Weekly Update 5/17/26

WRMS Staff

May 17 2026 1:51 PM

Hello West Rocks!

We had a great week! We kicked off our Smarter Balanced testing with ELA, and our students showed the preparation, focus, and effort we have been working toward all year.

On Tuesday, we held grade-level pep rallies to pump up students and get them ready for the test! Check out the highlights of this week’s pep rally!

Students who came in with a charged Chromebook received a raffle ticket, and this will continue each day of testing.

Next week, we have three days of math testing:

Tuesday and Wednesday: Math Computer Adaptive Test
Thursday: Math Performance Task

We have been practicing problem solving, showing our work, and taking our time. Please encourage your student to give their full effort each day and to show what they know.

On Wednesday, we held our first annual Mental Health and Wellness Fair as part of Mental Health Awareness Month. Students had the opportunity to learn from community organizations, explore healthy coping strategies, and see that taking care of our mental health is an important part of being successful in school and in life.

If you did not see it on the news, check out the clip from Channel 12 here!

We are also proud to share that our SEL Ambassadors won a statewide citizenship award! This recognition celebrates the leadership, service, and positive impact our students are making in our school community and beyond. We are incredibly proud of them.

Congratulations to our Gifted and Talented students who presented their Future Cities projects at City Hall to Mayor Barbara Smyth. Their creativity, research, and hard work were on display, and we are thankful for the opportunity for their projects to be shared at City Hall.

Check out Mayor Smyth’s post about our GT Visit to City Hall

Our marching band is also getting ready for their performance on Monday at the parade! They will practice each day this week in the bus loop and march across the street around Notre Dame. Please come out on Monday and cheer them on!

Thank you for your continued support.

Have a great weekend!

Adam Reynolds
Principal, West Rocks Middle School

SOCIAL WORK TIP OF THE MONTH

SEL Focus: Self-Efficacy & Confidence

This month is all about believing in yourself and your abilities. Help your child recognize their unique strengths and the power of a growth mindset.

Tip: Create a "Brag Board" or "Accomplishment Wall."

Dedicate a space where each family member can post their proudest achievements, no matter how small. It could be a good grade, a new skill they learned, or a moment where they showed courage. Celebrate each other's wins to build a culture of confidence.

"Building a Better Me" 🏗️

Activity: Power of "Yet"
How-To: Listen for "fixed mindset" phrases from your child, like "I can't do this" or "I'm bad at math." Gently respond by adding the word "yet" to the end of their sentence.
Example: Child says: "I can't hit a volleyball." Parent responds: "You can't hit a volleyball, yet."
Goal: Reinforces the growth mindset idea that ability isn't fixed, and that learning and improvement are always possible.

CHROMEBOOK REMINDERS

As we continue our World Cup SBA Testing, we want to ensure every student is ready for a "winning" performance during testing! To help everything run smoothly, we have a quick but vital request:

With the entire school testing simultaneously, our classrooms reach their power limits quickly. It is very difficult for testing sites to accommodate multiple students needing to plug in at once.

To keep the focus on the finish line (and not on finding an outlet), please ensure your student’s Chromebook is fully charged and ready to go each morning.

We want to reward our students for their preparation! To provide a little extra incentive:

The Reward: Every student who arrives with a fully charged device on testing days will earn a raffle ticket.
The Prizes: In honor of our World Cup theme, we’re giving away licensed FIFA gear and other fantastic prizes!

If you believe your child’s computer is having technical issues or the battery isn't holding a charge, we are here to help. Please reach out to Dr. Golding as soon as possible so we can troubleshoot before testing begins.

Thank you for your incredible support in making this week a success. Let’s bring that championship energy!

VPA UPDATES

The WRMS VPA Program is excited to host a community trip to Wicked on Broadway on Thursday, June 4th. The trip is open to any WRMS student, staff, or family member! The price is $200 per person and it includes bus transportation and ticket to the 7pm show. We have amazing seats in the orchestra!

Please complete this form if you are interested in attending. Payment information is below. Space is limited, so reserve your spot now!

GRADE 8 UPDATES

Please refer to Dr. Golding’s Friday Newsletter for all Grade 8 Updates. The weekly Grade 8 news will be sent out on Fridays to make all the information available in one easy-to-find spot.

Grade 8 Science IXL Challenge

We kicked off our Spring Science IXL Challenge. Students have 30 tasks to complete between now and May 22nd. Once students complete a task with a target score of 80% or higher, they need to upload a screenshot of their score to our NGSS SPRING SCIENCE IXL CHALLENGE PORTAL. This portal is accessible in the Grade 8 Google Classroom as well as our school website under FOR STUDENTS. Students who complete 24 or more of the tasks will be invited to a special activity! There will also be reward check points along the way.

Students who complete 24 tasks by Friday, May 22nd will be eligible to attend a dessert party and extra recess on Thursday, May 28th. There will be a special raffle for a GREAT prize at the event.
Please reach out to your child’s science teacher or Dr. Golding if you have any questions.

MATH IXL

In math classes, students use IXL to practice skills that directly align with what they are learning each day in class. Teachers may begin this work in school, and students are often expected to finish assignments at home.

Daily IXL practice helps students build confidence, receive immediate feedback, and work toward mastery. Families can support this by encouraging a consistent routine and reminding students to bring a fully charged Chromebook to school.

We need students to work toward mastery which is a SmartScore of 80.