Deborah Romeo, Principal
Courtney Rowley, Assistant Principal
Rebecca Speicher, Assistant Principal of Student Services
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Greetings Wayland Middle School Caregivers,
Welcome to the first week of April!
Our Bright Sides this week come from the classrooms of our math teachers and their students. When visiting classrooms, we saw one teacher skillfully facilitate a discussion, reminding the class to "let him explain what he means" or "let her figure it out”, thereby protecting the individual student’s thought process. In another classroom, mistakes were viewed as collaborative learning opportunities. The most evident was when a student made an error and rather than the teacher correcting it, she asked, “Does anyone have feedback for -?” After another student provided the correction, the teacher returned to the first student to have him explain the feedback in his own words, ensuring that he internalized the correction and maintained his agency as a learner. We saw explicit modeling by another teacher of how to translate a word problem with multiple unknowns into an equation using one variable. Before and after modeling, he effectively set the tone in his classroom by stating, "This is a new challenge for you”, validating the complexity of translating word problems while signaling confidence in the students' ability to persevere. The explicit modeling and framing successfully transitioned the class into independent application. Take some time this week to discuss with your child the new content, skills, and ways of thinking they are learning in their math class.
Congratulations to our Honors Chamber Orchestra who received a Gold Medal rating at the MICCA (Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors' Association) festival on Saturday! This talented group will now go on to perform at the Gold Medal Showcase at the beautiful Groton Hill Music Center on April 12. We celebrate our students’ dedication and hard work under the direction of our wonderful orchestra director, Ms. Tandon.
As we turn the calendar to April, our students’ learning lives at school will include MCAS assessment days. Just as is true for any school day, it is important that students get a good night’s sleep preceding testing days and that students bring their chromebooks fully charged each day to school. Please see below for details related to the assessment schedule.
As always, our doors are always open. Whether you have questions, concerns, or simply want to share in the excitement of the school year, we encourage you to reach out.
Deborah, Courtney, and Rebecca
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Friday, April 3rd: Good Friday NO SCHOOL
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Tuesday, April 7th and Thursday, April 9th: ELA MCAS Grades 6-8
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Monday, April 20th - Friday, April 24th: Spring Break NO SCHOOL
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Wednesday, April 29th: Super Wednesday, dismissal at 12:20 PM
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Please do not drop off students or pick up students in or near the handicapped parking spots near the front entrance of the school. These spots need to be fully accessible to our community members who use them.
In the morning, the drop off lane should be active at all times to prevent significant back ups. Please do not park in the lane alongside the school. If you arrive early and do not want to immediately drop your child off, please wait in the lower DPW lot.
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We have begun planning for the 2026-2027 school year.
For incoming 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, if you have a request or would like to share any information with us about your child's placement for the next school year, you must do so NO LATER THAN Friday, May 1st by emailing Holly Nino ( holly_nino@waylandps.org).
Requests made after May 1st may not be honored as changing team placements after this date will impact other students.
A few notes:
- If you made a request in a prior year, please make a note to renew that request for the upcoming school year if it is still valid. For example, if there has been a conflict between your student and another student, please email us again. We do not carry over requests to the next school year.
- Given the complexity of scheduling, we can only honor requests to place a student with a specific peer or teacher if there is a significant reason provided by the caregiver.
- Placement of Twins or Triplets. Unless otherwise notified by a caregiver, we will place twins/triplets on the same cluster and separate them into different class sections
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Thursday, April 16, 2026 | 7-8:00 pm | Online Event
Evidence-based strategies to reduce power struggles, strengthen communication, and build emotional resilience in adolescents
Parenting tweens and teens can stir up frustration, self-doubt, and even memories of our own adolescence. It can feel like connection is slipping just when kids need us most. The good news: this stage doesn’t have to feel like a daily battle. You can help your tween/teen develop the skills they need to become healthy, happy adults.
Explore practical tools, heartfelt insights, and real-life experiences with pediatric psychologist Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart that are designed to help you pivot from nagging to nurturing, from feeling overwhelmed to feeling understood, and from correction to genuine connection—especially through the ups and downs of the tween and teen years.
In this event, parents and caregivers will:
- Learn how to shift from control to curiosity
- Understand how individuation shapes the parent-teen relationship
- Practice self-reflection in your parenting role
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Dear Families & Staff,
We would like to provide clarification regarding recent updates to the federal childhood immunization schedule. You may have seen recent reports indicating that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had modified its universal recommendations for several childhood vaccines.
There are currently no changes to the state-mandated vaccinations required to attend school in Massachusetts. In the United States, school immunization requirements are determined at the state and local level, not by the federal government. Students in Massachusetts must continue to provide documentation of required immunizations (unless a valid medical or religious exemption is on file). Wayland Public Schools remains committed to ensuring the health and safety of our students, staff, and community. We align our policies with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which continue to recommend a full range of vaccines to protect children from preventable diseases.
We encourage parents and caregivers to discuss their child’s immunization status with their pediatrician during their annual physical exam to ensure they are fully protected and in compliance with Massachusetts law.
Parents and caregivers who have questions regarding their child’s specific records or the state requirements may contact your school nurse.
For more information about school immunization requirements, please visit the Mass.gov School Immunizations page.
Thank you for your partnership in keeping our schools healthy and safe.
Laurie Hojilo, WMS school nurse
Noreen D’Amico, WMS school nurse
Deborah Romeo, WMS principal
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Please find below the upcoming schedule for the MCAS testing in April and May for WMS students. |
Congratulations to our student artists selected for the Massachusetts Youth Art Month Virtual Exhibit:
- Asher A.
- Gabe A.C.
- Red C.
- Quinn C.
- Emilia H.
- Simone O.
- Harper R.
- José S.
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Our School Council is focusing its efforts this year on creating joy, connection, and belonging. The Council is organizing a Multicultural Potluck that will take place on Thursday, May 21st.
Many thanks to our caregiver School Council members, Shaylanna Graham, Larina Mehta, Alexandra Ryan, Dina Sorour, Elizabeth Wuerz, and our staff School Council members Bethann Monahan and Pete Curran.
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The 6th and 7th Grade Community Service Clubs are partnering with 8th grader Selin Yardibi and Project 351 to do a collection for CradlestoCrayons.
Please consider donating gently used clothing for ages newborn to twelve. There is a box in the lobby at WMS for all donations.
Thank you in advance for considering and donating!
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The Day the Internet Died
By Ian McWethy and Jason Pizzarello
On a sunny day in the town of Bloomington, a devastating occurrence happens. No, it’s not famine, or floods, or loss of your basic rights. The internet has gone down! And it will continue to be down! For a week! A whole week! Pandemonium! In a world that is so dependent on the internet for shopping, mailing, and posting pictures of cute babies, how will society function? Not well as it turns out...
REHEARSALS:
M, T, Th & F 3:15 - 5:00, Last 2 weeks everyday until 5:30 pm
PERFORMANCES:
Friday, May 1st @ 7:00 PM
Wednesday, May 6th @ 3:30 PM
Saturday, May 9th All Day @ Stoughton MA
Part of the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guilds' Middle School Festival
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When: April 14, and May 12, 2026
Where: First Parish, 225 Boston Post Road, Wayland – in person only
Who: For parents and other adults who live, work, worship or send their child(ren) to school in Wayland.
Cost: Free
Registration: Registration is required. Attendance at all four sessions is encouraged but not required. REGISTER
About: Ever find yourself avoiding a conversation because it feels too awkward, too charged, or too likely to go sideways? This four-session workshop is an invitation to do the opposite—with skill, confidence, and care.
Together, we’ll build practical tools for real-life and online conversations, especially with people whose experiences or perspectives differ from our own. In a supportive, low-stakes setting, you’ll practice showing up with curiosity, self-awareness, and empathy—even when things feel uncomfortable or you don’t agree.
The series will be led by jamele adams, a gifted educator, facilitator, and community peacemaker. Across four in-person sessions, participants will practice empathetic listening, learn from one another, and build trust and connection. Participants will also help shape the series by choosing the discussion topic for each session, ensuring the conversations reflect what matters most to the group.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll walk away with concrete, usable tools for engaging across differences—without losing connection or respect. Whether you’re deeply experienced in these conversations or just beginning, you’ll find a welcoming space to learn, reflect, and grow together—and to strengthen the fabric of the Wayland community.
This program is sponsored by the Wayland Public Schools and the Wayland Human Rights, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (HRDEIC) and is made possible through the generous support of the Lydia Maria Child Fund of First Parish in Wayland.
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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. |
Artist: Elizabeth Nemira
Grade: 8
Medium: Clay & Acrylic
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Contact:
Andrea Winkler - PTO President
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Thanks to our WMS staff for connecting with caregivers at conferences the past two Wednesdays! A special thank you to Shirra Baston, Lindsay Hanson, Jen Lux, Andrea Winkler and Melissa Davis-Bell for organizing the events and all the caregivers who contributed food to make this delicious March Madness-themed spread! |
Thank you to Wayland SEPAC (Special Education and Advisory Council) and the Wayland PTOs for funding the guest speaker, Sarah Ward, last Tuesday evening at Wayland High School. Caregivers learned practical strategies on executive function to help students feel organized and independent.
A special thank you to Courtney Conery for bringing this presenter to our school community. This is just one of the many ways we use donation money from the PTO Gift Your Child fundraiser.
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The PTO hosted a community meeting in late February to review results of the Spring 2025 Caregiver Survey and share what improvements are being made at WMS. Thank you to Heather Grimmett, Andrea Winkler and Dr. Romeo for preparing and presenting the results. Please see the presentation below.
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Stay up to date on school news, events and helpful reminders.
Look for “Wayland MS PTO” and request to join.
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