What's Happening at Western
Some thoughts for the starting school year
10/31/25
Dear Western families,
When I said in my SMORE last week that Ms. Rizio was close to having her baby, I didn’t realize just how close! Cecelia Jeanne Rizio was born Saturday night, and both Ms. Rizio and Cecelia are doing great. We will miss her during her leave, but are excited for the new experiences she will have as a mom. Mr. Shawn Hoyt will be joining us on Wednesday as Assistant Principal. He is coming from Greenwich High School and is excited to join our community to support our students, staff and families in his new role.
It took many years to convince me to have a school dance, but I am happy to report that our first Halloween dance was a huge success. It was really nice to see students from all three grades having so much fun and behaving so well. Once I reminded students that it wasn’t gym class and that they couldn’t run around the gym playing tag, we had absolutely no behavior issues at all. The PTA did an amazing job decorating the gym and planning great activities for the kids. I want to thank all the parents who volunteered: decorating, checking students in, monitoring doors and bathrooms, handing out pizza, overseeing the dance contest, working the photo booth, and much more. Here is a fun video of the kids dancing. I have already agreed to another Halloween dance next year, so that should tell you how much of a success it was!
I want to report that our students did an AMAZING job during our first lockdown drill of the year. The district's head of security and the police officers were very impressed by how seriously our students took the drill and how well they followed procedures. They said our students were by far the best during a lockdown this year and for as long as they can remember. Now we just need them to take cleaning up after themselves in the lunchroom as seriously!
I hope your children have a fun, safe Halloween, or as my own kids like to call it “Halloweekend,” so they can celebrate the entire weekend. A reminder that my favorite candies are any plain chocolate, Swedish Fish, and Smarties in case there is any candy you would like to get rid of!
Sincerely,
Suzanne
- Monday, November 3, 2025: End of Marking Period 1
- Tuesday, November 4, 2025: NO SCHOOL- Election Day
- Wednesday, November 5, 2025: Start of Marking Period 2
- Monday, November 3, 2025- Friday, November 21, 2025: Food Drive for Neighbor to Neighbor
Auditions for the SpongeBob Musical!
Do you like to act? Do you love to sing? Do you want to get on stage and dance? Join the theater club for our spring production of The SpongeBob Musical Youth Edition! Information can be found online in our Google Classroom (code: 7iybgb6z). Audition forms can also be accessed through this link and are due by Monday, 11/10. Students must use their WMS email account to fill out the form. Auditions will take place before Thanksgiving. Performances will be happening LIVE on stage this spring and all grades are encouraged to participate! Reach out to Mrs. Kolar or Mr. Brehm if you have any questions.
Student-Teacher Volleyball Game
Our annual Student-Teacher Volleyball Game is coming up soon! Join us on Tuesday, November 11th after school to watch the game. Entry to the game is $2 or a can of food to support our annual Neighbor to Neighbor Food Drive. All students are invited to come watch the game and cheer on both sides (WMS Volleyball Team vs. Staff). Our staff can always use as much support as possible!
Neighbor to Neighbor Food Drive Starts Monday
Our annual Food Drive in honor of Thanksgiving and "Caring for Self and Others," starts next week and will continue until November 24th. The food drive supports Neighbor to Neighbor, an organization that supports many families in our community. Our Student Council is leading this fundraiser and needs your help to become the middle school in town that donates the most! Every year we try to collect more items than the other two middle schools and, this year, we are confident that we can do it again! Food will be collected by Advisor Base classes, and the AB that collects the most items from each grade will get a pizza party lunch! We are helping those in need AND getting the chance to eat pizza...what's better than that?!?
In addition, we are also hosting a virtual food drive for those that cannot participate in person. Here is the link to make a donation.
WMS WINTER SPORTS!
The Western Middle School's WINTER Sports Registration form is Now Open for boys and girls basketball. Tryouts will be held on December 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th. Please complete the Final Forms registration prior to NOVEMBER 25th. NO registration will be accepted after NOVEMBER 25th.
Even if you have previously registered on Final Forms, you MUST log in and choose a Winter sport and make sure that your child's physical forms are updated prior to NOVEMBER 25th. The only form accepted is the CT-HAR.
For those who are new to Final Forms, this PDF document provides detailed instructions on how to register your student-athlete for winter sports. If you require any support during the process, scroll to the page bottom in FinalForms and click “Use Support." A parent or legal guardian must create an account first and then add your children. When adding your children, you must use their Greenwich Public School email. Once this is done and verified, and a sport is selected, then both parent and student must log in to fill and sign their document. If you have any questions or encounter issues during the registration process, there is a “Get Help” button at the bottom of the page.
We encourage you to complete the sports registration as soon as possible to ensure your student-athlete’s participation in the upcoming season. If you have any questions regarding registration, please email sportsphysicalwms@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Picture Retake and Ordering
A reminder that picture retakes are on Monday, November 10th for those who missed picture day or who would like to retake the picture. Below are the directions to follow to order pictures if you haven’t already.
Go to: www.roberttaylorphotography.com
Click on "Photography Services"
Click on "School Groups"
Click on "View/Order Photos"
Enter Gallery Code: 9130322
Person Pin: This is the number that corresponds to their specific picture and will be on the proof card.
Vote and Treat Yourself!
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
Turkey Trot 2025
We already have some students, families and staff signed up for the Turkey Trot, but we need more to be crowned the school with the biggest team! Besides raising money for the Greenwich Alliance for Education, which has supported Western tremendously over the years, it is a great way to work off all the turkey and stuffing you will consume on Thanksgiving. The event will be held on Saturday, November 29th, and we will be doing the 5K Fun/Walk. 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 and password to register:
Password: Western2025
Western Yearbooks
You have until November 15th to get the early-bird price of $30 for your Western yearbook.. Use the link below to buy one.
After school activities
Continue to check out our after-school Club Catalog as more clubs are starting each week. Take a look with your child to see what they may want to get involved in. Remember, they are FREE!
