What's new with Watkins Middle?

As we return from our week off and begin the second quarter, we have a great opportunity to reset, refocus, and build on the foundation we established during the first nine weeks. The first quarter was about establishing routines, building relationships, and developing the habits that lead to success. Now, our challenge is to take those habits to the next level. Our focus on Attend. Engage. Persist. remains at the center of everything we do, but as the year progresses, we want students to move beyond simply understanding these expectations to taking ownership of them. This means showing up consistently, actively participating in learning, embracing challenges, and recognizing that improvement comes through daily effort. The start of a new quarter is also an opportunity to reflect on what worked, identify areas for growth, and set meaningful goals moving forward. We encourage families to have conversations with their students about what they want to accomplish during the next nine weeks and the steps they will take to get there. The first quarter helped us build our foundation; the second quarter is about making it stronger.

Middle school can be a time of big emotions as students navigate academic expectations, friendships, responsibilities, and increasing independence. Emotional control is the ability to manage emotions so we can respond appropriately, work through challenges, and keep moving toward our goals. For students, this might mean handling frustration when an assignment is difficult, responding appropriately to disappointment, or staying calm when things do not go as planned. Families can help develop this skill by modeling healthy emotional responses, establishing clear expectations, listening to their child's concerns, and encouraging strategies for managing frustration. The goal is not to prevent students from experiencing difficult emotions, but to help them recognize those emotions and respond in productive ways.

This Week’s Tip: Practice "Pause, Name It, Manage It." When your child becomes frustrated or upset, encourage them to pause and identify what they are feeling before reacting. Ask, "What are you feeling right now?" and "What could help you work through this?" Strategies such as taking a short break, going for a walk, practicing deep breathing, or talking through the situation can help students regain control. Remember, emotional control is a skill that develops over time, and every challenging moment is an opportunity to practice responding rather than reacting.

Please make sure students are dropped off and picked up only in the designated areas. Students walking or running through the parking lot during arrival and dismissal creates a significant safety concern due to the amount of traffic. Thank you for helping us keep all of our students safe by following the designated drop-off and pick-up procedures.

Please click the link below for all of your athletic ticketing and scheduling needs.

Hometown Ticketing

• Varsity Ticket events are $7 up to 1 hour before the event. At the gate tickets are $8 (use of a card includes a fee at the gate). Middle School tickets are $5.

• All athletes should enter and exit the building through the 600 hall (Door 7) entrance before and after practice each day.

Open Gyms:

Students must sign-up to participate in Mr. Harrison's room, room 401, before or during school. Only the first 48 boys to sign up will be permitted to attend. Sign up starts Thursday 10/15. Students can sign-up before or after school.

Monday 10/19 3:00-4:30

Monday 10/26 3:00-4:30

Tryouts:

7th grade boys basketball tryouts will be held November 2nd, November 4th and November 5th 3:00-4:30 p.m.

8th grade boys basketball tryouts will be held November 2nd, November 4th and November 5th 4:30-6:00 p.m.

Students must have a current physical on file in Final Forms in order to participate.

Bus concerns:

We ask that you please contact the Transportation Department directly at 740-927-5901 with any concerns about your student’s bus (late arrival or other issues). Their phones are manned 6:00 am to 5:00 pm, and they have direct contact with all buses.

Attendance:

Please call the 24 hour WMS attendance line at (740) 927-6807 to report student absences. This voicemail box is available 24/7 and messages are retrieved on school days between the hours of 7:00am through 3:00pm.

If your student will miss school due to a pre-planned absence, please complete this Trip/Vacation Authorization Form.

Get in touch with WMS!

Website: https://wms.swl.k12.oh.us/

Joel Baker, Principal

jrbaker@swls.us

Steve Hare, Assistant Principal (Students A-K)

share@swls.us

Katie Piacquadio, Assistant Principal (Students L-Z)

kpiacquadio@swls.us

Vicki Kalina, Dean of Students

vkalina@swls.us