Wayland Middle School
Monday Morning Minute
Week of January 10, 2022
From the Principal
Good morning WMS families,

I hope you enjoyed some good old fashioned fun in the snow last Friday. 

Unfortunately, our Drumatix performance from last Wednesday needed to be postponed (Drumatix’s flights were canceled and they could not get to Massachusetts). We will let you know when the rescheduled date gets solidified. I am looking forward to the REACH - Beyond Domestic Violence parent night presentation tomorrow at 7 PM via Zoom. Molly Pistrang will lead us in A Community Conversation: Talking with Youth about Friendships and Relationships. This will give you insight into the upcoming experiences your middle schooler will have in Wellness classes. We will send out the link tomorrow morning.

Based on the number of emails you have received from me you are well aware that our COVID positive cases are on the rise. I appreciate your patience. Administrators and nurses are working around the clock to try to stay on top of communication around cases. Due to the prevalence, I thought it would make sense to reiterate our practice around schoolwork when students are out with COVID.

Fortunately, when COVID cases have arisen, we have had a minimal number of close contacts and the test and stay procedures allow many to remain in school and learning. Students who test positive, however, are now only out of school for five calendar days rather than ten (with the newly revised CDC and DESE protocols). Even so, this can feel like a lot of school to miss. To respect privacy and not put pressure on sick students, we do not reach out directly to students and families about missed work during isolation. Please know that our teachers work hard to get students caught up on the essentials when they return and feel well enough to engage in school again. They will be flexible as students get back up to speed. 

If your child is out with COVID and has minimal symptoms, however, they may feel ready to engage in some school work from home. If this is the case for your child, please email the teachers directly to let them know your child’s particular circumstance. Teachers will share what can be done (without having been in class), and offer guidance about priorities for their disciplines. Google Classroom is an excellent reference for students to use as well in working to keep up to date.

We continue to work to navigate this pandemic with patience, flexibility, and compassion.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership.

Betsy Gavron
Reminders
Upcoming Dates
1/11: A Community Conversation: Talking with Youth about Friendships and Relationships (virtual, link to be sent Tuesday)
1/13: School Council Meeting, 5:00 p.m.
1/13: Vaping: Clearing the Cloud Education Program, 7:00 p.m.
1/17: Martin Luther King Day - NO SCHOOL
2/9: Early Release, 12:20 p.m. Dismissal (bagged lunch offered)
2/10 - 2/12: WMS Musical

Upcoming Events - This Week!
A Community Conversation:
Talking with Youth about Friendships and Relationships

Please join REACH Beyond Domestic Violence’s Youth Education Specialist on Tuesday, January 11 from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m., to learn about how to engage youth in age-appropriate discussions about relationships.

This meeting will be virtual and a link will be sent out to WMS families on Tuesday morning.

Each year, REACH teaches lessons to every 6th, 7th, and 8th grader in the middle school on topics such as consent, boundaries, communication, empathy, and healthy and unhealthy relationships. During this workshop on January 11, we will share strategies of how to continue these conversations at home.

At REACH, we believe that prevention education is effective when young people receive consistent messages from the adults in their lives about what makes relationships healthy and healthy. However, it can sometimes feel challenging to know how to start the conversation. We will share some of the activities we will do in the classroom, give you the opportunity to ask questions, and build skills to enable you to feel confident and competent responding to your child’s questions so you can continue these conversations at home.
WMS School Council
Wednesday, January 13, 5:00 p.m. (virtual)

Click this link to access the WMS School Council webpage for the complete list of current members along with meeting dates, agendas and minutes from past meetings.

The agenda for Wednesday's meeting will be posted on the School Council page in advance of the meeting.

The School Council meets approximately once a month, with the official job being to assist the principal in adopting district, building and state related goals and practices; identifying the educational/social/emotional needs of the students attending the school; and assisting the school leadership in efforts related to the school improvement plan.
Vaping: Clearing the Cloud
Thursday, January 13, 7:00 pm
Wayland High School Lecture Hall

Vaping has become more and more popular with our youth over the last two years. We continue to see youth choose to experiment with and become dependent on both Nicotine and Cannabis electronic delivery devices. Join us for an evening of education, tips on talking with young people in your life, facts on health risks and addiction, as well as information about what we are seeing in Wayland.

This program is open to both parents and youth, as we encourage everyone to receive the same information and continue the conversation together.
Announcements
FCC - Affordable Connectivity Program
A new program (Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program) will provide low-income families with subsidies to help cover the cost of Internet service as well as provide money for devices such as laptops and tablets. For more information, visit the links below:
Don't Forget!
Substitute Teachers Needed

Wayland Public Schools is always looking for more substitute teachers to fill in at the middle and elementary schools. Certification or experience in any particular field is not required to be added to our substitute teacher list.

If you enjoy working with children and are interested in finding more ways to get involved with the Wayland school community, consider applying to be a substitute today!

For more information, check out this page on the Wayland Public School website.
Fill Your Reusable Water Bottles!

As we await the Water Department’s fix to the Wayland's water issue, we must continue to provide extra water to students via single-use, plastic water bottles. The water bottles provided by school are not meant to be students’ only water source or even their first water source. All students should bring a filled, reusable water bottle to school each day and only use the single-use bottles as a last resort. Every day we find partially consumed water bottles left behind and the waste is just unnecessary.

Please bring a filled, reusable water bottle to school!
Artist of the Week
Artists: Jayda Ortega
Grade: 8
Medium: Pencil
PTO News
Outdoor Lunch - Please Sign Up!

Outdoor lunch will be extended into January for all grades, as long as weather holds.

Please consider signing up to be a parent monitor - just keep an eye on the kids while they eat and play and ensure everyone is cleaning up and staying safe. Thank you!!!!

Join the WMS PTO!

Interested in joining the WMS PTO team for the 2022-2023 school year?

Email PTO President Amanda Melander at WaylandMiddleSchoolPTO@gmail.com or check out our Wayland Middle School PTO page to learn more!
Connect With Us!
Helpful Links & Important Info
Arrivals

REMINDER our doors do not open until 8:25 a.m. (with the exception of students who are signed up for AM wellness who go in at 8:00 a.m.). Please do not drop off students earlier.  

If your child is running late - school begins at 8:40 a.m. - and you arrive later than 8:45 a.m., please drop off at the front of the building, so we are sure we get accurate attendance.
Early Dismissals

If you must dismiss your child early from school, please follow this protocol:

  • Send a note into school with your child that day with the time you will pick them up.
  • Your child should bring the note to the Front Office upon arrival and will be given a Dismissal Pass to give to the teacher at the beginning of the class they’ll need to be dismissed from.
  • At the indicated time, your child will come to the office to check out and wait for you at the entrance.
  • If all steps are followed, there is no need for you to call or get out of your vehicle.
man_scratches_head.jpg
DID YOU KNOW?

Trees and plants stop growing in the winter.

At least a septillion snowflakes fall from the sky every year and can fall at speeds of one to six feet per second.

In ancient Rome, an hour was 45 minutes in the winter and 75 minutes in the summer.
The Orange and Black - Our Student Run Newspaper

Be sure to check out our student run newspaper featuring news, stories, poems and other work! The Orange and Black
Wayland Middle School
Phone: 508.358.3801 Fax: 508.358.3802
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