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WMS PTA
Newsletter
January 15, 2023
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Jan 16 - No school, Holiday-MLK Jr.
Jan 17 - Parent Coffee
Jan 19&20 - CHARGE THOSE IPADS for Growth Assessments
Jan 27 - end of 2nd quarter
Jan 30 - No school, teacher workday
Feb 8 - early release (12:05)
Feb 20 - No School, Holiday-
Presidents Day
Feb 21 - PTA meeting (changed due to Valentine's Day)
Looking ahead:
spring break is April 3-11 (Monday 4/10 is a teacher work day)
8th grade promotion will be June 14th at 8:15 am in the WMS Gym.
View the full calendar for the school year online.
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No Frills Fundraiser is the only fundraiser we do at WMS. This means no selling anything along with no work from parents or students other than a few clicks. Money raised goes towards making our school a better place. Funds help with teacher gifts, provide teachers the opportunity to apply for grants to use in the classroom, new books, and guest speakers. Your donation can help enhance our children's schooling experience and support the staff. If you've already donated, thank you! If you haven't donated, there is no time like the present. We all appreciate your support.
Click here to donate!
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PTA Membership and Activity Fee Reminder | |
Psssstttt. while you're already on the PTA page for the No Frills Fundraiser, you can also pay activity fees. Activity fees are what fund the fun events at WMS. If you haven’t already, please consider donating today and joining the PTA. We are below 40% participation and would love to go well over that if possible. PS your grade level funds roll over and stick with your grade as well.
Which brings me to this.....
8th grade families, our students didn't get a big end of elementary school celebration. If more families don't participate, we won't be able to have a middle school ones as well. Currently only 102 of 267 families have paid. That's only 38%. I encourage you to contribute if you can. Unsure if you've already paid? Please feel to email Melissa Mathews. Did you also see the promotion is scheduled already?!
http://wmspta.org/pta-membership/
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Language Mid Year Growth Assessments | |
Students will be taking the Reading and Math Growth Assessments next week. In 2021-22 the Virginia General Assembly enacted new testing requirements for all students in grades 3-8. The legislation calls for the administration of a fall and mid-year assessment (Growth Assessment) and a spring assessment (SOL) in grades 3-8 in reading and mathematics to measure growth. While all students will be taking the Reading Growth Assessment, students in Algebra I and Geometry will not be taking a Math Growth Assessment.
To take these, students must bring their iPads charged on the following dates:
Thursday, January 19
C Day (changed from an A Day)
Reading Growth Assessments
Friday, January 20
C Day (changed from a B Day)
Math Growth Assessments
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Parent Coffee 1/17 at WMS | On Tuesday, January 17 there will be a parent coffee: How to support your student’s organization and study skills. 9am-10am. This event is in person (If you are planning to attend, please fill out this pre-survey so we can best target our presentation) | | | |
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The WMS science fair is in person this year on Friday, January 20, 2023. Judges are needed, and would report at 6:00 pm, with judging from 6:30-8:30 pm. Judges will be briefed beforehand, have judging sheets for each student, and will see about 5-8 students for ~5 minutes per student. No work is required before the science fair!
To sign up, please enter your information via this link, and the science fair director will be in contact with you.
WMS Science Fair Judges
*Note* - Students who wish to volunteer to judge must be in 10th grade or higher.
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Want to set up some social events? | Miss picking up the kids from school and meeting other parents?Are you feeling disconnected from the school? If you feel that way and want to help set up a single one-off social event to meet more parents, please let us know. You could plan a coffee date at Chill Zone, dinner event at Pie Tanza or Maya Bistro, you. Good news is that if you plan it, you pick the location AND time. Contact our PTA president and you can take the lead. Send the details and we'll promote it too. | | | |
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Updated Gifted Services Information | |
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a restful, healthy break. Our monthly newsletter for January is posted so please check out the opportunities for coding courses, William & Mary's Enrichment Programs, summer camps (many are already open for registration) and photo, art, creativity, and civic competitions! There are also articles on gifted adults, identity, and meditation. Please visit our website by going to the WMS homepage->Teachers/Departments->Gifted Services->Monthly Newsletter or by selecting this link: https://williamsburg.apsva.us/newsletter-current-monthly-opportunities-and-resources/
Does your child want to look through book recommendations, see what clubs are available at WMS, visit a virtual museum, or read educational tweets from vetted organizations such as NASA? Have them go to our “Student Resources” page on our gifted services website by going to the WMS homepage ->Teachers/Departments->Gifted Services->Student Resources or by using this link:https://williamsburg.apsva.us/student-resources-page/. They can “bookmark” this page on their iPads for easy access in the future.
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NEW year, NEW Process!
Attendance Notification Changes: Beginning this Tuesday, Jan. 17, APS is modifying the attendance notification process. The changes will allow families to receive earlier and more frequent, real-time notice if their student has an unverified absence from school and/or has missed a specific class period.
The transition to the process will be:
11 a.m.: Call and text based on information reported by 10:30 a.m.
1 p.m. and 3 p.m.: Text notification of unverified absences for specific periods, based on information reported at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.
5 p.m.: Call and text to recap unverified absences throughout the day, based on information entered by end of day.
Don't forget to notify the school when your student will be absent.
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WMS PTA Congratulates MLK Literary and Visual Arts Winner- Leo Mucchetti! | Congrats to our MLK Literary and Visual Arts Winner; 6th grader, Leo Mucchetti. He won second place for his literary arts submission. | | | |
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Still Need Volunteers-Please Help! | |
Back to School Teacher Breakfast - Needed for August 2023 - Solicit volunteers, donations, and purchases for back to school teacher breakfast. Drop items off at school and set up breakfast.
PALS Day Coordinator - Needed for August 2023 - Solicit volunteers, donations, and purchases of doughnuts and water for PALS Day. Drop off items at school and man the doughnut table with additional volunteers.
Schools Supplies Coordinator - Late Spring 2023/Late Summer 2023 - Work with vendor to order supplies, once delivered, solicit volunteers to open boxes, and deliver to correct classrooms before PALS day in August.
PTA Reflections Art Contest Chair - Thanks to Sara Crummett for taking this on!
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Pre-order Your WMS Yearbook Now! | |
Get a jump on the year and pre-order your 2022-2023 WMS yearbook. Information on how to order can be found in here.
PS this is the best way to stop those weekly emails reminding you to order. ;)
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Choose WMS PTA in AmazonSmile & Help Us Earn Money! |
AmazonSmile is operated by Amazon and benefits non-profits like our WMS PTA. If you make purchases through AmazonSmile (vs. regular Amazon), Amazon will donate a percentage of your purchase to WMS PTA. Click here for instructions on how to set that up on your mobile app, mobile web browser or desktop computer.
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Link Your Harris Teeter Grocery Card | |
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
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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.
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Principal Appreciation Week-Thank you Principals! | Virginia School Principal Appreciation Week is Jan. 16-20, and we encourage everyone to thank and honor our principals next week. APS will be celebrating them throughout the week in person and on social media using #ThankAPSPrincipals. Principals provide the leadership our schools need to create welcoming, safe and supportive learning environments. Let’s show them how much we appreciate all they do! | | | |
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Social and Emotional Learning Survey Results - Virtual Sessions | |
APS students in Grades 3-12 recently participated in the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Survey. Next week, there are two virtual presentations to review the survey results and answer questions. These presentations will explain SEL terms, provide specific examples of the skills involved and include tips for parents to help their children develop healthy, productive social-emotional skills.
- Secondary Parent Information Session: Tue, Jan. 17, 2023 – 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- Elementary Parent Information Session: Thu, Jan. 19, 2023 – 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Register | View elementary session flyer | View secondary session flyer
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APS Mental Health Resources | |
APS wishes everyone a Happy New Year! To ensure a strong and successful start, look out for one another and use the ACT model to respond when you see someone struggling: ACT means Acknowledge when someone is struggling, show them you Care, and Tell a professional so they get the help they need. Visit our website to find a list of mental health resources offered by APS and beyond. Let's make this year one where we prioritize the mental well-being of our students and work towards building healthy and fulfilling lives.
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Calendar Updates-Board Approved | The school board approved the school calendar for the 2023-2024 school year on December 15. Students will return on August 28 with an end date of June 24 for elementary and middle schoolers. Students will have a shorter, 8 day winter break. You can view the entire calendar here. | | | |
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The weather is getting colder, and many schools are experiencing an uptick in students coming to school sick. Please keep your student(s) at home if they are experiencing signs of illness. There is a new swab that will test for three illnesses at once (COVID, Flu, and RSV). Here is a flyer with more information.
Virginia Department of Health: This year’s flu season is already showing concerning, early signs that it may be worse than in recent years: Everyone aged 6 months and older are encouraged to get a flu vaccine this fall.
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With winter weather inevitably approaching, APS wants to remind families to review our inclement weather procedures and have a plan in place in the event of a change in operations:
- The first seven inclement weather days will be treated as traditional “snow days.” If the allotted days are used, APS will revert to full distance learning (virtual) days.
- NEW: Extended Day and Check-In programs will now close at the same time schools close in the event of an Early Release due to weather conditions (previously Extended Day remained open until 4 p.m.).
- Decisions impacting the following day will be announced by 6 p.m. Morning decisions will be announced by 5 a.m., as needed, based on conditions overnight.
You can learn more about the weather codes and other important details on our website.
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Academic Help Online at No Cost! | |
NEW Academic Support for Middle and High School Students: the new academic support available for secondary students called PAPER. PAPER provides 24/7 on-demand virtual tutors available to students for assistance with homework, essay review and other academic support in multiple subjects and languages. Teachers have been promoting this service directly to students. Details online. It is a great resource!
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Have content for a future PTA Newsletter? Send it to Tonya Chiarodo by Friday and it will appear in the following week's newsletter. | | | | |
