WMS Family Smore

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Happy Memorial Day weekend! As you enjoy being outdoors this weekend, we also remember the heroes who have served our country, and consider ways that we can extend our gratitude. In our annual Memorial Day assembly last Friday gave us a school-wide opportunity to honor our local veterans including Mr. Patrick Menton and Mr. Angel Carrion, who both currently serve in the Watertown Fire Department. The assembly featured short presentations by some of our talented 8th grade and high school students as well as ceremonial music performed by the chorus, band, and orchestra. Thank you to Assistant Principal Susan Carle and 8-12 Social Studies Coordinator Kraig Gustafson for coordinating this event for our school community.

We hope to see many WMS caregivers this Thursday morning (8:35-9:25am, WMS Cafeteria) for our last Principal Coffee Hour of the year, as well as many WMS families at our WMS Diversity Night (5:00-7:00pm, WMS Cafeteria) that evening with many local organizations and student clubs hosting tables.

Information about 8th grade graduation is also shared below.

We are also excited to see the WMS Garden start to be built, giving our Garden Club many projects to do! If your child is interested in joining the Garden Club, reach out to Mr. Duffy at

james.duffy@watertown.k12.ma.us. Check out the pictures below.

Here are dates to be aware of this week:

• May 29: No school - Memorial Day. Tuesday, May 30 will be a day D2 (no Yellow)

• May 31: CL 4 Field Trip to Met Waterworks Museum (9-2:30)
  

• June 1: CL 3 Field Trip to Met Waterworks Museum (9-2:30)
  

• June 1: Principal Coffee Hour - WMS Schedule 2023-2024 (8:35-9:25am, WMS Cafeteria)

• June 1: Diversity Night hosted by the WMS Diversity Council (5:00-7:00pm, WMS Cafeteria)

• June 1: WMS Band Concert

• June 2: Last day of WMS clubs and the WMS late bus

Respectfully yours,

Ms. Jennifer Chen Fein, Principal

Ms. Susan Carle, Assistant Principal (Clusters 1, 3, 5)

Ms. Jennifer Sarmiento, Assistant Principal (Clusters 2, 4, 6)

Congratulations to the 8th grade class of 2023! This year's graduation ceremony will be held on June 16th in the WMS gymnasium. The event will begin at 9am and end at approximately 11am.

There should be plenty of seating in the bleachers and on the floor. There will be a front row of bleacher seats reserved for individuals with disabilities or those needing assistance. The event will also be live streamed into the WMS auditorium, which will be air conditioned.

Following the ceremony graduates and families are invited to enjoy a celebratory cake provided by the WMS PTO.

Here is the after graduation dismissal form that must be completed if you would like to dismiss your student(s) directly after the ceremony.

It has been wonderful to get to know caregivers through our Principal Coffee Hour Series this year, and we have one more coming up in June.

June's Principal Coffee Hour will focus on next year's schedule and the impact of WHS. Join us on Thursday, June 1, from 8:35-9:25am at the WMS Cafeteria. Coffee and a light breakfast are provided. Caregivers of students currently in 5-8th grade are invited to attend, just enter through the WMS main entrance on Waverly Street, sign in to get a visitor's sticker, and head to the cafeteria.

Here are previous topics from this year:

March: What does the shift towards more equitable grading practices at WMS mean for my child?

April: School safety, opportunity to meet school resource officers and other members of the Watertown Police Department

Our school is proud to celebrate our diverse community with our first annual WMS Diversity Night!

Click on the links below to find updates from your child's teachers. These cluster/class smores are a helpful tool to know what your child is learning. These s'mores will be updated monthly in the WMS Family Smore.

School Nurse

Cluster 1

Cluster 2

Cluster 3

Cluster 4

Cluster 5

Cluster 6

The Specialists

Reading

Connections

LB Math

ELD/Phonics

Wilson Reading

This fall, when we open our Watertown High School at Moxley, we will be managing pick-up and drop-off for over 1200 students. Middle School and High School start and end times will be staggered to help mitigate the confluence of students. We anticipate that pick-up and drop-off times will be congested and we are encouraging all families to consider alternative options for arriving at the site, including walking, biking, or taking a bus. There will be no student parking in or around the site, and the expectation is that students will not be driving to school.

During the Watertown High School Construction, the building project plans provide for bus transportation to middle school and high school students in grades 6-12 who live .75 miles or more from the Middle School/Moxley site without a fee for students. Students and families who are interested in busing will be required to sign up for busing in the coming weeks, with the expectation that anyone who signs up for busing will ride the bus to school every day and will carry with them their bus pass at all times. No one will be allowed to ride a Middle School/High School bus without a pass. We understand that there will be fluctuations in the number of students riding the bus in the afternoon due to after school activities. It is important to note that we will adjust bus schedules and stops if it is determined that students are not regularly riding the bus.

Regardless of grade or distance from school, all students must register online for the bus each year. Registrations do not roll over from year to year.

There is no fee for Middle School or High School Students who live .75 miles or more from the Middle School during the Watertown High School Construction.

Timeline

June 12: Registration Deadline

June 30: Confirmation of each student’s bus registration will be emailed to the parent/guardian email address provided on the registration form

Early August: Bus stop location and pick-up/drop-off times will be emailed to the email address provided

All registrations received by June 12th will be will be processed by the WPS Business Office to determine the walking distance. Registrations that are received after June 12th will only be considered if space allows. Bus routes and scheduled pickup times will be determined based on actual ridership.

School Bus Routes

Only students may board the bus. Parents/Caregivers are never allowed on the bus.

Bus routes and scheduled pickup times are reviewed each year and will be determined based on actual ridership. The routes are posted on the WPS Transportation page: WPS Transportation webpage early August, all families whose child(ren) has a seat on the bus will also be sent the route information.

Additionally, afternoon Late Bus service will be provided to Middle School students who are registered for the regular Transportation Program. The late bus will stop at the bus stops of the students who ride the bus on a given day. This service does not start the first day of school; the Middle School principal includes the start date for this in the weekly newsletters.

2023-2024 Middle School Bus Registration Link

2023-2024 High School Bus Registration Link

MBTA for Students

Middle School and High School students may sign up for reduced-fare Student CharlieCards, valid on MBTA buses and subway. There are two types of Student CharlieCards available:

• Unlimited Pass: This pass offers students unlimited access to the MBTA bus and subway system at a cost of $30 per month. This pass must be paid in two installments: $150 for September through January, then $150 for February through June. Contact the WPS Transportation Office for information on use of this pass during the summer months. If payments are not made when due the card is shut off by the MBTA.

• Pay-As-You-Go Card: This card works like a prepaid charge card balance. Students can load money onto their passes at any MBTA kiosk. Funds are then deducted from the balance at a discounted student rate of 85¢ per bus ride and $1.10 per subway ride. There is no charge for students to obtain a pay-as-you-go card, but it will come loaded with $0 prepaid, so students are responsible for loading money onto their pay-as-you-go cards.

*The MBTA may change their fees at any time – WPS fees will change accordingly

Pay-As-You-Go Cards are available for pickup at both the Middle School and High School main offices. If you would like to purchase the Unlimited Pass please email: wps_busing@watertown.k12.ma.us

Contact

If you have additional questions, please contact us at wps_busing@watertown.k12.ma.us.

The WMS Diversity Council meets once a month in the evenings, and more regularly after school so students can be included.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday, June 8 virtually, at 7:30pm. We will be focusing on planning and hosting an in-person event that celebrates the diversity of our school, as well as actionable steps outlined in the district equity audit taken last school year. Any and all are welcome to join.

Reach out to Sarah Seldomridge at sarah.seldomridge@watertown.k12.ma.us with any questions or to express interest.

The WMS SSC meets once a month on the first Tuesdays at 7:00pm, virtually.

Our next and final meeting for the school year has been rescheduled to Tuesday, June 13th, 2023.

We will be finalizing the 2023-2024 School Improvement Plan, reflecting on this year, and planning for next school year. Here is the agenda.

The PTO meets virtually on the second Wednesday of each month, and the next meeting is on Wednesday June 14 at 7pm. Reach out to the PTO President Erin Macomber at erin_macomber@neds.org with any questions or to express interest.

Friends of Watertown Recreation,

Our Department of Recreation Spring Programs begin on Monday, May 1.

Watertown Recreation Spring Brochure - 2023

===========================================================================

The Pequossette Summer Program Documentation and Registration Packet is included.

Pequossette Summer Recreation Program Packet

Please follow the directions in this packet and register online.

In addition, these forms must be filled out and returned to the following address: recreation@watertown-ma.gov. The forms are fillable.

A current physical is also required with immunization records.

Website: www.recreation.watertown-ma.gov

Facebook: watertownrecreationdepartment

Instagram: watertownrecreation

Twitter: watertownrec

Thank you caregivers for remembering that students are welcome to come to WMS starting at 7:45am through the Waverly main entrance. Due to increases in safety protocols, we are not able to open doors earlier than that moving forward. In addition, parents that are dropping students off in a car need to drop students off on the Bemis entrance from 8:15-8:30am, rather than the Waverly entrance. This helps keep traffic flowing smoothly for Watertown.

Is your child looking for ways to get extra help with school? The Learning Lab is available in the WMS library M-F from 7:45-8:15am and M-Th from 3:00-4:15pm. Late buses run M-Th.

In the event that a student is absent, a parent or caregiver must call the absence hotline at 617-926-7783 before 8:30 a.m. Please state the name, grade, homeroom of the student and the reason for their absence. In the event that the absence is not reported, a Robocall will automatically go out to the student’s home or the place of employment of the parent or caregiver to inform them that the student is absent. Students are responsible for working with their teachers to make up work they missed while absent.

Check out page 26 of the WMS Family Handbook to see all of our attendance procedures in more detail.

• May 29: Memorial Day - No School
  

• May 31: CL 4 Field Trip to Met Waterworks Museum (9-2:30)
  

• June 1: CL 3 Field Trip to Met Waterworks Museum (9-2:30)
  

• June 1: Principal Coffee Hour - WMS Schedule 2023-2024 (8:35-9:25am, WMS Cafeteria)

• June 1: Diversity Night hosted by the WMS Diversity Council (5:00-7:00pm, WMS Cafeteria)

• June 1: WMS Band Concert

• June 2: Last day of WMS clubs and the WMS late bus

• June 3: PTO Car Wash at WMS, 10am-2pm

• June 5-9: 8th grade Washington DC Trip/Watertown Week

• June 5: Band/Orchestra Students Field Trip to Cunniff (8:30-10)

• June 6: WMS School Site Council (7:00pm, virtual)

• June 8: Get Lively & Get Out for the Night! PTO Fundraiser (6:00pm)

• June 8: Diversity Council Meeting (7:30pm zoom meeting)

• June 9: Band/Orchestra Students Field Trip to Hosmer/Lowell (8:30-10)

• June 12: 6th grade Canobie Lake Park Field Trip

• June 14: PTO Meeting (7:00 PM virtual)
  

• June 15: 8th Grade Party (Sons of Italy)

• June 16: Last day of school (half day for students)

• June 16: 8th Grade Awards Ceremony/Graduation (9:00-11:00, WMS Gym)
  

• June 23: Quarter 4 Report Cards mailed home to families

• Watertown Public Schools Calendar 2022-2023

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Website: https://wms.watertown.k12.ma.us/
Location: 68 Waverley Avenue, Watertown, MA, USA
Phone: 617-926-7783