In the Middle
Whitnall Middle School Family Newsletter
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Whitnall Middle School Message |
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April 9, 2021
Hello WMS Families,
I hope you had a great spring break and it is hard to believe we are already well into the month of April. Let's finish the school year strong! Wisconsin Forward Testing began this week for our distance learning students and testing will begin next week for our in-person learners. In-person students in all grades will be taking the ELA tests on April 13 and the Math tests on April 15. Eighth grade students will have two additional days of testing the following week for Science on April 20 and Social Studies on April 22. In-person testing sessions will take place from 8:00 am until 10:30 am. We have set aside some make-up days if necessary.
On testing days students are expected to bring the following:
- A fully charged Chromebook
- Headphones with chord to plug into Chromebook
- A
- Reading material in case they finish a test early
Cell phones and all other personal electronics are expected to be powered down and put away in their backpacks while they are engaged in testing. In addition, we encourage that all students get a good night's rest and eat breakfast prior to testing as it does positively impact their ability to focus while testing.
Our next PTO meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday, April 14th at 7:00 PM in the WMS STEM area. A Principal Chat is scheduled prior to the PTO meeting at 6:30 PM, same location. We are in need of volunteers to fill officer roles for the 2021-2022 school year. The board consists of four positions: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary. For the 2021-2022 school year we will have some open positions that we are looking to fill. If you are interested in volunteering or just getting more information, please email wmspto@whitnall.com.
Sincerely,
Chris D'Acquisto, Principal WMS
Ryan Relich, Assistant Principal WMS
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In tech ed, students are working on building the deck and sub floor for a chicken coop. |
Students used verbal communication and cooperative skills to lead "blindfolded" classmates through an obstacle course called Minefield. |
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April 7 - 29 - Forward Exams
April 14 - PTO Meeting and Principal Chat
April 19 - Track Starts
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The Forward Exam is a summative assessment that provides information about what students know and can do in relation to the Wisconsin Academic Standards. Students receive a score based on their performance in each content area. 6th, 7th, and 8th graders will be tested in ELA and math. In addition, 8th graders will be tested in social studies and science. The test times have been reduced by a minimum of 70 minutes compared to the 2019 test.
Wisconsin Forward Testing began the week of April 5th for our distance learning students and testing will begin next week for our in-person learners. In-person students in all grades will be taking the ELA tests on April 13 and the Math tests on April 15. Eighth grade students will have two additional days of testing the following week for Science on April 20 and Social Studies on April 22. In-person testing sessions will take place from 8:00 am until 10:30 am.
On testing days students are expected to bring the following:
- A fully charged Chromebook
- Headphones
- Reading material in case they finish a test early
Cell phones and all other personal electronics are expected to be powered down and put away in their backpacks while they are engaged in testing. In addition, we encourage that all students get a good night's rest and eat breakfast prior to testing as it does positively impact their ability to focus while testing.
For more specific information about the Forward Exam, parents/guardians can visit the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website and also view the Forward Exam Information for Families Brochure. Please have a fully charged Chromebook and ear buds. Please have your children rested and ready on the test dates. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jim Gableman, WMS School Counselor, jgableman@whitnall.com
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Summer School 2021 Announcement |
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The Whitnall School District has traditionally offered enrichment programs for all students at the elementary and middle school levels to help maintain academic engagement, as well as, credit recovery courses for our high school students. As a result of having to finish the 2019-2020 school year in a virtual environment starting in March, 2020, we realize that this created certain academic disparities amongst portions of our student population. In order to address these disparities we will focus on students who have learning gaps in reading and/or math. Therefore, the Whitnall School District will provide an opportunity for identified Kindergarten through eighth grade students to work in small reading and/or math intervention groups. Credit recovery courses will also be offered for high school students that are credit deficient.
More detailed information about these intervention groups and credit recovery courses will be shared later in April.
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Team and individual portraits from your picture day are now available to view and order online. Please use the link and instructions below to access your photos:
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Go to: https://www.vipis.com/group/a5bfe614/whitnall-middle-school
- Select "View now" on the green Sports Team & Individual tile
- Select your school year and team photo (individual images will appear in the gallery with your team photo)
- Follow the instructions to select your package or products and enter your information
- You will receive a confirmation email
If you can't find your team, it may have been photographed at a later date, so please check back within 2 weeks of your picture date.
If you have any questions, please contact us at support@vipis.com We're happy to help!
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If you've been shopping online for groceries lately, you can still earn BoxTops for your school, even if you don't have a paper receipt. Scanning tip: You can use the "Give Credit" feature in the BoxTops app to give credit to a specific child, teacher or classroom every time you scan a receipt. Just look for the star button! Feeling lucky today? Enter for a chance to win 5,000 Bonus BoxTops for your school. 7 schools will win!* March Sweepstakes information here.
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TRACK: Any 6th, 7th or 8th grader wanting to go out for track needs to be registered and have a current physical on file by April 12th. The season will start April 19th. YES this year we are having 6th graders on our track team. Any questions see Ms Sobush in guidance |
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Student Absences: .
Please report your students absence to the school by 8:00 a.m. You may use the Absence Reporting Form or call the attendance line at 414-525-8650. .
No call and no note will result in the absence being recorded as truancy. If a student has a medical/dental appointment, we encourage you to provide an excuse from the provider.
Appointments/Planned Absences
If your student has an appointment, special event, leaving early, etc. Please contact the office prior to the event so we can have your student waiting for you in the office. You may use the Absence Reporting Form or call the attendance line at 414-525-8650. . If the student will be gone more than two days, please utilize the Planned Absence Form
Infinite Campus is continuing to be used for progress reporting, attendance, and district messaging.
The Whitnall website provides online tutorials that can help families better understand how to navigate our online platforms. Please see the links below for more information:
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Virtual Learning Resources |
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Does your child's device need repairs?
The technology department is offering additional, evening times for students and families to swap out devices for repairs. Monday, November 16 and Monday, November 23 from 3:30-5:30 PM, the team will be available to swap out devices at the high school’s main entrance. Prior to coming, please submit a Help Desk Ticket by visiting https://helpdesk.whitnall.com/portal.
If at any time during instruction you are not able to access the classroom link, or lose access during instruction please contact the WMS main office at 414-525-8660 or dmjones@whitnall.com .
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EAT AND EARN EVENTS: TBD
UPCOMING MEETINGS:
April 14 (Slate of Candidates)
May 12 (Election)
June 9
Kelly Peters- President
Sara Torres - Vice President
Jennifer Radke - Secretary
Rebecca Freek - Treasurer
8th grade parents - we are in the process of forming a committee for 8th grade promotion at the end of the year. Looking for parents interested in planning a celebration for the students. With COVID restrictions we will need to be creative this year. If you are interested in participating, please send an email to wmspto@whitnall.com.
WMS PTO Board of Directors - The PTO is currently looking for parents interested in participating on the Board of Directors for the 2021-2022 school year. The board consists of four positions: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary. For the 2021-2022 school year we will have some open positions that we are looking to fill. If you are interested in volunteering or just getting more information, please email wmspto@whitnall.com.
Your comments, questions and suggestions are always welcome and we're always looking for new faces. You can send us a message at wmspto@whitnall.com
We also encourage you to like our Whitnall Middle School PTO Facebook page.
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Please use the following information to determine whom to contact for different questions. If you have any questions on how to direct you call/questions please contact Ms. Dawn Jones, WMS Secretary at 414-525-8660.
Chris D'Acquisto Principal
414-525-8652
Ryan Relich Assistant Principal
414-525-8663
Building Daily Operations and Events/Teaching and Learning
Primary Contact: Chris D'Acquisto Email
Student Attendance and Behavior
Primary Contact: Mr. Ryan Relich Email
School Counselor
James Gableman
414-525-8654
School Psychologist
Nicole Lussier
414-525-8795
School Social Worker
Courtney Fleishmann
414-525-8655
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Whitnall Employment Opportunities |
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Noon Hour Supervisors
Did you know that you can find employment opportunities at Whitnall through WECAN and daily substitute opportunities through Teachers On Call? Consider taking a look at what's available!
(Athletic Coach, Custodian, Food Service, Kitchen Worker, Noon Hour Supervisor, Paraprofessional)
(Educators and Paraprofessionals)
(Educators/DPI Licensed Positions)
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Whitnall Middle School | 414.525.8660 | info@whitnall.com | https://www.whitnall.com/schools/middle/
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