The following are the key initiatives/items that we have been working on at Woodland Middle School:
Fall Conferences
We recently completed our fall conferences. Most of the feedback from parents was positive. We used a “Conference in the Round” format where families could choose which teachers to visit or meet with them all. This is a change from last fall due to our new schedule structure and parent feedback that they would like to meet with core teachers, not just their child’s homeroom teacher. Our current data suggests approximately 65-70% attendance for 5-6th grade families. We are still tabulating 7-8th grade data and hope to have that complete in the next few weeks.
Choices Program
WMS will be piloting the “Choices” program this January. CHOICES is an interactive decision-making workshop focused on keeping teens in school, motivating them toward their education and future, and introducing them to practical skills to help them succeed. Trained volunteers take students through real-world exercises on the consequences of dropping out and the opportunities gained by staying in school. They also introduce teens to practical life skills for success.
The cost for this program has been sponsored by Fibre Federal along with the volunteers to present. WMS is thankful to Stacy Mouat, Fibre Federal, and Shannon Cahoon (Community Development Manager) for their efforts to support this program at our school.
Veteran’s Day Assembly
Woodland Middle School recently hosted our annual Veteran’s Day assembly. This gave our students and staff the opportunity to honor the true heroes in our community. We were excited to host approximately 30 Veterans at this ceremony. Our leadership students presented a gift to each Veteran as a token of our appreciation.
PD Days
WMS staff has selected the following three options to complete the hours for the additional day of Professional Development added to the contract. Our professional learning teams will be working on curriculum alignment, assessments, and lesson planning for 3.5 hours during the following optional afternoon sessions:
In addition to these times, teachers will also be working to develop and prepare for Trojan Pride Night which occurs on February 28th, 2019.
Athletics
We are excited about the large number of students joining athletics this school year. The following is a summary of participation by sport:
Fall Sports
Football: 48 Athletes
Cross Country: 12 Athletes
Girls’ Soccer: 30 Athletes (This was our second season and we had so much participation that we were able to add an additional team.)
Girls’ Volleyball: 31 Athletes
Boys’ Golf: 11 Athletes.
Winter 1 Sports
Girls’ basketball: 46 Athletes (This season had so many girls try out for Basketball that we had the opportunity to add an additional coach and a 4th team.)
Wrestling: 32 Athletes (This season we have a BRAND NEW coaching staff. However, Joe Bosch and Jason Sanders have been great mentors to our new coaches.)