On Monday, January 18, campus will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  In my announcements to the students today, I talked about Monday as “a day on, not a day off,” and I encouraged them to find a way to volunteer their time to help others. Each student designed a puzzle piece this week to show how they might give back or help their community, perhaps a friend, a neighbor, or a family member. We will be putting our pieces together into one large puzzle, a visible symbol of how each of us can work to make the world a better place. 

President-Elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be sworn in on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. This peaceful transfer of presidential power from one administration to the next is an important hallmark of American democracy. We hope that we will have the opportunity to share this time with our students. More details to follow. 

As always, I appreciate each of you and your efforts to keep our community safe by ensuring your family follows the CDC guidelines and safety protocols. 

Thank you,
Dee Koscik
Middle School Principal

Daily Reminders

We continue to try and manage our online and onsite learners the very best way possible and having consistency within those two groups is key to that success. To this end, we have set some guidelines regarding attendance that will be helpful in allowing us to maintain quality of instruction, and indeed, our sanity. See below.

Middle School Daily Bell Schedule

ATTENDANCE 
First, if your child is really not feeling well, let’s not forget the old-fashioned sick days. They should not come to school, and it may be best to take a break from the screen and get some rest.

In-person learners who do not physically come to school will be marked absent. These will be coded as ‘absent-medical’ and will not count against them.
In-person learners will not be allowed to take assessments, quizzes, etc. at home and should make arrangements with the teacher to make it up when they return.

PARTIAL ATTENDANCE
Tardies
Recently, we have seen an increase in students learning remotely being tardy to class. While there may be valid reasons for this, often it is because students have lost track of time. Please know that tardies disrupt the teaching & learning process, so students who are tardy will no longer be admitted to class. They will be considered absent.

Leaving Early
Students who leave class early without teacher permission will be counted as absent. 

Cameras Off
Some students have not been leaving their cameras on when learning from home. Again, on occasion there is a reason for this - perhaps they’re working in another app or the teacher has given them permission to do so. However, often, when teachers attempt to contact the students or engage them in class discussions, students are not responding, leading us to believe that their attention is elsewhere. Please note that students should leave their cameras on unless given permission to turn it off. 

Stay Engaged with the Parent Community

Keep up with all the Parent Community news, events and volunteer opportunities by visiting the Parent Community website and following us on Facebook and Instagram. Being involved with the Parent Community is a great way to get to know other parents and enrich campus life.

 

Counselor Corner

Happy New Year and welcome to spring semester 2021! We are so excited to see our students back and relaxed from winter break. Although we love working with our students, our school counselors also work to provide information that may be helpful to our parents. In lieu of recent news, we would like to present some information on how to talk to your children or answer questions that may come up within the home. We know Covid, anxiety, and depression affect young people's lives too, so we want to provide as safe and healthy an environment as possible for them. Here are a couple of articles that can help you have those conversations within your home. As always, you can reach out to your school counselors for help!

How to talk to children about the Capitol riots: An age by age guide

Talking to Kids About the Attack on the Capitol

In an effort to keep our remote learners connected and ensure that they are as much a part of our school community as everyone who is on campus, our Peer Helpers have established Middle School Meetups so that all of our students have the opportunity to remotely gather and socialize twice a month. On the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month Peer leaders host “Meetups” and play games (with prizes!) with any and all Middle School students who wish to join. Meetups are held after school after students have had time to get home and relax for a bit.  Have your students listen for Meetup Announcements and check their emails for the Meetup invitations!

Finally, we want to help ensure that all of our families have access to resources to support your children and yourselves while we are still grappling with COVID-19. Check out the awesome and hopefully helpful information here in the CDC’s COVID-19 Parent Resources Kit.

Check out the Parent Survival Guide  for some suggestions on how to help your teens and tween navigate Middle School and hopefully maintain some peace in your homes!

Dr. Naima Williams
7th Grade Counselor 404-765-4437
Naima.williams@woodward.edu

Meredith Draper 
8th Grade Counselor 404-765-4436
Meredith.draper@woodward.edu

Sibling Applications

We are now accepting applications for the 2021-2022 school year, and we want to make sure siblings of current Woodward students have primary consideration for our limited openings. You may start the application process here. In addition, if you have family, friends, or neighbors interested in applying their children, you can email a letter of recommendation to admissions@woodward.edu to improve their chances for acceptance. Thank you for entrusting Woodward with the education of your child, and we look forward to helping you, your family, and friends share the Woodward experience!

Magnus COVID Screening Instructions

• For safety purposes, we are using the Magnus app for our COVID pre screening each school day. It is important for all students to be screened prior to arriving on campus. Attached, you will find the directions, so that perhaps this weekend, you might have the time to practice using it. If you have difficulty with the Magnus app, please reach out to our middle school nurse for assistance - MaryRaine.Whyte@woodward.edu.

Absences & Early Dismissal

An absence is excused when the school receives a note or phone call from the parent or legal guardian explaining the absence, or a note from the doctor showing attendance for an appointment.

• In the case of an illness, the need to leave early or late arrival due to an appointment, the parent or guardian should call the front office (404-765-4430) or e-mail absms@woodward.edu.  

Publix Partners: Keep Shopping!

Over the years, Publix has donated more than $36 million to different schools and organizations.  It’s easy!  Enroll at www.publix.com/partners, select your school and enter your phone number at checkout.  So keep shopping and turn your groceries into education! Thank you for your participation.