Weekly Update 5.25.24

Hello West Rocks! Happy Memorial Day Weekend! 

We had a great week and are ready for a long weekend. I hope you are too. We have no school on Monday to honor those that lost their lives defending our country. Our marching band led by Mrs. Jean will participate in Monday’s parade. Mr. Kendon McClain will lead our color guard. The students have been practicing throughout the week and are ready to go! We will be near the back because we have so many students. Please show your support by cheering loudly for them as they march by!

Students completed the Smarter Balanced Assessment this week. They took the ELA Reading portion on Tuesday and Wednesday. Mrs. Amaral also pulled students the last two days for make-ups. We will continue to do that next week until all students have taken the math and reading tests. Thank you for your support.

Unfortunately, our Final Mile Race was canceled due to weather. Ms. Mouland and Ms. Cammarota are planning a culminating event for our athletes and families before the end of the year. The organization did drop off the medals and t-shirts, so we will be able to use those for our own West Rocks Final Mile! Stay tuned for more information.

We had two great family events this week! 

1. Our Dual Language Community Night on Wednesday had over 100 people, great food, music, games, and student work on display! Check out some pictures above! Thank you to Mrs. Chimento and Mrs. Jefferson for organizing and all of our students and staff that helped! Our next event will be in the fall during Hispanic Heritage Month! Plans are already in the works!
2. STEAM Family Night was in our Verizon Lab with the theme of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! We had students and families participate in virtual and augmented reality, 3D printing, Lego robotics and coding…and more! The best part was that students facilitated each station. Participants had a “passport” and got stamps when completed each station…if you earned them all, you got a prize!

Finally, we were excited to have future West Rocks Panthers visit on Thursday and Friday morning! Current 5th graders from Tracey and Silvermine visited, took tours led by members of NJHS and Student Council, then enjoyed a popsicle in our cafeteria! It was a great way to support the transition to middle school. Cranbury comes next Wednesday morning. Shout out to Grade 6 Team Leader Dr. Walters for leading these visits! 

Please be sure to check out our website and calendar for many events to close the 2023-2024 SY! Also, continue to refer to the district calendar for days with no school and early dismissals. (https://www.norwalkps.org/about/district-overview/official-district-calendar)

Have a great long weekend,
Adam Reynolds
Principal, West Rocks Middle School

PS. Congratulations to our teachers that have served in Norwalk Public Schools 25 years or more! Our superintendent, Dr. Estrella recognized Mr. Petropoulos, Ms. Wax, Dr. Walters, Mrs. Chauvin, and Mrs. Major this week in our library Learning Commons in front of students and staff! The video is available through Norwalk Public Schools social media channels.

EVENTS AND GROUPS

Grade 8 
We are getting close! I can’t believe we are 11 school days away from the end of our students’ middle school careers! June 11 is our Promotion Ceremony at 7:30pm in the Concert Hall at City Hall. Each student will receive 3 tickets for family members to attend. We do not give any additional tickets. If you are in need of more tickets, the best way is to work with other families that will not use all 3.

We have our Quassy Trip on Thursday of this week! There is an amusement park and water park! Super fun! 

Please look for communication from Grade 8 Team Leader Dr. Golding about this and all of the end of year activities.
 
Grade 7
The grade 7 field trip to the Bronx Zoo is this Wednesday, May 29. Students and teachers had an assembly on Friday to review expectations and the trip in general. Please look for communication from Grade 7 Team Leader Ms. Sabol for more specific information.

WRMS Marching Band and Color Guard
Good luck at Monday’s parade! Families should check the communication from Mrs. Jean about times, locations, and routes. There will be a hot breakfast for students on Monday morning! Good luck and make us proud! 
 
Music Festival for Band and Orchestra at Lake Compounce
On Friday, May 31, members of our band and orchestra will travel to Lake Compounce to compete in the annual music festival. It is a great day of competition in which groups receive a score and feedback from judges. Then, they get to have some fun at the park! Please look for communication from our music directors with more details about the trip.

ACADEMICS, PROGRAMS, AND CAMPAIGNS

Spring NWEA Map Results
Earlier this week, Mrs. Amaral emailed Spring NWEA Map results to individual families. These reports show growth over the course of the year and indicate your students level of literacy and math progress. We use these scores for course placement in the fall and our summer programs. High schools will also use this for course placement. If you have any questions or did not receive it, please contact your child’s counselor.

Chromebook and Charger Collection, Library Returns
The last day to return all books and Chromebook loaners borrowed from the WRMS Library is Friday, 5/31. Students may review their accounts by using Destiny (via Classlink) and clicking on the MY INFO option. Need help or have a question? Contact Sandra Mackowski (mackowskis@norwalkps.org).

Chromebook Collection:
All students will return their Verizon Chromebook and charger before the end of the school year. We will assess, repair, and replace what is needed for the fall. Please note there will be a cost if there are missing Chromebooks as well as chargers. 

• Lost Verizon device $350
• Lost loaner Chromebook $100
• Lost charger $20

The collection dates are below:

• Grade 8 - Monday, June 3 (All obligations must be settled in order to get Promotion tickets.)
• Grade 7 - Tuesday, June 11
• Grade 6 - Wednesday, June 12

Grade 6 Anti-Semitism and Holocaust Lessons
Next week Grade 6 will prepare for a virtual visit from a Holocaust survivor, Ruth Weiner, through a multi-day lesson on Anti-Semitism and The Holocaust. The presentation will be on Friday May 31. Should you have any questions about the material that will be presented and covered, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's Social Studies teacher. This is a great learning opportunity for our students.
 
Pride Parade 2024 
June is Pride Month - a month dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ communities around the world. West Rocks will have a Pride Parade on the morning of June 4, 2024. Only the students who sign up for the event will be allowed to participate. Students will walk a lap around the school and take seats near the turf field in the back. 

The Triangle Community Center will speak along with a few student volunteers. For information on the Triangle Community Center, check out their website: https://ctpridecenter.org. Students that are interested in organizing should meet in the library/learning commons during homeroom.
 
IXL Schoolwide Competition
Winners from April finally received their ice cream this week for their work on IXL! Great job to those math classes! We are continuing it in May…and our leaderboard is below! This will be the last week! Winners will get a prize in the first week of June! 

Yearbook Orders
Last Chance to Order while supplies last! Direct link to order Yearbooks: 

•  https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A01068840

Please reach out to our yearbook adviser Dr. Maria Fox with any questions (foxm@norwalkps.org).

PTA UPDATE AND UPCOMING DATES

Thank you to everyone that participated in the final meeting of the year! Stay tuned for the announcement of our new Board members! The PTA is providing a visit from the ice cream truck for each grade level to celebrate a great school year! Be on the lookout for the dates for your student! For more information, see the PTA website: https://westrocks.ptboard.com/ 

Upcoming Dates
May 27 Memorial Day Parade! Marching band and color guard participate! Hot breakfast @ 8am
May 28 Grade 8 Students take MSAP Survey (MSAP Letter); Petro SS Classes Trip to Amistad in Stamford
May 29 Grade 8 Assembly End of Year Activities; VPA Hamilton Trip; Grade 7 Trip to Bronx Zoo; Cranbury Grade 5 visits @ 9:30am
May 30 Grade 8 Trip to Quassy
May 31 Music Festival at Lake Compounce (Band and Orchestra)
June 3 Grade 8 Chromebook and charger collection
June 4 Pride Parade; NICE Dual Language Assembly

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