What's Happening at Western

• Monday, October 20- Friday, October 31, 2025: Book Drive
• Monday, October 27- Friday, October 31, 2025: Spirit Week (see below)
• Tuesday, October 28, 2025: AVID 8 to Vaughn College
• Wednesday, October 29, 2025: GHS Orchestra side by side concert with WMS 8th grade Orchestra
• Thursday, October 30, 2025: Western Demonstration Project Day (see below)

The 8th grade at WMS is hosting an Election Day Bake Sale in the hallway outside the gym on Tuesday, November 4th. Stop by after you vote for a sweet treat and help support our 8th graders!

We need your help!

Sign up to donate baked goods or volunteer at the sale:

STUDENTS- Click here to sign up to volunteer

PARENTS- Click here to sign up to volunteer and/or donate

After completing a café-themed unit, 8th graders recently raced each other in the fashion of the “Course des cafés” or Café Race! Emulating the annual Paris event, our “waiters” raced while holding a tray with one hand. Each tray held a croissant (in our case, the origami version), a glass of water and a coffee. No running or spilling was allowed! Students rose to the challenge, though it was difficult to declare a winner. Was that speed walking or a light run? After the race, students enjoyed a popular and refreshing café beverage called menthe à l’eau (a mix of mint syrup and cold water). Reviews on the drink were mixed but we all agreed that it was a fun event!

Western’s Student Council presents our first Spirit Week of the year, next week from October 27th through October 31st, to celebrate the end of an incredible Fall Sports season. Please see this flyer to know what the theme will be for each day. We hope to see your WMS spirit all week! As the week ends on Halloween and our students are allowed to wear their costumes to school, I am resharing the rules around costumes. This has been shared at least 4 times already, so please be sure your children’s costume abides by the following guidelines:

• Nothing too cumbersome that would seriously inhibit movement, block classrooms/hallways or make it hard to sit in a chair (i.e., those blow-up sumo wrestlers or dinosaur costumes).
• No additional skin showing than wouldn’t be permitted on any other day.
• No fake weapons or additional handheld items that can be used to poke or trip someone… keep the swords, scythes, magic wands, etc. at home.
• No facial coverings which conceal your child’s identity. We must be able to tell who we are looking at.
• All costumes must be on the children when they get to school or arrive at the dance…there will be no ‘dressing room’ time. This includes makeup, hair spray, etc. Nothing may be applied at school.
• The only sports attire allowed are Penn State, Giants, Jets and Yankees. It does not matter how horrible they have performed this fall!

Mrs. Jacowleff and Mrs. Younghans’ advisory base students demonstrated care and kindness by welcoming their “Pat-A-Cake” Preschool reading buddies to Western Middle School for a “Read to Me” session. The event included shared reading, book discussions, and fun writing activities. The 8th graders proudly served as role models, fostering a love of reading and building connections with their younger buddies.

We are already off to a great start as 8th grade prepares for the Annual Sudell Sprint Color Run on Friday, November 14th. As of today 60 students have purchased their t-shirts to show support for our Kindness Crusade! If you are able to sponsor part of the cost for another student by donating more money, that is greatly appreciated. Please bring cash or a check made out to Western Middle School to Mrs. Jacowleff in room M6A to purchase your shirt. If you are able to pay the full cost, please reach out to Ms. Jacowleff via email to make her aware.

We are hoping the Western community can come together to participate in the Turkey Trot in support of the Greenwich Alliance for Education programs in the public schools. The event will be held on Saturday, November 29th. Since the One-Mile Fun Run was too easy for us last year, we have stepped it up to the 5K Run/Walk. Cos Cob won last year with the most participants. Mr. Gavin, their principal, was an assistant principal at Western many years ago and I think it makes perfect sense for his former school to beat him this year by having the most participants. We would love many students and families to join the Western team.You have until October 31st to register with the Early-Bird price of $35 which will increase to $45 on November 1st. Children 12 and under are $15. Please register today to help our school WIN the Turkey Trot Trophy! The last day to sign up to join a team is Thursday, November 27th. Here is the link to register:

https://runsignup.com/Race/Register/RaceGroup-1924815?raceId=153039

You are invited to an informative session on Neuropsychological Evaluations for school aged children and adolescents, hosted at 644 West Putnam Ave, Suite 203, on Tuesday, October 28th at 10am. This talk will provide valuable insights into how these evaluations can help support your child's development, identify learning challenges, and inform appropriate interventions.

The session will be led by an experienced psychologist and therapist, and will include time for questions and discussion. Please see this document for their information. We hope you can join us to learn more about how these evaluations can benefit your child and your family. Feel free to invite your friends or anyone you feel would benefit from this talk. Coffee and pastries will be provided.

PLEASE RSVP TO: mail@ngpeds.com

Parents will start receiving notification of negative balances on their MySchool Bucks account via email from your school principal or from the service.

As of this past Monday, students who have not renewed their Free or Reduced Meal Applications lost their eligibility status. Families who wish to continue receiving benefits must complete and submit a new application as soon as possible. Applications can be found online or in the school’s main office. We are here to help!

Those students who qualify for reduced-price meals for the 2025-2026 school year will be charged $0.30 for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch.

For more information on our food services, head to the webpage dedicated to providing healthy meals to all students.

The Town of Greenwich Department of Public Works is conducting a project at Western Middle School on Thursday, October 30th, during school hours. This project is part of the Safe Streets Greenwich initiative, to reduce traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities in Greenwich. Western-themed designs will be painted in high risk traffic and pedestrian areas around Western. Cars will not be able to park or drive in these areas, providing extra safety measures around Western. Some of our art students and staff will participate in the project by helping to paint the designs, highlighting creative ways to enhance safety around schools.

Minor delays may occur between morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up on Thursday as we set this up. Installation is weather dependent; in case of rain, the demonstration will be rescheduled for Thursday, November 6th. Here is an example of one of the designs that will be painted.

You have until November 15th to get the early-bird price of $30 for your Western yearbook.. Use the QR link below to buy one.

Yearbook ordering

Below are the Homework Hubs for each grade-level team and World Language teachers.

8th grade: Orange Green

7th grade: Purple Yellow

6th grade: Red Blue

World Language