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WMS PTA
Newsletter
January 8, 2023
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Jan 16 - No school, Holiday-MLK Jr.
Jan 10 - PTA meeting
Jan 17 - Parent Coffee
Jan 19&20 - 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
Looking ahead, spring break is April 3-11 (Monday 4/10 is a teacher work day).
View the full calendar for the school year online.
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NEW year, NEW Process!
Attendance Notification Changes: Beginning 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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Language Mid Year Growth Assessments | |
Students will be taking the Reading and Math Growth Assessments in 2 weeks. 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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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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WMS New Food Program to Support AFAC | |
WMS students have advocated and have brought the AFAC food “bus” program to WMS. This program helps provide for those who are food insecure in our community, reduces food waste in our cafeteria and creates a culture of giving amongst the entire student body. We need parents (and students) to sign up to volunteer to collect and bring all the food from WMS to AFAC every Friday. The collection is food that otherwise would have been thrown in the garbage untouched and unopened during lunch hours. A HUGE thank you to the Overand Family for donating a refrigerator for this giving effort. For those whose children attended Tuckahoe, Discovery or Nottingham you will be familiar with this program.
If you'd like to help this program be a success, please volunteer on any Friday you are free and remind your students to place their food in the bins.Thanks to all who have already signed up for a Friday!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040a4fa4a82ea02-wmsafac
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PTA Membership and Activity Fee Reminder | |
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 over 50% by the end of 2022.
http://wmspta.org/pta-membership/
You can also donate via the No Frills Fundraiser too.
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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 - August/September/October 2023 - Solicit artwork from students, collect from school, find judges, award students, deliver artwork to county contest. This is a concentrated effort in August to announce the contest and find judges before the county contest due date. Note we were unable to participate this year due to no volunteers.
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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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Slow Down for School Zones | |
Arlington County is implementing phase 2 of its school Slow Zones around several APS schools. Phase 2 includes Barrett, Campbell, Carlin Springs, Kenmore, Alice West Fleet, Jefferson, Montessori School of Arlington, Arlington Career Center, Nottingham, Swanson, Williamsburg and Discovery. Here are a few ways that you can get involved:
- Follow the speed limit: Whether you’re dropping students off or just driving through the neighborhood, remember that driving at 20MPH significantly lowers your crash risk.
- Share this flyer: Spread the word so that more community members are aware of new, lower speed limits around schools!
- Stay tuned: For updates, visit the Vision Zero website and sign up for our monthly Vision Zero Newsletter.
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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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Arlington Soccer has OPENED REGISTRATION for the Rec Spring Season.
Volunteer opportunity-Arlington’s Community Advancing Resilience and Readiness Together (CARRT) group will hold its inaugural event on Jan. 16 as part of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Volunteers will learn how to prepare for an emergency and pack a go-bag that will be donated to help Arlington residents in need. Sign up here.
Want to reach your fitness goals this year? An annual membership from Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation gives you access to fitness facilities at eight community centers for under $200. Daily rates to access the amenities at Long Bridge Aquatics and Fitness Center start at $9.
Arlington County’s hypothermia shelter is now open through March 2023. If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness and needs emergency shelter, call 703-228-1010
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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. | | | | |
