Welcome Wildcats! Aug 2025 - Back to School Issue

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Woodward’s 2025–26 School Year! We’re excited to welcome our new 7th graders and welcome back our 8th graders! This newsletter includes everything you need to help your student get ready for the new year. Ms. Warman, our Associate Principal, and I—together with the entire WMS staff—are truly committed to making middle school a positive, successful experience for every student. To help make that happen, I encourage you to read the full newsletter so your student feels prepared for their first day of school.

This information will help your student start school feeling calm, confident, and prepared!

To support focus, learning, and real connection, all personal devices must be powered off and stored in backpacks during the entire school day—including passing periods and lunch.

This applies to:

If you need to reach your child during the school day, please call the front office at 206-842-4787. If your student texts you during school, we ask that you remind them of the WMS expectations. Continued use of devices during the day may result in the device being held in the office and, if the pattern continues, additional consequences may follow.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep learning distraction-free, and please let us know if you have specific needs or concerns regarding these expectations. 

We look forward to another successful year at Woodward! See you at Welcome Back Wildcats on August 28th!

All the best,

Jeannie Donoghue

WMS Principal

All new and returning students attending BISD need to have a completed ABC Process by August 25th. This allows us to know that your student will be attending and allows parents/ guardians an opportunity to review annual information.

You can access the ABC's by logging into your Skyward account. It should take about 15 minutes (or less) to complete per student.

Join us on Thursday 8/28 at the Welcome Back Wildcat Day! Please arrive within your designated timeframe and enter through the South Entrance, by the flag pole.

At this event, students and families will have the opportunity to:

Cash or check is needed for fees paid in person. If you wish to pay with credit card, you can do so on your Skyward account at any time.

School photos will not be taken at this event. The WMS photo day will be Friday, Sept 12.

We encourage all students and guardians to attend. The event is designed to help students feel confident and prepared for the first day of school.

For those unable to attend, fees can be paid online or at the WMS Attendance Office once school begins. Make-up hearing and vision screenings will be conducted during the school year in the nurse’s office.

Monday: Early Release/ Seminar Schedule - 9:00AM - 2:00PM

Tuesday-Friday: Regular Schedule - 9:00AM - 3:30PM

The Daily Bell Schedule can be found on the WMS website.

Drop-off and pick-up should be in the front of the building only. The back (North) parking lot is expressly used by district transportation and staff.

For drop-off and pick-up, we use a snaking traffic pattern in the South Parking Lot to reduce backup on Sportsman Club Road. The student drop-off/pick-up area is located here, and our top priority is always student safety—while also keeping things moving as efficiently as possible.

Parking on the shoulder of Sportsman Club road directly adjacent to or near the Woodward Campus creates an immense safety hazard for walking students and for buses attempting to navigate the narrow turn from our parking lot. Parking is strictly prohibited in these areas; thank you for doing your part to help keep our students safe.

Thanks for helping us to keep things safe, efficient, and neighborly!

We would like to introduce our PTO Board for this year! There will be a PTO table at the Welcome Wildcat day on August 28 where you can meet some of the members and purchase WMS Spirit Wear!

President - Laura Fulton

Treasurer - Monica Gerlach

Secretary - Jennifer Hemmingsen

Grants Coordinator - Lindsay Fiorito

Volunteer Coordinators - Claire Plehal & Erin Toner

Fallapalooza Fundraising - Stephanie Chamberlain Pirtle & Lara Deits

8th Grade Banquet Chairs - Jenn Bugge & TBD

Communications Coordinator - Sarah Ory

Staff Appreciation - Sarah Mann & Teresa Yette

Spirit Wear Coordinator - Erica Beyer

Sustainability Chair - TBD

Our office opens to families on August 18. Below, you'll find contact information for the Counseling Office, along with each counselor's caseload by grade.

206-780-4503 mwebber@bisd303.org

206-780-4507 pbeer@bisd303.org

206-780-4506 sconstan@bisd303.org

If your student has an Asthma Plan, Allergy/Anaphylaxis Emergency Plan, or a 504 Health Plan that was not completed last spring, it must be submitted before the first day of school.

Per Washington State law (RCW 28A.210, Section 1), students with life-threatening health conditions must have medical orders, required medications or equipment, and a nursing care plan in place before they can attend school. Please make sure all emergency medications and/or equipment are provided by September 2nd

A Medication at School form is required for any medication taken at school, including over-the-counter medications.

Medication orders must be renewed each school year.

Forms and more details can be found on the district website.

Students must have their Tdap immunization BEFORE the 1st day of 7th grade. To update your student's immunization records at the school, you will need to turn in a medically verified immunization record. Your healthcare provider can print this for you, or you can print it from MyIR, which is a free Department of Health online tool.

Finally, if your student has a medical need, or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Theresa Raleigh in the Health Room at 206-780-4511 or traleigh@bisd303.org.

Please report absences via Skyward (Attendance - Absence Requests) or by calling the Attendance Message Line (206-780-4579) on or before the day of an absence.

If your student needs to leave school early, you can excuse them by:

When excused to leave early, your student will receive a pass to be excused, where they will then sign-out at the Attendance Office and meet you outside by the flagpole at the designated time.

Students arriving late to school must sign-in at the Attendance Office as soon as they arrive and receive a late pass. Guardians may excuse late arrivals by calling the Attendance Line or signing in with your student.

Phone messages and Skyward entries are checked frequently in the mornings and then periodically throughout the day. If you need to reach the Attendance Office in the case of a last minute schedule change, you can call the direct line (206) 780-4504.

Applications for free or reduced lunch are available online or in-person at the Welcome Back Wildcat Day.

If you have any questions regarding your student's account, please contact the Food & Nutrition Services Office at (206) 780-1844.

Funds can be added to your student's account online or in person at the Attendance Office (cash or check). Snacks are available to purchase on Fridays at lunch with funds from student lunch accounts.

Students' lunch code is the same number as previous years. If they need a reminder of their code, they can stop by the Attendance Office.

Breakfast $2.25

Lunch $4.50

Milk/ Juice $1.00

Soy Milk $1.50

Students will not have lockers and will carry their supplies in their backpacks throughout the day. We recommend you keep backup supplies at home and re-supply during the year as needed.

If any assistance is needed in obtaining school supplies, please reach out directly to your student's counselor.

Woodward is offering 2 sports this Fall: Girls Softball and Co-ed Track and Field. Both sports start on Sept 3rd. Registration, sport physicals, and forms must be completed in order to participate.

We are excited to announce the inaugural season of softball at Woodward for 7th and 8th grade girls. Please make sure you register on Final Forms and visit the Woodward Softball page for info related to the team and season. All forms must be completed before the first day of try-outs.

Woodward Sport Registration page 

Woodward will also offer Track & Field this Fall at Woodward, which is a no-cut sport available to anyone in 7th and 8th Grade. Registration and forms need to be completed before the first day of practice. Links for info and registration below. 

Please contact WMS Athletic Secretaries, Aimee Mroz and Kate Carr (wmsattend@bisd303.org) with any registration issues.

Go Wildcats!

28: Welcome Wildcats 11:00-12:30 for students A-L, 1:30-3:00 for students M-Z

1: Labor Day (BISD Closed)

2: First Day of School

3: Track and Field Season Begins

3-5: Softball Tryouts

12: School Picture Day

30: Open House for Parents/ Guardians 6:30-8:00pm

8: Picture Retakes