Wayland Middle School
Monday Morning Minute
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Important Dates
Wednesday 12/23 Holiday Recess Begins - End of school day
Monday 1/4 Classes Resume
Monday 1/18 Martin Luther King Day - No School
2/15-2/19 Winter Recess
Monday 2/22 Classes Resume
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!
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If your student is going to be absent on an in person learning day, you must still fill out the Healthwatch form - thank you for your cooperation!
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Good morning WMS families,
Welcome to the last full school week of 2020 -- and oh, do we have plans for fun this week!
Spirit Week:
It is WMS Spirit Week - 2020. Encourage your middle schooler to show their spirit in person and online.
Monday: Pajama Day - Wear your cozy jammies. Bring a (small) stuffed animal to class.
Tuesday: Favorite Holiday or Favorite Season - Dress in a (school appropriate way) to represent your favorite season or holiday.
Wednesday: Hat Day - Wear a hat throughout the day.
Thursday: Favorite Shirt Day - Wear a shirt to celebrate a favorite activity.
Friday: Wayland Day - Sport your Wayland Colors - Black & Orange.
Additionally, Mr. Benzie has created brackets for the first ever schoolwide Rock - Paper - Scissors Tournament. WRAP students will be included in the competition, competing online. We will announce the winner once they’ve won the championship round!
Traffic Trial:
Friday completed our 2-week traffic trial where we only permitted cars to turn right when exiting the WMS driveway during dismissal (based on the recommendation of Wayland’s Police Chief). Please share your input about whether we should make this a permanent change for 2020-2021 School Year. We will collect input through this Friday and report a decision in next Monday’s MMM. If the change is finalized it will begin in January. To fill out the survey click here.
Have a great week!
Respectfully,
Betsy Gavron
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THIS WEEK
Announcing WMS Spirit Week!!!
In order to have a little fun before our winter break, we have decided to have a spirit week for the Week of December 14th - 18th. Each day’s event is for students both at home and in person! Please see the attached flyer for details on specific days.
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Wayland Cares Youth Leadership
Holiday Cards of Joy
The Wayland Cares Youth Leadership Group is creating holiday cards and greetings to share with our community! We are hoping that you will all join us in spreading holiday cheer and will create a card to brighten up someone’s day!
To join in the merriment, simply create a generic holiday greeting, sign it with your first name only and drop it in the collection box, by the morning of December 17th.
All the cards will be collected, scanned and incorporated in a video slideshow, in partnership with the Wayland Council on Aging. The video will run on WayCam as well as the Council on Aging IN-Sights show, from December 21-31st.
Thank you for helping make the holidays bright!
** There will be a decoratively wrapped box inside the main entrance of the MS where students can place their holiday cards**
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SAVE THE DATE:
2021 Virtual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Program
Monday, January 18th
5:30pm-7:00pm
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. program will include a portrait slideshow of students' personal artwork or pictures on whom they consider a leader. Elementary students will perform, and we will honor Elliott Francis (Wayland METCO '71), who is the first Wayland METCO Program graduate. There will also be presentations by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. contest student winners, and the keynote address will be delivered by Michael J. Bobbitt, Artistic Director of the New Repertory Theatre in Watertown, MA. He was recently named one of the most influential leaders in Boston suburbs by the Boston Globe.
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Wayland Healthy Relationships Task Force
WMS parents, guardians, and 8th grade students are invited to participate on the Wayland Healthy Relationships Task Force. Please see Dr. Unobskey's letter that he sent to the WMS community earlier this week for more information: (Link here)
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Mr. Murray proudly presents...
WMS 2020 December Chorus Concert
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, singing indoors in Massachusetts public schools has been prohibited. This prevented students from rehearsing together and required some out of the box thinking to provide a concert experience to our community this year. To create this program of music, hundreds of short individual recordings were submitted by students. These recordings were assembled and synchronized to create a musical mosaic resembling a choral performance.
8th Grade Chorus - ‘Reflection’ from the film Mulan, has received some new attention due to the 2020 live-action adaptation. The story of the film is an exploration of identity. The middle school years are an exploration of identity for our students, making the message of the song significant. The visuals of the video combine student drawing, photography, and dramatic interpretation.
7th Grade Chorus - ‘E Ala E’ (music begins at 0:07) This song is an adaptation of a Hawaiian Chant by Ruth Morris Gray. The song is performed in both Hawaiian and English. The chant praises the beauty of the rising of the sun over the ocean. We hope listening to the song transports you to a tropical paradise and the only state currently on the ‘safe to travel’ list for Massachusetts residents.
6th Grade Chorus - ‘Don’t Let The Music Stop’ - This Eugene Butler song quotes the works of Walt Whitman and Arthur O’Shaughnessy as it delivers an important message for our current times. We may not be able to gather together in auditoriums and concert halls right now but the music will continue one way or another.
Select Chorus - ‘Siyahamba’ - This South African song has become a staple of the Select Chorus repertoire. The chorus performs in both Zulu and English. The video tells the tale of how the song became popular in the English speaking world, and the importance of the song in the South African civil rights movement.
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WMS Orchestra
Virtual Masquerade Performances
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IMPORTANT NOTES FROM THE NURSE
**MANDATORY** FLU VACCINATION - all students
Every student must have a flu vaccination before 12/31/20, as required by the Mass Department of Public Health. This includes students in WRAP
Please forward documentation to Laurie Hojlo or fax to the nurses office 508-358-3816 |
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Middle and More Coffees
December Recap
Many thanks to those parents and caregivers that attended the December Middle and More Coffee with Betsy Gavron and the WMS Guidance staff! It was great to hear from the guidance staff about their experiences with both students and families during these challenging times, touching upon terms such as “Pandemic Parenting” and “Siloed Learning”. They offered helpful tactics and encouraged everyone - parents included - to practice self care, take breaks and set aside time for yourself.
Upcoming Dates
Save the Date! Middle and More Coffees continue throughout the 202-21 year, including:
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January 5, 12:50-1:50 pm: Math, Science & World Languages Department Heads
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March 8, 9:00-10:00 am: English & Social Studies Department Heads
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Wayland PTO Gift Your Child
HELP US REACH THE TOP!
Slow and steady wins the race. We have achieved 83% of the PTO’s Gift Your Child fundraising goal. Only YOU can help us reach the top so we can fulfill the incoming grant requests of the middle school teachers and staff.
Donations may still be made by visiting http://waylandpto.org or mailing a check made out to Wayland PTO to:
Wayland Middle School,
Attn: PTO
201 Main Street
Wayland, MA 01778
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Interested in Joining the 2021 PTO Team?
Want to get more involved while your child is at Wayland Middle School? Join us on the PTO!
Several Board and Committee positions available for the 2021-22 school year, including:
- VP
- Treasurer
- Parent Enrichment (Monday Morning Coffees)
- Picture Day
- Landscaping
- 6th Grade Parent Reps
- 7th Grade Parent Reps
- 8th Grade Parent Reps
- New Family Welcome Coordinator
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Artist: Olivia Lugo
Grade: 8
Medium: Pencil
Our 8th graders are challenged to design a Google Doodle based on a chosen artist’s works. Olivia created this illustration (top) in response to the sculptural work of Damián Ortega (bottom).
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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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