Skip To Main Content

Header Wrap

Logo Image

Logo Title

Breadcrumb

Weekly Update 1/13/24

Weekly Update 1/13/24
Weekly Update 1/13/24
WRMS Staff

Hello West Rocks! There is no school on Monday, January 15 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Please see below for how we are recognizing his teachings and celebrating MLK Jr. Day as a school community this week. Winter NWEA map testing continues this week! Be sure your student brings their charged Chromebook each day for the ELA reading part of the test! Students completed the math portion this week. We saw individual student growth as well as growth across each grade level. Families will get their student’s individual report when testing has been completed. Our travel intramural basketball teams took on Roton this Thursday as the winter season kicked off! Congratulations to both the boys and girls on winning the first game. Game two is on Tuesday! Check out some clips of the games HERE.    The weather continues to be unpredictable, so please be sure your student dresses appropriately to go outside for recess each day. Have a great weekend, Adam Reynolds Principal, West Rocks Middle School PS. Please utilize the school calendar on our school website for planning purposes. For example, Monday, January 29 is a 2-hour early dismissal for students (12:50pm). Teachers and staff have professional development. https://wrms.norwalkps.org/.

EVENTS AND GROUPS

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration 2024 Monday, January 15 is national holiday in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. West Rocks will have an advisory lesson on Tuesday, January 16 focusing on “Living the Dream: It Starts with Me.” Students will engage in discussion around key ideas, watch videos of MLK speaking, and apply his teachings to their own lives in and outside of school. Students will engage in “service to others” in homeroom this week and the weeklong recognition will culminate in whole school celebrations and on Friday, January 19 in the auditorium. There will be performances, speeches, and students will write letters of kindness to members of the community. 

Bridgeport Islanders Game on January 27 The mascot for the Islanders, STORM, is visiting lunch waves this Thursday to pump up our students for the West Rocks game at the Islanders on January 27! There might even be a faceoff between Storm and our mascot Rocky the Panther!  The hockey game is a special event sponsored by the PTA! It is a lot of fun for the whole family and a great fundraiser! You can purchase tickets using the link below: https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/westrocks

Intramurals and Clubs The girls and boys basketball teams continue their season next week on Tuesday. Good luck to both teams and their coaches Mr. Voytek and Ms. Cammarota. Families of students on the team should contact their coach directly with any questions.  We are finalizing our other club offerings for the winter including a novel/book illustration club, continuing the math team, and more. Stay tuned. Questions should be directed to Ms. Cammarota (cammarotah@norwalkps.org).

ACADEMICS, PROGRAMS, AND CAMPAIGNS

NWEA (map) Testing Students take the NWEA map test 3 times per year – fall, winter, spring. The winter assessment in math and reading will occur in homerooms for a few days over the course of the next two weeks.  Students will take the reading portion of the Fall NWEA test on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Teachers use this data to drive their instruction as well as to measure growth over the course of the year and year to year. We also use these scores for placement in intervention, enrichment, and accelerated classes. WIN classes for Q3 will be based on this data. It is important that students try their best, get a good night’s sleep, eat breakfast, and come prepared with a charged Chromebook. Thank you for your support.

January 22 is Last Day of Q2, S1 Quarter 2, Semester 1 ends on Monday January 22. Please be sure to continue to monitor the PowerSchool Parent Portal to see assignments, grades, and attendance for your student. If you have questions about assignments or grades, please reach out to the teacher directly. If you have questions about attendance, please contact your student’s counselor. Semester classes will change on Tuesday, January 23. 

Morning Drop off, Afternoon Pick up We are seeing an increase in cars double parked and stopped in driving lanes when dropping students off in the morning and picking up students in the afternoon. Please adhere to the drop off procedure by pulling all the way through, dropping off your child, and continuing to move. Please do not park in the handicap spots or within the driving lane with hazards lights flashing. In the afternoon, please remember that students riding the bus leave through the front and student pick up is in the Aiken Street lot. Drivers are expected to follow a regular flow of traffic, alternating cars when there are multiple lanes, and driving cautiously as students are leaving the building. 

PTA UPDATE AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Upcoming Dates

January 15 MLK Jr Day – no school January 16 Advisory Lesson on MLK Jr, NWEA make-ups for math grade 8; Travel basketball games January 17 NWEA Testing in homeroom (ELA reading); NPS Student Voice Surveys January 18 NWEA Testing in homeroom (ELA reading); STORM visits lunch waves for Islanders game; Travel basketball games January 19 MLK Celebration; Ski & Snowboard Trip to Mt. Southington (2nd trip of season); NWEA make-ups for ELA reading grade 6