Wayland Middle School
Newsletter
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Mark Your Calendar
All Grades:
2/18 - 2/22 Winter Recess
2/25 - Classes Resume
7th Grade:
Please NOTE date change for 7th Grade ELA MCAS.
New dates are 4/4 & 4/5 (formerly 4/8 & 4/9).
8th Grade:
3/14 - Rising 9th Grade Parent Night (7:00 pm, High School Auditorium)
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Message from Principal Gavron
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Dear Families,
Our annual January House Block celebration to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a very special tradition at Wayland Middle School. In this newsletter, I share with you the remarks I offered our school community as my small part in this wonderful day.
Respectfully,
Betsy Gavron, Principal
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Today is one of my favorite days of the school year. It is a day where we pause and stray from our typical routine to gather as a community and celebrate the life and work of our 8th grade Wayland Middle School house mentor, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. King and I have a little something in common. Now I am not putting myself in the same category as this historic leader, however I do know that he and I share an important belief.
We both appreciate middle schoolers and see within them, within you, unlimited potential to do great things in this world. Through hard work and unwavering determination in the face of obstacles, you can engineer a meaningful future for yourselves.
During the time in which Dr. Martin Luther King lived, many people did not fully value students. In fact, the ideas that children should be “seen and not heard” and youth should “speak only when spoken to” were grounded in well-known proverbs. King didn’t subscribe to those ideas and instead partnered with youth as he pushed for equity. You see, in King’s day, black citizens were denied the same Civil Rights as their white counterparts throughout our country. In the 1950s and ‘60s, riding buses, lodging in hotels, using public restrooms, and voting were among the everyday activities that were not equally accessible to all people of our country. The inequalities that plagued adults also hindered youth, as schools too were segregated along racial lines.
Attempts to integrate schools were often met with hatred, bigotry, and violence. Unable to accept the discriminatory societal conditions, Dr. King united Americans to deconstruct attitudes, beliefs, and practices.
His call went out to adults and children alike to join him in demanding the equality promised in our Constitution. King and like-minded activists risked their lives to challenge unjust laws through non-violent protest.
Side-by-side people of all ages, King led peaceful walks, bringing national attention and media coverage to the discriminatory practices that hurt our nation.
King’s life work was to promote love, hope, unity, and freedom in the face of hatred. He was unwavering as he sought a peaceful means to realize the promise of these ideals and the opportunity for the youth to build the country all citizens deserved.
Six months before he was assassinated, Dr. King found time in his busy schedule to speak directly to a group of middle school-aged students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (giving what was to become his famous, inspirational Blueprint speech.) He began with a very simple question that I ask you to consider today. Dr King said, “I want to ask you a question and that is: What is your life’s blueprint?”
As you may know a blueprint is a guide for making something. It is a design or pattern that can be followed to construct homes, buildings, or products. So think about the idea of a blueprint and consider, what is your blueprint for building yourself into the adult you want to be? Dr. King wanted students, and especially those facing challenge and oppression, to purposely develop blueprints for their lives. He wanted students your age to actively plan and realize inside themselves their potential to be great.
In his Blueprint speech Dr. King offered advice to the youth of Philadelphia that still resonates today, and I share some of it here with you. King said, “Number one in your life’s blueprint, should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your worth and your own somebodiness. Don’t allow anybody to make you feel that you’re nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance.” That is so important. Life’s challenges, the negativity of others, or your own inner critic have the potential to drive cracks into the foundation of your dreams. At times self-doubt can lead you to steer clear of challenges or avoid taking risks, undermining your plans before you begin. Instead I, like King, urge you to maintain unwavering dedication toward your passions and towards your goals. Create a blueprint and follow it.
Let the script in your head tell you, “I am worthy. I can reach my goals. I can fulfill my dreams.” Find inspiration and keep it close to your heart. Believe in your somebodiness.
In his speech to Philadelphia’s Junior high students Dr. King went on to offer companion advice to self-worth.
He said, “Secondly, in your life’s blueprint you must have as the basic principle the determination to achieve excellence in your various fields of endeavor. You’re going to be deciding as the days, as the years unfold what you will do in life — what your life’s work will be. Set out to do it well...” He went on to add, “
Don’t just set out to do a good job. Set out to do such a good job that the living, the dead or the unborn couldn’t do it any better
.”
Let that sink in. Choose your life’s work and do it well. Strive for excellence. As I see you in your classes, on the stage, on the sports fields, every day, I marvel at your potential. There is nothing you can’t do. I know it will take a lot of hard work. You will have successes and failures along the way, but keep your eye on your vision. Stay true to your blueprint. I feel so lucky to have found a meaningful career that brings me joy and feeds my soul, and that is my hope for you. Like King I urge you to see now as the time to begin to think about sketching out your blueprint and discovering what will fulfill you in life.
Use middle school as your opportunity to find your passions.
I offer you now a powerful 21st century take on King’s idea of a blueprint. I share with you here an excerpt of this “SuperSoul Short” in which Prince E., through spoken word poetry, powerfully brings King’s ideas to life. He encourages you to think about what you want to do in life, your blueprint so to speak, and take the risks necessary to make it happen.
I hope that today you too are inspired by the words of Dr. King and by the spoken word poetry of Prince E. What will your life’s blueprint be? What will you sing out to this universe? Middle school is a time to explore and try out possibilities, and there are so many at WMS. Make the most of your gifts. Believe in your self-worth and dream big. Construct your unique blueprint to live the life you want. Thank you.
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Student Newspaper - The Orange and Black
The Orange & Black is the school newspaper for the Wayland Middle School. The Newspaper Club meets every Wednesday from 1:20 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. in Room 108. In addition to a monthly print edition distributed by students, there is also an online version. For the link -
Click here.
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WMS Art Show
Exhibit Dates: February 2nd - 27th
Wayland Library Raytheon Room
Recent works by our town's middle school art students will be on view in the Wayland Library's Raytheon Room throughout the month of February. This mixed-media exhibition showcases a collection of vibrant and personal work by Wayland's 6th, 7th and 8th graders, illustrating both their unique approach to creative challenges, as well as their interest in a wide range of subject matter, materials and techniques.
Closing Reception: Sunday, February 24th, 2:30pm-4:00pm
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SAVE THE DATE! 6th - 8th Grade Fun Night!
Friday, March 8th, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
in the
WHS Field House
Games, Music, Challenges & Fun!! Details and registration available soon.
Sponsored by: WaylandCares, Wayland Town Recreation, Wayland Town Police and Local Merchants
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WMS PTO Grants
Your WMS PTO Board has approved $17,000 in grant awards to WMS Staff. We are excited to fund materials to support the curriculum across all subjects, TAG activities, field trips, student clubs and the METCO program. Click
here
to see more; our 2018-19 Grant Awards include:
- STEM Curriculum: kits to build and program computers; digital cameras for 8th Grade Earth Science
- ELA Curriculum: classroom library refresh; e-books and audiobooks for METCO Kindles
- Social Studies Curriculum: 8th Gr community service
- TAG Groups: community service sandwich making project; ping pong net and paddle sets
- Field Trips: backpacks to carry health room supplies; helmets, bicycle parts & supplies and distance marker signs for Walden Pond Trip; 8th Gr DC Trip gift for volunteer family
- Student Clubs and Activities: Science Olympiad supplies; Rocket Club supplies; 6th Grade Social, MAKER Club, House Day, Library Lunchtime Drop-in supplies; Calligraphy Club (NEW!) supplies
Our objective this year was raise enough money through our Gift Your Child fundraiser to not turn away a single grant request due to insufficient funding. We’ve accomplished this because of your generous donations. Thank you! Our children will reap the benefits!
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Middle & More Coffees: Parent Seminars
Body Image, Health and Eating Disorders
Click
here
to see a list of resources provided at the seminar.
English, Social Studies and Writing -
Department Leaders and Ms. Gavron
Monday, March 4, 8:45 - 9:45 am
WMS Library
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PTO Thanks...
Parent Enrichment Team
of Emily Gordon and Rama Ravi for organizing our last Middle & More Coffee and additionally to Emily for sharing her extensive knowledge of
body image, health and eating disorders for middle school children.
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Artist:
Julia Mente
Grade: 8
Medium: Acrylic & Watercolor
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Reporting Student Absences
Please be aware that you must call/email our absence line EVERY day your student will be out of school.
To report a student absence, email
[email protected]
OR
call 508.358.3801, and select option "1".
If your child is out for multiple days due to illness, it is important that we receive daily confirmation they are at home. In the event that a doctor has given instructions for a specific number of days out, you may leave that information in your message and will not have to call again with an update until that time period ends.
Even if you communicate an absence to your child’s teachers,
the office must still be notified
. Simply add
[email protected]
to any teacher emails to enable us to keep track of expected absences.
We are committed to having an accurate accounting of each student’s whereabouts every day, and we thank you very much for doing your part to keep us informed.
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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. Thank you!
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6th Grade:
ELA: April 1 & 2
Math: May 6 & 7
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7th Grade:
ELA: April 4 & 5 (
New Dates!
)
Math: May 9 & 10
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8th Grade:
ELA: April 25 & 26
Math: April 29 & 30
STE: May 2 & 3
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2019-2020 School Year Calendar
Next year's school calendar is available on the
district website
. Please note that the first day of school is Wednesday, August 28th. (Orientations for 6th and 9th grades are Tuesday, August 27th.)
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