WMS--State testing begins Tuesday. Please remind your child to wear a mask and bring headphones.
Student Driver Education By: Chad Rohde
An update from the world of driving and Student Driver Education. We have some great news, unfortunately, we have some not so good news, too. First off, the great news! Driver Education will take place like normal this summer, with a few changes we made including making it more flexible and easier for families. We adjusted our age limit to allow summer birthday students turning “14” to be eligible for driver education which we are very excited for. Registration has been in full swing since March 1, 2021 and the number of families and the interest has been outstanding! Because of this high level of interest and number of registered students, this brings up the bad news. We originally had planned to close registration on April 30, 2021. However, we have reached our cap on the number of enrolled students, so we will now be closing registration for Driver Education. If you would like to be put on the waiting list in case anyone decides to drop the class, you need to reach out directly to Mr. Chad Rohde (chad.rohde@k12.sd.us). You will then be put on the list, first come, first served basis.
WMS Parents--Next week, March 22nd-26th, PEEPs Club is sponsoring Penny Wars. This is an annual all-school fundraiser, and this year’s beneficiary is the Glacial Lakes Humane Society. Students wanting to participate can bring change, cash, and checks (made to WMS) to help the Humane Society and their team. Each team that raises $1,000 will see a teacher taped to a wall - Mr. Rohde, Vikings; Mr. Ingalls, Wolves; Mr. Albertson, Coyote, and Mrs. McBurney, Jackrabbits. There will also be an Arrow Time celebration for the top giving team. Thanks for your consideration of this event. Contact jo.kjetland@k12.sd.us for more info.
WMS--Track Starts Soon! Sign up, uniform handout, and circuit training on Tuesday, March 23rd & Wednesday, March 24th at Watertown Middle School. NO PRACTICE on Thursday, March 25th (Dodgeball Tourney) & Friday, March 26th. 1st practice outside at Allen Mitchell Field starting Monday, March 29th. Pictures on Thursday, April 15th. Contact tom.mattingly@k12.sd.us with any questions.
The Watertown School District will have no school on Thursday, March 11. Due to the fact that we already had a planned 12:30 dismissal, a late start wasn't an option for today. All activities for Thursday, will either be postponed or canceled.
WMS--Return to Learn: As we head into spring, we continue to have more students returning to in person school. As a result, we have some classes filling up, so we will need to change some student schedules to better balance the sections. I just wanted to give you a heads up that your child's schedule may change (the order of classes), but every effort will be made to keep them on the same team. Thank you for your understanding.
WMS--Drivers Ed information and applications are now available on either the middle school or high school websites (click on Explore and then Documents - from there you will see an informational letter and the application). Any further questions can be directed to Mr Rhode at chad.rohde@k12.sd.us.
WMS--Eighth grade students and their parents are invited to a High School Course Registration information meeting on Monday evening, February 22, at 5:30 PM in the high school auditorium. Counselors, principals, and teachers will be present to provide information and answer your questions. The meeting will begin in the auditorium, then smaller groups will meet to discuss course registration in more detail. Face masks are required for this event. If you cannot attend this event, please call 882-6323 to schedule an individual appointment with a counselor in person or by phone. Please join us on February 22nd at the high school to help plan your child’s freshmen year!
WMS--Drop in/open house conferences are tonight from 4 - 8 in the teacher's rooms...all are invited! Friday conferences are prescheduled and by appointment/invitation only. Your child's advisor will contact you to set up a time. MASKS ARE REQUIRED.
WMS--Eighth grade students and their parents are invited to a High School Course Registration information meeting on Monday evening, February 22, at 5:30 PM in the high school auditorium. Counselors, principals, and teachers will be present to provide information and answer your questions. The meeting will begin in the auditorium, then smaller groups will meet to discuss course registration in more detail. Face masks are required for this event. If you cannot attend this event, please call 882-6323 to schedule an individual appointment with a counselor in person or by phone. Please join us on February 22nd at the high school to help plan your child’s freshmen year!
WMS--A reminder that drop in/open house conferences will be held on Thursday from 4 - 8. Teachers will be in their rooms for a quick check in. Friday conferences are prescheduled and by appointment/invitation only. Your child's advisor will contact you to set up a time.
WMS--Conferences are coming! Please ask your child to see their student led conference on their iPad. This is a way for students to give you a preview of what is happening at WMS. If you desire more details, we will be holding drop in conferences on Thursday, February 11th from 4 - 8 at WMS. You can stop by your child's classrooms for a quick check in with each teacher. There will be additional conferences on Friday, February 12th by appointment only (your child's advisor will contact you with an invitation).
WMS--2nd quarter grades/report cards are available on Campus...please access through your parent portal or ask your student to log in through their student portal.
From the Watertown School District: The Watertown School District will have no school on Friday, January 15. This is a change from last evening. Activities for Friday have been either postponed or canceled.
From the Watertown School District: The Watertown School District will start two hours late on Friday, January 15th. Conditions will be assessed again in the morning.
From the Watertown School District: We will be dismissing school on January 14 at 2:30 PM. All evening activities have been postponed or canceled. Thank you, and have a good evening.
WMS--We are so excited to welcome everyone back for a great 2021 portion of the school year! With everyone mixing and matching over the holidays, I just want to remind everyone that masks are expected at WMS. Lots of kids have been forgetting their mask or wearing them around their chin/neck. Masks will be crucial for the next few weeks. Please remind your child to bring a mask every day and encourage them to wear it properly. Good, bad, or indifferent on the mask issue, the advantage of this language is kids only have to be out of school for 3 days instead of 10 for close contact. It gets kids back to school sooner! If a mask doesn't work for your family, no problem! I'd just ask that you send me an email at todd.brist@k12.sd.us and I'll add them to my list for contact tracing (no mask will quarantine for 10 days and masked students will quarantine for 3). I need to hear directly from parents because sometimes the parent's expectation is different than the kid's wish. Thanks for your help on this!
WMS Caring Projects
Students have been learning about empathy and volunteering and are now participating in caring projects to help our community. Please ask your child about their team's caring project. You are not obligated to send money, but we encourage you and your child to talk about the project and help our community by participating in any way you can.
WMS--Reminder! If you haven's signed up for fall conferences yet (10/19 and 10/26), please do so ASAP! Sign up WITH YOUR CHILD'S ADVISOR ONLY. If possible, please have your child attend with you.
https://www.watertown.k12.sd.us/o/middle-school/page/fall-conferences
WMS--Masks are expected at WMS. Good, bad, or indifferent on the mask issue, the advantage of this language is kids only have to be out of school for 3 days instead of 14 for close contact. It gets kids back to school faster! Lots of kids are forgetting their mask or wearing them around their chin/forehead. Please remind your child to bring a mask every day and encourage them to wear it properly. If a mask doesn't work for your family, no problem! I'd just ask that you send me an email at todd.brist@k12.sd.us and I'll add them to my list for contact tracing (no mask will quarantine for 14 days and masked students will quarantine for 3). I need to hear directly from parents because sometimes the parent's expectation is different than the kid's wish. Thanks for your help on this!