Wayland Middle School
Monday Morning Minute
Week of March 21, 2022
Dear WMS Families,

It is a busy, busy time at WMS. I invite you to read all about it.

World Languages Week:
World Languages Week was a smashing success. Beautiful posters adorned our walls and “Welcome” was written on our doors in the many home languages spoken by students in our school. Staff shared stories of how they learned various world languages. Bilingual students came together Thursday for a bilingual lunch to share their superpower of speaking two (or more) languages. Students and staff throughout the grades dressed in the colors of the day - to celebrate the four languages taught at WMS. We even reserved a day to invite students to dress in ways that represented: 
  • Where you’ve been, 
  • Where you’re from, or 
  • Where you’d like to go
  • Or Dress for St. Patrick’s Day. Such fun! 
Concerts:
An amazing series of concerts were held last week to showcase our award winning music program: Wayland Sings, The String Jamboree and Band Fest. We were delighted to welcome choral students from all levels across the district and their loved ones to the Wayland Middle School theater on Monday evening. My eyes welled up a bit upon hearing their collective voices lifted in song. It had been two years since we were able to hold such events. Tuesday and Wednesday were equally entertaining. The WHS fieldhouse was transformed into Wayland’s Symphony Hall, as our string players and band instrumentalists flaunted their considerable skills. From 3rd grade to 12th grade the gifts of melodies and harmonies were truly joyful. The orchestras and bands sounded as if they hadn’t missed a beat, despite the considerable challenges the pandemic posed for performing music. Congratulations to all our musicians on their successful concerts.

Dining:
The 70 degree weather on Friday brought so many smiles to middle schoolers’ faces (and with masks optional we can see so many of those beautiful smiles). We were thrilled that the snow has melted, and we are able to get back outside to outdoor lunches. Many students consumed their food quickly on the walk to the fields to maximize the next 25 minutes of playing basketball, soccer, tag, etc. Others lounged in the grass chatting with friends while dining leisurely. Many students are taking advantage of the opportunity to be outside. 

With fewer and fewer students choosing the gym when we need to be indoors, we are looking to fine tune our dining plan so we can give our wellness teachers back the entirety of their gymnasium, yet still ensure that students who feel more comfortable eating six feet apart can do so every day.

  • On days where we can eat outside, students may choose between the cafeteria and the back fields.

  • On pooled testing days or inclement weather days, students who have been eating in the gym will head to a pair of grade level classrooms that have an adjoining door. This setup provides space for 6 feet of dining distance for the ~ 24 students per grade (or fewer) who have been dining in the gym. Ms Finnigan will continue to supervise those students - watching both spaces from the adjoining doorway. She will work with students and ensure that proper cleaning/sanitizing happens before the next class enters the spaces.

Technology Assemblies:
Over the next three weeks we will welcome Jason Verhooskey, the Director of Wayland Youth & Family Services and Wayland Cares to offer assemblies to our middle schoolers:
 
CONNECT - Creating Safe, Healthy and Informed Technology Practices 
Technology is a major part of our everyday life. From sourcing information, communicating, connecting and entertaining, we depend on technology to assist us. With this amazing power comes great responsibility!

During this session we will discuss safe and responsible technology practices, creating a positive digital footprint, decoding misinformation, creating digital boundaries and avoiding digital pitfalls. We will discuss popular social platforms (tiktok, snapchat, youtube, instagram), digital communication practices (text, email, dm, messaging apps). What the law/rules say and how to stay safe. 
 
The assemblies begin this week
  • 3/30 - 6th Graders
  • 4/6 - 7th Graders
  • 4/13 - 8th Graders 4/11 
 
Please save the date for the caregiver version of the assembly with Jason. We will offer it via Zoom on Monday 4/11 at 7 PM.
 
Have a wonderful week.
 
Respectfully,
Betsy Gavron
Reminders
Upcoming Dates
3/30: 8th Grade Parents' Night, 7 p.m.
3/30 - 4/2: WMS Musical, Moana Jr.


MIDDLE SCHOOL MCAS DATES

(We ask that students please arrive on time and not be dismissed on testing days)

- 6th ELA: 4/4 - 4/5
- 7th ELA: 4/7 - 4/8
- 8th ELA: 4/11 - 4/12

- 6th Math: 5/2 - 5/3
- 7th Math: 5/5 - 5/6
- 8th Math: 5/9 - 5/10

- 8th Science: 5/12 - 5/13
Announcements
Congratulations to the Wayland musicians who were selected for the 2022 Eastern District Junior Music Festival. 
They participated in rehearsals and a concert recording on Friday and Saturday, March 11-12, 2022 at Noble and Greenough School.
RISING 9th GRADE FAMILIES


Please review an informative and exciting letter from WHS Principal, Allyson Mizoguchi

Congratulations to Coach Reddington and the WMS hockey team on winning their division title!
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2022-2023 WPS Bus Transportation
is now open!
3/1 - 3/31
Sign Up to Receive FREE at home COVID-19 Test Kits

All families and staff are eligible for a rapid antigen test kit including two tests every other week. The state recommends that students who have had COVID-19 within the last 90 days not receive the test until they are past their 90 days, but that is a recommendation, not a requirement. Wayland is committed to providing test kits to any families that request them.


We are asking all families and staff choosing to receive the at-home kits to test on Mondays, preferably before school when possible. Positive results should be communicated to their school nurses as soon as possible; negative results do not need to be communicated.

Pooled PCR testing will continue on Thursdays. Enrollment is open to all except those with COVID-19 infection in the prior 90 days. Contact Parry Graham to enroll.
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SPRING SPORTS

We have opened registration for Middle School Spring Athletics. We will be offering Baseball, Softball, Track and Field and Girls Volleyball. Registration will close at midnight March 24th. All sports run Mondays. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays immediately after school. Any questions regarding specific sports should be directed to the respective coach. Contact info for each coach is below:

- Softball: Hip Rivera hipolito_rivera@waylandps.org
- Baseball: Brian Reddington brian_reddington@waylandps.org
- Volleyball: Pam Kainz pkainz@gmail.com
- Track & Field: Ian Moloney Ian_Moloney@walandps.org
Middle School Traffic Flow Reminders
Middle School Drop-Off and Pick-Up Traffic Flow 

Safety is the number one priority in the drop-off/pick-up circle. 

  • Watch for students in the crosswalk as you enter and exit the traffic circle. 
  • Students may only exit/enter cars at the sidewalk (anywhere along the west side of the building -- from the gym to the stop sign). Students should be prepared to exit cars as soon as the car is stopped safely beside the sidewalk and not wait to be closer to the door. 
  • Students may not walk through the traffic circle. 
  • Proceed through the starred (*) handicapped parking spots if space is available beyond them. 
  • Do not jump the line when spaces appear. Be patient as drivers in front of you pull forward. 
  • If the line reaches the parking lot entrance to the old DPW building, parents will form a circular line-up inside the parking lot to get traffic off of Route 27. Students must be picked up on the sidewalk next to the gym, and may not meet rides in the DPW parking lot. 
  • Once you have dropped-off/picked-up your student, you may cautiously pull out, away from the curb and around waiting cars to exit. 
  • Stop at the stop sign as you exit the traffic circle. Oncoming traffic (buses, staff members, and others not turning into the traffic circle) does not have a stop sign and you must yield to this traffic. 

Drivers – for safety, no cell phone use while moving through the Traffic Circle. Thank you!
Artist of the Week
Artist: Eva Chausse
Grade: 7
Medium: Mixed
PTO News
Interested in Joining the 2022-3 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 will be available for the 2022-23 school year. Please visit the WMS PTO’s Boards and Committees page for more details or email questions or inquiries to the WMS PTO.
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.
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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