since the start of school year, our nine-year old daughter has been using "bro" in her conversations at home now. Maybe you can relate?

*Our next PTA meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 8 at 7 pm on zoom.

Worthingway Fall Sports Concessions

• Worthingway PTA is looking for Worthingway families to work a shift in the concession stand. It’s fun and easy, high school students can earn volunteer hours for helping out, and volunteers are admitted to the game free of charge! Please click the link below for more information and to sign up to help out!
• Fall Concessions Sign Up
  

More ways to support the WWay PTA:

• Make a donation or become a PTA member
• PTA Membership or Donation
  
• Purchase Worthington Spirit Wear
• Worthington Spirit Wear
  
• Sign up to volunteer when needed
• Worthingway PTA Volunteer Sign Up
  
• Support Restaurant Nights and our Annual Butter Braids Fundraising
• Please watch for additional information about our September Restaurant Night at JERSEY MIKE’S

• Designate your Kroger rewards
• Visit bit.ly/WwayKroger , log in to your Kroger account, and select the organization “RF924“ (which is Worthingway Middle School PTA)
  

2024-2025 Worthingway PTA Meetings

• September 3 at 7 pm in the WWay library
• October 8 at 7 pm via Zoom
• January 7 at 7 pm via Zoom
• March 11 at 7 pm via Zoom
• May 6 at 7 pm in the WWay library

Zoom links will be shared before meetings.

Please look for more information at our website (https://worthingwaypta.my.canva.site/) or the "Worthingway PTA" Facebook page!

District Calendar for the 2024-25 school year

Thursday, October 10

• Parent/Teacher Conference night (4:45-8:45pm)

Wednesday, October 16

• Full Scale Safety Drill
• Parent/Teacher Conference night (4:45-8:45pm)

October 28-30

• 6th grade camp

Mr. Todd Keenan, principal (tkeenan@wscloud.org)

Mrs. Abby Jinks, assistant principal (ajinks@wscloud.org)

Mrs. Cerita Todd, counselor (ctodd@wscloud.org)

Mr. Nick Wiedenhoft, athletic director (nwiedenhoft@wscloud.org)

Mrs. Paula Lee, administrative assistant (plee@wscloud.org)

Ms. Amanda DeBernardi, administrative assistant (adebernardi@wscloud.org)

Mrs. Jodi Hill, attendance and testing (wayattend@wscloud.org or click here)

Mrs. Joyce Casey, school nurse (jcasey@wscloud.org)

Location: 6625 Guyer Street, Worthington, OH

Phone: 614-450-4300

School Website