page background
page background

WMS Family Newsletter

January 7, 2024

WMS FamilyNewsletterJanuary 7, 2024

To translate this newsletter, please use the link to the right.


Para traduzir este boletim, clique nele e use o link à direita.

Para traducir este boletín, haga clic en él y luego use el enlace a la derecha.

لترجمة هذه الرسالة من المدرسة ، اضغط عليها ثم استخدم الرابط الموجود على اليمين.

Այս տեղեկագիրը թարգմանելու համար կտտացրեք այն, ապա օգտագործեք աջ կողմում գտնվող հղումը:

Чтобы перевести этот бюллетень, нажмите на него, затем воспользуйтесь ссылкой справа.

Bu bülteni çevirmek için üzerine tıklayın ve ardından sağdaki bağlantıyı kullanın.

Dear WMS Families,

I hope you are staying warm today! Information for snow day procedures can be found at the bottom of this newsletter, and on the district website.


Quick Updates:

  • ACCESS testing begins this week for our Multilingual Learners and will continue for the month. You've worked hard all year, now it's time to show what you know!

  • Students received their student IDs on a WMS lanyard this week. Just like we expect all WMS adults to wear IDs for safety and security reasons, the expectation will be for students to wear their lanyard as well. It has their ID number on it, and gives them free entrance to any WPS events. While students should have their ID on them, and not lose them, should their ID be lost, students can come down to the main office to request a replacement ID and pick up a generic grade-level ID while it is being ordered.


  • There is no school next Monday, January 15th in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Please consider celebrating with our district, with more information below.


Upcoming Dates this week:

  • January 9: WPS Youth in Unity Event - Lowell Learning Commons (6:00pm)

  • January 9: WMS PTO (6:30pm, in person/virtual)
  • January 10: Early Release (11:45am dismissal with grab-n-go lunch)
  • January 15: No School - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • January 15: Watertown Unity Breakfast (10:00am, virtual at unitybreakfast.org)


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)

New News at WMS

Community Art Event - Clough Memorial

On Friday, all 560 students at WMS had the opportunity to work with artist Josh Winer to create community art. Students were invited to illustrate these words, with a selection of these pieces intended to hang in our main entrance as we update the current mobile in the coming months.


Pride, Education, Tolerance, Esteem, Respect

Communication, Love, Open Mindedness, Understanding, Gratitude, Happiness


With students currently attending WMS from across the globe, we seek to portray our diverse community in a way that continues to honor Mr. Clough’s memory and contributions to WMS while creating a sense of belonging for all members of our WMS of our community.


Thank you to Dr. Daly - Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Principal Chen Fein, 6-8th grade Social Studies teachers, and our Digital Learning and Libraries team for helping make this event a success!

Opportunities for Parents/Caregivers To Get Involved

WMS Site Council - update from January 3

We had a great most recent meeting on January 3, with these highlights:

  • Mr. Adam Silverberg, K-12 World Language Coordinator joined us. He shared information about the World Language opportunities and pathways for students K-12 in Watertown. Students in grades 6-8 have the opportunity to take Spanish, Italian, or Arabic. More information can be found here: WMS World Language Department Site Council 01/03/24.
  • Thank you for the person who submitted a question below regarding the amount of homework students in middle school should have each night. This prompted a lively discussion about the "value of regular practice of skills by promoting reading each night, and [completing] homework on a regular basis so that students can see the impact of practice on mastery of standards and development of skills". In summary, we acknowledged that students likely have less than 60-80 minutes/night of homework, and committed to clarifying the school vision around the value of practice. We will be working on this in the coming months, as well as other initiatives outlined in our WMS School Improvement Plan 2023-24.

Join us for our next meeting on Wednesday, January 31. We will be hosting the Math and Science Coordinators, with updates in both subject areas to share.


The WMS Site Council is a body of students, faculty, parents, and caregivers that plays a strong role in the vision and direction of our school. Site Council meets on the following Wednesdays from 4-5pm in person (WMS art room, A128)/virtually (zoom). Join us for any of our following meetings:

  • January 31 - guests: Math and Science Coordinators
  • March 27 - guest: ELA Coordinators
  • May 1 - drafting the WMS School Improvement Plan 2024-25
  • May 29 - finalizing and voting on the WMS School Improvement Plan 2024-25


Do you have a question for the WMS Site Council, but can't make it to our meetings? Submit this form to ask, and we will share a summary in this newsletter and/or follow up with you.


Reach out to Principal Chen Fein at jennifer.chenfein@watertown.k12.ma.us with any questions or to express interest in joining next year.
zoom_out_map

Celebrate MLK Day with our district - January 9th, January 15th

Watertown's annual Martin Luther King Day Unity Breakfast will once again take the form of a television and online broadcast on Monday, January 15th at 10am. You can watch the event online at unitybreakfast.org, and Watertown cable subscribers can watch on the program on Watertown Cable Access Corp's Public Channel (Comcast 9, RCN 3).


Prior to the Unity Breakfast broadcast on MLK Day, the community is invited to attend the Youth in Unity event at the Lowell Elementary on Tuesday, January 9th at 6pm. In addition, the Watertown Library will be bringing the Bookmobile that evening! They also have a lovely display of books in celebration of MLK Day at the library for this month.

Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) - January 9

Please join us for our next meeting, January 9 (in person - WMS Art Room/virtual) at 6:30pm. Upcoming meeting date for the year include: February 13 (virtual), March 12 (virtual), April 9 (in person - WMS Art Room/virtual), May 14 (virtual), June 11 (virtual).


Are you interested in being on the WMS PTO? Reach out to our new co-PTO Presidents Elena Poillucci <elenapoillucci@gmail.com> and Melissa Parker <melissapisces@yahoo.com> with any questions or to express interest in joining next year.

You are Invited Back to the 90's on January 26th...

Diversity Council - January 22

The WMS Diversity & Belonging Council is a forum for caregivers and other community members to work toward more equitable practices at the middle school by encouraging accountability, raising awareness, and fostering community engagement.


We will usually meet the third Monday of each month, with our next meeting on January 22 virtually


You can reach out to Sarah Seldomridge at sarah.seldomridge@watertown.k12.ma.us with any questions. Thank you!

ELPAC - Secondary Caregiver Event - January 25

Are you a caregiver of a child in grades 6-12? Do you want to know more about how to support your child in their learning?


The English Learner Parent Advisory Committee is having a Secondary Caregiver Event on how to use Power School and Google Classroom on Th. 1/25 from 7-8pm in the WMS Library. It is an in-person event. Here are the flyers.

zoom_out_map

English

zoom_out_map

Spanish

zoom_out_map

Portuguese

Watertown Anti Bias Coalition - January 29

Here is a link to the SY 23-24 Watertown Anti Bias Coalition Meeting Dates. This document will be updated at the conclusion of each session with a link to the meeting agenda/slidedeck and a link to each session's feedback forms.


Best,


Dr. Daly and Superintendent Galdston

Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

Previously Shared News at WMS

Snow Day Procedures

We live in New England, and whether we love them or hate them, snow days may be just around the corner. In the case of inclement weather or school closure for emergency reasons, information about school closures will be:


  • Posted on the District’s website (www.watertown.k12.ma.us), the WPS Facebook page (@watertownpublicschools) and the WPS X feed (@watertownschool)
  • Emailed to parents and staff from the Superintendent’s office via the District’s messaging service
  • Broadcast by the following stations:

WBZ Television (Channel 4)

WCVB Television (Channel 5)

WHDH Television (Channel 7)

NBC Boston (Channel 10 and NECN)

WFXT Television (Channel 25)

WBZ Radio (AM 1030)


In most occurrences, the decision to open, delay, or close school is made between 5:30 and 6:00 AM.

Delayed Openings

A delayed opening may be announced to allow the District and/or Department of Public Works to adequately prepare streets, walkways, and parking lots for safe travel. Delayed openings will be for one (1) hour to two (2) hours after the schools’ regular scheduled start times. Before-school programs are canceled on days with delayed openings. Lunch will be served at the regular time and school will close at the regular time.
On occasion, the District may call for an early release or cancel PM and evening activities including after-school Extended Day programs. Please check the aforementioned television and radio stations for notifications of PM closures.

Dec/Jan News from WMS Teachers

Starting this month, all Clusters emailed their monthly update directly to caregivers, as well as having the information available here. We hope these updates help you engage in conversation with your child about what they are learning.


Please see our monthly update from WMS teachers:

Cluster 1

Cluster 2

Cluster 3

Cluster 4

Cluster 5

Cluster 6


World Language

Specialists

Wilson Reading

Library & Literacy

Orchestra

Band


Nurse Lisa

After School Information

WMS Winter Clubs run through March 14, 2024.


Students pay $50 one time to participate in any sports or clubs all year; please reach out to the guidance counselor to inquire about a scholarship. Students may participate in any enrichment activities for free (Learning Lab, Student Leadership, GSA, and Yearbook).


The late bus runs Monday-Friday at 3:45pm.

Caregiver University - PowerSchool and Google Classroom 101

It was great to see so many caregivers at our first Caregiver University Event in November.


If you missed it, here are the slides we used in our presentation.

Supporting Students with PowerSchool and Google Classroom - English slides

Supporting Students with PowerSchool and Google Classroom - Portuguese slides

Supporting Students with PowerSchool and Google Classroom - Spanish slides

Supporting Students with PowerSchool and Google Classroom - Arabic slides


Our next Caregiver University event will be focused on Teen Mental Health and how to support your child, coming up in early 2024.

zoom_out_map

A note from Mr. Cotreau - introducing Carter!

Hi, my name is Christopher Cotreau and I am an Instructional assistant here at the Middle school. I have been a part of the Middle School community for 25 years.


This letter is to advise that starting tomorrow, I will have a new service dog, Carter, accompanying me to work. Carter is trained to provide service in a manner that does not disrupt the learning environment for others and is identifiable by its vest or harness.The Service Dog will be assigned a specific seating area very close to me and he is trained not to be disruptive while in school. Please see a picture of Carter and I to the right.


We respect the needs of all students in providing a safe and inclusive learning environment. Please reach out to Principal Chen Fein at jennifer.chenfein@watertown.k12.ma.us to let us know if you have any specific concerns regarding the presence of a Service Dog in our school. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Upcoming Dates

  • January 9: WPS Youth in Unity - Lowell Learning Commons (6:00pm)

  • January 9: WMS PTO (6:30pm, in person/virtual)
  • January 10: Early Release (11:45am dismissal with grab-n-go lunch)
  • January 15: No School - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • January 15: Watertown Unity Breakfast (10:00am, virtual at unitybreakfast.org)
  • January 22: WMS Diversity Council (virtually here at 6:00pm)
  • January 25: Trimester 2 Progress Report Reminder
  • January 26: 90s Party - hosted by the WMS PTO - Sons of Italy (7-10pm)
  • January 29-30: WMS i-Ready mid-year diagnostics (Reading, Math)
  • January 31: WMS Site Council, 4-5pm, WMS art room/zoom
  • February 8: Caregiver University: Your Teen and Mental Health (6:30-7:30pm)
  • February 13: WMS PTO (6:30pm, virtual)
  • February 19-23: No School - February Recess
  • February 28: Early Release (11:45am dismissal with grab-n-go lunch)


Community Resources


Community Resources for Food



Source: Watertown News, December 11, 2023

Watertown Middle School Contacts


Watertown Middle School Full Staff Directory
zoom_out_map

Watertown Middle School

Feedback? Let us know how we are doing with our communication from WMS here.


Find us on...

Website: https://wms.watertown.k12.ma.us/
Location: 68 Waverley Avenue, Watertown, MA, USA
Phone: 617-926-7783

Jennifer Chen Fein
Jennifer is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters