Wayland Middle School
Monday Morning Minute
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Week of December 20, 2021 |
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Good morning WMS Families,
Today, we enter the last school week of 2021, and we hope to close out the year on a positive note. On Wednesday we will continue our work in TAG. We will shift from processing the racial incidents to helping students amplify positive, supportive voices that move our school forward towards the vision captured in the School Committee’s Anti-Racism Resolution. Here are some student-generated ideas that teachers have shared with me about what students brainstormed. Students said, “I could:
- use my voice - share with my friends out loud how I feel about what has happened
- use my writing (poetry, email, journal)
- read a book with a character who is different from me
- create art that inspires people to do the right thing
- find a quote that speaks to me that sends a message about doing the right thing and either give it to HR teacher to put up in the bathroom - or post it on social media
- educate myself - watch a movie(s) about social justice / find a book that explains something that happened in US history that is related to social justice
- educate others - share what I learned with my friends
- spread kindness
- offer compliments to classmates
- write messages of kindness and deliver them to peers”
I am inspired by students’ ideas and look forward to operationalizing some of them in the weeks and months ahead.
Shifting gears, I know students are eager to get their lockers. Our time-sensitive TAG work and some eSchool glitches have led us to adjust the date to issue students lockers to Wednesday, January 5th, which is a super-early release day after we return from break. We will build in the time that day to teach the locker expectations and provide time to practice opening locks. I apologize for the delay.
Finally, as we head into the break, I would like to convey how grateful I am to you - our WMS family community. It takes a village, and each day we rely on the home-school partnership to further our collective work. In the last two weeks you have listened to and comforted worried children. You have had difficult conversations with your children to assert your belief in anti-racist values. So many have sent messages of support, and many have shown up to demonstrate for racial justice on short notice. It takes a committed community to constantly work towards the values we want to govern our spaces. I appreciate all you do to buoy your children and our schools. I hope you enjoy a peaceful, well-deserved December break. We aim to return better than ever in 2022.
Respectfully,
Betsy
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Upcoming Dates
12/22: Holiday Recess begins at end of school day, 2:30 p.m.
1/3: Classes Resume
1/5: Early Release, 12:20 p.m. (bagged lunch offered)
1/11: A Community Conversation: Talking with Youth about Friendships and Relationships
1/13: Vaping: Clearing the Cloud Education Program
1/17: Martin Luther King Day - NO SCHOOL
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Reminder from the Nurses Office
The WMS Nurses are planning to begin all the state mandated health screenings shortly after the Holiday Recess.
These will include Vision and Hearing (all grades), Heights and Weights (7th grade only) and Postural screening (all grades).
If you would like to “opt out” or decline any or all screenings at the Middle School, please send an email to the school nurse stating any or all screenings you would like to opt out of by Wednesday, December 22.
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Neighboring Streets: Pick up & Drop off
We have received reports from community members that there has been a significant increase in the number of cars picking up middle school students on Leary Rd. If you are part of that contingency, we ask you to please drive slowly and be respectful of the residents. There are many new families with young children in this neighborhood.
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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.
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.
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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. |
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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.
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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!
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Artists: Sadie Alongi & Violet Kuris
Invention Name: The Cereal Truck
Grade: 7
Medium: 3D Print, Acrylic, Cardboard, Model Magic
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Staff Appreciation
Relaxation Station & Treats to Go
Let's show our Middle School staff how much we appreciate them!
Please drop items off today, Monday 12/20, at Liz Garcia's house (18 Adams Ln). We will sort the treats into small bags for staff to grab & go.
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We thank our volunteers… those who organized and donated towards our Holiday Gift Drive for the Wayside Youth & Family Support Network!
Thank you to Gift Drive Chair, Maureen White, Gift Drive Committee Members and to the dozens of WMS families who contributed!!
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Helpful Links & Important Info |
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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.
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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.
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DID YOU KNOW?
The Winter Solstice, Tuesday, December 21, marks the longest night and shortest day of the year for the northern hemisphere.
Ancient cultures viewed the Winter Solstice as a time of death and rebirth.
The word Solstice (derived from the Latin scientific term solstitium) translates to "Sun Stand Still".
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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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