WMS Newsletter
Monday, April 9, 2018
In this Issue:
  • Message from Principal Gavron
  • 7th Grade Cape Cod Trip Medical Forms
  • Date Change - WMS Orchestra Concert
  • Lost and Found
  • Stop n Shop Rewards
  • Wayland Wellesley Festival Chorus
  • PTO News
  • Artist of the Week
  • Reminders from Previous Emails
  • Important Dates
Message from Principal Gavron

I am convinced that being a parent is the hardest job we will ever have. The push and pull of when to help our children and when to let them struggle is such a delicate balance. I was reminded of this in an unexpected way, not too long ago while attending a professional development session on writing. In the breakout workshop participants were tasked with writing from the heart about our earliest memories. We each recorded the details of our first recollection and discussed layers of meaning, noting how that first memory still might speak to us in some relevant way today.

I immediately conjured up a traumatic day at my grandmother’s farm in Ohio when I was three years old. And wondered why it is that the painful memories overshadow life’s joyous moments? On that day in 1973, I had just eaten a banana, and I was racing around my grandmother’s living room. The TV was on and the adults were chatting. As the only grandchild around, I was circling the coffee table performing for the relatives and demanding their attention. As Seuss might say, my actions screamed, “Look at me. Look at me. Look at me now!” Upon hitting top speed I caught my foot on the leg of the table and took a spill, smashing my chin on the corner as I landed. Blood spurted everywhere and stitches were a necessity. My mother rushed me to the car and sped off trying to apply pressure to the wound while driving to the hospital. Yes, this was back in the day when kids rode in the front seat – sans seatbelts.  I recall being whisked into the emergency room and having a blue cloth draped over my face, obscuring my vision, with only a small hole in the cloth to allow the stitching to occur. I recall the sense of terror as I thrashed and screamed hysterically, while a group of health care providers held me down, so the doctors could work. My mother was shut out, left to wait outside of the ER room.

The image of my mother alone in the waiting room that I’ve created with my mind’s eye is a vivid one based on years of retellings. In it, I see my mother desperate in her desire to be with me and comfort me because I was alone at the hands of strangers. Yet despite being a registered nurse, she is excluded from the scene and left to shed her own tears as she listened to my cries. The anguish of my mother and that maternal desire to protect is the piece of the story that resonates with me today. As a mother of a twenty-four year old, a fourteen year old, and an eleven year old, I too have felt that overwhelming, mother bear-esque desire to protect one’s cubs and ease their pain. There is nothing worse than when your child is in pain, physically or emotionally, and the desire to eliminate the hurt at the source can feel primal.

Perhaps what makes this memory such an intriguing one for me today, is an inherent contradiction with what one wants to do as a parent and with what one, at times, should do. Sometimes hurts should be soothed by a parent, leaving the child comforted and protected. Other times, however, a child needs to feel the pain and discover that she or he has the capacity to work through that distress and come out the other side stronger, despite some scars. Working through the hurt is where resiliency is born. Resiliency is a critical skill that allows one to become self-reliant and overcome the complex challenges life throws our way. Our children can’t learn how to get back up if we don’t allow them to fall or fail.

Middle school is a hotbed for physical and emotional struggles that perhaps parents should not always rush in to fix. There are plenty of valuable opportunities for disappointments - failing a test or project, not making a school team or musical group, coping with a friendship breakup, or experiencing a cruel comment. For example, your children may find that they are not placed in the cluster, homeroom, class, or cabin group they hoped to be in. As a parent the initial instinct may be to want to remove the hurt and fix the situation – just like my mother wanting to take away the pain and fear at my emergency room bedside. But often it’s facing the disappointment head on that allows one to grow. Our reactions to their disappointment can help them reframe an upset and grow their ability to see the situation as an opportunity or find the silver lining and build their inner resiliency.
As parents we are not rendered completely useless. We can normalize disappointment. We can dry the tears, offer hugs, and help our children strategize. Assisting our children in figuring out how to study more effectively or rehearsing with them language to use in order to ask a teacher for extra help is a priceless gift. We can encourage our children to consult with a coach about what to work on, helping them continue to pursue their passions and work hard at what they love so they can try out for that team, performance, or group again next year. We can encourage our children to explore new friendships and take a break from social media, helping them realize their inner worth and beauty. Adult reactions that foster resiliency and clearly convey our belief in our children’s ability to recover and be stronger the next time around, may be a greater gift than immediately eliminating the hurt. As your child encounters the trials and tribulations of early adolescence, consider restraining the instinct to rush in to fix it and instead help them build the valuable skills to tackle life’s challenges.

Today, I have a half-inch scar on my chin. It’s not pretty, but it is part of me and my story. Despite my mother’s inability to make it all better in the moment, I got back up again and a few stitches certainly didn’t slow me down any.
Respectfully,
Betsy Gavron
7th Grade Cape Cod Trip - Medical & Emergency Contact Forms

7th Grade Cape Cod Medical and Emergency Contact Forms were handed out in HR and are due back by Friday, April 27, 2018 . If you have not received a form, access is available on the blog:   wmsrlc.blogspot.com .
WMS Orchestra Concert - CHANGE OF DATE!

The WMS Orchestra Concert originally scheduled for Tuesday, March 29th has been changed to Thursday, June 14 .
Stop and Shop Rewards

A HUGE thank you to all who participate in the Stop and Shop school rewards program. The Middle School has earned  $3,353.84 (revised!) from this program for the 2017-2018 school year. The rewards program for next school year will start up again in October.
Lost & Found
Deadline: Friday, April 13 at 2:30 PM

Please have your child check for missing items in our Lost & Found, or come and take a look for yourself! Unclaimed items will be donated to charity (to the Wayland Schools' PTO Green Team Textile Recycling Project) at 2:30 pm, Friday, April 13 as is our custom prior to each of the school breaks.
Wayland - Wellesley Festival Chorus Concert
Wednesday, April 11 7:30 pm
WHS Auditorium

Renowned conductor, Dr. Eph Ehly, will be conducting the Wayland High School Festival Chorus and Wellesley High School Keynote Singers in a collaboration concert. This special concert is possible thanks to a generous grant from the Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund and also support from CAPA

For more information on the concert and Dr. Eph Ehly click here.
PTO News
WMS PTO HOSTS  - Internet Safety: Unintended Exposure, Legal Consequences and Protective Measures
April 30, 2018, 7:00 - 8:30 pm 
WMS Auditorium

Discussion with Jason Verhoosky (Wayland Youth & Family Services) and Detective Castagno and Officer Bowles (Wayland Police)

All Parents are Welcome! Please, No Students. 

Last year, the WMS PTO screened  Screenagers,  which raised the question of the impact of digital use on our kids.  This year, we switch gears to understanding how we can create a safe environment and experience, and the importance of communication and setting boundaries. The internet's ease of access can cause unintended exposure to age inappropriate material that can have far reaching negative implications. Additionally, the Police Department will share potential legal consequensequences that all parents should understand. 
Artist of the Week
Artist: Alex Janoff
Grade: 6
Medium: Pastel and Pencil
Reminders from Previous Emails
For Parents of Current 6th & 7th Graders
 Student Placement Requests
Deadline: Friday, May 1    

Considerable thought and effort are given to student scheduling here at WMS. It is a highly complex, intricate, and time-consuming process. Parents may make specific placement requests 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 parents to place students together this year. P lacement requests must be sent to  betsy_gavron@wayland.k12.ma.us no later than FRIDAY, MAY 1st . Please include your child's first and last name, and grade in September 2018. Although we will work hard to honor your request, we cannot make any guarantees.
WMS YEARBOOKS are on sale now!
This year, there are two ways to order a yearbook. Choose the method that’s easiest for you! Yearbooks will be delivered on the last day of school.

  • Bring this form to the front office with a check for $17.00 made payable to Wayland Middle School.
OR

Questions? Contact Ms. Galvani .
Wayland METCO 50 Year Celebration
Wayland High School, South Building
Sunday, April 29, 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm
 
This celebration is marking 50 years of METCO in Wayland with an open house for all, including current and former students, staff, and families. The festivities include a viewing of "METCO at 50" movies created by the WHS History Project, a theatrical performance, and more. Refreshments will be served. METCO Celebration Details
April Vacation Week Computer Science Courses
Grades 6 - 8, Tuition Free
Tuesday, April 17th - Friday, April 20th
Loker School
 
Andy Wang, a Wayland High School student, is teaching two computer science courses during April Vacation Week. He successfully ran a course last summer, and is building on that experience. The courses are free, and are offered through Wayland School Community Programs, Community Education.

All information - including the registration form - is available at: www.whscodecademy.com
Andy may be reached at:  Andy_Wang@student.wayland.k12.ma.us
SAVE THE DATE - Florence Adler Run/Walk
May 5th, Race begins at 11:00 am
Wayland Middle School

Click here for online, early registration OR use the paper registration form .
Dates to Remember
All Grades:
Q3 Report Cards: 4/13
Spring Recess: 4/14 - 4/22
Band Concert: 5/31
Chorus Concert: 6/6
Orchestra Concert: 6/14 (note date change!)
Last day of School: 6/22

7th Grade:
Cape Cod Trip: 5/23 - 5/25
Cape Cod Night: 6/12

8th Grade:
DC Night: 5/17
2018 MCAS Dates
Please mark your calendars. If at all possible, we ask you to avoid scheduling appointments for your child on his or her testing dates. Many thanks! 

6th Grade:
Math: 5/7 and 5/8

7th Grade:
ELA: 4/9 and 4/10
Math: 5/10 and 5/11

8th Grade:
ELA: 4/26 and 4/27
Math: 4/30 and 5/1
Science and Technology: 5/3 and 5/4
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