West Pine Middle

Monday is FAVORITE BOOK OR MOVIE CHARACTER DAY at West Pine (dress code appropriate and no face paint or masks). It should be a fun day on campus!

Federal Impact Aid Survey is now available through November 3rd. Click the link to learn more.

All-county band auditions take place Tuesday at 4:30pm at NCMS. Our all-county orchestra students will perform Thursday night at 5:30pm at Pinecrest HS.

Congratulations to our golf team and Coach Chapman on their undefeated season and claiming the Lee/Moore Conference Championship this year, and congratulations to both of our Cross Country teams and Coaches West and Gilbertson for placing first at the MCMSXC Invitational last week! Thank you to all our West Pine families who came out to support our football team, cheerleaders, and 8th grade band last week at Pinecrest. More sports information can be found below in the athletics section.

Friday is a teacher workday. Reach out to your child's homeroom teacher if you would like a conference. Report cards may be picked up Friday in the main office between 8am-1pm. Report cards not picked up will be given to students Monday, November 7th.

I am very proud of the work our students have put in this quarter. They are working diligently towards their goals, and our staff remains committed to holding high expectations for each student while differentiating to meet their individual needs. Ask your child about his/her goals for this year and see how he/she feels about the progress.

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

Take care,

JW

*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. Our band and orchestra students will perform a few selections, and several students will share their poetry with our guests.

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 10: Donuts for the Distinguished, 8am
• 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

Athletics

1. WPM Golf

Congratulations to the WPM Golf team as they went undefeated this season and won the Lee/Moore County Conference championship! We are very proud of this team and their accomplishments this season.

2. WPM Cross Country

Congratulations to the WPM Cross Country team as the girls and boys teams placed first at the MCMSXC Invitational Championship! Another shout out to all the runners who have made new personal records at the conference meets over the past two weeks at both East Lee MS and New Century MS. The boys and girls teams placed fourth and fifth overall at both of these conference meets. The Lee/Moore Conference Championship Meet will take place on Tuesday, November 1st at North Moore HS starting at 4:30pm. A team party will take place at WPM after the meet to close out the season! Coach West has emailed details already to families. We wish Coach West the best of luck as she departs WPM. Thank you for your contributions to all the students, families, and XC runners over the years.

3. Athletic Schedule This Week

Tuesday, November 1st - Cross Country Conference Championship Meet @ North Moore High School starting at 4:30pm.

Wednesday, November 2nd - FINAL HOME football game versus East Lee MS. We are going all out with a WESTERN THEME! Wear your best western outfits, flannel, and cowboy hats and boots to show your support! The cheerleaders will also be ready to show their school spirit. Eighth graders will be recognized in this final middle school football game before transitioning to Pinecrest HS. Start time 4:00pm. Ticket costs for adults are $4 and $2 for students. Concessions will be available. Staff will be directing traffic for parking after dismissal starting at 3:15pm. Parents, please arrive to pick up your child beginning at 5:45pm.

4. Basketball Tryouts

Please review the following information for upcoming tryouts this week!

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.

Letters were sent home with students recently with school fee payment reminders for eligibility purposes.

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. Families of students who make the final roster will have a parent meeting at 5:00pm on Thursday, November 10th.

All athletic and medical forms must be completed on the BigTeams website in order to try out for the basketball team. Without this completed, students will be unable to try out.

5. 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. Sent from my iPhone

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