Bruin Bulletin

Hello Bruin Families,

November is a busy month. The first marking period ends November 6th, with report cards posting on November 14th; we are proud of the progress of our students. Our fall sports are ending with each team having a successful season, especially our first baseball team. We celebrate our veterans and take time to think about all the things in our lives for which we are thankful. So, during this season of thanksgiving, we want to express our gratitude for everyone who has helped keep our students safe, healthy, connected and learning as we started the new school year.

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

Academy Night Information Sessions. Families of students interested in attending one of the academies should attend one of the upcoming information sessions. The closest one to WBM is at Joliff Middle School on November 16, from 6:00-7:30pm. Students can apply to attend the Science and Medicine Academy, the Governor’s STEM Academy or the International Baccalaureate program. There will also be a virtual option that requires registration.

An Academy informational webinar will take 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.

Find out more here.

We encourage all of our 8th graders to consider applying to an academy.

Try outs are about to start for our winter sports. Tryout dates are:

Girls Basketball: November 8th - November 11th

Boys Basketball & Wrestling: November 15th - November 17th.

Students must have a CMSL Sports Physical on file. Must have appropriate clothing (sneakers, shorts, and shirt) for tryouts.

Our deployed sailors are far from home, facing challenges, and longing for a taste of comfort from home. The Bruin BRATS Military Kids Club is hosting a care package drive, aiming to give our deployed military members a piece of love and a touch of home to brighten their days and remind them that we stand with them, no matter the distance. You can help by donating items such as non-perishable snacks, personal care products, entertainment items, and handwritten letters of support. Items will be collected starting November 1st-November 15th and can be dropped off to Mrs. Hancock in room 606.

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

Thank you to all the students and families who supported our fall fundraiser!

We exceeded our goal!

Students who earned prizes and/or an invitation to the Rick Smith, Jr. card throwing show, Video Game Truck party, or the Kona Ice Truck party will receive an invitation. The Rick Smith, Jr. show will occur on November 13.

We thank you for your continued support of our school.

Are you having trouble navigating Canvas? Watch this 30 minute training developed especially for parents.

The Bruin Service Club is sponsoring a Toys for Tots and Coat Drive November 7 through December 9.

Free Family Engagement Movie Night. Please join us as we celebrate Family Engagement Month with a fun-filled night that includes dinner, school and community resources, and a showing of The Super Mario Bros. Movie at Oscar Smith Middle School! Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and dinner starts at 5:30 p.m. There will be a special treat for the first 100 people to arrive! The movie begins at 6:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required for dinner.

Strength in Unity: Empowering Military Families. Join us as our Military and Family Life Counselors present to military-connected students and parents. Parents will hear a presentation on work-life balance while students in grades 1-8 will hear a presentation on Communication Skills & Interpersonal Interactions. All military families are welcome to attend! The event will be held at Hickory Middle School on November 15, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Register here to attend.

• 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.

We are excited to support our fall 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.

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

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.

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.

Upcoming Event Alert:

The PTSA is sponsoring a fall fundraiser from J and D fundraiser in which we will be selling cookies and popcorn. Packets will be sent home soon. This fundraiser will run from the middle of November thru the Thanksgiving holiday. Money and forms will be due back to school on November 27. All items will be back in time for the holiday season. Yay….What an amazing idea for a stocking stuffer! Don’t forget that you can also give the gift of PTA membership or spirit-wear. We will also have new spirit wear available for purchase in December….another great gift idea. Please see link below for purchase:

The PTSA will be raffling off one student GO FAN pass and one adult GO FAN pass for the 23-24 academic year starting next Monday. The raffle will run through November 30. If you would like to purchase a raffle, please go to Memberhub or the link provided above.

*Raffles will not be available online until Monday morning. Raffle tickets will emailed to you.

November and December Volunteer Opportunities:

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

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

2) The PTSA will meet Friday, November 17 to continue planning for the following events: Valentines Day Dance, Bruin Bash, and the Eight Grade Dance. If you would like to assist in the planning process, please email us so we can send you the location on where we will meet physically.

3)The PTSA is collecting items for the Teacher/Staff Apple Bar. We are asking for only store brought items. We are collecting items now until Nov 15. 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 Apple Bar. Please see link and QR code below:

Lastly, we understand some members may not have begun receiving your one free Chick-fil-A weekly reward for joining the PTSA. We have contacted Chick-fil-A and they are working this issue. They are hoping to have this issue resolved this week. *Please note that the Chick-fil-A biscuits that is sold on Thursday’s is not part of the PTSA. This is the school’s fundraiser.

Thanks in advance for all your support!

Respectfully,

Western Branch Middle PTSA

November is Native American Heritage Month.

Schools will be closed on Friday, November 10th in observance of Veteran’s Day.

During the month of November we will recognize World Kindness Day on November 13th. Students and staff are asked to wear blue on that day.

REPORT CARDS

The end of the first nine weeks is quickly approaching. Please check grades on ParentVue and encourage your child to complete any missing assignments by November 6th. Report cards will be available in ParentVue/StudentVue on November 15th.

ACADEMIES

Academy information was shared with 8th grade students during their English classes. Students watched videos from the IB program offered at Oscar Smith High, The Governor's STEM Academy offered at Grassfield High, and Science and Medicine Academy offered at Deep Creek High. Videos are available on our school’s website.

We will have an informational night for families on November 16th at Joliff Middle School from 6:00 pm-7:30 pm. Please mark your calendars.

COUNSELING TIP OF THE MONTH

Parents, as we are coming to the close of the first nine weeks of school. We are noticing that students are not performing as well as they should on their assignments. We would like to offer some suggestions:

1. Make academics a priority. We understand that parents are often busy with working and other responsibilities and students are involved in various extracurricular activities, but it is important that you sit down and check over your child’s homework and help them to study for their tests. Parents please check parentvue weekly so you can see what assignments your child is missing and how they are performing on tests. Also, please be sure that your email address is listed in parentvue as teachers will often send emails keeping you informed of upcoming tests, projects, and assignments. The expectation should be that school comes first.

2. Limit the use of electronic devices. Parents, please set limits during the week of when your child can have access to their cell phone. Students are spending a large percentage of their time on their phones. This is time that could be used for studying, organizing school work, and completing homework. If they put forth an hour doing school work then they can get an hour to socialize on their phones.

3. Establish a Routine and be consistent. Create a weekly schedule with your child to include snack time, free time, extracurricular activities, dinner time, study time, and bedtime. Designate a space for your child to complete homework and study for their tests. This area should be free from distractions. Once their work is completed and checked by you they should pack their bookbag for the next day.

4. Organization is key. Clean out bookbags regularly, organize folders and binders, and have everything clearly labeled. Replenish supplies as needed. Purchase an agenda to write down assignments and due dates.

5. Study, Study, Study. Have a study buddy, make flashcards, make study guides, ask for help from your teachers, don’t wait until the last minute to study for tests, take notes in class, and always ask questions in class if you don’t understand something.

The video below also has some great suggestions to use.

Study Skills for middle school that actually help

Happy Thanksgiving from your School Counselors!!!

The Western Branch Middle School Counseling Department welcomes you to the new school year!

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

If you are wondering if Artificial Intelligence (AI) is coming to Bruin Country, it’s not . . . because it’s already here. AI systems are assisting our teachers in delivering personalized learning experiences and providing students with additional support and resources.

The integration of AI in our school helps to keep the focus on students’ individual learning styles through identifying students’ strengths and weaknesses. This way lesson plans can be created to fit the needs of the individual student. Our new Learning Management System (LMS), Canvas, is an example of this. It provides AI-driven grading, assessment, and management tools which allows teachers to focus more on providing constructive feedback and personalized instruction. It helps in tracking student progress, and even recommending supplementary materials based on a student's performance.

In our Technology class, students learn programming through our AI-based robotics program, STEMBoT. Western Branch Middle is proud to be one of two middle schools in Virginia to have this program. STEMBoT allows students to create a system that uses robotics to grow food. Students develop a deeper understanding of programming, computational thinking, and problem-solving skills. The students are learning to think critically and creatively by presenting them with environmental issues to solve.

Our Computer Science Concepts class with its use of AI teaches our students coding, cyber security, data analysis, and computer concepts. AI-based learning instills a sense of curiosity and exploration, nurturing a passion for learning that extends beyond the Western Branch Middle School classroom and brings a new dynamic era that is technologically driven.

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.

Students will be required to store their book bags in their lockers this year. They may carry their Chromebook cases. Students may also use a drawstring bag for gym class. Students will need a lock for their hall locker and their gym locker.

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.