Weekly Update 3/23/24

Hello West Rocks!

It’s musical weekend…our drama club’s performance of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr has two more shows! The students performed for the whole staff on Thursday afternoon. Students saw a portion of the show during an assembly on Friday, then had their first show for the community last night!

Don’t worry, you have two more chances! We are expecting around 1,000 people over the course of the three shows. We are so incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication of our students and staff.

Saturday, March 23, 2024

• 2:00 pm
• 7:00 pm

Purchase tickets online: https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/80977

Thank you to Tony Crespo Photography for capturing images throughout the 3 shows. Information on how to access them will be made available later. (Tony is a West Rocks alumnus!)

We continued our advisory program this week with a lesson on emotional regulation. Student identified experiences that matched words and emotions. They discussed, “What do I do when I feel this way?” They will take the social emotional learning portion of the Panorama Student Survey on Tuesday in an extended homeroom.

We need your help! Please complete the Panorama Family Survey this week. The Panorama Family Survey link is below and under “For Families” on the West Rocks website. 

• https://surveys.panoramaed.com/norwalk/wrms/surveys?language=en 

We have a 2-hour early dismissal for students this Monday, March 25 (12:50 pm). There is no school this Friday, March 29 in observance of Good Friday.
 
Have a great rest of the weekend,
Adam Reynolds
Principal, West Rocks Middle School

FIELD TRIPS

Grade 8 Field Trip – Boston (Family Meeting)
Grade 8 students attending the Boston trip at the end of April must attend a mandatory meeting with an adult family member on Thursday, April 4th at 6:30pm. We will review the itinerary, medication procedures, the packing list, and behavior expectations. Failure to attend the meeting may result in being ineligible to attend the trip. Please contact Dr. Golding with any questions.

Grade 7 Field Trip – Bronx Zoo 
Grade 7 will be visiting the Bronx Zoo on Wednesday May 29th. Please see the document below for information about the trip and our Poppin popcorn fundraiser! 

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TUSDq5MFnEKwJ-q5lHLU7heBISKinfZrqirVBpF7hug/edit

Grade 6 Field Trip – American Museum of Natural History in NYC

• Destination: the American Museum of Natural History in New York City

• Date: Wednesday, June 5, 2024

• Duration: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm 

• The cost of this trip is $60. Payments can be made in full or in three separate payments:

  • The first payment of $20 is due on Monday, March 25th.

  • The second payment of $20 is due on Tuesday, April 9th.

  • Final payment of $20 is due on Wednesday, May 1, 2024

  • Payment methods accepted: Cash, check (payable to West Rocks Middle School), or money order. All payments and signed permission slips are due to homeroom teachers before Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Link for field trip information can be accessed: here.

MOVIE NIGHT FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT GRADE 6!
SAVE THE DATE: Friday, April 5 6:00-8:00pm

ACADEMICS, PROGRAMS, AND CAMPAIGNS

Panorama Family Survey

• https://surveys.panoramaed.com/norwalk/wrms/surveys?language=en

We are at 8% of families with a goal of 40%! If we hit that goal, each grade level will get extended recess one day before April break!

April is Autism Awareness @ WRMS
West Rocks' Light it Up Blue campaign begins very soon. Each Friday during the month of April, we were blue to bring awareness to Autism. To show your support and get some new blue spirit wear, please use this link. Shirts will be delivered to students in Homeroom by April 4th. Our first Light it Up Blue Friday is April 5th. Students will be able to purchase shirts with cash in the main office.

IXL Schoolwide Competition – last week in March
This is the last week in March for this month’s IXL schoolwide competition! There have been some changes since the scoreboard was posted last week. Keep it up! This month’s class winners will earn ice cream! 

EVENTS AND GROUPS

Family Tech Night – April 4, 2024 

• Thursday April 4 from 5:00 to 6:30 pm. 
• HANDS ON FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY! Virtual & Augmented Reality, Robotics & Coding, 3D Printing, Drones, Electricity & Circuits, Prizes and More! 
• Click on the link for event flyer and registration: 

https://www.canva.com/design/DAF-SKujXD4/RtQCM6nSXaBXJHUKBnqKcA/view?utm_content=DAF-SKujXD4&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor#1 

Solar Eclipse Event on Monday, April 8! 
Our grade 6 and grade 7 students have had multiple exclusive opportunities in our Verizon Lab this year…now it is grade 8’s turn! The Verizon Lab Solar Eclipse Celestial Event on Monday April 8th is a special event for 8th grade students!

Students will learn about and experience Solar Eclipses by participating in a special Virtual Reality Event in the Verizon Lab during the school day.

Utilizing our Class VR, students will be transported to various locations around the world to view Solar Eclipses in various stages.

Door Prize: Free Solar Eclipse Glasses to all attendees to watch the live event by themselves or with their families safely afterschool around 3:30 pm on 4/8/24 (weather dependent).
https://www.canva.com/design/DAF-jqvDcJc/jEuLmnd-2pMRgUyGYJGynA/view?utm_content=DAF-jqvDcJc&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor

PTA UPDATE AND UPCOMING DATES

Please consider running for a position on the PTA Board. The information and position were sent out in a separate Parent Square post. If you are interested in running for a position or would like more information, please email the PTA President Daisy Sebastian using the PTA’s email address: WestRocksPTA@gmail.com by Monday, April 22, 2024.
 
Order your West Rocks Spirit Wear!

• https://doubledaydd.tuosystems.com/stores/wrms?fbclid=IwAR2RxW3FZIweml5IksA8Cd51f73eIXc7NNxUeqOV1Rzl6pQVTjBv6YWlXEs

Questions? Contact the PTA directly via email: westrockspta@gmail.com
For more information, see the PTA website: https://westrocks.ptboard.com/ 

Upcoming Dates
Please continue to refer to the district’s calendar (https://www.norwalkps.org/
about/district-overview/official-district-calendar)

March 23 Beauty and the Beast Jr 2:00pm and 7:00pm shows
March 25 2-hour early dismissal for students, PD for staff
March 26 Student Panorama Survey in HR, Visits to 5th graders at Tracey and Silvermine
March 27 SGC Meeting @ 7pm
March 28 Visit to 5th graders at Cranbury
March 29 NO SCHOOL
Starting April 2 Students will take the Spring NWEA in Reading and Math 

Follow West Rocks on Instagram: wrms_ct
Follow West Rocks on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/West-Rocks-Middle-School-100076430403630/