Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Hello Families,
I am excited to share with you the good news of WMS’ return to live learning five days a week beginning on Tuesday, April 27. We are excited to have students with us every day of the week. Most of the Covid safety protocols and general guidelines shared previously will continue through this transition to full live learning. Monday, April 26 will be a non-student day so staff can prepare for the transition to full return. That means students will not have remote or live lessons on Monday, April 26.
The following are a few highlights as we return:
- We will revert back to our normal school hours:
Mondays: 10:00 a.m. to 3:35 p.m.
Tuesdays-Fridays: 8:45 a.m. to 3:35 p.m.
- We have added time to our lunches to accommodate larger amounts of students with social distancing guidelines. Our library will serve as an auxiliary lunch room to provide for 6 feet of distancing while students eat.
- One of the primary changes was the shift from 6 feet to 3 feet of social distancing in classrooms per the County health guidelines so classrooms will be set up to reflect the new guidance.
- Teachers will continue posting assignments on Google Classroom, however, students are expected to attend in-person unless they are sick or under quarantine. If a student is at home quarantining, they will work on lessons asynchronously and then work with the teacher to make up missed “live” assignments/lessons upon return. We have two staff members that serve as liaisons to support students that are quarantined.
- Families will complete daily online health attestations each morning before students come to school.
- Students will continue to report to their homeroom/first period class upon arrival at the school. If they get breakfast at WMS, they are permitted to eat in the commons (socially distanced) and then report to their first period. The school doors will open at 8:25am. Students that are dropped off or walking to school should not arrive before 8:25am.
- There will be no SBAC State testing this school year which is positive since that helps save a significant amount of learning time and takes pressure of students. However, we will be giving the much shorter iReady building assessment for 5th-7th graders in their Language Arts and Math classes. These assessments will assist us as we forecast and place students in their core classes for next year.
- We will be finalizing our forecasting in early May. Counselors will visit every 5th-7th grade class to go over their elective choices. It is important that students make multiple selections as there may be limited space in some electives. Students and families can look at the class description guide online under the Academics and Activities tab in the Counseling Center section of the WMS webpage.
While we only have a month and a half left in this school year, we look forward to making the end of the year as positive as possible. Hopefully this transition to full time live school will be a welcomed change. I appreciate your understanding and support.
James Johnston
Principal - Woodland Middle School