March 24, 2023

RALLY AGAINST CANCER:

Help WJJMS and Colchester Schools RALLY AGAINST CANCER! Bring in monetary donations to homeroom through March 30th. Students, wear your favorite baseball shirt on March 30th for MLB Opening Day. The homeroom (per grade) with the most donations will win a yummy breakfast treat! The grade level that brings in the most money will get 50 points! Parents and families can also donate online here. Every student that brings in a donation to school will be entered into a drawing to PITCH A PIE in the face of a WJJMS STAFF MEMBER during the next forum.  

 

PUMA NEWS:

Here is the link to our latest episode.  (total runtime 18:51)

 

BUTTER BRAID FUNDRAISER:

WJJMS PTO's Butter Braid Fundraiser is from 3/27/23-4/17/23. You can order online @ https://my.mcmfundraising.com/signup/P65U or use the hardcopy order form that all students received in their homerooms & drop it off in the office for the PTO. Thanks for your support!

 

STUDENT COUNCIL TRIVIA NIGHT! 

All WJJMS students and families are welcome to Trivia Night to benefit the WJJMS Pollinator Garden.

When: Friday, April 21st from 6-7:30 pm

Where: WJJMS Cafeteria

Teams should be no more than 6 people per team, $10 per team

Please be sure to bring your own device! 

Please pre-register your team by returning this form to the office (or stop by the office to pick one up) with your $10 registration. Send cash or check to WJJMS. Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

 

VOLLEYBALL CLINIC DURING APRIL BREAK:

The Bacon Academy Volleyball team is looking for girls, in grades 6, 7, or 8th, who are interested in attending a volleyball clinic over spring break.  The clinic will take place in the BA gym and will run from April 10th-14th from 5:30pm-7:30pm  This clinic is open to all girls grades 6-8 at all skill levels and it doesn't matter if you have ever played before!  The cost is $35 and all proceeds go towards fundraising for the Bacon Academy volleyball program.  If you are interested, please complete this form or stop by the office to pickup one.

 

COURSE SELECTIONS FOR NEXT YEAR’S GRADES 7 & 8:

PowerSchool portal is open for students currently in grades 6 & 7 to enter their course selections for the 2023-24 school year. All current 6th and 7th graders are to independently log in to their PowerSchool account to submit their course selections for the next school year. The deadline to enter course requests is April 6, 2022.

Directions for Making Course Selections in PowerSchool  

  • Log in to the PowerSchool Portal: https://colchester.powerschool.com/public  

  • Click on ACCOUNT PREFERENCES on the left.

  • Click on CLASS REGISTRATION on the left.  

  • On the far right, click on each PENCIL ICON.  

  • You are encouraged to view each course group and review all of your options.  

  • Click through each screen to select courses: click the box next to the course and a checkmark will appear.  

  • Incoming Grade 8 students MUST select the same world language as the one taken in 7th grade. If you did not take a world language in Grade 7 then leave this section blank.

  • If you are currently in band and/or chorus and plan on continuing next year, click the box to enroll in one or both for next year. If you have not been a part of band or chorus and would like to add chorus and/or band to your schedule, click the box to enroll in one or both for next year.

  • After all selections have been made, click OKAY.  

  • After clicking OKAY, a screen will appear that shows all course selections.  

  • If selections are correct, click SUBMIT. (Failure to click SUBMIT will result in NO selections!)

If you experience any technical issues accessing your selections, please contact Mrs. Morgan at [email protected].  

 

PARENT PLACEMENT INPUT FOR NEXT YEAR:

We are about to begin our student placements process for next year. Our placement procedures are designed to match students to appropriate learning environments. We make the placement decisions based on extensive knowledge of teacher style, classroom design, and student needs.  We encourage, but do not require, parent feedback regarding any special consideration that should be made concerning placement or perceptions of appropriate learning environment. Please note that while parent input is accepted, it is not necessary. If you choose to complete this form, please do so by April 6th.

Each grade has two teams: Grade 6 - Beta & Omega; Grade 7 - Sigma & Alpha; Grade 8 - Pi & Zeta Mu.  

Requests for specific teams will not be accepted. 

Please click on this link if you would like to provide input. https://forms.gle/5hA1XgcSXwctgKcG8

If you have any questions re: the link above or accessing the form, please contact [email protected]

 

YARD GOATS GAME - MAY 6th:

Spend an evening @ the ballpark with family and friends of WJJMS. There will be fireworks after the show.  Come early and support the chorus students as they sing the National Anthem before the game. Game begins at 6:10 PM, gates open at 4:30 PM. Tickets are $12. Parking is an additional fee. Please use this order form to submit your order. Any questions, please email Sam VanZilen at [email protected].

 

COURSE SELECTIONS FOR NEXT YEAR’S FRESHMEN:

Please remember to take a look at the Program of Studies for Bacon Academy and their Course Selection Letter explaining the graduation requirements, the available electives your child will be able to choose from and the directions on how to select them in PowerSchool.  Selections must be completed by April 7th. 

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Grade 8 Counselor, Meg Lewis, at 860-537-2313 or at [email protected].

 

PROJECT GRADUATION - FOR INCOMING FRESHMEN PARENTS:

Project Graduation provides fun and safe activities for all graduating seniors through a post- graduation celebration at a surprise location on the night of graduation. This came about from a 1979 tragedy in Maine where seven teenagers died due to alcohol and drug related car crashes during the graduation season. 

Parents at Bacon Academy joined this movement in the early 1990’s so that we would hopefully not incur the same tragedies in our community. Not only does Project Graduation provide the post-graduation party, but we provide 250 additional chairs for graduation, commemorative gifts, and an ice cream social. 

We spend several years raising funds needed to provide all these festivities/items for our seniors and we begin fundraising freshman year. Each grade level fundraises for their class and it is important for us to be able to stay in contact with the parents at all levels. With this in mind, if you would like to stay informed about activities, fundraising opportunities, events, etc. please fill out this form so that we can contact you.

 

THE LEO'S WANT YOU!:

 

Leo's Flyer

 

CANNABIS-FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Below is a link to a recording of a Community Conversation that the Youth First Coalition presented on January 31st.  The presentation is from the Governor’s Prevention Partnership and there is a lot of important information about Cannabis.  We hope that you will find time to watch the recording at your convenience.   

Cannabis Facts

https://youtu.be/TfSQAXoqHec

 

Also, please check out the Youth First Coalition website for helpful prevention resources! 

https://www.colchesterct.gov/colchester-youth-social-services/youth-first-coalition/pages/prevention-resources

  

STUDENT  COUNCIL MEETINGS:

The dates for the remaining Student Council meetings are: April 3 and May 8.  All meetings will be held in room 109 after school until 2:45 PM.

 

SHOWCASE YOUR STUDENT:

We are looking to showcase or spotlight our students here at WJ by recognizing achievements they have earned outside of the school day. These recognitions would take place during our whole school monthly forums. Achievements could include Boy/Girl Scouts honors, athletic awards from a team they play on, musical performances and many more. Please use this form (it can be submitted as many times and as often as needed).  Please know that we will try to include all submissions, but may be unable to do so due to total received.

 

CAREER FAIR:

WJJMS will be holding a Career Fair on June 2, from 8:00-12:30 PM (lunch provided). We would love to have our parents and community members join us to speak about their careers. Please read this flyer for more information. If you are interested in sharing about your career, please complete this registration form.   

 

MINDS MATTER:

A group for middle school students to learn skills to reduce anxiety in ways that they enjoy. They’ll create a toolbox of methods that can help anyone when they’re feeling overwhelmed. Thursdays, February 9-March30 from 2:15-4pm for grades 6-8. Please see this flyer for more information. 

  

COLCHESTER YOUTH LACROSSE REGISTRATION:

Registration is now open for Colchester Youth Lacrosse sports recreation program. This opportunity is available to all boys and girls from kindergarten to 8th grade! We accept all applicants. Our program uses positive reinforcement by developing team players and leaders. Our focus is to develop the players in a fun atmosphere and introduce them to a fast, growing easy to play sport. Visit our website at Colchesterlax.org.

 

MARIJUANA EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES:

As you are probably aware, recreational cannabis dispensaries opened this week in Connecticut, so in partnership with the Colchester Youth First Prevention Coalition, we are sharing these resources with parents as a means to support your discussions with your children regarding marijuana use and sale.  Please scan the QR code on the flyers for additional information.

THC COntent     Reasons Start

      

DRUGS - WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR KIDS:

When is a good time to speak with your child about drugs? Any time you can! Looking for something to talk about during the upcoming school vacation? Here are some excellent resources about how to start a conversation with your child regarding drug use.

 

SCHOOL HOURS REMINDER:

The instructional day begins at 7:18 a.m. and ends at 2:00 p.m. Students should not arrive at school prior to 7:05 a.m., as they will be unsupervised. The main office is open from 6:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

On a shortened day, the day begins at the usual time, but ends at 11:40 a.m. If there is a delayed opening, school begins at 9:18 a.m. and ends at 2:00 p.m.  The main office hours may change in the event of an unexpected school delay or closing.