WMS/PTO Newsletter
February 2015
Principal's Message

 

Dear Families,

 

Our annual January House Block celebration to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a very special tradition at Wayland Middle School. This year was no exception. The jazz band performed, several 8th grade students shared candle lighting tributes, the select chorus sang, and we viewed a multi-media presentation that showcased students engaged in service learning throughout our building. Additionally, students shared art inspired by Dr. King's words and one paid tribute through a song.  Finally, choral readers presented a rendition of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech.  In this newsletter, I share with you the remarks I offered our school community as my small part in this wonderful day.

 

Respectfully,

Betsy Gavron, Principal

 

Good Morning. One of the greatest milestones in a person's life is taking that first step.  Learning to walk fundamentally changes a person's life.  Standing on one's own two feet to move through the world shifts one's perspective offering a whole new vantage point.  Walking can become a powerful tool as we grow. Today all over the globe, groups of like-minded individuals come together to walk in unity, to be heard, and to bring attention to an issue, a problem, or an injustice.  People walk to raise money and awareness about diseases.  People march to send messages to their governments.  People protest to bring attention to inequity. Civil Rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., our 8th grade house mentor who we come here to honor today, knew the power of footsteps and he used marching as a tool for change. Continue Reading

Remember the year!

Personalize Your Yearbook!

Want your yearbook to represent YOU? Between now and February 25, you can personalize your yearbook with your name and images that capture you and your year.  Just log on to Jostens.com to purchase and personalize your yearbook*.

 

* Please note: while the yearbook picture online is hardcover, the WMS yearbook is softcover

Please Return Report Card Acknowledgment Form
Many thanks to all of you who have returned your Q2 report card acknowledgment form.  If you haven't returned yours yet, please do so as soon as you can.  Thank you!
Artist of the Week

Title: "Night Rider"
Medium: Acrylic

"I used to have a horse that looked like this. We used to ride in the night. This reminded me of a time when we rode out to a flat field one night and we sat and watched the stars. It was a rare night, because it rains a lot in the U.K." ~ Sarah Newman

 

Congratulations WMS Musicians!
Congratulations to the record number of Wayland students accepted into this year's Eastern District Junior Festival!  Between WMS and WHS, Wayland had 47 students accepted, the largest representation of any school district in the festival! WMS students are listed below:
Band

Alex Ding

McKenna Kelemanik

Michael Matta

Matthew Karle


Mixed Chorus

Sidney Toga

Jack Wuerfl

Abaigeal Donaldson

Elizabeth Francis

Renee Case

Samantha Morrison

Abigail O'Shaughnessy

Siddhanth Iyer

Nick Smith

 

Treble Chorus

Eva Bransfield

Samantha Potter

Abby Calverley

Samantha Neuman

Emily Rader

Orchestra

Michael Liu

Kevin Wang

Jesse Wang

Lily Jenzeh

Samantha Baron

Tristan Wolff

Brendan Ho

Conrad Chew

Clarissa Briasco-Stewart

Mae Zhang

Sarah Zhang

Rachel Chau

Spencer Lee

Julia de los Reyes

Nathan Zhao

 


Library News

 

Wayland Teen Library Advisory Group

Due to the recent snow, we've shifted the schedule for our upcoming meetings:

 

Deconstruction Day has been moved to March 18th. Students are invited to take apart technology to reform it into new creations. More information can be found on the library website.

 

From the LARK's Nest

Help ensure that both your student and his/her Chromebook come back from vacation fully charged! The student assistants at our LARK's Nest Help Desk note that many students return from days off -- including weekends -- with Chromebooks with low or no battery power. Please add a reminder to charge CBs to your family's calendar for February 22nd.

 

8th Grade DC Photographers Gearing Up!

All 8th grade students have been invited to apply to help document the Class of 2019's trip to Washington, DC. Students who are selected will participate in a blended learning workshop on elements of photography, serve as archivists of their homeroom's experience, and curate segments of this year's slide show. Applications are due at lunch today. Students will meet for an orientation session before February break.

 

From the Wayland Public Library:

Middle School students are invited to participate in two Wayland Reads events celebrating Wayland author Marina Keegan geared specifically for a middle school audience:

See WPL site for date

Making Journals/Blank Books by Hand

Workshop led by librarian Elise Katz

Session 1:  2 p.m.

Session 2:  3:30 p.m.

 

Come to our Journal-Making Workshop and make a simple journal with blank pages for writing or artwork. Or if you have your own store-bought blank journal, you can decorate your cover with paper ephemera. We will provide materials and tools, including paper punches, rubber stamps, special papers, postcards, cutouts from magazines, postage stamps, tapes, ribbons, decorative scissors, etc.  Or bring your own paper mementoes and photos!

 

Thursday, March 19th

Middle School Writing Workshop with Angela Corbet

2:45 PM - 4:15 PM

 

Marina Keegan was always a curious and passionate writer and from an early age kept journals.  As a middle schooler (she attended Wayland Middle School) and high schooler, she explored her ideas, hopes, and questions in words and sketches.

 

Middle school writers are invited to join a workshop with Angela Corbet to explore your ideas, hopes, and questions. Angela Corbet recently retired from the Wayland Middle School where she taught English for many years.

 

PTO News

 

Middle and More Coffee Thank You!

A big thank you goes out to Cathy Scholz who, again, put together a wonderful and informative "Middle and More Coffee" held late last week.  The subject was "Curriculum and Placement" which is always a hot topic.  Parents and guardians were able to listen to members of the staff and ask lots of questions.  Cathy carefully plans each month's subject at the beginning of the school year and gathers the best resources to cover the topics.  Much of the focus is on parents' and guardians' questions and each voice is heard.  Please keep an eye out for the upcoming Middle and More Coffees!

 

Mini-Grants have been decided!

Thank you to all of the staff who submitted requests for mini-grants!  We heard from a wide array of staff -- from academics (individual departments as well as full grades), music and wellness, to clubs and even the custodial staff!  The PTO Board met initially to review the grants, asked some follow up questions and met again for final votes last week.  We approved 14 grants!  We could never have done so without your support!  Thank you!!!

 

For the next few weeks we will feature in the MMM a few grants that have been approved! 

 

This week we feature the following grants....

 

1. Ms. Ravid will now have MakerMobile and MakerClub materials in the library that encourage students to embark on creative use of the Maker resources.  Ask your student about the endless opportunities for these wonderful products!  Lego, origami, drawing, building, robots, planes, knitting, crafting and much more!  It's the basics of "tinkering" and finding what may be of interest to your student!

 

2.  Ms. Mills will now have magazine subscriptions relevant to the 6th grade Social Studies curriculum.  She will use these resources to support the student's learning of new and interesting topics as well as delving deeper into current topics!

 

3. The 8th grade Social Studies and Visual Art Departments will now have a collection of basic kits (lighting, sound and motor) to add to the Memorial Model project that they currently build as part of their Washington DC trip experience.  They will now have the resources to infuse their memorial designs with basic electrical elements, including lighting, sound and motion!  Can't wait to see these creations!

 

Thank you again and please keep reading the upcoming MMMs to find out additional grants that have been awarded with your generous donations!

 

IMPORTANT DATES

2/11: String Jamboree, 7:30PM @ WHS Field House
2/12: Band Fest, 7:30PM @ WHS Field House
2/16-2/22: Winter Recess, No School

PARCC/MCAS Testing Dates


Reminders
From Previous Emails
Absence Notification

While we hope all students will be in school on the days leading up to and following our February vacation, if your child will miss school due to family travel plans, please remember to let the office staff know (even if you have notified teachers or counselors).  We have two notification methods for you to chose from:

 

By email:  ms_attendance@wayland.k12.ma.us

By phone:  508-655-6670, menu option 2

 

No need to wait!  You can notify us as far in advance as you'd like.

Please include your child's first and last name, grade, and the absence date(s). 

 

Please remember that teachers do not provide advance schoolwork for such absences. Thank you! 

Gift Card Calendar Fundraiser Winners
Thank you so much to everyone who who participated in our gift card calendar fundraiser.  The results are posted here.
WMS Closed 2/16 to 2/20
The Wayland Middle School building will be closed to staff and the public during February vacation week while we have several transformers replaced. Our phone system will also be shut down. If you need assistance, please email ramah_hawley@wayland.k12.ma.us or call the WPS Central Office at 508-358-7728.
Lost & Found
Now is a good time to have your child check our lost and found as the piles are getting quite high. Unclaimed items will be donated to charity at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, February 13, as is our custom prior to each of the school vacations (December, February, April, and June).