Dear WMS Families:

C'est Bon! National French week kicked off last Monday with fun, French facts in the lobby (Did you know that the French have laws about when bakers can take vacation, so that they will never have to worry about going without bread?) accompanied by festive French music. The highlight of the week was the transformation of our school cafeteria into a celebration of French culture for the Pause Française. Student created poster projects and digital presentations about Francophone countries filled the room. The food was delicious. I particularly enjoyed a potato pancake filled with Gruyere and bacon. Yum! The flashmob singing was a highlight to the event. One counterpoint to the celebratory mood was the introspective moment of silence we took during the event to honor those killed and injured during the recent horrific attacks on Paris. While the reality of the violence will stay with us, so too will our celebration and love for French culture that was on display throughout the week. A special thank you to our French team of Jada Williams and Wabe Yurek for the extraordinary work they put into creating this special week.

I wanted to take a moment to address what seems to be a growing trend.  There are a number of students and families requesting work ahead of time as they are looking to extend their vacations on either end of a break or take a vacation when school is in session. This is a family choice and not a practice we endorse. That said, I do understand that at times there are a number of factors which might compel families to make that decision. In these cases, teachers are not required or expected to provide work ahead of time. Please know that it is often very hard to offer work that is based on class instruction, discussion, etc. and the assignments in the absence of instruction may not make sense. Pulling together work for many students is a very time consuming process. Teachers will do their best to work with kids when they return, but as you can imagine, a help session does not replace a day's worth of missed instruction and collaborative conversation.

Thank you.
Betsy  

[email protected]

Basketball registration is now open online for all interested 7th and 8th graders. Please be sure to register before tryouts begin. No need to pay the $125 sports fee yet - wait until tryouts are complete. 

Your child will need a valid physical on file in the nurse's office in order to tryout.  Physicals expire after 13 months. Students should give updated physicals directly to Nurse Nims in an envelope clearly marked "sports clearance."

If you have questions about registration, sports clearance, tryouts, or the WMS athletic program, please contact the Athletic Office at 508-358-7488.

Boys Coach:  [email protected]

Girls Coach:  [email protected]

Students received their Q1 report cards last Friday. Please be sure to return the acknowledgement portion to your child's homeroom teacher by November 24. Many thanks!

The Wayland Booster Store Holiday Open House is Thursday, December 3rd from 12-8pm, at Wayland High School. The holidays are right around the corner, so please join us for our annual sale. We will be introducing new colors in our NIKE women's short and there will also be new NIKE pullovers for both men and women along with many of the Booster favorites. Now is the time shop for gifts and replenish your supply of Wayland clothing and gear. Everything from our "W" socks to knit hats, stadium blankets, duffles, comfortable hoodies and tees will be available at this time. Please note that Booster apparel is in adult sizes and select youth XL.    www.waylandboosters.org

PTO Close Buy Orders were delivered this past week either directly to home if customers chose that option, or they were sent home with students via homerooms. If you haven’t received your order, please contact Amy Simmons ([email protected]). If you had any problems with your order, please contact Close Buy directly (www.closebuycatalog.com) and select “Help Me With My Order” on the home page.  Thank you for your support!

If your family's Thanksgiving travel plans involve your child missing a day or more of school this week, please remember to let the office staff know. You can always notify us as much in advance as you'd like ~ there's no need to wait until the day of the absence.  We have two notification methods to choose from:  

By email:  [email protected] 

By phone: 508-655-6670 menu option 2

We have a special schedule on Wednesday 11/25. If you must collect your child early (before our 11:15 dismissal), please be sure to follow our early dismissal process, outlined below: 

• Send your child to school with a early dismissal note. Instruct your child to bring the note to the office before school starts.
• We will give your child a dismissal pass.
• Remind your child to give the pass to his/her teacher and come to the office at the correct time.
• Your child will watch for your arrival from the lobby. There is no need for you to come into the office.