Greetings WCMS families,
We are now about six weeks into the school year, and our staff and students have settled into the routines of middle school. We are at that time of the year when we reflect on the progress our students have made thus far, and when necessary, partner with our families to make sure things move in the right direction for the remainder of this school year.
With parent-teacher conferences starting next week, here are a few things I would like to share with you:
The number of teachers students have, and the number of students teachers have, is vastly different than what families and students are used to up through 6th grade
Some of our teachers have over 200 students - there is clearly not the time available for a teacher to connect with every one of their students’ families. Therefore, if your child is struggling and you cannot find a time during the parent-teacher conference time slots that works for you, please reach out to the teacher via email to find another time to connect and problem solve on behalf of your child.
If your child is doing well academically and socially, please consider leaving our official conference time slots next week open to families who have children who need some extra support in those areas. Feel free to send an email, check in, and keep the lines of communication open should there be a reason to connect down the road.
Some of our teachers have conflicts on our PT conference days and will not be available. Those who do should be reaching out via email to let their families know, and also provide alternate options for you should you need to connect with them.
I would like to share with you something I share with our staff as well - both our families and our teachers want our students to be successful. When we work together, our students are far more likely to have an enjoyable and successful learning experience. Thank you again for your continued support and partnership as we work to provide an optimal learning experience for our middle school students.
To check the most updated schedule for football, volleyball, and cross country, please click Waunakee Middle School Sports Schedules for the week of October 16-22, 2023. Make sure you check it frequently for any changes.
October 16 - B6
Parent/Teacher Conferences 4pm-8pm
October 17 - A1
WYN
Picture Retake Day
October 18 - B2
Art Club -MS Art Room - 3:35pm-4:45pm
October 19 - A3
WYN
October 20-
No School - Parent/Teacher Conferences
Payment for Bucky Book Due
October 21 - Dance Team Try Outs 9am-12pm
October 24 - Dance Team Required Parent Meeting 6pm-7pm in MS Cafe
October 24 - Boys Basketball First Practice
October 24 - Wrestling First Practice
October 25 - Wrestling Parent Meeting 5:30pm in MS Cafe
October 26 - Boys Basketball Parent Meeting 5:30pm @ MS Gym
October 26-27 No School - Fall Break
November 1 - Dance Team Practice Starts and all forms and fees are due
November 3- End of 1st Quarter
Please sign up for a time slot for our virtual Fall Parent Teacher Conferences taking place Monday, October 16th, 4-8PM and Friday, October 20th, 8AM-Noon. Use this link to access all teachers' Sign Up Genius. Click on any teacher that you would like to set up a time with.
Signs up will close one day in advance of the conferences
Zoom links are included within the sign up genius
A reminder email should be automatically sent two days before the conference
Registration is NOW OPEN for Winter Activities/Athletics
Registration is now open for our MS Winter Activities/Athletics. Please click on this link and following the directions.
English
Waunakee Neighborhood Connection will once again host a ONE DAY winter coat distribution at Peace Lutheran Church, 701 Century Ave. in Waunakee from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM on October 20th.
Please register for a time using the QR code beforehand. Due to limited space, if you arrive early, you may have to wait until your scheduled time.
Or here is the link to sign-up. Active Clients: Winter Coat Distribution (signupgenius.com)
Spanish
Waunakee Neighborhood Connection (WNC) organizará de nuevo una distribución de abrigos de invierno por solo UN DÍA en Peace Lutheran Church, 701 Century Ave. en Waunakee de 10:00 AM a 2:00 PM el Sabado 21 de octubre.
Por favor, regístrese para un horario utilizando el código QR de antemano. Debido al espacio limitado, si llega temprano es posible que tenga que esperar hasta su hora programada.
O aquí está el enlace para inscribirse. Clientes activos: Distribución de abrigos de invierno (signupgenius.com)
Take a Great Picture? We'd Love to Use it in our Yearbook!
Attention Families and Students:
If you are attending school events and take a great picture, please use this QR Code to submit them to us for review and possibly use in our yearbook! We'd greatly appreciate it! Please use this link to upload your photos. This form should allow up to 10 photo uploads. You can submit multiple times.
Waunakee Community Middle School 2023-2024 Building Goals
At Waunakee Community Middle School, we are committed to helping each student reach their full potential. To guide our efforts, our school improvement team meets annually during an activity we call our School Improvement Institute, or SII. During the summer of 2023, a team of teachers, administrators, and other school staff from Waunakee Community Middle School gathered together at SII to review data and create our School Improvement Plan for the 2023-2024 school year. Operating under the umbrella of our Waunakee Community School District’s strategic priorities, we developed two goals for continuous improvement for the 2023-2024 school year.
By June of 2024, we will improve our student growth in reading and literacy by having 80% of our students meet their yearly literacy growth goal as measured by our i-Ready data.
By June of 2024, 75% of all Waunakee Community Middle School staff will report that there has been improvement in building climate so that it reflects movement towards the desired state for our professional building culture.
We believe these two goals will help create an environment where all students can thrive academically and develop as independent learners. To achieve this, we value the support and involvement of parents. Please reach out to your child's teachers to learn more about how you can support learning at home. Please visit the district website for additional information and resources related to our school improvement efforts this year.
With our dedicated staff and engaged families working together, we know we can make great progress to support each student's growth and success this school year!
Our school is currently running a fundraising campaign to support our staff throughout the year. This includes meals at conference time and teacher appreciation week. In the past we have asked for families to drop off items, however, by raising funds, we will hope to make it easier on you by coordinating the meal and treat efforts. We understand that everyone’s circumstances are different, but if you are able to contribute, your donation would make a meaningful impact.
Every dollar counts, and even a small contribution can help us reach our goal!
Your support is invaluable to us, and we appreciate any help you can provide! Thank you for being a part of our school community!
Collecting Census Data for School Programming
If you are a Waunakee Community School District resident and have children (birth through 18 years of age ) not currently enrolled in our district, we would like to hear from you. The census is different from registration. Do not include currently enrolled WCSD students. The benefit to you is that if you fill out the census, you are in our system and we are able to contact you with information appropriate for the age of your child(ren).
It helps us plan our future enrollment in our district. It also allows us to provide you with information appropriate for your child.
Fill out form here: https://tinyurl.com/WCSDCensus2023
Check out the Infinite Campus App with the latest updates and tips to help you navigate the app.
For your convenience, you can submit your attendance request via three convenient options:
Infinite Campus- click here to view instructions on how to submit a new absence request in the Parent Portal, view absence requests, and how to delete a request. For questions or help creating a Campus Parent account, please reach out to Julie Gengler, District Registrar, via email. You can also visit our school websites under the Family Tab/Attendance for more information.
Attendance Line has a 24/7 voicemail that you may use anytime. You may call the attendance line at (608)849-2065 press 1. Please clearly state/spell your child's name, reason for absence, your name and phone number.
Email at wms_attendance@waunakee.k12.wi.us to leave a message with your child's name, reason for absence and your name & phone number in case we need to reach you..
If you'll be seeing a medical provider, please obtain a note and forward it to the attendance email and we'll be happy to code the absence as medically excused.
7th Grade Immunization Requirement
Dear Families of 7th Grade Students,
Please click on the link for information regarding 7th Grade Immunization Requirements.
Immunization Clinics in the Madison Area
Does your student need updated immunizations for school? Click here for more details about free back to school vaccine clinics. Contact the health office staff at (608) 849-2060, press 2, if you have specific immunization questions regarding your student.
2023-2024 Lunch Menus
Middle School Menus.
Community Events and Fliers
School Transportation Information
Purchase Tickets and/or Passes to Athletic Activities
Please click on the link below for instructions on how to purchase passes and/or tickets to Waunakee Community High School's athletic activities. Communication Link
When to Keep Your Child Home From School
Please review the Health Guidelines for Attendance. If you have questions after reviewing the guidelines, please contact the Health Room Assistant at (608)849-2060
WMS Contact Information
Jeffrey Kenas, Principal,
jeffreykenas@waunakee.k12.wi.us
Michael Zibell, Associate Principal,
michaelzibell@waunakee.k12.wi.us
Patricia Coffren, Administrative Assistant,
patriciacoffren@waunakee.k12.wi.us
Lynn Miller Administrative Assistant Attendance,
Attendance 608-849-2065, Select language, then press1 for wms_attendance@waunakee.k12.wi.us
Tammy Willborn, Health Assistant, tammywillborn@waunakee.k12.wi.us