WMS Summer Newsletter

Dear WMS Families, Registration for our robust after-school activities program for our students this fall is now open. We have a wide range of options to spark students’ interests, including volleyball, cooking, dodgeball, ultimate frisbee, flipbook animation, and so much more. If you have any questions about the after-school activities, please feel free to reach out to Mr. Santangelo at dsantangelo@walpole.k12.ma.us.

- Registration will close on 10/9/24

- Prior to registration, families should create an account on Community Pass to streamline the process. Registration, invoicing, and payments will be made through Community Pass. You will also receive communications regarding registration confirmation from info@communitypass.com. Be sure to check your spam folder if you are not receiving emails.

Please click on the brochure below for more information.

Best,

Carrie Ruggiero

Principal

Please click on the Team Update Button below to view the latest curriculum updates by team!

The Counseling Team at WMS will be providing all students an opportunity to complete a Student Survey this upcoming week during homeroom. The purpose of this survey is to get to know the students more, as well as to check in with them on how they feel they are adjusting to the middle school. The survey gives an opportunity for students to identify areas where they may be experiencing challenges and whether they would like support around these areas, either individually or in a group with one of the counselors. Participation in the survey is optional. We all look forward to getting to know and working with your children throughout their middle school years.

We are excited to announce that we have partnered up with Linewize by Family Zone, a leading education technology company, to provide our school communities with the highest quality of online safety and digital wellness education. Linewize's global team of experts work together to empower families to navigate the online world with greater ease and confidence. This partnership provides our district with tools, resources, and expert advice on all the latest online safety issues you and your family may be encountering. As members of our school community, you have direct access to our custom-designed Online Safety Hub, where you can access a wide array of research-backed tools and educational materials that will help you implement online safety measures at home.

What’s included?

Parent Advice Guides

● Expert advice on how to identify the biggest online safety issues your child might be experiencing, from online bullying to screen time, online predators and social media usage

● Step-by-step recommendations to guide you through addressing these issues with your child

App & Game Review

● Extensive reviews of the latest trending apps and games including a full assessment of their functions and risks

● Our online safety experts provide step-by-step instructions on how to make each app and game safer for your child

Online Safety Quiz & Additional Resources

● Complete the online safety parenting quiz to receive a safety rating for your family

● Get useful hints and tips on the actions you can immediately take to keep your family safe online - even if you are not tech-savvy yourself

● Guides on how to implement safety initiatives in your home

Picture day is this Monday, October 7th.

The order information flyer was sent home last week. The flyer has information needed to order pictures online or by sending in the flyer on Picture Day. If you need another copy, please have your student obtain one from their homeroom teacher.

The first meeting of the WMS Parent Advisory Committee will be held Tuesday , October 8 in the school's media center at 7PM. Please come and hear about the new school and help us plan activities and events for the coming year. All are welcome and encouraged to join this important group.

We have been enjoying welcoming your students to Walpole Middle School, meeting new students, and working to build a connected community! These Counselors' Corner Newsletters will be brought to you at the end of each month. They will include helpful articles, images, links to webinars, and a monthly social-emotional learning calendar.

Click here for the latest newsletter!

https://www.ixl.com/resources/IXL-parent-handout

We are excited to be using IXL at Walpole Middle School this year in ELA and Math! The data will be instrumental in providing students with support and enrichment on targeted skills to meet their individual needs. Students will be using this platform during ELA, Math, and X block. They will be expected to spend some time at home completing skill practice too. Students will access IXL through Clever on their school devices. If they plan to use another device, they should ask their ELA or Math teacher for their username and password. Please email Jill Masterson or Jodi O'Rourke with any questions.

Notification to Parents of Teacher Qualifications -

Compliance with P.L. 107-110, Section 111(h)(6)(A)

The Federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires school districts that receive federal Title I funding to notify parents of their right to know the professional qualifications of the classroom teachers who instruct their child.

As a recipient of these funds, Walpole Public Schools will provide you with this information in a timely manner if you request it. Specifically, you have the right to request the following information about each of your child's classroom teachers:

• Whether the teacher meets the state qualifications and licensing criteria for the grades and subjects that he or she teaches.

• Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or provisional status because of special circumstances.

• The teacher's college major, whether the teacher has any advanced degrees, and the field of discipline of the certification or degree.

• Whether paraprofessionals provide services to your child and, if so, their qualifications.

Walpole Public Schools is committed to providing quality instruction for all students and does so by employing the most qualified individuals to teach and support each student in the classroom. If you would like to receive any of the information listed above for your child’s teacher, please contact Mrs. Carrie Ruggiero at 508-660-7226.

Homework Club is a quiet work environment proctored by a staff member in the WMS Media from 2:30-3:45 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It’s a great place for students to come after school and get work done in a structured environment.

How do students sign up?

They don’t have to! Students show up immediately after school and sign in.

Do students always have to go?

No! Students can just come as needed.

How do students get home?

If they are a bus student, they can take the late bus home. If they get a ride, their ride can come at 3:45 or sooner. If they are a walker, they can walk home at 3:45, or sooner if that is ok with your family.

The WMS Unified Bocce Team practices on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2:30- 3:40.

The practices/ games will be played at the WMS gym/fields and surrounding towns.

We will travel by Connolly Bus to play our away matches.

Any questions, see Ms. Crawford in 233. ccrawford@walpole.k12.ma.us

The following dates will be matches/games:

10/8 and 10/9- Practice

10/15/- away match at Medfield

10//16- Practice

10/22- Home match against Medfield, Foxboro and West Bridgewater

Jamboree- TBD

This year at Walpole Middle we will be having twice the theatre fun and doing two productions! The first will be a straight play (not a musical) and it will be The Mystery at Shady Acres.

Help solve the baffling theft at Shady Acres, a cozy hotel tucked away in the remote countryside in the late 1920s. The hotel staff is frantically preparing for the arrival of their most prestigious guests ever — the wealthy and famous Fairfaxes. Everything seems to be going awry as the hotel is turned topsy-turvy with zany activity. Finally, hotel manager Mr. Clifford manages to usher the English Tea Garden tour group out of the lobby early and to straighten out the confusion between the Fairfaxes and the Brighthams, another pair of wealthy guests. Just when he thinks everything is going smoothly, Mrs. Fairfax’s valuable diamond necklace is stolen! Who could it be? And who is the mysterious man lurking about who signed the hotel register as Mr. X? The police discover that practically everyone at the hotel has a motive. Having a flamboyant but ineffective detective and his assistant arrive on the scene competing to solve the case first only makes matters worse.

We're looking for a fun cast of 27 to help tell this delightful tale. Students who are interested in being a part of the cast should head to the WMS Winter Drama website to find information about Auditions and to sign up.

We also have a backstage crew full of students! To get more information, head to the WMS Winter Drama website and head to the Crew page.

We are excited to announce that Walpole Middle School will be starting a Ski & Snowboard Club this winter! Beginning in January, the club will run for six weeks on Fridays and is a fantastic opportunity for students to learn or improve their skiing and snowboarding skills at Wachusett Mountain. Stay tuned for more details coming soon!

We are only a few weeks into school, but we have accumulated quite a few items in our Cafeteria lost and found table. Shirts, Sweatshirts, jackets, notebooks, pencil cases, lunch boxes and water bottles to name a few! If your student is missing anything and you recognize it in these pictures, have them stop by the table in the Cafe and pick it up.

This Math site for parents is designed specifically for parents and families. It offers a breakdown of the topics in each of the 8 units covered throughout the course of the year. Most of the topics have a video link built in that will offer support for students and/or parents/families when working on math at home. There is a section for each grade level course, as well as math connections. In addition, there is a section that breaks down the prerequisite skills that play the biggest role for each grade level. We hope this serves as a valuable resource for parents and families throughout the year.

We are pleased to announce the formation of a WMS Mathcounts Club. Mathcounts is a national organization founded by engineers and scientists to promote mathematical excellence. In Mathcounts, students work cooperatively to solve challenging math problems requiring creative thinking. Participants will develop a repertoire of effective problem-solving strategies, sharpen their math skills, explore topics which may not be part of the regular math curriculum, and refine their ability to communicate mathematical reasoning.

Mathcounts will meet twice a week after school, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 2:45 to 3:45 in room 209. Our first session will be Tuesday, October 15, and our last session of the year will be Wednesday, May 7. Mr. Ross, a WMS social studies teacher, will be the “coach” (he was the 8th grade math teacher at Bird for ten years and ran the Mathcounts Club there for many years).

Mathcounts is open to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who like math and want to take their mathematical game to the next level. Our top eight students will represent WMS at the Mathcounts regional competition in February, where dozens of middle schools from Eastern Mass. will be represented. We are looking for students who are willing to make a real commitment to Mathcounts: attending all of the after-school sessions and working diligently during each session.

The cost to join the Mathcounts Club will be $275 per student for the full year. To sign up for Mathcounts, simply fill out this form by Wednesday, October 9th.

Email Mr. Ross at: rross@walpole.k12.ma.us (you can also contact Mr. Ross with any questions that you might have) and then bring a check payable to “Town of Walpole” for the above amount to the office.

Parents are asked to send a note to the office if their child is going to be dismissed during the school day for an appointment. If a student does not have a note to bring to school, parents should complete this Google Form in order to alert the office of their upcoming departure. In addition, we ask that you complete this form at least two hours prior to dismissal, so our staff can be prepared. If you are dismissing multiple students at the same time, please complete the form once for each student. Thank you for your help with this.

We are excited for families to have the opportunity not only to tour our new state-of-the-art facilities but also to meet our incredible staff and hear about all the amazing curriculum and exciting happenings at our school. We are especially eager to share how our new, cutting-edge environment is enhancing student learning and engagement every day. Due to parking constraints as we finalize the second phase of construction on the parking lot, we have adjusted our Back-to-School Night schedule to better accommodate everyone. The 6th Grade Back-to-School Night will now take place on Monday, October 28, and we will hold a combined 7th and 8th Grade Back-to-School Night on Tuesday, October 29 , both from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. Please note that these events are for parents and guardians only. More details about the format will be shared as the dates approach. Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we look forward to welcoming you soon.

Did you know that the Walpole Middle School has a new account on Instagram? You can find us at walpolemiddleschool. Be sure to follow our account to see announcements, information, and scenes from WMS.

October

7 - WMS Picture Day

8 - PAC Meeting 7:00 WMS Media Center

11 - Early Release - WMS dismissal at 11:30am

14 - NO SCHOOL - Columbus Day

28 - Back-to-School Night - 6th grade parents

29 - Back-to-School Night - 7th & 8th grade parents

We are just a few short weeks away from Walpole's 300th Anniversary Parade! The Parade will kick off on October 5th at 11am from the Norfolk County Agricultural High School and proceed up Main Street to the Town Common and then turn and proceed up Common Street to Walpole High School which will allow for 2 miles of viewing. Downtown we will have food trucks around the common. Join us as we watch bands and performance groups from around the region celebrate our hometown.

The 300th Committee is also looking for additional floats from Community Groups, as well as antique autos which would like to participate in the parade. Check out Walpole300.com for more information.

Please be sure to visit the Virtual Backpack for upcoming events such as:

Principal

Website: https://www.walpole.k12.ma.us/o/wms
Location: 625 Washington Street, Walpole, MA 02081
Phone: (508) 660-7226