Picture retakes will take place on Friday, December 5th 

Guidance from Hayward Photography:

Please return the entire original package to the photographer on Retake Day. Write the student’s name and the reason for the retake on the envelope and a new package will be ordered using the Retake Day photo. Students who were absent on original picture day and did preorder will have that order fulfilled with the Retake Day photo.

Students who were absent on original picture day and did not preorder may be photographed as well. Please print a copy of the above order form, fill out the bottom in its entirety and send with your cash or check payment into school on Retake Day.

As we approach the holiday season and school vacations, it is important to consider how we are supporting our students’ healthy habits around the use of electronic devices. Thanks to our school policies, our middle schoolers are accustomed to a personal device free environment all day. We encourage you to have conversations with your student(s) about limiting screen time on days that are not school days. To support this important work, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has put together Conversation Starters for Families about Media which provides prompts for conversations based on specific topics ranging from setting initial boundaries to tweens/teens gaming too much to parents talking about their own media use. 

As part of our annual clean up before the December break, we will clean out WMS’ Lost and Found. There are many water bottles, hoodies, and jackets in our Lost and Found at this time. Please ask your student(s) to check the Lost and Found to see if any missing items belong to them. Also, if you are in the building for one of our wonderful upcoming events, please check the Lost and Found; the Lost and Found is found opposite the entrance to the library. 

On December 20th, items in the Lost and Found will be cleaned and donated when possible or discarded.  

Can you help us? There are 48 gifts and 70 gift cards left on the wish list.

The WMS PTO Holiday Gift Drive is live. Each year our community makes sure that the teens living in the residential treatment program at Wayside Youth and Family Support Network in Framingham receive a gift they selected for themselves. Many of these young people have experienced trauma, neglect, or significant mental health challenges, and for some this will be the only gift they open this season. Your support brings comfort and joy to teens who cannot be with family right now.

Shop the Amazon wish list:

To participate:

• Pick a gift from the list

• Select “Wayside Campus Gift Registry Address” at checkout

• Gifts are typically 20 to 50 dollars and are tax deductible 

Dear Wayland Middle School Parents,

Due to overcrowding on the Middle School / High School buses, bus passes are being distributed to students in their homeroom as the correct information and payments are being submitted.

These passes should be carried by students in their backpacks and for the next two weeks, students should be prepared to show their bus pass to the bus driver both in the morning and afternoon when boarding the bus.

Only students who are registered and paid bus riders should be using the bus service and students should be riding their assigned bus.

Please note, 6th grade students that live 2.0+ miles from the middle school do receive town-paid transportation, if they registered for the school bus. Town-paid transportation is available for students Kindergarten through Grade 6 who live more than 2.0 miles from their assigned school. Please reference the table below.

Additionally, caregivers should not send notes to the school or call the WMS Front Office to allow their student to ride a different bus or go home with a student on their bus. Alternate transportation should be arranged instead.

If you would like to change your child's registration status, please send your request to wayland_registration@waylandps.org. Many buses are already at capacity and if necessary, your child's name will be added to a wait list. 

The Transportation Office is actively reviewing and addressing rider capacity concerns on specific HS/MS bus routes. They appreciate your patience and hope to accommodate as many students as possible that are in need of transportation. Waitlists for these identified bus routes will be created and families will be contacted as space becomes available.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us ensure safe and efficient transportation for all students.

Sincerely,

Wayland Transportation Department

7th & 8th graders planning on trying out for the WMS Basketball team should be registered online here and have a current Physical Exam on file in the Nurse’s Office by Friday, December 5th at 12:00 PM.

Monday, December 8th 3:30-5:45 

Tuesday, December 9th 3:30-5:45 

Thursday, December 11th 3:30-5:45 

Friday, December 12th 3:30-5:45 

All schools in the Wayland Public School district are focusing on the importance of regular school attendance for students’ academic growth and sense of belonging. To support this important district goal, we ask you to please schedule family vacations and other activities when school is not in session. On the rare occasion that a student is absent due to a trip or extended vacation, please have your student check the online google classroom and complete work as assigned to the best of their ability. Teachers are not required to provide work in advance. If possible, students should try to complete any quizzes or tests before leaving. Otherwise, they should make up any missing work within their first few days of their return to school. Please note that not all of WMS coursework is easily portable and that, as parents, you may have to guide your student through the work. 

As we continue to foster BERT, especially belonging, in our community, we ask that party favors, especially clothing based party favors, remain outside of the school setting. When large groups of students all come in on Monday after a function wearing identical t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, etc. which advertise the celebration, it does not feel good and unintentionally sends an uncomfortable message to those who were not on the invite list. If you could ask that your student not wear an item as part of “group wear”, we would appreciate it. Fitting in and finding one’s way through the middle school years can be challenging. We are grateful for any help you can offer in this area as it will reduce in-school, social angst as students navigate the middle school landscape. 

Jerome Rand is a sailor, author and speaker. In 2017, he embarked on and successfully completed a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in his 32 foot wooden sailboat. This trip will be the focus of his talk, interspersed with video taken from the voyage. Central to his presentation are themes of resilience, meeting challenges and determination.  

Here is a link to Jerome's website:

and to his book: https://a.co/d/ioAIGBQ

Thank you to all that have donated books for the book swap! Although the drive has ended, any books that would like another home at the middle school, continued donations are always welcome.

Thank you to all who brought donations for Buddy Dog. The 6th grade community service club was able to bring 2 full boxes to the shelter. Kids were able to see the shelter and meet some of the lovely animals.

Please sign-up here if you can contribute an item to our Thankful Breakfast for WMS staff the Thursday after Thanksgiving! We've included Amazon links to easily send most contributions, though also need a few perishable items that can be dropped off at WMS the morning of Thursday 12/4. Thank you in advance!