Bruin Bulletin

As we embrace the holiday spirit, I want to extend warm wishes to all of our Bruin families. Your support has been instrumental in making this a successful school year. I am immensely proud of our students who are actively engaged in various service projects throughout December, including Heavenly Hats, Toys for Tots, a coat drive, and a canned food drive. Their dedication and compassion truly embody the spirit of giving and kindness, making a positive impact on our community.

May this festive season bring joy, love, and cherished moments with your loved ones. As we reflect on the year behind us, let's also look forward to new learning and community opportunities and experiences ahead. Thank you for being a part of our school family, and I wish you all a safe, peaceful, and wonderful holiday season.

Please take a few minutes to read about all the upcoming events at WBM. There are lots of ways for you and your student to get involved and be part of our school community. We can't do it without you!

Thanks so much!

Dr. Beth Pallister

Principal

An Academy informational webinar took place on Thursday, November 30, 2023. The webinar will be recorded and posted on the Chesapeake Public Schools’ website for those who need to review the information at a later time. The application link will be available on the Chesapeake Public Schools’ web page, and on each academy high school’s homepage, on Friday, December 1, 2023. The deadline to apply to any of the academies is Friday, December 15, 2023. We will be speaking to each 8th grade class about the academies and the application process. Please contact Ray Hines (the 8th grade school counselor) for additional information.

Find out more here.

We encourage our 8th graders to consider applying to an academy!

Western Branch Middle offers study hall on Wednesdays from 3:00-4:00. Study Hall is monitored and taught by WBM teachers. Take advantage of this great opportunity! Students must have transportation home. Study Hall date are: December 6 and 13 and January 10 and 17.

Pre-Register here

The Orchestra's Winter Concert on December 18th at 6:30pm for all grade levels. Come out and support our amazing orchestra!

Orchestra students are selling Krispy Kreme Donut Certificates for $16. Certificates are redeemable for One Dozen Original Glazed Donuts. We receive half of all proceeds to use towards the Music in Our Parks Competition and classroom supplies.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

Join the Western Branch Middle School Chorus for our annual "Bruin Tidings" concert! This year's concert will be held at Western Branch HIGH School on December 19 at 6:30 PM. We will also be drawing the winners of our DECK THE HALLS raffle!!

SAVE THE DATES!!! We officially have a cast for our production of Disney's "LIttle Mermaid, Jr." The shows will be March 7-9, 2024!

Learn about how FACE can help you and your student by watching this short video.

Check out the many resources at Peake Parent University! Chesapeake Public Schools Peake Parent University is an opportunity for parents of current and future CPS students to engage in educational opportunities that will enhance academic progress of students and will empower parents to become partners in their student’s educational journey.

Our winter sports season kicks off on Monday December 4th at 5:30pm with our basketball teams taking on Crestwood Middle School at WBM! Girls play at 5:30pm and Boys play at 6:30pm. Our first wrestling match is on Tuesday at 5:30pm at Crestwood Middle School. Let’s support our Bruins throughout the season!

We are excited to support our winter sports teams! Visit this calendar for game dates.

Western Branch Middle School will offer Football, Cheerleading, Baseball, Softball, and now GIRLS Soccer, in the fall.

Ticket sales are cashless this year!! Please buy your ticket online at GoFan, or we can take credit or debit at the door. We encourage the purchase of annual season passes since it's very cost effective.

Athletic event passes can be purchased using the GoFan website. Passes available for purchase include:

Student Annual Pass – $20

The Student Annual Athletic Pass provides admittance to any VHSL or CMSL regular season games in Chesapeake, including CMSL tournament games. The $20.00 price includes the service fee for GoFan. Students will redeem their passes using their smartphones at each eligible athletic contest.

Adult Annual Pass – $50

The Adult Annual Athletic Pass provides admittance to any VHSL or CMSL regular season games in Chesapeake, including CMSL tournament games. The $50.00 price includes the service fee for GoFan. Guests will redeem their passes using their smartphones at each eligible athletic contest.

If you have any questions about sports, please reach out to our athletic director: Ray Hines.

We would like to restart the WATCH D.O.G.S.® (Dads Of Great Students) program at Western Branch Middle.

WATCH D.O.G.S.® (Dads Of Great Students) is a family and community engagement educational initiative. WATCH D.O.G.S.® are fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other father-figures who volunteer in the school and work with our students and teachers in a variety of ways (watching hallways, assisting in the cafeteria, interacting with students in classrooms). This program benefits our school as students gain positive male role models, the schools gain an extra set of eyes, ears, and hands, and the WATCH D.O.G.S.® gain a greater awareness of the challenges students face these days. Many schools report that the mere presence of a WATCH D.O.G® reduces reports of bullying.

We welcome volunteer time in any increment, and we would work with you to identify the ways in which you feel comfortable volunteering. See additional information about WATCH D.O.G.S.® here.

If you are interested in, or would like more information about, volunteering as a WATCH D.O.G®, please complete this no-obligation form.

Thank you for considering helping in this way.

In the library, we are often asked, "If I like Harry Potter, what else do you think I would like?" It can be disappointing when a series you've loved and enjoyed comes to an end. December is the perfect time to research new book suggestions. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Mrs. Waggoner WBM Library michele.waggoner@cpschools.com.

Did you know that all Chesapeake Public School students have access to Chesapeake Public Library electronic resources?

Click the link: https://chesapeakelibrary.org/cps-student-tools

Scroll Down and Select: Middle School Students

Click: Libby by Overdrive

Enter: CPS Student ID number

Enter 4 numbers for the Password: birthday 2 digit month and 2 digit day (example for birthday June 3: 0603)

Students can search all Chesapeake Public Library ebooks and check out up to 6 per month. The public library also offers free tutoring services and a wealth of resources for our students. Click the website to learn more. chesapeakelibrary.org

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Waggoner

If your child is absent, please send a note regarding the absence within 3 school days. The note should include the student name, date(s) of absence(s), and the reason for the absence. Notes should be submitted through ParentVue (preferred method) or the attendance office.

The PTSA would like to thank all the parents, teachers, staff and community members that join the PTA this academic school year. If you have not joined the PTSA, it’s not too late. Please go to the following link to join: This valued organization does so much to help our staff, students, and school community. Please join through this link. Membership dues are 8.00. Also, check out the spirit wear.

We would also like to thank everyone who helped us participate in the Reflection's contest. We had some amazing student submissions this year. We will be notifying all of those students who participated in the contest soon. We will also like to thank everyone who supported our fall fundraiser. All items should be back before we leave for Christmas break. We will notify everyone through email/ text when products come back so everyone will know when to come by the school to pick up fundraisers items.

December PTSA Volunteer Opportunities:

1) The PTSA will be at the following home wrestling and volleyball games selling concessions.

If you would like to help, please email us at westernbranchmiddleptsa@gmail.com

2) The PTSA will meet Friday, Dec 15 to continue planning for the following events: Valentine’s Day Dance, Bruin Bash, and the Eight Grade Dance. If you would like to assist in the planning process, please email us at westernbranchmiddleptsa@gmail.com so we can send you the location on where we will meet physically.

3)The PTSA is collecting items for Hot Chocolate Bar. We are asking for marshmallows and cookies. All items must be store purchased. All donated items may be turned in to the security desk or to the office. Please ensure all items are bagged and labeled indicating that it is for the PTSA Hot Chocolate Bar. Please use this link to sign-up for an item.

Thanks in advance for all of your support!

Please help us welcome our new MFLC! She provides and invaluable service to our military connected families!

My name is Jocelyn Hawkins, and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and the Military & Family Life Counselor at Western Branch Middle School. In my role, I work to support and strengthen the capacity of staff, families, programs, and systems to meet the needs of military children, adolescents, and their families.

MFLC’s provide non-medical, short term, situational, problem-solving counseling services to address issues that occur across the military lifestyle. I am here to help service members and their families cope with the normal reactions to the stressful/adverse situations created by deployment, reintegration and other military life challenges. With parental consent, MFLC’s provide support to children and adolescents up to age 18 in both individual and group settings. The service is free and confidential with the exception of the Department of Defense duty to warn and mandated reporting mandates.

For more information about how the MFLC program can support you and your family email Mrs. Hawkins at hawkinsj@MagellanFederal.com or call 757-759-2802.

During the month of December counselors will be going into health classes to conduct career exploration lessons. We will discuss how someone's interests, skills, and values impact their career choices. Students will participate in surveys to determine possible career choices.

Dec. 13th is the midpoint of the 2nd 9 weeks. Progress reports will be available in ParentVue on Jan. 3rd.

Counseling Tip

Give yourself the gift of mindfulness.

https://youtu.be/zx2I8sKwzDE?si=NbKsh18GnSXM06Uz

Happy Holidays from your school counselors!!

The Western Branch Middle School Counseling Department welcomes you!

School counselors are certified/licensed educators who improve student success for ALL students by implementing a comprehensive school counseling program. School Counselors can help students by providing:

• individual student academic planning and goal setting
• school counseling classroom lessons based on student success standards
• short-term counseling to students
• referrals for long-term support
• collaboration with families/teachers/administrators/community for student success
• advocacy for students at individual education plan meetings and other student-focused meetings
• data analysis to identify student issues, needs and challenges

Your School Counselors

Mrs. Tonya Edmonds--7th grade counselor and Guidance Director

Ms. Khia Evans--6th grade counselor

Mr. Ray Hines--8th grade counselor

A Closer Look at WBMS's Cutting-Edge Technology Class

We're excited to delve deeper into last month's topic that highlighted our technology class. Our students have been actively participating in our AI-based robotics program, STEMBoT(Farm Bot), setting us apart as one of only two middle schools in Virginia to offer this cutting-edge curriculum. Additionally, our students are learning and having fun with the Rubik's Cube Challenge where it’s the student versus the robot. The sixth graders gain a strong introduction to technology having fun with egg drop activities, catapults, and straw rocket tournaments. Our seventh graders build the robots, and eighth graders build and program the robots. Our students not only learn programming but also how to integrate the world of artificial intelligence into their education. Students are challenged to design systems that utilize robotics for the sustainable growth of food, fostering a profound understanding of programming, computational thinking, and problem-solving. This propels our students into thinking critically and creatively as they tackle environmental issues, preparing them for a future where innovation and sustainability are paramount. We are immensely proud of our students' achievements and the unique educational experience we provide at Western Branch Middle School. Please, click this link for a four minute peek into the class!

At Western Branch Middle, we encourage and celebrate positive behavior from our students. We practice ROARing so our school is safe, successful, and respectful. Please help us start off the year strong by reviewing these expectations with your child. We will also review them at assemblies the first week of school.

• Introducing our new App! CPS is thrilled to announce our new mobile app for our district! With our new app, you can easily access school events, news updates, and even emergency notifications.

• Lots of student and school information is sent through ParentVue. ParentVUE is a secure web-based information management system that provides parents/guardians the ability to view their child’s assignments, grades, attendance and contact information.

Please follow this link to learn how to access ParentVue and to learn about the app.

Hatcher & Frey generously highlights teachers who do so much to inspire, education, and care for our students. Please take a minute to nominate a deserving WBM teacher through this link.

Cell phones can be a distraction and disruption to the learning environment.

Students may not possess, or carry on their person, cell phones, smart watches, or ear buds/headsets. Students must turn off and secure their cell phones and electronic devices in their lockers during the school day. Students will be provided CPS Chromebooks with which to complete instruction and communicate. Chesapeake Public Schools will not assume responsibility in any circumstance for loss, damage, theft, or unauthorized charges to any electronic devices. If a student is found with or using an electronic device during the school day, the student is subject to a disciplinary consequence. Please see the Student Handbook for additional information.

We are proud to show-off all the great things happening at our school!

The Western Branch Middle website is updated several times each week. Register for update notifications by visiting cpschools.com/wbm/subscribe. Also, please join

our WBMS social media accounts (Instagram: wbm_bruins). We will use these accounts to showcase our students, teachers, and programs.

Another resource to help stay informed is our PTSA. We have a supportive and active PTSA, so

whether you want to lead a committee or support your child through membership, we hope you connect with the PTSA. You can also follow them on Facebook.

We need parent volunteers for movie night! If you can volunteer, please call Mrs. Bell in the main office. We appreciate your help!

Please consider using School Bus Hub for live information about your child's bus.

School Bus Hub is a secure, online portal for parents. Once families create their free account, they can receive real time bus location information. This self service application is fully integrated with the VMax compass routing platform installed on our fleet of buses that allows parents and students to track their school buses.

If you are interested in getting your child’s (children’s) school bus location information, register for a School Bus Hub account. Families can access the School Bus Hub on a web browser using a desktop computer, tablets, smartphones or they can install an app on their smartphone.

See additional information here.

Chesapeake Public Schools has a standard dress code policy for all schools. Please review these standards with your child and ensure that your child is dressed accordingly. More information can be found here.

• Clothing must cover all undergarments; straps are okay

• Length of shirts must at least meet the top of pants; no crop tops

• Sleeveless tops must be connected by straps

• Bottom lengths must be at least mid-thigh high

• Ripped clothing must not have exposed skin above mid-thigh

• Headwear generally not permitted; exceptions have been added (approved by principal)

• Open toed shoes, sandals, slides and Crocs are now permitted; designated spaces require appropriate footwear (i.e., PE, science labs, Tech Ed classes, or wherever necessary)

Instagram @wbm_bruins

Website: https://cpschools.com/wbm/
Location: 4201 Hawksley Drive, Chesapeake
Phone: 757-638-7920
Twitter: @BranchMiddle

Link to Western Branch Middle School Handbook.

Link to Chesapeake Public Schools Handbook.