West Pine Middle

It's Red Ribbon Week, and this year's theme is Celebrate Life; Live Drug Free. We hope our students will join in the fun each day.

Beginning Monday, October 24th, families of students who are absent at least 51% of the day will receive an automated phone call at 6:15pm that night to inform you of the absence. The call will use the primary phone number in PowerSchool.

Our football team hosts Southern Middle School this Wednesday night at 6pm at Pinecrest HS. We want to fill the home stands with blue and gold! Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for students. Rides should be at Pinecrest by 7:30pm. Concessions will be sold. The 8th grade band and cheerleaders are sure to bring the spirit! More athletics information can be found below in this newsletter.

This Thursday, October 27th, the Area III Moore County Schools' Community Engagement Series will take place at Southern Middle School beginning at 6:30pm. For more information, review the graphic at the bottom of this newsletter.

Friday is an early release day for students. School dismisses at West Pine at 12pm. The end of the first quarter is Tuesday, November 1st. Reach out to your child's homeroom teacher if you would like to schedule a conference. Conferences will be available Thursday, 11/3, from 3:30-5:30pm and Friday, 11/4, from 8:30-1pm. A paper copy of the report card can be picked up Friday in the front office between 8-1pm. Any student who does not pick up his/her report card will receive it Monday, November 7th. All grades are viewable in PowerSchool.

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

Take care,

JW

Last Thursday night, our school counselors, presented "Understanding My Middle School Child" to a few parents. The presentation has great information, and there are a couple of additional resources included. The resources listed are suggestions and meant as a way to help our families journey through the teen years. We know these years can be exhilarating and exhausting, so hang in there... we're in this together!

Parents are asked to attend an important planning meeting for the WPMS spring musical this Monday, October 24th, at 6:00 p.m. in the choir room. Seussical Jr. will be presented on March 2nd - 5th, 2023. Auditions will be held the week of November 14th. Adult volunteers are needed to form the teams for programs, tickets, costumes, props, sets, technical support, and other committees. Thank you for supporting our actors and singers.

*8th grade Band will perform at the middle school football game on October 26th. Band students should arrive to Pinecrest no later than 5:30pm. Parents must provide transportation to and from PHS.

*All County Band auditions are November 1st at New Century Middle School. We are providing transportation to the audition but not from the audition. Parents will need to pick their students up by 5:00 at New Century Middle.

Thursday, November 10th

• Calling all veterans! We would love for you to join us in our morning car line and at buses to welcome our students into the building. If you would like to join us, please email Florcita Hancock-Rios, our MFLC, at frios@ncmcs.org. The times for this would be 7:30-8am.
• Join us for Donuts for the Distinguished from 8-8:30am. More information to come...

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

Club Info: Military Club - Thursdays 3-4pm; FCA - Fridays 3-4pm

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.

• November 3: Parent/Teacher Conferences (set up by teams), 3:30-5:30pm
  
• November 4: Teacher Workday/Parent Teacher Conferences (set up by teams), 8:30-1pm
• November 11: Veterans Day/No School
• November 15: PTSO Meeting and Dangers Teens Face Online, 6pm, multi-purpose room
• November 23: Teacher Workday
• November 24-25: Thanksgiving Holiday/No School

ROAR at West Pine Middle takes place Monday-Thursday from 8:05-8:50. Depending on individual needs, students either attend intervention or enrichment. Students in intervention receive additional support in reading and/or math to strengthen and build on foundational skills. Students who attend enrichment are provided opportunities to strengthen skills and think critically on a variety of topics and experiences such as problem-based learning, peer tutoring, science lab extensions, book clubs, and more.

Two of our 7th grade ROAR classes have taken enrichment to the next level. These classes have created two news sources for our students. The Wildcat Scoop is a news edition that comes out each Monday, and Wildcat News is a video news source shared with students each Friday. Although teachers and staff support their work, these students are leading the way with ideas, interviews, editing, and publication. (See below for two examples.)

Athletics

1. Tryout Signups

Signups have closed for the upcoming basketball and wrestling season.

2. WPM Softball

Congratulations to the WPM softball team as they went 7-2 overall and 6-0 in divisional play this season. The Lady Wildcats had a great season finishing as the Lee/Moore Conference runners up. We are very proud of this team and their accomplishments this season!

3. Athletic Schedule This Week

• Tuesday, Oct. 25th - Golf tees off at Whispering Pines for their final meet at 3:30pm.
• Tuesday, Oct. 25th - Cross Country Conference Meet at New Century MS
• Wednesday, Oct. 26th - HOME football game against Southern MS. This game will take place at Pinecrest High School at 6:00pm. Gates will open by 5:15.
• Thursday, Oct. 27th - MCMSXC Invitational Championship @ St. John Paul II Catholic School starting at 4:15pm.

4. Basketball Open Gym Conditioning Sessions

Any students who are interested in trying out for either girls or boys basketball teams this school year are invited to open gym conditioning sessions with Coach Eury. The final dates for conditioning are Monday, October 24th & Thursday, October 27th from 3:00pm - 4:45pm. Students must have an updated physical uploaded to the BigTeams athletic website in order to attend conditioning. This information can be found on the Athletics page on the WPMS website. Parents, please pick up your child promptly at 4:45pm.

5. Basketball Tryouts

Please review the following information for upcoming tryouts.

• Girls: November 2nd, November 3rd, & November 7th from 3:30pm - 4:30pm
• Boys: November 3rd & November 7th from 4:30pm - 5:30pm. November 8th from 3:30pm - 4:30pm. Boys will have a study hall after school with Mrs. Pennington as they wait their turn for tryouts on both November 3rd & November 7th.

Parents, please pick up your child promptly at the end of your child's tryout each day. The final roster for both teams will be announced on Tuesday, November 8th by 8:00pm. The first official practice for both teams will be on Wednesday, November 9th from 3:00pm - 5:00pm. All athletic and medical forms must be completed on the BigTeams website in order to try out for the basketball team.

6. Wrestling

The first day of practice officially starts on November 7th. All athletic and medical forms must be completed on the BigTeams website in order to join the wrestling team. A parent meeting for all wrestlers will take place at 5:30pm on Thursday, November 10th.

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.

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.

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.

• Harris Teeter - Together in Education
• Lowes Foods - Cart to Class

• PTSO will be selling Wildcat tee-shirts at all home football games this season. Shirts are $15 (cash or check - payable to WPMS PTSO).
• PTSO General Business Meetings and Parent Informational Sessions. Mark your calendars and join us to learn how we all can support our students.

1. November 15: Dangers Teens Face Online, presenters: Stacey Gatling, social worker and Dee Pullium, Special Agent with NC State Bureau of Investigation (This session is for adults and is more explicit.)

• Help us celebrate the staff at WPMS with our annual "We Are Thankful For You" luncheon on Friday, November 18. More information will be coming, but volunteers are needed to bring in food and beverages and serve as cafeteria monitors.

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.

• Alison McCloskey - president
• Amanda Peterson - secretary
• Meredith Morgan-Coleman - treasurer
• Karyn Schwagel - board member

Parent Advisory Representatives

Here are your parent representatives for the 2022-23 school year.

• Parent Advisory Council (PAC): Chiquita Monroe
• Military Family Advisory Council (MFAC): Alison McCloskey
• Hispanic Community Advisory Council (HCAC): Elizzeth Salgado
• African American Community Advisory Council (AACAC): Whitney Alford
• School Improvement Team (SIT): Alison McCloskey and Lynn Antil

Booster Clubs

Band, Orchestra , Choral Music/Theater, and Athletics

Email: wpmsquestions@ncmcs.org
Website: wpms.ncmcs.org
Location: 144 Archie Road, West End, NC, USA
Phone: (910) 673-1464
Facebook: facebook.com/westpinemiddlemcs
Twitter: @WestPine