WMS Family Smore
June 11, 202
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Dear WMS Families,
Welcome to the last week of school in the 2022-2023 school year! We have a lot of celebrations and end-of-year festivities going on this week.
For families already wondering about summer work expectations, we will be sharing a WMS Summer Work website soon. Students will all be expected to read our One School One Book - Alone by Megan Freeman, and will have a calendar of math practice opportunities. Students will be meeting their teachers for next year this week.
Students who are returning to Watertown Public Schools next year will bring their chromebooks and chargers home for the summer. Any students who will not be returning to Watertown Public Schools next year should return their chromebooks and chargers to the WMS library before June 16th.
Dates coming up this week:
June 12: Registration Deadline for the School Bus Next Year
June 12: 6th grade Canobie Lake Park Field Trip
June 13: WMS School Site Council (7:00pm, virtual)
- June 14: PTO Meeting (7:00 PM virtual)
June 15: 8th Grade Party (6-9pm, Sons of Italy)
June 16: Last day of school (12:30pm dismissal with grab-n-go lunch)
June 16: 8th Grade Awards Ceremony/Graduation (9:00-11:00am, WMS Gym)
June 23: Quarter 4 Report Cards mailed home to families
Respectfully yours,
Ms. Jennifer Chen Fein, Principal
Ms. Susan Carle, Assistant Principal (Clusters 1, 3, 5)
Ms. Jennifer Sarmiento, Assistant Principal (Clusters 2, 4, 6)
News at WMS
New News from WMS Teachers - Updated June 9
Click on the links below to find updates from your child's teachers. These cluster/class smores are a helpful tool to know what your child is learning. These s'mores will be updated monthly in the WMS Family Smore.
2023-24 Bus Information MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL BUS REGISTRATION INFORMATION
This fall, when we open our Watertown High School at Moxley, we will be managing pick-up and drop-off for over 1200 students. Middle School and High School start and end times will be staggered to help mitigate the confluence of students. We anticipate that pick-up and drop-off times will be congested and we are encouraging all families to consider alternative options for arriving at the site, including walking, biking, or taking a bus. There will be no student parking in or around the site, and the expectation is that students will not be driving to school.
During the Watertown High School Construction, the building project plans provide for bus transportation to middle school and high school students in grades 6-12 who live .75 miles or more from the Middle School/Moxley site without a fee for students. Students and families who are interested in busing will be required to sign up for busing in the coming weeks, with the expectation that anyone who signs up for busing will ride the bus to school every day and will carry with them their bus pass at all times. No one will be allowed to ride a Middle School/High School bus without a pass. We understand that there will be fluctuations in the number of students riding the bus in the afternoon due to after school activities. It is important to note that we will adjust bus schedules and stops if it is determined that students are not regularly riding the bus.
Regardless of grade or distance from school, all students must register online for the bus each year. Registrations do not roll over from year to year.
There is no fee for Middle School or High School Students who live .75 miles or more from the Middle School during the Watertown High School Construction.
Timeline
June 12: Registration Deadline
June 30: Confirmation of each student’s bus registration will be emailed to the parent/guardian email address provided on the registration form
Early August: Bus stop location and pick-up/drop-off times will be emailed to the email address provided
All registrations received by June 12th will be will be processed by the WPS Business Office to determine the walking distance. Registrations that are received after June 12th will only be considered if space allows. Bus routes and scheduled pickup times will be determined based on actual ridership.
School Bus Routes
Only students may board the bus. Parents/Caregivers are never allowed on the bus.
Bus routes and scheduled pickup times are reviewed each year and will be determined based on actual ridership. The routes are posted on the WPS Transportation page: WPS Transportation webpage early August, all families whose child(ren) has a seat on the bus will also be sent the route information.
Additionally, afternoon Late Bus service will be provided to Middle School students who are registered for the regular Transportation Program. The late bus will stop at the bus stops of the students who ride the bus on a given day. This service does not start the first day of school; the Middle School principal includes the start date for this in the weekly newsletters.
2023-2024 Middle School Bus Registration Link
2023-2024 High School Bus Registration Link
MBTA for Students
Middle School and High School students may sign up for reduced-fare Student CharlieCards, valid on MBTA buses and subway. There are two types of Student CharlieCards available:
Unlimited Pass: This pass offers students unlimited access to the MBTA bus and subway system at a cost of $30 per month. This pass must be paid in two installments: $150 for September through January, then $150 for February through June. Contact the WPS Transportation Office for information on use of this pass during the summer months. If payments are not made when due the card is shut off by the MBTA.
Pay-As-You-Go Card: This card works like a prepaid charge card balance. Students can load money onto their passes at any MBTA kiosk. Funds are then deducted from the balance at a discounted student rate of 85¢ per bus ride and $1.10 per subway ride. There is no charge for students to obtain a pay-as-you-go card, but it will come loaded with $0 prepaid, so students are responsible for loading money onto their pay-as-you-go cards.
*The MBTA may change their fees at any time – WPS fees will change accordingly
Pay-As-You-Go Cards are available for pickup at both the Middle School and High School main offices. If you would like to purchase the Unlimited Pass please email: wps_busing@watertown.k12.ma.us
Contact
If you have additional questions, please contact us at wps_busing@watertown.k12.ma.us.
You are Invited to: WMS 8th grade Graduation - June 16, 9:00-11:00am
Congratulations to the 8th grade class of 2023! This year's graduation ceremony will be held on June 16th in the WMS gymnasium. The event will begin at 9am and end at approximately 11am.
There should be plenty of seating in the bleachers and on the floor. There will be a front row of bleacher seats reserved for individuals with disabilities or those needing assistance. The event will also be live streamed into the WMS auditorium, which will be air conditioned.
Following the ceremony graduates and families are invited to enjoy a celebratory cake provided by the WMS PTO.
Here is the after graduation dismissal form that must be completed if you would like to dismiss your student(s) directly after the ceremony.
Opportunities for Parents/Caregivers To Get Involved
School Site Council (SSC) - June 13th
The WMS SSC meets once a month on the first Tuesdays at 7:00pm, virtually.
Our next and final meeting for the school year has been rescheduled to Tuesday, June 13th, 2023.
We will be finalizing the 2023-2024 School Improvement Plan, reflecting on this year, and planning for next school year. Here is the agenda.
Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) - June 14
The PTO meets virtually on the second Wednesday of each month, and the next meeting is on Wednesday June 14 at 7pm. Reach out to the PTO President Erin Macomber at erin_macomber@neds.org with any questions or to express interest.
Diversity Council
Reach out to Sarah Seldomridge at sarah.seldomridge@watertown.k12.ma.us with any questions or to express interest for next year!
Information from our WMS Community
Watertown Community Education's Town Wide Yard Sale
Watertown Community Education’s annual Town Wide Yard Sale will be held this weekend on Saturday, June 10th and Sunday, June 11th.
To view a full list of participating homes, their times, and their available items, please click here: https://bit.ly/23TWYSAddressList. Printed versions of this list are available at the Watertown Free Public Library.
To view an interactive map of participating homes, please click here: https://bit.ly/2023TWYardSale.
Summer Solstice Celebration - June 21
Free In-Person Special Event
Wednesday, June 21, 5:00–9:00 pm
Summer Solstice Celebration 2023
Night at the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge
Join the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture on the longest day of the year—free of charge—to explore the galleries and new exhibitions at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, and the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East.
Step outdoors to enjoy lively musical and circus performances, play mini-golf, and make a flower crown. Ice cream, mocktails, and snacks will be available to purchase from food trucks and vendors. Don’t miss out on this popular event for all ages!
Sponsored by the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture in collaboration with the Harvard Graduate Commons and the Harvard Summer School. Presented with the generous support of the Harvard FAS Community Renewal Fund.
This festival is part of HMSC’s 10-Year Anniversary celebration. Free event parking will be available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage. Please note that Divinity Avenue will be closed to traffic during the event. The Harvard Museums of Science & Culture are an 8-minute walk through historic Harvard Yard from the Harvard Square MBTA Red Line station.
Explore the Galleries
- Admire Harvard’s world-renowned Blaschka Glass Flowers and discover how these handcrafted plant models were created by Czech glass artisans Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka.
- Come face-to-face with the ocean’s most famous, misunderstood megafauna in Swimming with Sharks: A Deep Dive into Shark Biology and Behavior.
- Enjoy an immersive, contemporary artistic interpretation of Henry David Thoreau’s plant collections in In Search of Thoreau’s Flowers: An Exploration of Change and Loss.
- Learn how scientific instruments have influenced the development of astronomy, navigation, physics, biology, medicine, electricity, and communication in Time, Life & Matter.
- Explore Shehuo: Community Fire, a new bilingual photography exhibition on the rapid transformation of an ancient rural Chinese festival. See Rice: A Story of Africa and the Americas which examines the legacy of rice cultivation in the Americas (located within the Resetting the Table exhibition).
- Learn how the movement of goods, peoples, and ideas around the ancient Mediterranean transformed the lives and livelihoods of people at all levels of society in Mediterranean Marketplaces: Connecting the Ancient World.
- See a spectacular reproduction of King Tut’s lion-legged throne. This piece faithfully recreates the detailed iconography of the original.
Enjoy Outdoor Activities
- Create your own summer crown with fresh flowers and greens to wear during the event. 5:00–7:00 pm or until supplies last.
- Marvel at circus performers.
- Meet farm animals.
- Make your mark on a community paint project.
- Purchase specialty mocktails and tasty treats from event food trucks and vendors.
- Enter the Solstice Raffle for a chance to win HMSC museum memberships and special gifts from our museum shop.
- Play Sun-sational Mini Golf!
News from the Watertown Recreation Department
Friends of Watertown Recreation,
Our Department of Recreation Spring Programs begin on Monday, May 1.
Watertown Recreation Spring Brochure - 2023
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The Pequossette Summer Program Documentation and Registration Packet is included.
Pequossette Summer Recreation Program Packet
Please follow the directions in this packet and register online.
In addition, these forms must be filled out and returned to the following address: recreation@watertown-ma.gov. The forms are fillable.
A current physical is also required with immunization records.
Website: www.recreation.watertown-ma.gov
Facebook: watertownrecreationdepartment
Instagram: watertownrecreation
Twitter: watertownrec
Regular WMS Reminders
Waverly doors open at 7:45am, Bemis doors open at 8:15am
The WMS Learning Lab - extra help available at school
Attendance Reminders - call the main office before 8:30AM to report a student's absence
In the event that a student is absent, a parent or caregiver must call the absence hotline at 617-926-7783 before 8:30 a.m. Please state the name, grade, homeroom of the student and the reason for their absence. In the event that the absence is not reported, a Robocall will automatically go out to the student’s home or the place of employment of the parent or caregiver to inform them that the student is absent. Students are responsible for working with their teachers to make up work they missed while absent.
Check out page 26 of the WMS Family Handbook to see all of our attendance procedures in more detail.
Upcoming Dates
June 12: Registration Deadline for the School Bus Next Year
June 12: 6th grade Canobie Lake Park Field Trip
June 13: WMS School Site Council (7:00pm, virtual)
- June 14: PTO Meeting (7:00 PM virtual)
June 15: 8th Grade Party (6-9pm, Sons of Italy)
June 16: Last day of school (12:30pm dismissal with grab-n-go lunch)
June 16: 8th Grade Awards Ceremony/Graduation (9:00-11:00am, WMS Gym)
June 23: Quarter 4 Report Cards mailed home to families
How is our communication being received?
Watertown Middle School
Website: https://wms.watertown.k12.ma.us/
Location: 68 Waverley Avenue, Watertown, MA, USA
Phone: 617-926-7783
