WMS Family Newsletter

To translate this newsletter, please use the link to the right.

Para traduzir este boletim, clique nele e use o link à direita.

Para traducir este boletín, haga clic en él y luego use el enlace a la derecha.

لترجمة هذه الرسالة من المدرسة ، اضغط عليها ثم استخدم الرابط الموجود على اليمين.

Այս տեղեկագիրը թարգմանելու համար կտտացրեք այն, ապա օգտագործեք աջ կողմում գտնվող հղումը:

Чтобы перевести этот бюллетень, нажмите на него, затем воспользуйтесь ссылкой справа.

Bu bülteni çevirmek için üzerine tıklayın ve ardından sağdaki bağlantıyı kullanın.

The WMS-PTO 90s party was a blast! Thanks to all who came out to enjoy a night out and support WMS students and staff!

There is a lot of new news this week, so please read information below carefully.

Quick News:

• We are halfway through Trimester 2! Please check PowerSchool, and talk with your child to celebrate growth and decide on any next steps to ensure they are on track for academic success. An email will be sent tomorrow morning with a reminder of PowerSchool login information.

Upcoming Dates this week:

• January 29-30: WMS i-Ready mid-year diagnostics (Reading, Math, special schedule)
  

• January 29: Watertown Anti Bias Coalition meeting (5:30-7:00PM, Lowell Elementary School)

• January 30: WMS community forum on safety (6:00pm, WMS auditorium)

• January 30: Bullying Training hosted by SEPAC
  

• January 31: WMS Site Council - agenda, 4:00-5:00pm, WMS art room/zoom)

Respectfully yours,

Ms. Jennifer Chen Fein, Principal

Ms. Susan Carle, Assistant Principal (Clusters 1, 3, 5)

Ms. Jennifer Sarmiento, Assistant Principal (Clusters 2, 4, 6)

Safety is of the utmost importance to us at Watertown Middle School, and I know for many in our community, that sense of safety was disrupted this past week. Thank you to any caregivers whom have been in contact with us in the past few days to understand our safety protocols as they relate to the school safety situation I shared about last week. Please know that our school is still working on healing with our community, and that we do not yet have all the next steps planned for a productive re-entry.

We will be holding a meeting open to all WMS caregivers and educators in our community on Tuesday, January 30 at 6:00pm. This meeting will include school and district administration as well as the Watertown Police Department. We will answer whatever questions you have, as far as we can, as protecting student confidentiality limits the amount of information we can provide.

Please let us know if you need interpretation for any language by completing this 1-question form by the end of the day on Monday.

We are preparing for students to take their midyear i-Ready® Diagnostic this week, with a special schedule on Monday and Tuesday this coming week to support this important assessment. The second Diagnostic is an important benchmark for understanding your student’s growth, which is why it’s so important they try their best. These results allow us to better support them in achieving their goals for the year.

The most important thing we can do is prepare students and motivate them to put forth their best effort.

Here are a few things you can do to help support your child:

• Make sure they get a good night’s rest before taking the Diagnostic!
• Make sure your child fully charges their chromebook the night(s) before the Diagnostic

• Talk to your child about why the second Diagnostic is important. You can say things like:
• The second Diagnostic helps you find out how much progress you’ve made since the beginning of the year.
• It allows your teacher and I to celebrate your accomplishments!
• Try your best, and do not rush—but don’t spend too much time on a question either.
• Remember, questions on the Diagnostic change based on your answers to earlier questions. You will see some questions you don’t know. That is okay! Just try your best.

• Let them know you’re excited to celebrate their progress.

As a school, we use these diagnostic results to inform our teaching including any supports students might need in class or during WIN.

We will be sharing these mid-year diagnostic results with families in the trimester 2 mailing coming home in March, so that caregivers are informed of their child's progress.

Thank you for your continued partnership in your student’s learning!

Starting this month, all Clusters emailed their monthly update directly to caregivers, as well as having the information available here. We hope these updates help you engage in conversation with your child about what they are learning.

Please see our monthly update from WMS teachers:

Cluster 1

Cluster 2

Cluster 3

Cluster 4

Cluster 5

Cluster 6

Specialists

World Language

Reading

Library & Literacy

Wilson Reading

LB Math

Orchestra

Band

Nurse Lisa

As we are just over half way through the school year, we would like to remind students and families of our promotion requirements. More information can be found in our WMS Family Handbook. Here is an excerpt from the handbook:

Promotion Requirements

It is our high expectation that all students will pass and thrive in all of their classes. In order to be promoted to the next grade, students must receive a passing grade in their math and ELA classes.

Students who do not pass both ELA and/or math are expected to attend summer school

programming and pass the required coursework. Students who do not attend or pass summer

school programming will be scheduled for intervention work during WIN the following school

year or may be retained in the same grade for the next school year.

We are only halfway through the school year, with plenty of time for students to work towards their goals. Students can always reach out to their teachers for extra support, with Flex Friday as an option for students to request time to relearn a topic or re-take an assessment. We also have the Learning Lab open free of charge in the WMS library Monday-Friday 2:15-3:45pm, for any students to stay and complete homework/practice and receive additional support from WMS educators.

On Thursday, January 25, 2024, Multilingual Family Night was held in the WMS Library, where we welcomed sixteen families. Several languages were represented, including Spanish, Arabic, Turkish, Pushto, and Haitian Creole. Chris Cochran (literacy coach), Paula Cabral (librarian), Kate Phillipson (ML Coordinator) and Heidi Baildon-Ross (ML coach) facilitated the event. Caregivers learned how to access Google Classroom and PowerSchool and we heard from a panel of three WHS students who shared their experience. They took questions from the audience and told us how they became involved in the Watertown community when they were new students. It was great to see so many families and to have this opportunity to strengthen our family-school partnership!

We are excited to begin our Winter II session on Mon Jan 29th, 2024!

We have programs that are in need of numbers, and we would love it if you would consider registering for these programs! Such programs include:

Youth & Middle School Programs

• Creative Crafts Lowell School Grades 3-5
• Creative Crafts Cunniff Grades 3-5
• Creative Crafts Sat. Cunniff Grades 3-5
• All Sports Lowell School Grades 3-5
• Youth Wrestling Grades 5-8
• Floor Hockey Grades K-1
• Floor Hockey Grades 2-3
• CSI Investigation Grades 2-4
• Cyber Crawler Robot Grades 4-6
• Solar Bot.14 Grades 5-7

High School Programs

• High School Volleyball Grades 9-12

Adult Programs

• Women’s Basketball Open Gym Ages 18+

Attached is the Winter II Program Offerings Brochure which will tell you all the information about these programs! If interested, please do not hesitate to register as all recreation programs are on a first come first serve basis. Do not hesitate to share with your friends as well! We hope to see you in our future programing!

Regards,

Hunter Weissman

Recreation Supervisor

hweissman@watertown-ma.gov

(617)972-6494 - 12154

Here is a link to the SY 23-24 Watertown Anti Bias Coalition Meeting Dates. This document will be updated at the conclusion of each session with a link to the meeting agenda/slidedeck and a link to each session's feedback forms.

Best,

Dr. Daly and Superintendent Galdston

Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

Join us for our next meeting on Wednesday, January 31. We will be hosting the Math and Science Coordinators, with updates in both subject areas to share. Here is the agenda.

The WMS Site Council is a body of students, faculty, parents, and caregivers that plays a strong role in the vision and direction of our school. Site Council meets on the following Wednesdays from 4-5pm in person (WMS art room, A128)/virtually (zoom). Join us for any of our following meetings:

• January 31 - guests: Math and Science Coordinators
  
• March 27 - guest: ELA Coordinators
• May 1 - drafting the WMS School Improvement Plan 2024-25
• May 29 - finalizing and voting on the WMS School Improvement Plan 2024-25

Do you have a question for the WMS Site Council, but can't make it to our meetings? Submit this form to ask, and we will share a summary in this newsletter and/or follow up with you.

Reach out to Principal Chen Fein at jennifer.chenfein@watertown.k12.ma.us with any questions or to express interest in joining next year.

Please join us on zoom at 6:30pm on February 8, 2024. Learn more about mental health and your tween, so you can better support your student! Presented by WMS mental health and guidance staff.

Interpretation in several languages will be available.

The WMS Diversity & Belonging Council is a forum for caregivers and other community members to work toward more equitable practices at the middle school by encouraging accountability, raising awareness, and fostering community engagement.

We will usually meet the third Monday of each month, with our next meeting on February 26 virtually

You can reach out to Sarah Seldomridge at sarah.seldomridge@watertown.k12.ma.us with any questions. Thank you!

Please join us for our next meeting, February 13 (virtual) at 6:30pm. Upcoming meeting date for the year include: February 13 (virtual), March 12 (virtual), April 9 (in person - WMS Art Room/virtual), May 14 (virtual), June 11 (virtual).

Are you interested in being on the WMS PTO? Reach out to our new co-PTO Presidents Elena Poillucci <elenapoillucci@gmail.com> and Melissa Parker <melissapisces@yahoo.com> with any questions or to express interest in joining next year.

Learning Lab is a place where students can get support in completing practice or homework. Students can attend for free, Monday-Friday, 2:15-3:45pm in the WMS Library.

WMS Winter Clubs run through March 14, 2024.

Students pay $50 one time to participate in any sports or clubs all year; please reach out to the guidance counselor to inquire about a scholarship. Students may participate in any enrichment activities for free (Learning Lab, Student Leadership, GSA, and Yearbook).

The late bus runs Monday-Friday at 3:45pm.

It was great to see so many caregivers at our first Caregiver University Event in November.

If you missed it, here are the slides we used in our presentation.

Supporting Students with PowerSchool and Google Classroom - English slides

Supporting Students with PowerSchool and Google Classroom - Portuguese slides

Supporting Students with PowerSchool and Google Classroom - Spanish slides

Supporting Students with PowerSchool and Google Classroom - Arabic slides

Our next Caregiver University event will be focused on Teen Mental Health and how to support your child, coming up in early 2024.

It is with sadness and well wishes for Sarah Juusola that we announce her last day at Watertown Middle School was Friday, January 26th. Sarah has been the Evaluation Team Chair for WMS, and has served this school community for the last 15 years. As Evaluation Team Chair, she oversees 504s and IEPs at WMS.

We are in the process of finding a great candidate to fill this position, so please encourage any potential candidates in your network to apply. In the meantime, starting on Monday, January 29, caregivers can reach out to Kathy Desmarais, Director of Student Services, at kathleen.desmarais@watertown.k12.ma.us, with any questions or concerns about your child's IEP. Please direct any initial questions about 504s to your child's grade level counselor.

• January 29-30: WMS i-Ready mid-year diagnostics (Reading, Math)
  

• January 30: Bullying Training hosted by SEPAC
• January 30: WMS community forum (6:00pm, WMS auditorium)

• January 31: WMS Site Council (4-5pm, WMS art room/zoom)
  

• February 8: Caregiver University: Your Teen and Mental Health (6:30-7:30pm)

• February 13: WMS PTO (6:30pm, virtual)
• February 19-23: No School - February Recess
• February 26: WMS Diversity and Belonging Council (6:00pm, virtual)
• February 28: Early Release (11:45am dismissal with grab-n-go lunch)
• March 12: WMS PTO (6:30pm, virtual)
• March 13: Trimester 2 Ends
• March 14: Trimester 3 Begins
• March 14: Early Release (11:45am dismissal with grab-n-go lunch)
• March 14: Caregiver Conferences (1-3pm virtual, 5-7pm in person)
• March 15: MusicFest at WMS (5-9pm)
• March 18: WMS Diversity and Belonging Council (6:00pm, virtual)
• March 19: Caregiver Conferences (1-3pm in person, 5-7pm virtual)
• March 21: Trimester 2 Report Cards mailed home
• March 27: String Spectacular 2024 (3-5pm, WMS)
• March 27: WMS Site Council (4-5pm, WMS art room/zoom)
• March 29: Early Release Day (11:45am dismissal with grab-n-go lunch)
• April 9: WMS PTO (6:30pm, in person - WMS Art Room/virtual)
• April 10: Early Release (11:45am dismissal with grab-n-go lunch)
• April 11: Caregiver University - WMS Math Night for 5-8th grade caregivers (6:30-7:30, virtual)
• April 15-19: No School - April Recess

• WMS Bell Schedule and Trimester Dates 2023-2024
• WMS bell schedule including A/B day 2023-2024
• Watertown Public Schools Calendar 2023-2024

• WPS MCAS schedule Spring 2024
  

• Watertown Community Resources - English
• Watertown Community Resources - Spanish
• Watertown Community Resources - Portuguese

Community Resources for Food

• Watertown Food Pantry: 80 Mt. Auburn St. (rear of the Belmont-Watertown United Methodist Church), Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. https://www.watertown-ma.gov/330/Watertown-Food-Pantry, 617-972-6490
• Watertown Catholic Collaborative Food Pantry: 770 Mt. Auburn St. (basement), Thursdays from 10 to 11:45 a.m. 617-926-7121
• Watertown Community Fridge: 80 Mt. Auburn St. (Front of the Belmont-Watertown United Methodist Church), Open 24/7 https://www.watertowncommunityfridge.org/
• Watertown Social Services Resource Specialists: at Wayside Multi-Service Center, 127 North Beacon St. https://www.watertown-ma.gov/673/Watertown-Social-Services-Resource-Speci 617-744-9585
• Live Well Watertown/Watertown Farmers Market: City Hall, 149 Main St. 617-972-6446 x8 https://www.livewellwatertown.org/home
• Watertown Community Foundation: https://www.watertownfoundation.org/ 617-926-1500
• Food Pantry at American Legion Post 440: 295 California St., Newton, 3rd Fridays from 10 to 11 a.m. 617-244-0440
• Centre Street Food Pantry: 11 Homer St., Newton, Tuesdays 2:30-6 p.m. & the first Saturday of the month from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. 617-340-9554
• SNAP: (formerly Food Stamps) https://www.mass.gov/snap-benefits-formerly-food-stamps
• Project Bread: https://www.projectbread.org/ Food Source Hotline (1-800-645-8333)

Source: Watertown News, December 11, 2023

• Ms. Jennifer Chen Fein, Principal, jennifer.chenfein@watertown.k12.ma.us
• Ms. Jennifer Sarmiento, Assistant Principal (Clusters 2, 4, 6), jennifer.sarmiento@watertown.k12.ma.us
• Ms. Susan Carle, Assistant Principal (Clusters 1, 3, 5), susan.carle@watertown.k12.ma.us
• Ms. Lisa Gallagher, Nurse, lisa.gallagher@watertown.k12.ma.us
• Ms. Sarah Juusola, Special Education, Team Chair, sarah.juusola@watertown.k12.ma.us
• Mr. Tom Cloherty, Grade Six Counselor, thomas.cloherty@watertown.k12.ma.us
• Ms. Jody Gladstein, Grade Seven Counselor, jody.gladstein@watertown.k12.ma.us
• Ms. Amanda Skypeck, Grade Eight Counselor, amanda.skypeck@watertown.k12.ma.us
• Ms. Saira Chaudhry, Administrative Assistant, saira.chaudhry@watertown.k12.ma.us
• Ms. Laurie Brackett, Administrative Assistant, laurie.brackett@watertown.k12.ma.us
• Officer Anna Margaryan, Watertown Police Department School Resource Officer, anna.margaryan@watertown.k12.ma.us

Watertown Middle School Full Staff Directory

Feedback? Let us know how we are doing with our communication from WMS here.

Find us on...

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter

Website: https://wms.watertown.k12.ma.us/
Location: 68 Waverley Avenue, Watertown, MA, USA
Phone: 617-926-7783