Wayland Middle School
Monday Morning Minute
|
|
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!
-
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!
|
|
Good morning WMS families,
This is your final Monday Morning Minute edition for 2020 and, therefore, my last opportunity of the year to express my heartfelt gratitude for the partnership we’ve had with you, our WMS families, throughout this extraordinary year. You have done an amazing job supporting the complex, social emotional and academic learning needs of your middle schoolers during this challenging time. Thank you! Additionally, we wanted to offer special thanks to the WMS PTO, who provided the WMS staff with a delicious popcorn snack last week, offering COVID-friendly, individually packaged popcorn in a multitude of flavors. The sweet, salty, spicy, cheesy options offered something for everyone. What a delightful treat it was.
Below you will find information about Spirit Week, our New Chrombooks, and a send off to our head custodian.
Spirit Week:
We offer a loud shout out to the many students who displayed their WMS spirit last week. We had pajamas, hats, favorite jerseys, and Wayland colors filling our halls and Zoom screens. We are pumped up for the finals of the Rock-Paper-Scissors Tournament this week and look forward to announcing a champion.
New chromebooks have arrived- Woohoo!:
We are thrilled to have received our new student chromebooks. Upon arrival we deployed a small number to test out with a few students, who had been experiencing technical challenges. The new model showed significant audio improvement and received rave reviews for the new touch screens. We are eager to get them into the hands of students.
In order to receive a new Chromebook, your FY21 $35 Maintenance Fee must be paid or a Liability Waiver must be signed. (Note - This does not apply to families who receive free or reduced lunch). Over 400 students had this task completed for them over the summer or early fall. If you have not yet done so, here is the link to the WMS Chomebook Website.
Our tech department has been working long hours to ready the new machines for distribution:
- Cohort A will exchange Chromebooks and chargers (or $20 if you are missing your charger) - Monday and Tuesday January 4 and 5
- 6th and 8th grades - Monday
- 7th grade - Tuesday
- Cohort B will exchange Chromebooks and chargers (or $20 if you are missing your charger) - Thursday and Friday January 7 and 8
- 6th and 8th grades - Thursday
- 7th grade - Friday
- WRAP families received an email from me over the weekend with details
We ask students and families to clean the computers before they are returned with bleach-free disinfectant wipes.
Thank you custodians - and good bye to Eli DeAndrade
As the year comes to a close, I wanted to offer special appreciation to our custodians who have worked tirelessly throughout our Hybrid model to keep the building clean, sanitized and safe. Last Thursday, while we were zooming from the warmth of our homes, they were braving the storm, working on snow removal to ensure the paths around our school were clear and we would have space for our outdoor mask breaks (Note they are not responsible for clearing the town walkways outside the perimeter of our building - that is DPW domain). Our Head Custodian, Eli DeAndrade, who has worked in Wayland for 30 years is slated to retire December 31. Eli has been deeply committed to the students and staff of Wayland Middle School. We will miss his dedication and warmth. We are grateful to be welcoming Kevin MacNeil to fill his role. Kevin has served as a plumber throughout the Wayland Schools and Town for the past nine years and knows our building and staff well. We are confident that we will have a seamless transition.
On behalf of the WMS staff, I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season and a happy and healthy New Year!
Respectfully,
Betsy Gavron
|
|
WPS COVID-19 Surveillance Testing - Launching in January 2021!
We are excited to announce that Wayland Public Schools plans to begin a COVID-19 surveillance testing program in late January 2021 provided we meet our fundraising goal. The program is available to all K-12 students and school staff. Although this program is voluntary, we encourage everyone to enroll to help sustain in person learning and make our community safer. The testing program will:
- Increase safety by identifying and isolating carriers, including asymptomatic individuals
- Increase comfort and peace of mind learning / working in our school buildings
- Help us understand the incidence of the virus in Wayland Public Schools as we consider what mode of learning is appropriate for our students and staff at different times throughout the rest of the school year.
We are in the process of selecting a vendor, but estimate the fee for a 10-week testing program will be $175-200 per student. Families who are interested should enroll and indicate their financial need.
The Town of Wayland has set up the Testing for COVID-19 in the Wayland Schools Fund to collect donations for families in need (estimated at 30% from our community) and for school staff, e.g, teachers, student support staff, custodians and food services workers. Our ability to provide testing for your child is dependent on our collective ability to fundraise to support families in need and school staff.
Learn more at a WPS COVID-19 Testing Program Information Session:
-
Thursday, January 7, 2021 at 7 pm. Here is the Zoom link for the 1/7/2021 meeting
-
Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at 7 pm. Here is the Zoom link for the 1/12/2021 meeting
|
|
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.
|
|
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)
|
|
Dr. 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.
|
|
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
|
|
WMS PTO Staff Appreciation
December
Prior to school break, WMS teachers and staff were invited "POP" on by the staff lounge to enjoy a pop-up savory and sweet popcorn bar!
Special thanks to Tarrah Zedower, the PTO Staff Appreciation team and Nicole Cadman in the WMS front office for helping set this up!
|
|
Middle and More Coffees
Upcoming Dates
Middle and More Coffees continue throughout the 202-21 year. Here are a few upcoming dates:
-
January 5, 12:50-1:50 pm: Math, Science & World Languages Department Heads
-
March 8, 9:00-10:00 am: English & Social Studies Department Heads
Please contact Allison Kates, Parent Enrichment Chair ([email protected]), with any questions.
|
|
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
|
|
Artist: Tara Sawrikar
Grade: 8
Medium: Ink
|
|
Reminders from Previous Weeks |
|
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.
|
|
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
|
|
Distributed to WMS Listserv Subscribers
To CHANGE the school(s) you subscribe to click "Update Profile" below
To be removed from ALL Wayland Schools' listserves, click "Unsubscribe"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
