WMS PTA Newsletter

WMS PTA

Newsletter

September 10, 2023

Back to School Night!

BTSN will be held this Tuesday, September 12th from 5:50pm to 8:00pm. The start time has been adjusted slightly to accommodate additional content that will be shared in TA regarding schoolwide grading practices, social emotional learning, and tutoring services provide through "PAPER". Parents can access their child's schedule via ParentVue. Please report to your child's TA and follow their schedule periods 1-7 for the evening. There will be student ambassadors in each hallway to provide support with finding classes.

And yes, it does take the entire time to get through all their classes. As a mom of 2 at WMS last year, here's my tip if you have to go for both students. We lined up schedules and went to the classes they wanted me to and the ones I felt I should.

IMPORTANT INFO

Main Phone Line: 703-228-5450

Attendance Line: 703-228-5444

TECH SUPPORT

For technical support, call the Family Technology Call Center at 703-228-2570, Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. and Friday from 7 am - 6 pm

Parent tech help can be found at

https://williamsburg.apsva.us/technology/tech-help/tech-help-parents/

Parentvue Access

https://va-arl-psv.edupoint.com/PXP2_Login.aspx

WMS News

WMS After School Activities

Sept. 26th for 6th grade

Sept. 28th for 7th and 8th grade

The activities fair will start at 2:50pm in the cafeteria. Parents are welcome to attend! You can see the options and maybe encourage your student to participate.

Late buses will be provided.

Oct. 2nd first day for ALL after-school activities

SchoolCash

Arlington Public Schools now offers SchoolCash Online as our preferred method of payment for school fees, including everything from field trips to yearbooks. Our SchoolCash Online page can be found here: https://arlingotnva.schoolcashonline.com/ . Please note that MySchoolBucks will still be used for Extended Day and school meal payments. Benefits to parents and schools SchoolCash Online helps parents and community members pay school-related fees safely, quickly, and easily. In addition to convenience for yourself, you will help increase efficiency and security at your school by making payments directly into your school's bank account. This allows teachers to focus on helping students, and not counting cash. Register now! Registering for your free SchoolCash Online account takes less than two minutes! Visit https://arlingotnva.schoolcashonline.com/ and click Register. Should you encounter any difficulties, please contact the SchoolCash Online parent help desk by visiting schoolcashonline.com/Home/Support.

WMS Morning Announcements

Want to be in the know? Want to get the info your kids probably forgot? A great place to get the information is from the Morning Announcements Blog, which you can find on the school web page. For example some of our sports teams are having tryouts soon. Find out more here.

WMS PTA Newsletter

Now everyone can sign up to receive the newsletter! Please share this with any of your 6th grade friends so they can sign up and be in the know.

Learn about Sports at WMS

From Ashley Hogwood:

Students must submit All VHSL sports forms to Ms. Hogwood during lunch or place forms in the mailbox on Ms. Hogwood’s office door, electronic copies are no longer accepted. Students will be reminded to check the website, canvas, and whiteboard outside of the cafeteria for physical due dates and other important information. Students will not be permitted to tryout or join a sports team without a physical (a complete physical consisting of five pages). Students only need to turn in one physical for the school year (page three of the physical forms must be dated after 5.1.23) Below are the physical due dates and season/tryout start dates for the upcoming seasons:

Early Fall Sports important dates: Physicals are DUE Friday, September 8th at 3pm

Co-Ed Tennis: 9.11.23

*WMS tennis practice is held at YHS tennis courts (home matches are held at YHS tennis courts). WMS students will walk from WMS to YHS tennis courts, then back to WMS if they are in check-in or taking the late bus. Late bus riders need to be back at WMS by 4:15pm.*

*Please bring an unopened can of tennis balls to tryouts*

Boys’ Soccer: 9.11.23 (on the WMS turf field)

Girls’ Ultimate: No tryouts practice begins 9.11.23 (on the WMS turf field)

Cheerleading: Tryouts begin 9.18.23 (in the WMS main/aux gym) 9.12.23 Interest meeting, mandatory cheer clinics 9.18.23 - 9.20.23, & official tryout date: 9.21.23

Late Fall Sports important dates: Physicals are DUE Friday, October 13th at 3pm (Boys’ Basketball & Girls’ Soccer ONLY)

Boys’ Basketball: Tryouts begin 10.23.23 (WMS main gym)

Girls’ Soccer: Tryouts begin 10.18.23 (on the WMS turf field)

Boys’ Ultimate: No tryouts, practice begins 10.5.23 (on the WMS turf field) – Physicals are DUE: Friday, September 29th at 3pm

Winter sports important dates: Physicals are DUE Tuesday, December 19th at 3pm (Girls’ Basketball & Wrestling ONLY)

Girls’ Basketball: Tryouts begin 1.2.24 (WMS main gym)

Wrestling: No tryouts. Practice begins 1.2.24 (practice in the WMS aux gym)

Winter sports important dates: Physicals are DUE Friday, February 16th at 3pm (Swim & Dive)

Swimming: No tryouts. Practice begins: TBA

Dive: Four dives required to join the WMS dive team. Practice begins: TBA

*WMS Swim & Dive are held at YHS pool. WMS students will walk from WMS to YHS pool, then back to WMS if they are in check-in or taking the late bus. Late bus riders need to be back at WMS by 4:15pm.*

Spring sports important dates: Physicals are DUE Friday, March 8th at 3pm

Track: Tryouts begin 3.14.24

Required Forms:

Physical Form

APA Form

WMS PTA Reflections Contest

The 2023 WMS PTA Reflections program has officially launched. ALL students are encouraged to create artwork in response to this year’s theme I Am Hopeful Because… using one or all of the available arts categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, Visual Arts. Visit the Williamsburg PTA website for more information and submit artwork and student entry forms online at https://drive.google.com/drive/u/3/folders/1u_66S66pRjn9bnSrfHJK2WpojbYOQMDj by Tuesday, November 21.

Email ReflectionsWMSPTA@gmail.com with any questions.

WMS Food Bus Donations

WMS participates in the AFAC Food Bus program. Our kids donate unopened/uneaten food, placing it in bins/a fridge in the cafeteria each day, and we transport it to AFAC at the end of the week. We need parents (and their kids!) to help us by signing up to transport the food. It's quick, easy, and makes an impact (last year we donated almost 1500 pounds of food and we didn't start the program until the end of December). More info in the signup genius below. THANK YOU!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050A4EA9AD2EAB9-afac#/

The WMS PTA

Needs Your Help!

A new school year…sharpened pencils, new backpacks, AND renewed PTA memberships! Please support the WMS PTA by paying dues for the 2023-2024 school year.

Join the PTA and support your child’s social events by paying the grade-level activity fee. The activity fee is what allows the PTA to plan fun events for students so please don't forget to add it when paying to join. These links can make it even easier:

Individual Membership - $15 - https://wmsptawolves.memberhub.com/store/items/821835

Family Membership - $30 - https://wmsptawolves.memberhub.com/store/items/822179

Annual Student Activity Fee - $35 per kid - https://wmsptawolves.memberhub.com/store/items/822189

While you're already joining the PTA and online, why not help out the PTA by giving to the No Frills Fundraiser? This helps the PTA pay for the extras the PTA does. Did you know it costs to send out these emails even? (I'm not paid but we do pay for the platform.) Help us, help you by using this link to donate:

No Frills Fundraiser - https://wmsptawolves.memberhub.com/store/items/62823

Stay connected via our website: wmspta.org., on Facebook: Williamsburg Middle School PTA, and on Twitter: wmspta_wolves as well.

WMS Activity Fees

Did you just read above about activity fees? Well, if not, go back and reread above and come back here.

Ok, so this year the T/A with the most students who have paid their activity fees by Sept 30 will win donuts! What is the acitivyt fee? The activity fee is what helps with the fall fest, courtyard chaos, 8th grade end of year celebration, and more. Also, know that the money stays with your student's grade level and rolls over each year. 6th graders are starting at zero so let the game begin! Good luck to each T/A!

Here's the link one more time:

Annual Student Activity Fee - $35 per kid - https://wmsptawolves.memberhub.com/store/items/822189

WMS PALS Day Slide Show

The WMS PALS day slide show is like your handy, dandy notebook. Most questions can be found by searching in the powerpoint. This is a great resource for both new and returning families. To view, click here. If the link doesn't work for you, you can find it on the WMS homepage.

WMS Yearbook Ordering is Now Open!

You can already pre-order your WMS 2023-2024 yearbooks. Last year they sold out so don't wait! Just so you know, this will stop the Josten email reminders too. ;)

Order here!

Link Your Harris Teeter Grocery Card and Raise Money for WMS PTA!

Don't forget to link your grocery card numbers! Harris Teeter requires re-linking with your school each year. Our linked numbers are low so you may not have re-linked your cards for this year. It's easy and a great way for WMS to earn extra money. Learn how below:

Harris Teeter - VIC Card Shoppers:

Go to Harris Teeter's Together in Education website and sign into your HT account. Click on "Link Your School Today." Then enter the Williamsburg Middle School ID: 4926.

Don't have your VIC card number? Call 800-432-6111

WMS Box Tops Program - Now An Easy-to-Use App!

The Box Tops for Education program is now mobile. This makes it so much easier for families to increase our school earnings. WMS has earned over $12K from Box Tops, funding much-needed programs within our school. Please click here for more information on how to download the app and start sending Box Tops dollars to WMS.

Community News

PTA Executive Board

President: Heather Selig

VP External: Allison Glatfelter

VP Internal: Cristina Pereira

VP Communications: Tonya Chiarodo

VP Administration: Bryan Boykin

Secretary: Rena Cutlip-Mason

Treasurer: Melissa Mathews

Webmaster: Liz Crescioli

Have content for a future PTA Newsletter? Send it to Tonya Chiarodo by Friday and it will appear in the following week's newsletter.

Williamsburg Middle School PTA | wmspta.org