Wayland Middle School Monday Morning Minute

Important Dates  10/19 Hybrid Classes Begin - Welcome Back ! Please don't forget to complete an online Healthwatch every morning before your child attends school. 10/27 Picture Day 10/29 Picture Day 11/11 No School- Veterans' Day 11/28 Thanksgiving Recess Begins - Early Release 12:20 REPORTING ATTENDANCE EVENTS: If your child will be Absent, Arriving Late, or Leaving Early on a school day, please be sure to either email us at ms_attendance@waylandps.org or call the attendance line at 508- 358-3801/Select Option 1. Provide your child’s name and grade with the date(s) they will be absent or the approximate time they will be arriving late / leaving early. Precise attendance reporting is a challenge when students are remote, but your efforts to make the office aware of exceptions will help us to maintain accurate records. Thank you!

From the Principal

Good morning WMS families, Today is the day we have been waiting for! We’ve been in school for five weeks, yet today still embodies the 1st day of school anticipation I have come to know and love. We are thrilled by the prospect of having entire clusters of students join us in person today - beginning with our Cohort A students: Henry - Rachel - Martin.  We are just as excited to have our second “first day of school of the week” with our Cohort B students on Thursday: Thoreau - Carson - King Thank you to the families who were able to join Mr. Benzie and me for our Webinar on Thursday night to talk through Phase 2 of WMS’ Hybrid Reopening Plan. I would like to share the Webinar Recording in case you could not join us.   As we return to in-person learning amidst the pandemic, we know that families and staff feel a combination of excitement and apprehension. Know that we will work hard to engage your students academically and social emotionally, while working to mitigate health risks by consistently stressing the 3 W’s: Wear a Mask - Wash your Hands - Watch Your Distance. I want to thank our custodians, front office staff, teachers and teaching assistants, who have put in incredibly long hours to prepare and attend to the myriad of details that COVID 19 protocols necessitate. We too appreciate you, the families who have been diligently supporting students remotely and have adapted to the scheduling challenges a hybrid model creates. It truly takes a village. I leave you with this 2008 poem found on Poem Hunter A Beginning   by Ben Gieske white canvas ................all bleached what first ................a broad wash across the horizontal ................hesitation this is not art ................so much waiting for the details what will blend what will bleed so much there before we started looking now the changes ................the seasons ................the reasons We look forward to your ongoing partnership. Don’t hesitate to reach out if we can support you. Respectfully, Betsy Gavron

Announcements

GOOGLE CLASSROOM Learn More... When teachers invite families and guardians to Google Classroom, they receive the following information in an email: Missing work—Work not turned in when the summary was sent. Upcoming work—Work that’s due today and tomorrow (for daily emails) or that’s due in the upcoming week (for weekly emails). Class activities—Announcements, assignments, and questions recently posted by teachers. Google Classroom Guardian Summaries

CHROMEBOOK CARE If you plan to bring your Chromebooks to school Chromebooks should be charged every night and powered down for transit to School Chromebooks should be carefully protected in a case or sleeve before put in a backpack or bag To fit both last year's Chromebook model and the new Chromebook model, students should get a case that fits any 11 inch Chromebook. Amazon Basic Case - $13.49 Retina hard shell case - $28.99 (fits 11" - 12.3" devices)

IMPORTANT NOTES FROM THE NURSE 7th GRADE PHYSICAL EXAMINATION ALL students entering 7th grade are required to submit a report of a physical examination that was performed within the last twelve (12) months of entering the grade. Please forward the necessary documentation as soon as it becomes available. It is required prior to the start of school in October 2020. MANDATORY FLU VACCINATION Every student must have a flu vaccination before 12/31/20, as required by the Mass Department of Public Health.  

2020 - 2021 BUS UPDATE Due to the limited number of riders allowed on school buses this year as defined by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), the Wayland School Committee voted on Wednesday, October 7, to fully refund families who paid a fee for transportation for this year.  We expect reimbursements to take approximately six weeks.  If you have paid for transportation this year and have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our Transportation Coordinator, Melissa Ricci, at Melissa_Ricci@waylandps.org or the Director of Finance and Operations, Susan Bottan, at Susan_Bottan@waylandps.org. Thank you!!

Now that we are returning to in-person schooling, we are eager to start optional after school activities at the Middle School. Given the limited time we have left in the fall season, we will be offering some activities to engage students for a couple weeks. Wayland Middle School athletes will not travel to compete against students from other towns, but we are excited to offer in-person activities that will allow students to be active, connected to their peers, and experience a little sense of normalcy as they return to in-person schooling. The first activities we will be offering are a running club and soccer club. Students may attend practice 2 days a week, the days they are scheduled to be in-person for learning. Fully remote or students attending school 4 days a week can choose either option. Once we have final numbers, coaches will contact players to confirm whether or not we can accommodate players coming to practice 4 times a week. We do not run any after school practices on remote Wednesdays.  In order to ensure the safety of all students, we will follow the protocols outlined in our familyid registration. Please sign up today at familyid.com. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the Athletic Office at (508) 358-3718 or heath_rollins@waylandps.org.

WAYLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL HOCKEY Have a son or daughter who plays hockey? The MS hockey season here! Please see the details below for information for both the boys' and girls’ MS teams. Fees to play are based on final roster size and are separate from Wayland Middle School athletics fees. Wayland MS Boys Team Tryouts: The team is a game-only league and plays all home games at NESC with some non-league games at local rinks. The season begins at the end of October through late February/early March and is a great way to play with other hockey players in Wayland. All players must have a current USA Hockey member ID # to tryout and play for the team--please go to www.usahockey.com to register if needed. Tryout fee is $50. Please make checks out to Wayland Hockey Association (and bring to tryout) or send via PayPal to info@waylandhockey.org. John A. Ryan Arena - 1 Paramount Place in Watertown Sunday, October 18th at 5:45pm-7:00pm Friday, October 23 at 5:40-6:30pm You do not have to attend both tryout dates, but it is preferred if possible. Please use the form attached to bring with your player. There are also Covid-19 guidelines required by the rink outlined in the document attached below. Please be sure you and your player review them prior to arriving at the rink.  For more information, please contact: Brian Reddington at brian_reddington@waylandps.org Wayland/Weston MS Girls Team: The Wayland/Weston girls middle school team begins in late November and runs through the end of February. The team is a co-op team with middle school girls from Wayland and Weston. All home games are played at Rivers and away games are mostly in surrounding towns. All players must have a current USA Hockey member ID # to play for the team. Please contact Sam Finley at finley747@hotmail.com for more information or to sign up for the team. Arena update WMS boys hockey form

Weekly Wednesday Welcome Library Zoom Meet. WELCOME TO ALL STUDENTS 1:00-1:30pm. The link to Our WMS Library Zoom can be found on each cluster's list of links.

Virtual Social Skills Group- YOUTH TOGETHER Kelsey Sanclemente, LMHC Counselor, Wayland Youth and Family Services Topics covered in Youth Together: •Dealing with social challenges •Dealing with anger, stress, sadness etc. •Boosting self-confidence •Building friendships •Strengthening Conversation Skills If interested, please reach out to Kelsey Sanclemente at ksanclemente@wayland.ma.us

WaylandCares formed a Middle School Youth Leadership program to offer students the opportunity to celebrate making healthy decisions to abstain from alcohol, tobacco and other drug use as minors. The group is also focused on community service, community awareness and providing opportunities for youth to be a leader within the community. The WMS Youth Leadership group will be meeting virtually this academic school year. The days and times of these club meetings is to be determined.  Please contact either Kelsey Sanclemente or Jason Verhoosky at the following emails: Ksanclemente@wayland.ma.us Jason_verhoosky@waylandps.org

Wayland Middle School Council Seeking New Parent Members We are currently seeking two parents to join this year's WMS Council.  In accordance with Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 71: Section 59C, Wayland Middle School will have a School Council that meets regularly and is responsible for the following: Assist in the identification of the educational needs of the students attending the school Review the annual school budget Approve the school improvement plan Review the student handbook School council meetings typically take place quarterly, on mutually agreed upon dates, from 5:00 to 6:15 pm. If you are interested, kindly submit your name and a short biographical paragraph to Betsy Gavron  (Betsy_Gavron@waylandps.org)  Thank you in advance for your support!

McLean Hospital is excited to share many free resources available this October for the public and professionals in hopes of promoting healthy individuals and communities. Upcoming Webinars and Registration Combating Loneliness for a More Fulfilled Life: October 15 Anxiety 101– Spanish Webinar : October 23 The Link Between Social Media & Mental Health: October 29

If you still have school books from the 2019-2020 school year please contact the front office . You can email Nicole Cadman to arrange a drop off.

PTO News

Contact: WaylandMiddleSchoolPTO@gmail.com

Parent Enrichment: Middle & More Virtual Coffees  October Schedule Hosted by the WMS PTO, the Middle & More Coffees (MMC) provide opportunities for parents to learn together on current, discussion-worthy topics related to parenting middle-school youth and time to meet with WMS Staff regarding curriculum. Read more details about our Middle and More Coffees here. During the 2020-21 school year, we will be meeting via Zoom and the meeting time of the MMC will occur during free blocks for the participating WMS teaching staff. A Zoom link will be emailed to you the day of the meeting date.  7th Grade Parent Check-in Cluster Leaders and Betsy Gavron Tuesday, October 20, 12:45 - 1:45 pm 8th Grade Parent Check-in Cluster Leaders and Betsy Gavron Thursday, October 29, 12:45 - 1:45 pm

GRANT REQUESTS ARE COMING IN - GIFT YOUR CHILD TODAY! The PTO has already started receiving grant requests from the middle school teachers. New and unique needs are arising and, unlike previous years, we will be reviewing and approving grants on a rolling basis.  The WMS PTO raises and spends those funds in the same school year. Your donation will be used by teachers to enhance the remote and hybrid experience for our students.  You can donate now by visiting http://waylandpto.org, or by mailing a check made out to Wayland PTO to Wayland Middle School, Attn: PTO, 201 Main Street, Wayland, MA 01778. Thank you for supporting the students and staff at Wayland Middle School. Questions? Please contact Jen Pearlman, Jenpearlman00@gmail.com, Fundraising Chair.

SMILE! WMS Picture Day Wayland Middle School Tuesday, October 27 & Thursday, October 29 This year, we request that you pre-order your child’s Picture Day package online and in advance of Picture Day.  To pre-order prints: - Go to http://www.haywardphotography.com, - Select the blue Prepay for Photo Day button in the middle of the screen, - Enter the code WAY20, enter your child’s First and Last name, - Select a photo package, add to your cart and checkout.  No paper forms will be accepted at the time of the picture. Questions? Please contact Mei-Lyn Kingsley at johnandml@yahoo.com. Photographers will be masked and practicing social distancing, hand sanitizer/disinfectant will be available at photo stations, and students will be masked at all times except when photographs are taken. Please DO NOT return any paperwork to school on Picture Day.  WMS Picture Day Announcement

PTO Thanks…. Fundraising Chair Jen Pearlman for preparing, labeling, stuffing and mailing 643 envelopes for our annual Gift Your Child fundraising campaign’s Welcome Back letter! Special thanks also to 6th grade parent Jane Horne and her two sons for also helping Jen prepare the envelopes while watching a baseball double header! Parent Enrichment Chair Allison Kates for scheduling and organizing the 6th, 7th and 8th Grade virtual Check-ins offered this month. It was great to see close to 50 parents attend 6th Grade Check-in on 10/13! THANK YOU ALL!

Artist of the Week

Artist: Liam Moore Grade: 8 Medium: Ink

Reminders from Previous Weeks

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

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Wayland Middle School Phone: 508.358.3801 Fax: 508.358.3802

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