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Bruin Bulletin
March 2024
The Principal's Den
February marked the celebration of Black History Month, a time to honor the countless contributions and resilience of Black individuals throughout history. Our students participated in various educational activities, assemblies, and discussions to deepen their understanding of this rich heritage and its significance in shaping our society. Check out the pictures below for some of our events.
March is upon us, bringing us closer to the much-awaited Spring Break. As we navigate through this month, let's encourage our students to stay focused, exhibit good citizenship, and maintain regular attendance. These habits not only contribute to their academic success but also foster a positive school community. Your continued support in reinforcing these values at home is greatly appreciated.
Please take a few minutes to read about all the upcoming events at WBM. We have a lot to be excited about! 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!
Dr. Beth Pallister
Principal
Study Hall
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. Pre-Register here
Did you know your child may be retained in their current grade if they have 18 missed days of school? This includes excused and unexcused absences.
Help us ensure your student is successful by making sure they are in school except in cases of illness. The more they know, the more they grow.
Action Required-Verify Your Child's Courses for Next School Year!
Over the last two weeks, counselors have been working with students to pick their courses for the 2024-2025 School year. On Friday, March 1st, Course Request Verifications will be posted to ParentVUE for parent approval. The Course Request Verification form will only be open from March 1st through March 5th. Please be sure to log into ParentVUE to view your student's course requests and either approve or request changes during that window. Again, the Course Request Verification form will be available on ParentVUE from March 1st through March 5th. For your reference, Scheduling information booklets and the Scheduling presentations are available on the WBHS website under "Counseling" and then under "Scheduling". If you have any questions or are unable to log into ParentVUE, please contact the Guidance Office.
Please keep in mind that student performance on SOLs could change their elective to a reading or math enrichment class for a semester.
Music News
Chorus
WBMS's The Little Mermaid, Jr. opens this week on March 7, 8, and 9. If you’d like to attend to watch our incredibly talented students, Mr. Cook suggests purchasing your tickets early and via OSP because we anticipate sell-out crowds. They will accept cash only at the door ($10.00).
Patriot's Pen Essay Contest Winners
Representatives from the District 2 VFW, Mr. Chism and Mr. Lieman, visited our school to present awards to 3 of our students and to their 7th grade history teacher. The students participated in the youth scholarship essay contest, Patriot's Pen, and wrote an essay on the prompt: How are you inspired by America? Patriot's Pen "encourages young minds to examine America's history and modern society." Our students won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize for our local VFW post.
The students were presented a certificate and monetary prizes. Mr. Muller, their teacher, was also recognized for his steadfast support for the Patriot's Pen contest over the last five years.
The winners were:
1st place: Carter Ward
2nd place: Emma Butler
3rd place: Calib Padlo
Teacher: Alexander Muller
Our Debate Team Took Home Some Prizes!
Congratulations to the following students who competed at the CPS Debate Tournament and won awards for thier oration.
Willa Sargent- Tidewater House
Queen Sukarra- Hampton Roads House
Queen Sukarra- Overall Outstanding Senator
Athletics
We are excited to support our spring sports teams! Visit this calendar for game dates.
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.
Girls on the Run is Coming to WBMS
Come join this awesome afterschool club that promotes heathy bodies, hearts, and souls.
Chesapeake Virtual Academy 2024-2025
The Chesapeake Virtual Academy (CVA) application for the 2024-2025 academic year opened on January 8, 2024. The application will be available on the CVA webpage! All students interested in enrolling in CVA, including current CVA students, must apply annually. Completed applications must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. on March 5, 2024.
For more information on Chesapeake Virtual Academy, visit the CVA webpage.
LIBRARY NEWS
March is Reading Month. We are celebrating in the WBM library by adding books 1-64 in the series "One Piece." This fantasy adventure originally became popular as a Netflix series. The Manga books include surreal artwork and the pages are bursting with color. If your student enjoys the Netflix Series One Piece, they will LOVE the Manga. Come to the library and check them out!
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
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.
The WBMS PTSA would like to thank everyone who donated items, helped chaperone and who helped set up and clean up during our Valentines Day Dance . Our Candyland themed dance was a huge success because of all the teamwork.
March Events:
1. The Bruin Bash Student vs Staff basketball game is March 15. Tickets can be purchased the day of or on line at wbmsptsa.memberhub.com 2. Our basketball game is like no other. You do not want to miss this staple WBMS event. It will be amazing! Tickets are $5 for Students and $7 for Adults.
We are looking for a few volunteers to help during this event . Use this sign genius to help with the event.
2. Our Spring Fundraiser with Cherrydale will start right after the Bruin Bash!!! More information to follow.
3. The PTSA will start planning the 8th grade formal. If you would like to be a part of the planning process, please email us at westernbranchmiddleptsa@gmail.com
As always, we appreciate all your support!
We are a Purple Star School
We have a new Military and Family Life Counselor!
Starting tomorrow our Military Family Liason counselor will start holding her lunch bunches
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.
The Counseling Corner
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
Absences
Tech Know
Staying on Top of Teens in a Digital Age
In today’s day and age, staying on top of a teenager’s digital footprint can be challenging and overwhelming. Here are some tips for helping monitor your students here at school.
- Download the ParentVue App! Iphone App or Android App
- Did you know there is an easy to use ParentVue App? It’s easy to use and find helpful information quickly like grades, schedules, and much more! Download the app today!
- Connect a Canvas Parent Observer Account Link to Canvas Info
- Did you know you can monitor your student’s completed and missing assignments through Canvas? You can create your own account to see what upcoming assignments your child has, what assignments have recently been graded, and what assignments may be missing. Helping your child stay ahead of the curve can prevent late night hair pulling as the end of the year approaches!
- Regularly check grades and progress on Parent Vue Link to ParentVUE Info
- Teachers update grades weekly, and sometimes even more often. Try establishing one day each week to set aside 10 minutes to review your child’s grades with him or her. Building this positive behavior will help your child build independence and responsibility. Addressing missing assignments in smaller chunks helps students stay on top of work, as well as make them more successful moving forward!
- Ensure your email and phone number are updated for Communication from Teachers and Staff Directions for Updating Information
- When was the last time you updated your email or phone number? Did you change your number and forget to tell us? Do you no longer access an email address? Let us help you update it. Communication is the key to success! We encourage all parents to update your communication and notification settings at least once a year to ensure we have the most up to date information. If something changes, you can always update us through ParentVue!
Follow Western Branch on Social Media and in our App! Download the App and Social Media Links
Wanna be friends? Let’s connect on your favorite social media platforms. We post updates, announcements and opportunities regularly! Our app reminds you about fun spirit days and upcoming events. Check us out on the app store today!
ROAR
Directions for Accessing ParentVue
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.
Nominate Your Favorite Teacher!
Electronic Devices Policy
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.STAY in the KNOW
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.
Transportation
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.
Chesapeake Public Schools Dress Code
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)
Western Branch Bruins
Website: https://cpschools.com/wbm/
Location: 4201 Hawksley Drive, Chesapeake
Phone: 757-638-7920
Twitter: @BranchMiddle