Warrior Weekly

Here we are in 2026 and we are ready! We are so excited to start a new year and continue the success and happiness this school year has brought us so far!

Now is a great time to check your school supplies and ID and see if just maybe anything needs to be replaced or updated from August. I know those binders can take a beating but it may be time to replace and get a fresh, new one for the next semester of continued success! Please check out the details for January and a couple for February below so you are “in the know” with all we have going on!

Tuesday, January 13 and Wednesday, January 14- We will conduct our Semester 2 small group expectations meeting next week during the school hours. At this time we will review once again the expectations for WMS. Please see the presentation here and let me know if you have any questions. 25/26 Expectations Review Presentation

Thursday, January 15- P2P for 8th graders and 7th Grade Career Day. For the 8th graders: On January 15, 2026, the Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation, Tidelands Health, and the Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments are presenting the Pathways2Possibilities South Carolina: P2PSC Career Expo. About 7,000 8th-grade students will attend this inspirational program. The students will be transported to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center from their school, leaving at 8:45. At the Expo, they will spend two hours (9:45-11:45) exploring many of the careers available in our region. Field Trip forms went out back in December and were due on December 20th.

Monday, January 19- NO SCHOOL

Monday, January 26- Home Basketball Game with girls at 6:00 and boys to immediately follow! Tickets are $6 at the door (no sports passes are accepted). Come cheer on your Warriors!

Tuesday, January 27- SIC Meeting at 6pm in the WMS Celebration Room…all are welcomed to attend!

Wednesday, January 28- Home Basketball Game with girls at 5:30 and boys to immediately follow! Tickets are $6 at the door (no sports passes are accepted). Come cheer on your Warriors and let’s celebrate our students on 8th Grade Recognition Night!

Friday, February 6- WMS School Dance for all WMS students is coming up soon! Tickets are $10 and will be sold before school starting January 28, 2026. WMS School Dance - Midnight in Manhattan

Saturday, February 7- The Polar Plunge will take place on Saturday, February 7, 2026 to raise funds for the Special Olympics. The Warrior Polar Plunge team is sponsored by Officer Walters and Ms. Bradshaw’s class. In addition to participating in the event, there will be various opportunities to help raise funds for the cause. Check out the link here to donate to the WMS team and come BRRR-AVE the Waves with your Warriors.

Below are a few reminders as we head into the last half of the school year...

Dress Code- As the weather continues to get colder, please make sure your child dresses in appropriate clothing for the outside temperatures. We will continue to go outside for recess unless the temperature is 40 degrees or below. Recess is a great time for students to release some energy and a good time to enjoy outside with their peers.

Class Syllabi- All syllabi for your child’s classes will be posted on Google Classroom again for you to view. This will help bridge the questions and understanding about your child’s classes for Semester 2.

Study Buddies will begin on Monday, January 12, 2026. If a student is failing a core subject for S1/F1 they will be required to attend Study Buddies on that core subject’s specific day: Monday= Science, Tuesday= Math, Wednesday=ELA and Thursday- Social Studies.

WMS Zero Policy- If at any time a student is absent and misses an assignment or test, a zero will be entered in the gradebook for those items. The zero will act as a placeholder for the grade until the assignments are made up. This helps the student and parent as a reminder to get the grade updated by completing the missing work. It also avoids providing a false grade with holes in the gradebook. The student will be given three academic days to make up missing work when absent. Students should initiate the discussion with the teacher upon return about make-ups.

Retake Policy- In order to improve student learning and increase mastery of state standards, students will have the opportunity to retake major summative assessments by correcting errors on the attempted original test. The retake assessment can be determined by the teacher at their discretion. The retake policy does not apply to projects or formal writing assessments that include multiple checkpoints and/or rubrics. All students who score below 70% will be allowed to complete test corrections, and the highest possible score a student can receive from a retake is 70%. Retakes must be completed within five instructional days after the original test took place*.

*Each Wednesday, the school will provide an opportunity for students to schedule test retakes during the Warrior Time/lunch blocks as a school-designated time and location. Teachers may also choose to have students complete test retakes during the academic block (so long as the retake is completed within the five days following the original assessment).

High Impact Tutoring- We will begin S2 High Impact Tutoring on Monday for math and ELA. There will be morning sessions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for Math and Tuesday and Thursday for ELA. The morning sessions will be held from 7:45 am-8:23 am in the Celebration Room on campus. There will be a teacher in the tutoring session to help with on grade level standards and/or school work. You must arrive on time and come through the cafeteria doors.

WMS Discipline Review- Check out the link here to review the WMS Discipline Review Information.

As always, please let us know if you have any questions and if we can help you in any way and remember, We Just Can’t Hide That Warrior Pride!

The South Carolina Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA) requires middle schools to implement an Individual Graduation Plan (IGP) for all 8th-grade students. This year's meeting process will begin on January 12, 2026. During this meeting, the guidance counselor will meet with your student to create academic/career goals and select their 9th-grade high school courses. It is strongly encouraged that a parent/guardian attend this meeting with their child so they can be involved in the high school planning process. To schedule the IGP meeting with your child, please visit https://calendly.com/kimwilliamswms/individualized-graduation-plan-meetings to book your in-person appointment with Mrs. K. Williams at Waccamaw Middle School. If you are open to discussing this with another 8th-grade student and parent in the same meeting, please coordinate times and sign up with both students' names during the same time slot.

On Tuesday all 8th graders met with the WHS school counselor during Warrior Time to learn about class options for 9th grade. They received a list of available courses. Please review this list with your child and select the courses you would like prior to your scheduled IGP meeting, as this will save a lot of time during this meeting. There is also be a copy of this form in your child's Guidance Google Classroom.

If we are unable to schedule an IGP meeting together, the guidance counselor will meet with your child during their school day to select high school courses with them, but your input in the selection of courses is greatly appreciated. Please let Mrs. K. Williams know if you would rather her meet with your child without you present, so that meeting can be scheduled during their school day. All IGPs must be completed by Wednesday, March 31.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the guidance counselor, Kim Williams, at kiwilliams@gcsd.k12.sc.us or call 843-237-0106.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwjVr_KaEChCEO8Li76pPqdoK3whHJgB1W_Qt26d4kpAZB_w/viewform?usp=pp_url

Saturday, January 10th

SCWCA Area 7 Wrestling Qualifier vs ALL Horry County School at Aynor High @ 9:00 am

Monday, January 12th

Girls and Boys B Team Basketball at Loris Middle - Girls @ 6:00pm; boys game to follow

JV Girls Basketball vs Loris @ 6:00 pm

JV Boys Basketball vs Loris @ 7:00 pm

Wednesday, January 14th

Girls and Boys B Team Basketball at Georgetown Middle - Girls @ 5:30 pm; boys game to follow

Thursday, January 15th

JV Girls Basketball at Aynor @ 6:00 pm

JV Boys Basketball at Aynor @ 7:00 pm

Help PTO sell and distribute items to students at the WMS School Store! Please review the available slots by click on the image at the right to sign up. Also, please make sure you've completed and submitted a GCSD Volunteer form before your arrival. Forms can be found on the GCSD website (https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/3896/GCSD/3154167/Volunteer_Form.pdf) or in the WMS Front Office.

Get your Warrior Gear here and be ready for those Spirit Days and Sporting Events! We Just Can't Hide That Warrior Pride!

Email: radams@gcsd.k12.sc.us
Website: https://www.gcsd.k12.sc.us/o/wms
Location: 247 Wildcat Way, Pawleys Island, SC, USA
Phone: 843-237-0106
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Waccamawmiddleschool/