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PRINCIPAL'S NEWSLETTER
Watertown Middle School
January 10, 2025
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This week our Italian Club celebrated La Befana, the Feast of the Epiphany which marks the end of the Christmas Season in Italy. Our very own Ms. Mazzola herself dressed up as La Befana! |
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Ms. McDonagh's English class went outside to view a “crime scene” as an activity to prepare to read The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton. They practiced making observations and inferences about what might have happened and who was at the scene. This was a great, engaging activity to prepare for the novel! |
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On January 27th and 28th, all students will take the mid-year Math and Reading iReady diagnostic assessment.
The iReady Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit each student's needs. Each item a student sees is individualized based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier questions. The purpose of this is not to give students a score or grade, but instead to determine how best to support each student's learning and measure growth over the course of the school year. Students participate in two assessments, one literacy, one math, three times per year to illustrate growth.
With your student's next report card, you will receive an iReady report that has information about your student's results. More information about the assessment can be found on their website here.
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ATTENTION GRADE 8 FAMILIES!
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The 2nd payment for the 8th grade Washington D.C. trip is due on February 7th. If your student is attending, you should have received an email from Mr. McDermott with instructions on how to make the payment. If you have not, please reach out to him at christopher.mcdermott@watertown.k12.ma.us . |
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MLK JR. DAY AND UNITY BREAKFAST
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Presented by our Kingian Club, our annual MLK assembly will be held next week on Thursday and Friday. There will be student performances as well as readings of selected MLK essay submissions.
In addition, there is no school on January 20th, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Please consider joining us at this year's Unity Breakfast, sponsored by World in Watertown, from 8:30 to 11:30 AM at the Hellenic Center!
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PRINCIPAL SEARCH: FOCUS GROUP
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We are currently searching for the next WMS Principal! If you are interested in sharing your thoughts and ideas for this position, please join our focus group meeting next Tuesday, January 14th, at 6:00 PM or 8:00 PM via Zoom. |
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Clubs for Term 2 have officially begun! Clubs will run until March 28th and are free for all students to join. We highly recommend our students join an extracurricular activity as it is a great way to get connected to our school community. |
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Don't miss our upcoming Winter Recitals! The 7th & 8th Grade Recital is next Thursday, January 16th, at 6:00 PM in the WMS Auditorium and the 6th Grade Recital is on Thursday, January 23rd, at 6:00 PM in the WMS Auditorium. Come see our WMS musicians. |
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In case you missed our WMS swag order, which is estimated to be delivered next week, consider supporting the high school Class of 2027 by purchasing their Raiders hoodie! They are available in both adult and youth sizes and the sale ends next Friday, January 17th.
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INTEGRATED MONITORING REVIEW
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Please see this letter from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education about the upcoming Integrated Monitoring Review of our district. |
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The Watertown Free Public Library wants to hear from you! The Library is seeking community input to guide their 2026–2028 Strategic Plan, and all community members are invited to participate in the Library's 2025 user survey! The Watertown Library would love to hear from you and your input is greatly valued! The survey is made available online in English, Portguguese, and Spanish. Paper surveys in English, Español, Português, Kreyol Ayisyen, Русский, 自行车, and العربية are available at the Library’s first floor Circulation Desk. The Library appreciates your participation in helping guide its future!
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- January 16th, 6:00 PM, WMS Auditorium
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- January 20th, 8:30 - 11:30 AM, Hellenic Center
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CLUSTER 4 PEABODY MUSEUM FIELD TRIP
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- January 23rd, 6:00 PM, WMS Auditorium
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CLUSTER 3 PEABODY MUSEUM FIELD TRIP
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We are always open to feedback! Please send us feedback through our survey here.
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