February 2018 Tiger

ONE LEARNING LANE — FREDERICKSBURG, VIRG I N A 2 2 4 0 1 P H O N E : 5 4 0 - 372- 1145 FAX 540 - 891- 5449 WWW.CITYSCHOOLS.COM/ WALKERGRANTMIDDLESCHOOL

Principal’s Letter

Greetings Tiger Families.

With the days off for inclement weather early in January, I am wondering what special snow gifts the weather forecast will bring in February. We have just completed our first semester, and students will be receiving second quarter report cards on February 2. As we begin the month of February, we will start to focus our attention to our English language learning WIDA assessment testing, grade 8 Writing SOL, Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) testing (March), and SOL testing (May). Please take some time to talk with your student about the importance of these assessments. It is important to all of us involved with the Walker-Grant Middle School community that we do our best so the community can see how hard our students have been working and parents can see academic growth over the past year. I am very proud of the work the scholars are completing in our monthly Inquiry Time. Our practitioners and scholars have been working very hard during this dedicated time to work on creative thinking scenarios and problem solving, and grade 8 students have been completing their community projects.

As the various testing sessions approach, please look for information coming home with your students such as daily homework and study guides to better prepare them. Students should also be reading and reviewing notes and assign- ments each night. As we prepare for testing, we will be discussing proficiency by explaining to students the importance of doing well on these assignments and assessments. Our teachers and students have worked very hard during the first semester, and we are proud of the time and effort committed to their success. The administration and practitioners would also like to thank our parents for their continued support. Please be sure to review your students’ second-quarter grades, and do not hesitate to contact your students’ teachers, the Counseling Department, or administration with any questions. It is also important to make sure that all of our students maintain their academic focus in order to acquire the skills for the next grade level. Please check with your students daily to ensure assignments are completed and turned in on time. We want to stress again the important of school attendance. I have included another copy of our attendance policy in this newsletter.

As I reflect on the many activities of our students over the last nine weeks, it seems the school year is flying by. We are very proud of the work of our Robotics Team, STEAM Ambassadors, student pages, our Student Council Association, National Junior Honor Society, Chess Club, BIGS, Youth Maxx, S.W.A.G, EMERGE, James Farmer Scholars, and our athletic teams. We applaud their accomplishments and remain focused on raising student achievement. We are grateful and appreciative of the support of parents who allow their children to participate in additional academic support.

Please continue to monitor our newsletter, calendar, and alerts for upcoming activities and parent resource infor- mation. Also, please be reminded that we will hold Honor Assemblies on February 14, recognizing second-quarter A/B Honor Roll and Perfect Attendance. Congratulations to all the students who will be honored on this day. As always, I am honored and privileged to work with wonderful students, staff , and community.

Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Ed. D. Principal 2

BOYS’ BA-

PARENT CONFERENCES HONORS ASSEMBLIES

Tuesday, February 13 Wednesday, 2/14 (by appointment) 8:00 A.M.—8th Grade Please contact Mrs. McWhirt 9:30 A.M.—7th Grade in the Counseling Center to schedule.

WORLD SHOWCASE The Word of the Month is: February 27 “Open-Minded” 6-8 P.M.

504 ACCOMODATIONS AND SPECIAL EDUCATION If your child has any type of learning or physical problem, he/she may qualify for accommodations under 504 or special education services. Please call the Walker-Grant Counseling Office at 372-1145 if you have any questions or would like to refer your child for screening and possible assessment.

No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States shall, solely by reason of his/her handicap, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits, of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: The Rights of Individuals with Handicaps Under Federal Law.

IN THE MATTER OF NONRESIDENT STUDENT ENROLLMENT The Fredericksburg City Public Schools do not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, gender, color, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation or disability in admission or treatment of employment in its programs or activities.

Any questions should be referred to Pam Steinkoenig, 210 Ferdinand St., Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401 or by calling (540) 371-1127.

SEX OFFENDER STATEMENT The Fredericksburg City Public School Division recognizes the danger sex offenders pose to student safety. Therefore, to protect students while they travel to and from school, attend school or at school-related activities, the Fredericksburg City School Division shall request automatic electronic notification of registered sex offenders in the same or contiguous zip codes as any school within the division. Such request and notification shall be made according to the procedures established by the Virginia Department of State Police (State Police). The Superintendent shall serve as the contact person with the State Police for receipt of the registered sex offender information. 3

INCLEMENT WEATHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Notice of school delays or closings is communicated via text alert to those who have signed up for FCPS notices on the Fredericksburg alert system. If you have not already done so, you may sign up via the “Fredericksburg Notifications” link on our webpage.

Information concerning school closings or delays for Fredericksburg City Public Schools may also be found on the following:

 www.cityschools.com  Fredericksburg.com  FCPS TV (Local Educational Access) – Channel 83  WFLS Radio - (FM 93.3)  WVBX Radio - (FM 99.3)  WWUZ Radio - (FM 96.9)  WFVA/B 101.5 Radio (FM 101.5 and AM 1230)  WGRQ Radio - (FM 95.9)  WGRX Radio - (FM 104.5)  WTOP Radio (FM 107.7)  WTVR Television - Channel 6 (Richmond)  WRIC Television - Channel 8 (Richmond)  WRC Television - Channel 4 (DC)  WUSA Television - Channel 9 (DC)  WJLA Television – Channel 7 (DC)  WGMS and FCPS Facebook pages FCPS Twitter feed

Attendance

The Virginia Department of Education has revised the compulsory attendance policy for full day unexcused absences. At every grade level, the school is required to take specific actions once a student has accumulated five (5), six (6), and seven (7) full days of unexcused absences.

-At 5 days absent, contact must be made with a parent/guardian for an explanation for the absences and to try and develop a plan to resolve the non-attendance.

-At 6 days absent, an attendance conference with designated school personnel is required.

-At 7 days absent, the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court will be contacted.

It is important that if your child is absent, you contact the school and notify them of the reason for the absence. The reason for the absence needs to be submitted by either paper/pencil or email. Please com- municate all attendance related information with us in a timely manner so that we can document your child’s attendance accurately. 4

Sixth grader Joseph Ghent was the winner of the FCPS Division Spelling Bee. Joseph advances to the Regional Spelling Bee at JMHS on March 17. The division runner-up was Makenna Hine, also sixth grade.

Course registration for the 2018-2019 school year begins this month. Letters explaining the process will be sent home with students.

Thank you to 8th graders Emma Pineda and Edward Villegas for their School Board presentation on our International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program.

THE WGMS VARIETY SHOW FOR HEART (proceeds donated to the American Heart Association)

6:30 P.M. Dinner (advance sales only) 7:00 P.M. Show

VIP Ticket $10 minimum donation (must be purchased by February 21; includes dinner, entry to show, reserved seating, and 2 raffle tickets)

Dinner Ticket $5 minimum donation (must be purchased by February 21; includes dinner and show)

Show Ticket $3 minimum donation (may be purchased at the door or any time prior to show date) 5

ATTENTION 8TH GRADER SCHOLARS AND PARENTS

ACADEMIC NIGHT AT JMHS

6 News

 African-American History Month- February is African- American History Month. Stop by to check out some amazing books written by African Americans  Contest- In February, the library will hold a “Guesstimate the Number of Candy Hearts” contest. Scholars can put their math skills to use and win a prize. Entries are due by Feb. 13  Book Fair- Mark your calendars! Our next Scholastic Book Fair is February 21- March 1. Scholars will have a chance to preview the fair during their Social Studies class and may bring money to purchase items. You may also browse titles and order online between Feb. 16 and Mar.1. Download the app and sign up to vol- unteer. Just go to: http://www.scholastic.com/bf/walkergrantmiddleschool  Café Books is a book club for 7th and 8th graders run with the Central Rappahannock Regional Library. Our next meeting dates are Feb. 1, Feb. 15, Mar. 1, March 15, March 29, Apr. 12, & Apr. 26  Updated Catalog- Our catalog has been updated and has a new web address. Scholars can access it at home, put books on hold, and much more. Also, they can personalize their own Destiny Discover page. Try it out! Either access through the city or school's website or go directly to: https://fburg.follettdestiny.com  BOX TOPS- The library is collecting Box Tops. Scholars can submit in their Social Studies class. The class with the most wins a party!  Brain Pop is an animated educational site that provides videos and games to support learning and reflec- tion for many content areas. www.brainpop.com Username: walkergrant Password: wgms  World Book Online is an encyclopedia and learning tool that has many easy to read articles with embed- ded multimedia for increased comprehension. There are additional resources such as interactive maps, webquests, games, and a citation builder. www.worldbookonline.com Username: walkergrant Password: tigers  8th grade Community Projects Need help with your project or time to work? Come in the morning between 7:15-7:35 or ask for a pass to come during your lunch. 7

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February Calendar

Friday, February 2 Report Cards Distributed Saturday, February 3 Chess Tournament at LUES, 9:00 AM Wednesday, February 7 Ms. Keane-Seay’s Class Field Trip Thursday, February 8 YouthMaxx Plus, 3:00 PM Friday, February 9 Mrs. Willging’s Class Swimming All-District Choir at Spotsylvania High School Saturday, February 10 All-District Choir at Spotsylvania High School Saturday School, 9:00-11:00 A.M. Tuesday, February 13 Parent Conferences, 6:00-7:30 P.M. (call for appointment) Wednesday, February 14 Honors Assemblies, 8:00 A.M. (8th), 9:30 A.M. (7th), 1:30 P.M. (6th) Friday, February 16 EARLY DISMISSAL, 12:20 P.M. Monday, February 19 Presidents’ Day HOLIDAY Wednesday, February 21 Book Fair (through February 26) Winter Sports Awards, 6:00 P.M. Thursday, February 22 Mrs. Willging’s Class Field Trip Academic Night at JMHS (8th graders), 5:30-8:00 P.M. Friday, February 23 Mrs. Keane-Seay’s Class Swimming Variety Show—Dinner 6:30 P.M., Show 7:00 P.M. Saturday, February 24 Saturday School, 9:00-11:00 A.M. Tuesday, February 27 World Showcase, 6:00-8:00 P.M. Wednesday, February 28 Quarter 3 Interims Distributed