Wildwood Mustangs celebrated Earth Day with a paper plate project. Students were asked to create Earth, animal, tree and nature inspired art work on paper plates during their MTSS period. This came after discussions about how each can do their part to protect the Earth. The projects can be seen in the Up Stair Well on all three levels. Beautiful work, Mustangs!
Mrs. Rodrigues's STEM class have been building catapults, and today was LAUNCH DAY! The shouts of pure joy as the fired their payloads rang through the room. The activity combined science, art, history and gameplay into one perfect shot! Way to go, Mustangs!
Ms. Dennis and Ms. Merritt's 6th grade Read 180 class was working on using evidence to support their claims last week in a super fun way. Students are reading Esperanza Rising and answered the question "Who do you think started the house fire?" and posted it to the board. As Ms. Dennis read them aloud, if they were supported by evidence from the text, it got posted to her face. If it wasn't, the note was discarded. After the activity the class continued their discussion in more detail. Way to go, Mustangs! Looking good Ms. Dennis!
What happens when you pit a porcupine against a velvet worm? And what exactly IS a velvet worm anyway? WMS students discovered the answers to these questions and more during March Mammal Madness, a fun way to learn about animals great and small. Students progressed through their brackets, choosing which mammals would advance to the next round until only a great white shark and giant squid remained. The ultimate victor? The great white, of course! Then again, we didn't see any Huskies or Gamecocks in there. 🤔
JCS Reminder: Tomorrow, Friday, April 12th is a 2-Hour Early Dismissal for students and a Faculty Senate day for staff.
March Mammal Madness wrapped up over Spring Break with the Great White Shark being victorious! This is the first time a non-mammal won MMM. The students had a great and educational time - filling out their brackets, watching the matches and calculating their points! Classroom bracket winners are: Ollie Branham, Shylah Clark, Dominick Fragomene, Brooklyn Branson, Xander Lopez and Jace Wright. Well done, Mustangs!
JCS Reminder: Tomorrow, Monday, April 8th is a 2-Hour Early Dismissal.
A reminder that Spring Break begins on Friday, March 29, with all Jefferson County schools and offices closed. Schools will remain closed April 1-5, while JCS offices will be open. Students will return to school on Monday, April 8. Enjoy your Spring Break!
Please review the JCS calendar reminders and changes for April: https://www.smore.com/n/qr4xnh
Congratulations to Brianna Bradford, 3rd place winner of the JCS Black History Month Art Contest for her pencil sketch entitled "Embrace." More than two dozen talented student artists from JCS middle and high schools submitted breathtaking original artwork for this district-wide art competition to recognize the achievements and amplify the voices of Black men and women throughout history. Beautiful job, Brianna!
March MAMMAL Madness continues! We reached the Sweet 16! Which of these animals will come out on top? Stay tuned to see which animal is triumphant and which of Ms. Day's Science students has the winning bracket!.
💵 Thanks to the Office of West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore for helping JCS middle school students "Get a Life!" Eighth-graders across the district participated in this interactive, award-winning program to learn about financial literacy. Students developed a family budget, managed an expense ledger, and participated in real-life simulations with the help of community volunteers serving as salespeople, insurance agents, and doctors. Thank you to these local business leaders for supporting our students in this crucial hands-on learning experience!
The 8th graders participated in the "Get a Life" program this week -- an activity put on by the Treasury Department of WV to teach managing finances and the importance of education through two simulations - one as a person who received higher education and one that didn't. After receiving the jobs, students were challenged to get all the necessities while staying within the budget given. It was fun, thought-provoking and relevant. Nice work, Mustangs! 🏘💲
The 6th grade hallway has been overtake by March MAMMAL Madness! Round one in each of the 4 divisions was completed last Wednesday. Stay tuned to see which animal comes out on top and which of Ms. Day's Science students has the winning bracket!. For more on March Mammal Madness, go to: https://tinyurl.com/2024MammalMadness
Nice work Mustangs!
Each week the 7th grade students face an"Would You Rather ?" Question. They vote throughout the week with clothespins. Here's this week's question. Would they rather have the standard calendar or year round one with longer breaks? -- one more day to vote!
Students from all four middle schools recently represented JCS at the first-ever West Virginia Middle School All-State Band in Charleston. The event marked the first time middle school band musicians had the opportunity to earn this state-wide recognition. Visit https://www.jcswv.org/article/1386997 for a complete list of attendees!
🎨 JCS student artists display their talent at the Jefferson Arts Council's annual Youth Art Show! 🎨 Congratulations to the talented young artists selected to participate in the 2024 Youth Art Show! JCS art teachers submit the best of students' 2D and 3D artwork for the annual event celebrating West Virginia's Youth Art Month. A public reception on March 10 honored the featured artists, and their art teachers were on hand to support their success! The Youth Art Show runs through March 31 at the Firehouse Gallery in Charles Town.
Wildwood Middle Families:
Thank you for the outpouring of support with the loss of Ms. Jodi Brock. She was an integral part of the Mustang Community, and her loss is felt deeply throughout our community. We are honoring her memory through various memorials and initiatives, including an award at the 8th-grade Recognition Ceremony. We will share information on any community events surrounding future memorial efforts as they are available.
During Ms. Brock's leadership as the Interim Principal at WMS, I served as JCS's Interim Chief Finance Officer. My interim position provided valuable experience and learning opportunities that I will carry forward in my career. After some reflection on where my professional passion and dedication are, I am returning to my position as Principal of Wildwood Middle School. I am dedicated to working directly with our students and staff to create the best school environment. I will continue supporting our whole county and WMS during this transition.
Since January 22, 2024, I have supported our students and staff several days a week at Wildwood Middle School. I have been in classrooms, spent time in the cafeteria with our students during lunches, and ensured that students arrived and departed from school safely during bus duty. I have met many of our 6th-grade students and reintroduced myself to our 7th and 8th-grade students, whom I worked with previously. This time at Wildwood has reaffirmed my decision to work directly with our students.
As with any change, there can be questions or concerns, and I encourage you to contact me directly for help. I am committed to transparency and communication with our families regarding academic and socio-emotional student success.
Thank you for trusting me to continue the mission and vision of WMS. I look forward to the remainder of this school year and the years to come.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Moss
Principal, Wildwood Middle School
What an active and engaging day of professional learning! Elementary art teachers participated in hands-on activities today as they continue to grow as professional educators. It was just one of several district-wide training opportunities JCS was proud to offer staff on this professional learning day as they continue to perfect their skills in our schools and classrooms. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to student success!
As a reminder, there is no school for students tomorrow, Friday, March 8, 2024. This is a professional development day for staff.