3/6/26

Dear Western families,

Well, the weather gods may be sending us a message about our student-teacher basketball game by causing a snow day two weeks in a row that canceled the event. Either they are protecting the staff from losing to the students or protecting the students from losing to the staff. I am going to go with the second. The game will now take place right after school on Thursday, March 12th. Make sure to check your email and phone that morning as we are bound to have another snow day the way it is going!

The first afternoon of conferences is this Wednesday, March 11th. I want to thank you all for your patience as many of you had to reschedule your conferences with the change in the calendar. Registration for conferences is open until Sunday night (March 8th) until 11:59 PM. If you signed up for a virtual conference, a Google meet link will be sent to you to join the conference.

I want to share something we have put in place to help parent pick-up in our gym parking lot. We have placed cones in the gym parking to allow cars to create a pick up line that loops around the lot (see picture below). This will allow more cars to enter the lot at once and keep cars off the main road. Some staff were parked there because of challenges with parking due to the buses. They will park in another location to allow more room for the car loops. There has been an improvement with this change and we hope it alleviates some of the stress with pick up. We hope to remove the cones in a few weeks and have cars just create a loop on there own, but we will give you all time to get in the habit.

A reminder that students should not be picked up on the main road. We are still seeing cars do this and kids waiting near the road. This is very dangerous, so please park across the street or use the parent pick up line by the gym. We appreciate your help with this.

As I put in my last SMORE, cars should not park in the front loop between 3:45pm and 4:25pm to allow the 3 late buses to pull in and park. Cars are still pulling in and this caused a bus to have to wait on the main road until cars moved earlier this week. Please make sure to park across the street or in the lot near the gym to pick your children up between 3:45pm and 4:25pm. I am hoping not to have to included anything about dismissal for a while.

Here’s to us hopefully having a full week of school next week. I can’t remember the last time that happened.

Enjoy this upcoming weekend.

Sincerely,

Suzanne

Friday, March 6 & Saturday, March 7, 2026: Western Regionals Music Festival
Monday, March 9, 2026: School is in session per Board's decision
Wednesday, March 11, 2026: Parent-Teacher Conferences 1:15-4:30, Early Release at 1:00pm
Wednesday, March 11, 2026: WMS Art Exhibit Opening Reception, 5-6:30pm, Byram Library
Thursday, March 12, 2026: Student Teacher Basketball Game, 3pm, Gym

International Night Success!

The Western gymnasium was packed last night for International night and the food was aplenty!

It was great to see our community come together and share their culture through the food they provided. Our students who performed did a great job, and we got a peak of our upcoming play, Spongebob, through one of the performances. Thank you to all the families who came and brought dishes and to our MANY staff members who were there to help make the night such a success. Below are some pictures of the event.

Western’s March Difference Maker

We are thrilled to announce that Mr. Patrick Heaton, a math teacher and interventionist, has been named Western’s Difference Maker for the month of March. Mr. Heaton truly exemplifies what it means to go above and beyond, serving as a support for our entire school community. His patience and genuine care, helps to motivate students to reach their full potential while ensuring they feel confident, capable, and respected in the classroom. Beyond his work with students, Mr. Heaton is a colleague you can always depend on, consistently stepping up to help with any task and fostering a positive, collaborative spirit throughout the building. We are incredibly proud to have him as a part of the Western community.

WMS Art Show at the Byram Shubert Library

WMS will have an art exhibit at the Byram Shubert Library next week.The students' work will be on display from March 9th through March 27th. The opening reception will be on Wednesday March 11th from 5:00-6:30 pm.

8th Grade Skate Night!

An all-district, 8th grade skate night will take place on Friday, March 14th from 7:45pm-9:15pm at Dorothy Hamill. The entry fee is $8 and there is a $6 skate rental or you can bring your own skates. There will be concessions & a chuck a puck contest. If your child would like to attend they can bring cash that night and we ask that you please fill out this Google Form prior giving them permission to attend.

PTA Supply Refresh Kits

Running out of pencils, post-its or other school supplies for your child ? Well, don’t worry. Our wonderful PTA has supply refresh kits available. Here are the details:

$8 package includes:

1 dozen pencils,
1 dozen pens (blue and black)
1 pack of 100 Index Cards
1 pack of 100 sticky notes.

(LIMIT 90 ITEMS - WHILE SUPPLIES LAST)

Individual Add-ONS while supplies last:

$2: One Lined paper Spiral Notebook (LIMIT 20)
$2: One Graph paper Spiral Notebook (LIMIT 20)
$3: One Pencil Pouch (assorted colors) with 2 Erasers (LIMIT 20)

You really can’t beat that deal! An email will be sent to all families that purchase refresh supplies with the date to pick up the ordered supplies in the office beginning March 17th. Use the link below to order a supply refresh kit:

https://westernmspta.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/371604

SpongeBob - Raffle Baskets, Concession and Cast Party Donations

The WMS Theater’s production of The SpongeBob musical is fast approaching (March 27th and March 28th) and we are currently preparing for the themed baskets we will be raffling off during all three shows as well as collecting snacks for the concession stand. If you didn't get a chance to participate in our Garden Catering or Popcorn fundraisers and/or still want to support the Theater Club, please consider donating an item listed on our SpongeBob Sign Up Genius using this link. Please contact Mariana Bellenot (mariana_bellenot@greenwich.k12.ct.us) with any questions.

Thank you for your continued support of our cast and crew!

Last chance for the Greenwich Alliance Auction

The Greenwich Alliance is keeping items open in the auction system until tonight at 11:45PM. The auction items include a special lunch for a student and 7 friends at Western and other activities for elementary schools your younger children may attend. Here is the LINK to bid.

Spring Intramurals!

Western will be offering basketball and volleyball intramurals until mid-March. Students can drop by on any day to participate.

Spongebob the Musical Needs Your Support

The Spongebob Cast and Crew is looking for sponsors to be displayed in the program!

Need ideas for who to ask??

-Ask relatives to wish a cast member good luck!

-Family Business? Ask them to advertise in our program!

-Have a favorite local spot in town? Ask them to advertise in our program!

The ad form: HERE

Email Mrs. Barry at alisha_barry@greenwich.k12.ct.us if you have any questions.

Ads are due by Friday, March 6th

Support WMS D.C. Fundraising!

Support the WMS D.C. Trip by purchasing SPECIAL EDITION Western gear, including T-Shirts, sweatshirts, backpack, and more! $5 from each item purchased will directly support our WMS D.C. fundraising efforts! 🔗

Shop here

Western’s Career Day Needs Your Help

We are still looking for volunteers to present at our Career Day on Friday, April 17, 2026 from 8:45 am -11:45 am. We are inviting parents, relatives and family friends into the school to share their experiences with our students. If you are interested in presenting, please complete this WMS Career Day Presenter Sign Up Form.

If you have any questions about the event, please email Kimberly Matarese (kimberly_matarese@greenwich.k12.ct.us)

SUPPORT THE CLASSIC BOOK DRIVE

Do you have classic books that you are looking to donate? Have you been looking for classic books to read at home (or in the classroom)? The Greenwich High School Latin Club and Student Government Events Subcommittee are having a classics book drive from March 10th to March 16th. The classics book drive will take place at Greenwich High School and all three middle schools. Donation bins will be located in the main office. All donated books will be given back to families and teachers who are looking for classic books to read in the classroom and at home.

Examples of books to donate:

● Books by E.B. White, Lois Lowry, John Steinbeck, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, etc.

● Charlotte’s Web

● The Outsiders

● The Hobbit

● The Chronicles of Narnia

Greenwich Youth Conservation Project Employment Opportunity for 8th graders

The GYCP Application Link was sent out this morning to all GPS students in Grades 8, 9 and 10. Students can earn $275 this summer working on town properties across 2 weeks ( Session 1: June 22-July 2 | Session 2: July 6-July 16| Session 3: July 20-July 30| Session 4: August 3-August 13). GYCP offers teens their first job opportunity where they learn teamwork and practical life skills, while enhancing the town’s environment and making new friends from all over town. GYCP is a 2-week work session spent digging, planting and maintaining Greenwich parks and properties. This program is overseen by the Greenwich Department of Human Services and Parks and Recreation.

Students have the entire month of March (deadline March 30th) to apply. Group interviews will take place in April. Families will receive the decision in late April or very early May. They will accept applications for their waitlist beyond March for students who did not get them in on time, as they do remove many many students every year from the waitlist due to change in summer plans.

Nominate a Western Difference Maker

A reminder that this year only one staff member from each school will receive the Difference Maker Award each month. I am asking for our staff and parents to help in nominating staff for this award. If you or your child believe one or more staff members make a difference in our school community or in your own lives, please use this link to nominate them and explain why they are deserving of this award.

Welcome to WMS SPRING SPORTS!

The Western Middle School's SPRING Sports Registration form is Now Open. SPRING sports include BASEBALL, SOFTBALL, AND TRACK & FIELD. The SPRING schedules will be posted on the Western website under Athletics. Tryouts will be held on March 30th, 31st, and April 2nd. The deadline to register for Spring sports in Final Forms is Friday, March 27th. NO registration will be accepted after March 27th.

Even if you have previously registered for Final Forms, you MUST log in and choose a Spring sport and make sure that your child's physical forms are updated prior to March 27th. The only form accepted is the CT-HAR.

For those who are new to Final Forms, click on the Parent Playbook for directions on how to register in FinalForms. This guide will walk you through each step, making it easy 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. Please remember that you can only try out for one sport per season. If you have any questions regarding registration, please email sportsphysicalwms@greenwich.k12.ct.us

Parent Community Resources

Here is the Parent Community Resource document we created with MANY, MANY community resources to support parents and students at Western. Please take the time to review it in case you find yourself in need of some support for you, your child or family.

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After school activities

Here is our after-school Club Catalog. Take a look with your child to see what they may want to get involved in. Remember, they are FREE!

Homework Hubs

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

What's Happening at Western