WMS Lion's Pride Community Update
June 3, 2024
Our Mission at WMS
The students, educators, and staff of Walkersville Middle School commit to ROAR; respect, organization, achievement, and responsibility. Our academic program is rich with multiple opportunities for students to engage with rigorous curriculum, prepare to master the challenges of high school, and be productive in the community.
Lost and Found Items
The last day to claim Lost and Found items, including glasses, jewelry , and cups, is Monday, June 10th. The smaller and more valuable items are kept in the front office.
8th Grade Clap Out
Our 8th Grade Clap Out will be held on June 7, 2024. Parents should be here no later than 12:40 PM, if they are interested in participating in the Clap Out.
All 8th students will go out the side door that will be clearly marked. We are asking parents to line the sidewalk to continue the Clap Out for our 8th grade students until they reach the front of the school.
Parents may pick up their 7th and 6th grade students in the front of the building if they choose to do so. Parents will not be able to move past the overhang doors. Students will need to move towards them at the front of the building. Please have this conversation with your child 7th or 6th grader before June 7
End of Year Medication Collection
The last day of school is June 7, 2024
· According to FCPS Regulation 400-23 students are not permitted to take their medications home at the end of the school year.
· A parent/guardian must pick up all medications in the health room by the end of the school day on June 7, 2024. To arrange for pick-up please contact health room staff directly.
· All non-emergency medication(s) and expired medication(s) of any kind remaining in the health room will be destroyed at the end of the school day, unless alternate arrangements have been made directly with health room staff.
Summer School
If your child will be attending a summer FCPS program and medication must be administered during summer school hours, contact the health room for additional guidance.
Yearbooks
Our yearbooks experienced a delay in the publishing and printing. We were hoping to have them in the building at the end of May. As of the writing of this, we have not received them. We hope to have them to the students before school ends. If this does not happen, we will create a plan to get them to the students!
8th Grade Families: Save the Date: 9th Grade Orientation
August 12th @ 8:00 & 1:00 at Walkersville High School. More details to come!
WMS School Phone Number Change! July 1, 2024
Beginning on July 1, 2024, Walkersville Middle School's phone number will be changing as all of FCPS transitions to a new telecommunications system.
The phone number change is necessary for two primary reasons: (1) The current telecommunications system is being modernized to allow more system functionality and reduce maintenance and service costs; and (2) the phone number change allows for the standardization of FCPS phone numbers with a common area code and initial three digits for all schools.
Walkersville Middle School's new phone number for the main office will be (227) 203-2650.
School based staff can be reached by calling the school's main number and choosing the appropriate option from the call menu or by dialing a staff member's extension at any time:
- Front Office
- Attendance
- Counseling Office
- Health Room
- Cafeteria
Walkersville Middle School has been preparing for this change by ensuring that we are updating all contact information on the school website, school messaging and other school documents. We are committed to making this transition with a minimal impact on school communications.
Summer Hours
WMS will be open Monday-Thursday this summer from 7:30-5:00. FCPS has quiet weeks, meaning schools are not open to the public unless you have an appointment. These weeks are June 17-20 & July 29-Aug 1.
What's happening in the classrooms?
A note from the Counseling Office
May was National Mental Health Month!
Mental Health Month promotes awareness of trauma and the effect it can have on an individual’s physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Mental Health Month provides everyone an important chance to celebrate the incredible steps this Nation has made in promoting mental health and increasing information to the public regarding effective services and supports that are available. Mental health awareness allows for people experiencing mental illness to feel more connected and can assist in finding therapeutic services and learning healthy copy strategies.
Need Help?
Child Protective Services (CPS): 301-600-2464
Crisis Services: Dial 211
Maryland anonymous Tip Line: 1-833-632-7233
Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
For additional mental health resources that are available please visit https://www.fcps.org/mh-resources
It is hard to believe that we are approaching the end of the 2023-2024 school year. We want to encourage all of our students to continue working hard as the school year is coming to a close and to finish the year strong. We hope everyone takes time to relax, recharge and enjoy their summer! Be on the lookout over the summer for information from WMS about the start of next school year.
PBIS/School Culture
To end the school year, WMS PBIS Ambassadors, teacher leaders, and WMS PTSA created the 1st WMS PBIS Olympiad! This will be a day (June 3rd) full of academic and physical challenges throughout the day. Be on the lookout for applications for new PBIS Ambassadors at the start of the 24-25 school year in August.
6th Grade
English Language Arts
Ms. Eddy’s readers will continue to analyze how character responses reveal the theme through a novel study. Students in periods 1-2 are reading Jerry Spinelli’s Maniac Magee, periods 3-4 are reading Laurie Halses Anderson’s Fever 1793, and period 5 is reading Jerry Craft’s Class Act.
Students will be finalizing their changemaker projects before moving onto debates.
Math
Science
It is amazing to think that this is our last bulletin; these last few months have flown by! We greatly enjoyed our time with your children this year, and we loved watching them make discoveries and connections in Science. As we finish the school year, we will be finishing our instruction about weather…just in time for spring storms and tornado season. Ask them about cold fronts! We hope you have a wonderful summer 🙂
Social Studies
We will be wrapping up ancient Rome in the last few weeks of school. Part of Roman military strategy was the use of catapults. We will be doing a fun STEM project to combine what we’ve learned about the military and how Rome was able to expand their empire. If you are able to collect and send in any of the materials listed below we would greatly appreciate it. We will need these by May 31st.
Materials: paper towel and toilet paper rolls, drinking straws, popsicle sticks, and plastic spoons.
We’ve really enjoyed our classes this year and wish you all a happy summer!
7th Grade
English Language Arts
Math
The 7th grade students will round out the year completing Module 9: Measuring Figures. There will be a comprehensive knowledge check before Memorial Day Weekend, and after that, ALEKS is optional. The last week of school we will use all of the concepts we learned this year in order to participate in Math Olympics activities.
Summer Math - Look out for the summer math packet that will be available on the school website! This will be great practice to keep our minds sharp for 8th grade in the fall.
Have a great summer! -7th Grade Math Team
Science
Social Studies
8th Grade
English Language Arts
Math
8th Grade Students will be taking a Final ALEKS Knowledge Check on May 20th. After this ALEKS will be optional. 8th Grade Mathematicians will be learning about Volume in Module 10 which will be our final module.
Algebra Students will be taking a Final ALEKS Knowledge Check on May 20th. After this ALEKS will be optional. Algebra Mathematicians will continue learning about Exponential Functions in Module 9 which will be our final module.
Science
What an outstanding year with these young scientists! The final countdown is upon us. As 8th grade science comes to an end, the exploration and excitement will continue.
During our last few weeks together, we will investigate the energy and behaviors of wave types, along with designing and constructing bottle rockets by applying Newton’s Laws of Motion. We wish you the very best in high school science courses!
Social Studies
The 8th Grade Social Studies MCAP is finally complete! Students have been working hard throughout the entire year to prepare, and we are proud of their accomplishments.
As the school year comes to an end, students will continue to learn about the Industrial Revolution and will be introduced to the Progressive Era. These topics will prepare students for their first unit of American Studies II next year.
We hope that all students and families have a wonderful summer!
Learning For Life
Special Education
Mrs. Ritchie, Grade 6: I have thoroughly enjoyed working with our 6th grade students and their families this year. We can reflect on the 2023-24 school year with special moments of success and overcoming challenges. I am proud of the stamina and grit that each one of my students showed as they prepared to be more independent and very successful 7th graders. Thank you to each one of you that helped provide me with a glimmer each day this year- the rainbows or smallest glimmer of sunshine that accompany even the greyest days are what we remember! This summer, continue to challenge yourself in mind, body and spirit and choose an adventure that will stretch you and certainly have a great story for you to be able to tell me next year! As you travel on your adventures this summer, remember Dolly Parton’s words of wisdom, “If you see someone without a smile, give them yours!”
Ms. Cave- Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to teach, learn and grow with your child. This year has been filled with success and growth. None of which could have happened without your support! Best of luck to our 8th graders as they carry on to the high school level. We will miss you and are eager to see how your future journey unfolds. Please REST, RELAX, REJUVENATE and READ over the summer months.
Ms. Simon - Congratulations to our 8th graders moving on to Walkersville High School. While we don’t consider this time a “graduation,” it is certainly a time to celebrate our young adults and their achievements. When I reflect back to August of 2023 in comparison to May 2024, I see a lot of remarkable maturity in our 8th graders. I look forward to staying in touch and hearing about continued growth and accomplishments.
Ms. Plume - Congratulations to our 8th graders moving on to 9th grade! Celebrate your milestones and growth this year, reflect on the positives and make plans for change and growth. "Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning." — Benjamin Franklin. Be well, rest, relax and reflect!
Mr. Giacco-It’s been a pleasure to work with our students this year! Thank you for the continued support from our families. We could not do what we do without the collaboration of home and school. I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing summer! We will see you in the fall ready to get back to work and learning!
Mrs. Wilson, Speech/language pathologist - It has been a joy to work with your children this year! Thank you for your collaboration; it really does make a difference with improving and maintaining communication skills. Have a wonderful summer and remember to incorporate some fun, pressure-free activities to support speech and language - board games, water balloon fights, making popsicles…the possibilities are endless!
PE, Career and Technical Education (CTE), and Fine and Practical Arts (FPA)
PE & Health
We finished May with information about our family life unit and how to take care of our bodies. I hope everyone has a wonderful summer!
Chrous
Band and Orchestra
Band and Orchestra will be working on and presenting research, composition, lesson, and performance projects for the remainder of the year with a few note reading, theory, and rhythmic music lessons sprinkled throughout.
Theatre Arts
World Languages
Nuckolls
Spanish 2:
The students will be watching a movie (mostly in Spanish) to practice listening skills and to discuss a cultural topic. We will also celebrate the end of the school year with the annual FIESTA of foods from around the world on June 6th, during their class period.
Spanish 2:
The students will be watching a movie to practice listening skills and to discuss a cultural topic. We will also celebrate the end of the school year with the annual FIESTA of foods from around the world on June 6th, during their class period.
Sanz Spanish 1:
For the last few weeks of school we are going to learn vocabulary 5.2 about la fiesta. We are also going to celebrate the end of the year with la fiesta. In addition we are going to watch a movie about quinceanera, a Spanish cultural tradition.Life Skills and Food Science
Food science will finish out the year by looking into careers in the food science industry and pathways to those careers.
World language exploratory classes have finished learning the basics of French and will close out the year learning Spanish.
7th grade Life Skills: Will be cooking in the food lab to finish out the year.
8th grade Life Skills: Students will be making samples of their lip balm and presenting their business plan to finish out the year.
Visual Arts
Visual Art (Fitzgerald): At the end of May, 6th grade students completed their Georgia O’Keeffe inspired cow skull drawings, and 7th grade classes completed their Pop Art self-portraits.
All students have finished glazing their ceramics, and the firing process is almost complete. They will be able to bring their pieces home in June.
Students have begun working on our current sketchbook prompt: Sandcastle. They will use their choice of media to create a work of art that includes a sandcastle. I am excited to see their creative interpretations of this summer-themed prompt.
They should be proud of all their hard work this semester!
Technology
6th Grade Engineering Exploration (Technology Exploration) will finish Balsa Wood Bridges and Newton Dragsters.
7th Grade Computer Science will complete the Animation Unit and Dream House extension activity.
8th Grade Applied Engineering (Pre-Engineering) will complete CO2 Dragsters and Save the Baby Challenge.
Students in Lab 21 and CSE will be finishing projects to finish the school year. Congratulations to all students for the progress made this year.
7th Grade Invention and Innovation- Students are completing their “homemade” cardboard games for our end of year class carnival. Students are also applying the design process by creating an innovation or an invention.
News from.....
Math Workshop
Math Workshop 6th Grade-These students have grown so much this year! Students will finish up the year reviewing key concepts from throughout the year that will give them a great start to their 7th grade year. I have enjoyed working with each of these students! Have a great summer.
Math Workshop 7th Grade-These students have grown so much this year! Students will finish up the year reviewing key concepts from throughout the year that will give them a great start to their 8th grade year. I have enjoyed working with each of these students! Have a great summer.
Math Workshop 8th Grade-These students have grown so much this year! Students will finish up the year reviewing key concepts from throughout the year that will give them a great start to their high school career. I have enjoyed working with each of these students! Have a great summer.
Reading Courses
Language Foundation and OG Plus Students: I am so proud of each and everyone of my intervention students. They have grown so much in their reading skills and are all very kind supportive friends to each other! I wish you continued success. These last three weeks, we will continue to learn new digraphs, diphthongs and linkages!
Read 180 Grade 8: Students will complete Workshop 6 “No Ordinary Sport”. They will work on their presentation skills arguing if extreme sports are worth the risk.
Read 180 Grade 7: Students will complete Workshop 4 “The Hunt for Lincoln’s Killer” . They will be taking their End of Workshop Assessment and their Vocabulary Assessment.
Read 180 Grade 6: Students will complete Workshop 2 “ Water Fight”. They will be taking their End of Workshop Assessment and their Vocabulary Assessment.Multilingual Learners
Mrs. Sandi - Ms. Dickman and I have enjoyed working with our 6th, 7th and 8th grade Multilingual Learners this year. A special shout-out to Arham Raza and David Song for earning passing scores on the ACCESS exam of the English Language and exiting the Multilingual Education Program!
EWL students will work on their mastery of negative present tense sentences and informational questions with be/do.
Good luck to all of the 8th grade students starting high school next year and we look forward to meeting our new students in the Fall! Several students are also moving - so good luck at your new schools!
Advanced Academics Message....
Mrs. Kara Wilson and Mr. Elias-Students will continue to receive enrichment and extension in their core classes.
Literacy Specialist Message.....
Newest addition of Walkersville Reads is out! Watch and listen for tips to help us, help you create a culture of reading in our school and community.
Math Specialist Message.....
As we wind down for the school year, be on the lookout for some summer math fun! We hope to have a daily math problem for each grade level posted on our school website toward the end of June 7th.
Media Specialist Message....
Double check to make sure you have turned in all of your library books!
Health Room
Attention to all parents/guardians of rising 7th graders:
All students entering 7th grade are required by the State of Maryland to have the MCV4 and Tdap vaccines prior to the first day of 7th grade.
Please contact your child’s health care provider and make an appointment now to avoid the rush.
More information about immunization requirements can be found in https://www.fcps.org/backtoschool/immunizations.
Thank you for your support!
FCPS Student Code of Conduct
Did you know that a portion of the FCPS Student Code of Conduct is for parents and guardians? Here is the link for the document in ENGLISH or SPANISH. On page 17, there are important topics to discuss with your child. Some that are included are regarding attendance, bullying, harassment or intimidation, bus conduct, cell phones, laptops, tablets, earbuds and other electronic devices.
WMS is an OFF AND AWAY school with regard to cell phones. They are not to be used between the hours of 8:00 and 3:00. If a student needs to access their device during that time, they need to come to the office to do so.
There is NO use for headphones or earbuds connected to phones during the school day. Our focus needs to be on providing the best learning environment possible and to eliminate distractions.
At WMS, we provide ONE warning to put the device away. Following that warning, if a device or earbuds/headphones are seen, they will be confiscated and brought to the office. Parents/guardians will be contacted and need to collect the device(s) from the school. Should this distraction continue, the devices will need to be checked in at the office daily and will be provided back to the student at the end of the day.
If a student accesses our Alternate Learning Classroom, any phones will be confiscated by an administrator and locked in the front office until the end of the day.
Thank you for your support in eliminating any distractions from our learning time at WMS!
Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact:
Mrs. Miller, principal
Mrs. Sutherin, 6th grade assistant principal
Mrs. Newkirk, 7th grade assistant principal
Dr. Marker, 8th grade assistant principal
Walkersville Middle School Student and Family Handbook
Please click HERE for our 2023-2024 WMS Student and Family Handbook for lots of information and contacts! This will be posted on the school website, as well.
WMS School Counseling Department
Ms. Reed
6th Grade
Ms. Twilley
7th Grade
Ms. Rehm (on leave)/ Ms. Foundas
8th Grade
Caitlin.rehm@fcps.org/ nicole.foundas@fcps.org
Glenda Roberts-Daniels
Registrar
PTSA Information!
PTSA Board for the 2024-2025 year
President: Shannon Kelley
Vice-President: Natalie Marrero
Secretary: Natalie Smith
Treasurer: Amanda Radcliffe
