WMS Newsletter - September 11, 2024

Greetings Woodward Families,

It has been a joy to see your students excited to start a new school year. As a new member of the WMS staff, it has become increasingly clear to me what an incredible and supportive school we are a part of! One of my goals is that 100 percent of students can name at least one adult. I encourage you to ask your child, “Do you have a trusted adult at school?”

This week, we started our monthly emergency drill practices by having a fire drill and discussing school safety and emergency plans with students. We will typically have an emergency drill on the first Monday of each month. However, on October 17th, we will participate in a national-wide earthquake drill. You can also participate at home: https://www.shakeout.org/washington/.

Despite Woodward having an “away for the day” policy with cell phones, students often engage with one another using online apps such as snapchat outside of school. Access to this type of media can be dangerous for young brains, and can allow access to unknown people if not closely monitored or regulated. I found this article to be quite helpful and encourage you to read it: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/articles/parents-ultimate-guide-to-snapchat.

If you ever want to get in contact with me to discuss any of these topics, or to report concerns or ideas for improving our school safety, please reach out to me dwarman@bisd303.org or 206-842-4500. I am so excited to be serving the students and staff at WMS and look forward to getting to know you this year!  

Associate Principal

Woodward Middle School

Monday: Early Release/Seminar Schedule (9:00 am - 2:00 pm)

Tuesday - Friday: Regular Schedule (9:00 am - 3:30 pm)

Here is our Daily Schedule

Middle School is a time that can be both exciting and challenging! It’s a time of so many social/emotional and physical changes that every day is different. We love being able to help support and guide 7th and 8th grade students and families during this important time of life. We thought this article may be helpful as you transition into the new school year:  7 Back to School Tips for Parents and Teens. Counseling services at Woodward Middle School are available for every student. These services include assistance with home, school and/or social concerns, or any topic a student would like to discuss. We will be going into classrooms the first full week of school to introduce or reintroduce ourselves and share with students how they can access our services. We will also have students fill out a ‘Counseling Needs Assessment’ which helps us to determine how we might best support students for the upcoming school year. As a parent, if you wish to contact us about your student, below is our contact information:

Patti Beer - 7th Grade Counselor, pbeer@bisd303.org, 206-780-4507

Sue Constan - 8th Grade Counselor, sconstan@bisd303.org, 206-780-4506

Every day, Woodward practices A Woodward Minute. A Woodward Minute is a minute of mindfulness where students take a break during the day to focus and connect to their breath which is called focused or conscious breathing. This all school mindfulness strategy will take place during the first minute of Silent Reading time. Research shows that breath awareness is one of the most effective and accessible tools for self-regulation and calming the nervous system. Our goal with A Woodward Minute is to create a culture of using mindfulness as a stress reduction strategy as well as create unity and shared purpose in our building through a collective daily experience. A Woodward Minute

It is important that students have consistent attendance and arrive to school on time. If your student must be late or absent, please notify our Attendance Office each day of your student's absence.

Instructions for reporting absences can be found on our website.

Our automated phone system will call to confirm your child’s absence if you haven’t called our attendance line by 9:30 am.

The window to purchase Chromebook Insurance is now open. It closes on October 8, 2024.

We strongly recommend purchasing Chromebook insurance, as the cost is $35 and it covers the device for one year. By contrast, the cost to replace a broken Chromebook is $428, and if the screen cracks, it can be over $150 to repair. 

As a reminder, the insurance only covers situations of accidental damage and theft, specifically:

PLEASE NOTE: Insurance DOES NOT cover the loss of the Chromebook or loss of the power cord. In the case of a loss, you will be required to pay the full $428 fine.

To purchase insurance, please visit the Worth Ave. Group. When enrolling, you will be asked to enter your student’s “Other ID. This ID can be found on the Skyward Family Access portal. After you log in, click the "Student Info" button on the left menu and look for the number in the “Other ID” field. It is generally a seven-digit number that begins with 0.

This is a reminder that picture day is next Thursday, September 19th.

We also have a make-up/retake day scheduled for October 17th. Say Cheese!

Save the date for our Back to School Night on Tuesday, October 15th from 6:30-8:00 pm at Woodward. This evening is for parents and guardians only. During the event, you will follow your student's daily class schedule to meet your student's teachers to receive an overview of course requirements and goals for the year.

For families new to BISD, there will be a Question and Answer/Meet & Greet in the Library starting at 6:00 pm. We look forward to seeing all our families on that night!

19: School Picture Day

25: PTO Meeting @ 6:00 pm WMS Library

15: Back-To-School Parent/Guardian Night @ 6:30-8:00 pm

17: Picture Make-Up/Retake Day