WMS Lion's Pride Community Update

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.

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.

Wednesday, May 29th at 6 pm at WMS

There will be an award ceremony for 8th graders, and all students will be recognized. The ceremony will be held behind the school and guests will need to bring their own seating to sit in the field. The ceremony will last 30-45 minutes and start promptly at 6. Parking will be available at LCC and Rock Creek. We ask that only those needing special parking due to physical limitations, park on school property. If we need to cancel a ceremony, due to weather, a FOF will be sent out no later than 7:30am on the day of the ceremony.

Students only should enter by the gym doors by 5:15 to get lined up.

1. Parents can begin to arrive at 5:00.
2. Parents will need to bring their own seating.
3. The Award Ceremony will be behind the school by the field. Parents can walk directly to the field and do not need to enter the school.

We look forward to celebrating all the students for their achievements!

The 8th grade Celebration is happening soon! This is a time for students in the the WMS 8th grade to gather together for an evening of fun! There will be music, food, games, and much more!

When: Friday, May 31st (The student MUST be in school for the entire day in order to attend!)

Time: 6:00-8:00

Who: Current 8th grade students at WMS who are eligible (see the permission slip below for details)

You MUST complete the permission slip HERE in order to attend. There is ONLY the electronic permission slip for this event. This form must be completed by Monday, May 28th in order to attend. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE.

All eligible 8th graders will be attending a History Immersion trip through downtown Frederick. We look forward to a wonderful day! All information was sent home with students.

Transportation will be provided by: Frederick County Public Schools. The cost of this trip is $8.50 per student. Payment should be submitted on SchoolCash Online. Payment is due no later than Wednesday, May 15th. You will need your child’s student ID number to register for SchoolCash. If you would like to make a donation to assist with field trip expenses for students in financial need, please click on the “Items” section of SchoolCash Online in the upper right hand corner of the SchoolCash screen. These funds will not be available to cover chaperones. Any extra funds will be used for end-of-year activities for the 8th grade class.

Chaperones: First-come first-serve basis. There are a maximum of 40 chaperone spots available, 20 per teacher (Wilson/Blakeslee). The chaperone fee is $8.50 and should also be paid using SchoolCash Online.

Cell Phones: Should remain off and away unless provided permission by an adult chaperone or staff member.

The 8th Grade Celebration will be held on Friday, May 31 from 6pm-8pm at WMS.

All eligible WMS 8th graders are welcome to attend. Students in other grades or from other schools are not permitted at this event.

This event is a fun way for our students to spend time together before heading off to high school. Since the whole class is invited, we need a lot of parents to make it a success! There will be music, food, games, and so much more! Please complete this Google formhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSca2PbBModOICpEPkioAVsViegGaBaNx-iCKLxmtBlEuLiwBQ/viewform?usp=sharing to stay in the loop, and let us know how you can contribute. THANK YOU in advance for making this a great success for our kids.

To start celebrating your 8th grader now, grab one of these cool yard signs before we run out! For just $15, you can show off to your whole neighborhood that you have a cool WMS 8th grader. Your entire purchase price will go toward the end of year events for our class, and we will be in touch with pickup dates and times after spring break. Here's the link to order: https://walkersvillemsptsa.memberhub.com/store/items/1004084 First come, first served! Thank you!

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:

1. Front Office
2. Attendance
3. Counseling Office
4. Health Room
5. 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.

Join us to vote in our Board for the 2024-2025 year.

Secretary: Natalie Smith

Treasurer: Amanda Radcliffe

Vice-President: Natalie Marrero

President: Shannon Kelley

wmsptsa.org

WMS PBIS Olympiad is coming up on June 4th! This is a full day of indoor and outdoor events, trivia, and challenges. And of course we need volunteers to help make this a successful day!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080F44A8A62BA6F94-49612605-pbis

Treasurer: Amanda Radcliffe

Secretary: Angela Coleman

Vice-President: Brande Waldron

President: Shannon Kelley

While most students have good digital behaviors and intentions, children will most likely encounter negative or mean behavior at some point in their digital lives. It is important for students to recognize cyberbullying and other negative digital behavior when it happens so they can avoid the drama, respond appropriately and stand up for others.

Help your child understand what cyberbullying is and how to interact and communicate in healthy ways online by reviewing information from Common Sense Education about Cyberbullying.

You may want to revisit our resources from November's message about Communication and Etiquette.

• Digital Etiquette - Elementary
• Digital Etiquette - Secondary

This week, the message below will be posted in Schoology. Take time to review the information above along with the message below to help discuss Etiquette, Communication and Cyberbullying with your child(ren) at home.

Digital Citizenship Matters: Communication and Cyberbullying

Although the internet has many great uses, Cyberbullying is repeated and unwanted mean or hurtful words or behavior that occur online (through texts, social media posts, online chat, etc.). If you see something that upsets you online or cyberbullying follow these three steps:

1. Step away. Ignoring a bully can be very effective.
2. If the bullying continues, take screenshots or print out evidence. Then block the person.
3. If it gets worse, report the behavior to a trusted adult such as a teacher or family member.

We are interested in your feedback! How is the IEP process for you and your student? How helpful are the services and staff supports? Please let FCPS know your thoughts!

English:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V-TWLU2trOlh3XkX08MG7qvYgJxkIMJW/view?usp=sharing

Spanish: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i4v9WUKoqGXGNDtDPlv5OSC8iT1uCgM6/view?usp=sharing

Due to allergies, we ask that all students refrain from bringing any "smelly sprays" to school. These include perfumes, spray deodorant, colognes, etc. Students can bring stick deodorant to use after PE. Thank you for helping to keep our environment safe for everyone!

Students should ONLY be dropped off and picked up on FCPS property. Students should NOT be dropped off or picked up on W. Frederick Street or Nicodemus Road (across from the school)! There are not crossing guards for crossing W. Frederick St. On most days, all cars are out of the car rider line by 3:10 PM! Please drop off and pick up students on WMS school property!

If you have a student who walks to and from school, encourage them to walk on the WMS side of the road! We will reiterate this with our students at school.

Thank you for your help with ensuring that all of our students are safe!

Students are to only ride their assigned bus and get on and off the bus at their assigned stop. Students are NOT able to ride home with friends for after school activities. Should there be an emergency, parents/guardians are asked to contact administration. Our school administration works with transportation to ensure room and that all parties are aware of the transportation plans in the case of an emergency. Please see the WMS Student and Family Handbook linked in each Community Update (below) and the FCPS Transportation website for more information.

Did you know that any student who is absent from school ten days in a school year, regardless of the reason, is considered chronically absent by the State of Maryland? We understand that illnesses happens and want students at school when they are able to learn.

We encourage families to plan any vacations/trips during times when students are not expected to be in school. Should attendance become a concern, your child's school counselor or administrator will reach out to offer support. Please reach out if you have any questions about your child's attendance.

Any attendance notes can be sent to WMS.Attendance@fcps.org

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

FCPS is excited to launch our new FCPS Volunteer Center. This new management system features the ability to self-serve for volunteer opportunities in our schools. To begin, you must complete the registration and training as required in our policies.

If you are a new volunteer, please create your account registration using the following link: Create an account.

If you are an existing volunteer in our Volunteer Center, please access your account here: Sign into your account.

For more information on volunteering, please contact the Family and Community Involvement Coordinator.

This video contains important information about administration, schedules, Arrival and Dismissal routines, lockers, FCPS Code of Conduct, Cell Phone Off and Away Policy, Clothing, and Technology.

The slides (without the presentation) is linked HERE

Please check out the FCPS Calendar for additional information about upcoming events.

School supply lists are available online at https://www.fcps.org/backtoschool/school-supply-lists

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.

Ms. Reed

Caitlyn.reed@fcps.org

6th Grade

Ms. Twilley

7th Grade

suzanne.twilley@fcps.org

Ms. Rehm (on leave)/ Ms. Foundas

8th Grade

Caitlin.rehm@fcps.org/ nicole.foundas@fcps.org

Glenda Roberts-Daniels

Registrar

Glenda.roberts@fcps.org