Wayland Middle School
Monday Morning Minute
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Important Dates
5/11 Early Release 12:20 (due to voting)
5/12 3:15 Dismissal time (regular length school day)
5/27 Rising 6th Grade parent Zoom
5/31 Memorial Day - No School
6/17 Tentative last day for students
Help us help you!
EARLY DISMISSALS:
- Please send a written note to school with your child with date and time you wish to pick up.
- Instruct your child to bring the note to the office upon arriving to school.
- Your child will be given a blue dismissal pass to give to the teacher whose class they will be leaving.
- At the indicated time, your child can leave class to come up to the office/lobby and wait for you to pull up by the front entrance.
This protocol allows us to avoid calling classrooms and minimize interruptions to teaching. It also helps to foster independence in students by asking them to be responsible for their part in the dismissal routine. Thank you!
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WMS 2020-2021 School Council
Please join us. Meetings are open to everyone!
Wednesday, May 19 @ 5PM via ZOOM
WMS School Council members include:
Michael Kotin - Susan Chisholm - Erin Gibbons - Lisa Goodman - Ruchi Saggar - Amruta Mudambi - Renee Henrich
Every meeting we also have two 8th grade students join.
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Dear WMS families,
Last week was both truly delightful and totally exhausting for students and staff alike as we transitioned to the long awaited “all-in.” It was heartwarming to watch students reunite with classmates from the opposite cohort for the first time in over 400 days. Despite turning the calendar to May this weekend, it feels a bit like September. In many ways it is like a new year. We’ve begun building new classroom routines and helping students find their way to new classrooms. Counselors have been busy checking in with students who benefited from some extra TLC to help them manage the transition. The hum of WMS is at a more typical volume once again. It certainly brings a smile to my face.
While the normalcy of all-in is comforting, we know we must remain vigilant in our adherence to the COVID safety measures of masking, sanitizing and social distancing to keep our learning community healthy. We continue to rely on and appreciate your careful daily health screenings and attestations.
We have a number of WMS updates to share this week:
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Schedule for the week of Voting Day - May 11 - Because the voters of Wayland need to use our gymnasium for voting on Tuesday, May 11 (where over 100 students per grade eat each day), The Wayland School Committee determined that we will end school at 12:20, and no lunch will be served. We will also shift TAG to Tuesday that week and cancel FLEX on Tuesday. In turn, Wednesday will not be a typical early release.
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Breakfast Bags - Free to any and all students - Students are invited to pick up a bag of non-perishable items that can be eaten throughout the week for breakfast or at any time. Breakfast items also make for great snacks to eat before after school activities. Breakfast bags can be picked up at lunch every Monday.
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A WMS Sports Addition: Volleyball - We are pleased to be able to offer outdoor volleyball activities (no interscholastic competition) for 7th and 8th grade girls this spring. Thursday, May 6th will be the first day volleyball is offered. Weather permitting, volleyball will take place Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays immediately after school through Friday, June 11th. Interested 7th and 8th graders must register on FamilyID in order to participate. Students or parents with any questions may reach out directly to Coach Pam at pkainz@gmail.com.
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Lunch Outside - It looks like we have enough student interest and parent volunteer helpers to offer lunch outside for up to 60 students per grade each day Monday -Thursday. (Friday, all hands are on deck for pooled COVID testing so we won’t be outdoors.) We will begin offering outdoor lunch seating tomorrow. I will send interested students an email indicating the days of the week they can attend (based on their interest indicated in the survey and space availability). Students need to bring a beach towel to sit on each day they are outside. Based on the weather, we will make the call by 9AM daily as to as to whether or not outdoor dining will happen.
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Quarantining or Isolating - Reminder - if your child needs to quarantine due to being a COVID close contact or isolate due to having COVID, please send a group email to your child’s team of teachers. They will respond with a plan for how your child can continue to progress in the curriculum. This may be through “Zoom to Room” or an alternative means that the teacher deems better matches the content and its delivery.
Thank you. Have a great week.
Respectfully,
Betsy Gavron
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Dear Parents/Guardians
If your child routinely experiences springtime allergy symptoms- we are asking you to please give them their allergy medication before they come to school. As allergy symptoms can mimic the symptoms of the Covid virus infection- if your child comes to the health room with these symptoms, we will need to ask you to pick up your child and have them tested for Covid before they can return to school, or alternatively have your child’s physician write us a letter indicating that your child’s symptoms are due to springtime allergies.Your child will have to remain at home until we receive either the test results or the physician’s letter. Our goal is to keep each child in school as many days as possible!
Thank you for your attention to this
Laurie Hojlo, RN
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WAYLAND SUMMER STRINGS!
Building on six successful summers, Wayland Summer Strings, led by Whitney Tandon, returns in 2021! Mark your calendars now for this in-person chamber music program, which includes small and large ensemble work, music games, and a performance at week's end, all following COVID-safety guidelines.
July 26-30, from 12:30-3:30 p.m. each day at Wayland High School
This five-day program is for young musicians entering Grades 6 - 9.
Registration is through Wayland School Community Programs, and will begin in April; $150 payment will be due July 1st.
Note: If your child is interested in participating, please email Whitney_Tandon@waylandps.org to reserve a spot. Maximum enrollment is 20.
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The Wayland Public Schools has been awarded the Best Communities for Music Education designation by the NAMM Foundation. The award program recognizes outstanding efforts by teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community leaders who have made music education part of a well-rounded education. Designations are made to districts and schools that demonstrate an exceptionally high commitment and access to music education. This is the 11th year in a row that Wayland has earned this prestigious designation!
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For Parents of Current 6th & 7th Graders - Student Placement Requests
Deadline: Friday, May 14
Considerable thought and effort are given to student scheduling here at WMS. It is a highly complex, intricate, and time-consuming process. Families may make specific placement requests for their middle schooler under the following circumstances:
- If you have concerns about a teacher based on an older sibling's experience, you may request a different teacher for your child. You may not, however, request a specific teacher.
- If your child has had difficulty with a specific student which has negatively impacted your child's ability to learn, you may request that the children be placed in separate clusters.
Please know that we will not be considering requests from families to place students together this year. To be considered in the placement process, all requests must be sent via email to Betsy_gavron@waylandps.org no later than Friday, May 14. Please include your child's first and last name, and grade in September 2021. Although we will work hard to honor your request, we cannot make any guarantees. Thank you.
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Outdoor Lunch: Volunteers Needed!
If you are able to volunteer your time over the next 7 weeks by monitoring the WMS lunch period so our kids can eat outside, it would be greatly appreciated! Please fill out THIS SURVEY if you are able to assist. Thank you!
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Parent Enrichment
Save the Date!
May 12, 10:00 AM: “Coping with the Stress of the Pandemic on Students and Families” with Dossie F. Kahn, Psy.D., Assistant Director, Clinical Supervisor, who has worked with Wayland Youth and Family Services since September 2008. A Zoom link will be sent out to WMS families on May 12.
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Staff Appreciation & Supporting Wayland Restaurants
Weekly Raffle
The WMS PTO sponsored a 12-week WMS Staff Appreciation Raffle to help fuel our teachers and support our local restaurants!
THANK YOU to Nicole Cadman and Chris DiBona in the WMS Front Office who selected the names each week. Here is a full list of the Wayland restaurants and the raffle winners:
2/9: Stacey Drahusz - Spice & Pepper
2/11: Joao DaSilva - Mel's Commonwealth Cafe
3/9: Jordan Hoolihan - The Local - Wayland
3/11: Kevin MacNiel - The Dudley Chateau
3/16: Patrick O'Brien - 110 Grill - Wayland
3/23: Peter Curran - Giacomo's Ristorante - Wayland
3/26: Brian Reddington - Liberty Pizza
3/30: Alison King - Wayland Pizza House
4/13: Bethann Monahan - Takara Japanese Restaurant - Wayland
4/16: Kelly Hagan - The Villa Restaurant
4/27: Joanna Posner - Coach Grill
4/30: Stephanie Galvani - China Rose Cuisine
Thank you WMS faculty & staff for the amazing work that you do!!
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Artist: Wyeth Heilman
Grade: 6
Medium: Watercolor & Pastel
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Reminders from Previous Weeks |
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MASK RULES & GUIDELINES
In accordance with MA Department of Public Health and CDC guidelines face coverings must:
- Cover the nose and mouth
- Fit securely and comfortably against the side of the face
- Be secured with ties or ear loops
- Allow for breathing without restriction
- Be able to be laundered without damage or change of shape
- Be made of at least 2 layers of material
- Face coverings may not have an exhalation valve or vent
The following are not allowed: Gaiters, bandanas, scarves, and face masks that have a ventilation valve. They are not considered effective face coverings and will not be allowed.
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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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