9/14/2023
Greetings WCMS Families,
We are a little over a week into the school year, and it has been great to have students back in the building. With 690+ students in the building, it is a tight fit - nonetheless, our students and staff are navigating busy classrooms and hallways with the kindness and politeness that should make our community proud.
Coming up next week we will be starting i-Ready testing. The test will be a small part of four different mornings over the next two weeks, during which we run an adjusted schedule that shortens our classes by three minutes each. This test is dynamic, which means it adjusts the level of the questions to meet the student’s skill level. This helps us in two very important ways. First, we get a good idea of where individual students are academically within various subcategories of literacy and mathematics. Second, the skills they show on this test are linked to MyPath, an online program that provides lessons for students to address any gaps in their learning or what could help them to meet their stretch growth target. This program can be accessed at home and at school, and is a great resource to help us meet our students’ growth goals. This test does not impact a student’s ability to access future courses, so please help your child understand that although it is important to put forth their best effort, it is also not something that they should worry about or try to prepare for ahead of time. This merely helps us to best support your child’s academic growth during their middle school experience.
I would like to thank you in advance for your support as we use i-Ready to help us achieve our goals with regards to student achievement and growth. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us and we will do our best to provide you with the information you need and clarify any concerns you may have. Enjoy the coming weekend!
September 18 - B4
Volleyball 8th Grade Purple 4:15pm @ Waunakee Middle School Gym
Volleyball 8th Grade White 4:15pm @ DeForest Middle School 7/8 Gym
Volleyball 7th Grade Purple 4:15pm @ Waunakee Middle School Gym
Volleyball 7th Grade White 4:15pm @ DeForest Middle School 7/8 Gym
Football 8th Grade White 5:30pm @ Warrior Stadium
Football 8th Grade Purple 7:00pm @ Warrior Stadium
Football 7th Grade Purple 7:00pm @ Middleton High School
September 19 - A5
Cross Country Meet @ Oregon High School
Football 7th Grade White 5:30pm @ Ahuska Park - Monona
September 20 - B6
8th Grade Washington DC trip Meeting 6pm-Middle School Cafe
September 21 - A1
Volleyball 8th Grade Purple 4:15pm @ Waunakee Middle School Gym
Volleyball 8th Grade White 4:15pm @ DeForest Middle School 7/8 Gym
Volleyball 7th Grade Purple 4:15pm @ Waunakee Middle School
Volleyball 7th Grade White 4:15pm @ DeForest Middle School 7/8 Gym
September 22 - B2
October 17 - Picture Retake Day
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!
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.
Please pay your 2023-2024 School Fees by logging into your parent portal in Infinite Campus.
Registration fees and school store items for students in grades K-12 are available now. We have been transitioning to a more accurate and efficient fee structure, and in the process we are learning some new processes. As part of the transition, we inadvertently assigned exempt status to fees to all of our students, instead of just the one student we were trying to make exempt. As a result, you will see two extra lines on your fee bill for each incorrectly assigned fee - one where it was assigned, and one that voids it out. We apologize for the mistake and the confusion, and appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through this transition that will make our fee process more user friendly moving forward. These fees will be due by September 29, 2023. Families will begin receiving fee statements for any outstanding fees beginning October 2, 2023.
Class specific fee's such as art 7/8, TE-8,Gateway to Tech 8, and F/CS 8 will be added when classes are live.
We appreciate your participation in our engagement survey + engagement sessions (Wednesday, September 20) as we initiate a search for our next Superintendent. The survey will close on September 22, 2023.
English Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KGHWXZ5
Spanish Survey: https://es.surveymonkey.com/r/7GD5J5S
Website: https://www.waunakee.k12.wi.us/board/superintendent-search
Join us on Wednesday, September 20th for a stakeholder engagement meeting. There is a full listing of engagement meetings on our website. We encourage you to attend a session that is scheduled for your group (students, staff, families, etc.). Thank you for your participation!
Together, we are confident that we can find an exceptional leader to continue to guide our school district towards excellence.
7th Grade Immunization Requirement
Dear Families of incoming 7th Graders:
We are working hard to prepare your child for seventh grade and we wanted to inform you of the Wisconsin Student Immunization Law (Wis. Stat. §§ 252.04) that states there is a vaccine requirement before the start of 7th grade. The vaccination requirement is: 1 dose of Tdap. This is an adolescent booster for Tetanus, Diphtheria and acellular Pertussis (whooping cough). Please note: this is NOT the 5 shot series that children receive prior to kindergarten.
The Tdap vaccine is typically offered at sports physicals or at age 11 year well child check up visits. The Tdap vaccination may be obtained through your child’s primary care provider (PCP) or at a number of local pharmacies. Madison Dane County Public Health offers immunizations at no charge to those who are uninsured, underinsured, eligible for Medicaid/BadgerCare, and those who are American Indian or Alaska Natives. Call 608-266-4821 to schedule an appointment with them, if needed.
If your child has received the Tdap vaccine prior to receiving this notification, we can access the information from the Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR). If your child received this vaccine out of state or has a paper record of the vaccination, please submit it to the Middle School health office prior to the first day of the 2023-24 school year.
Vaccine requirements may be waived for health, religious, or personal conviction reasons. If you choose to waive the Tdap vaccine for your student, please complete and sign the waiver section of the Student Immunization Record form and return it to the Middle School Health Office prior to the first day of the 2023-24 school year.
Linked here is more information about the Tdap vaccine. Although the meningococcal vaccine is not a school requirement, keeping our 11 and 12 year olds up-to-date with recommended immunizations is the best defense against meningococcal disease. Commonly known as bacterial meningitis, a rare, but potentially fatal infection can occur among teenagers and college students. While meningococcal disease is difficult to contract, it is serious, and there are vaccines that may prevent this infection.
We feel it is important to put this notification out to you early. Our local medical clinics get busy during summer and schedules often fill up quickly.
Wishing you a safe and fun summer,
Jenny Sydow, RN, School Nurse jennifersydow@waunakee.k12.wi.us 608-209-9950
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
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