May 26, 2023

GRADE 8 PROMOTION EVENTS - SAVE THE DATES, MORE INFO FOR ALL TO FOLLOW:

6/13 - Promotion Commotion Dance, WJJMS Gym West, 6pm

6/14 - Grade 8 High Meadow Field Trip

6/15 - Grade 8 Promotion Ceremony, WJJMS Amphitheater (rain location will be Bacon Acad), 6pm (shortened day of school)

6/16 - Promotion Picnic, during school (shortened day, last day of school)

 

BOOK DONATIONS NEEDED:

Do you have gently used middle school level books you no longer need? WJ is accepting middle school level book donations for a Summer Reading table at the Night of the Arts. Donate books between May 22nd and June 7th. Books will be available for families to peruse and take home during the Night of the Arts. Thank you!

 

WJJMS END OF YEAR CHROMEBOOK COLLECTION:

  • 8th Grade Chromebook Collection - Chromebooks and chargers will be collected on June 14th for 8th graders. Please remind your child to bring in their Chromebook and Charger to school on this day. 

 

  • 6th and 7th grade families - Students will hold onto their Chromebooks for the summer. Devices will be disabled on Tuesday, June 20th and will be enabled on Monday, August 28th so students can access Powerschool to check on their homeroom teacher assignment for the 2023-24 school year.

 

BACON DANCE TEAM TRYOUTS:

Attention all 8th graders! The Bacon Academy Varsity Dance Team will be holding tryouts for the Fall season on Monday, June 5th and Wednesday, June 7th from 3:30PM to 5:30PM in the Blackbox Theatre. Both days are mandatory. No dance experience required, just a willingness to learn and have fun! Sign up information can be found on the Dance Team's Instagram page: @BAdanceteam

 

WJJMS ARTS NIGHT - FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 5-7PM:

Please join us in celebrating the arts at WJ with: Music by our Jazz Band, Student Artwork, Interactive Innovations Displays, and Digital Media Displays too.  Enjoy cookies and dessert items donated by local businesses and staff while supplies last. The ongoing Endangered Species Mural, created by various student artists and funded by our amazing PTO, will also be open for viewing.  Come and see how far we've gotten in our first year of this ongoing project.

 

PTO PAINT NIGHT:

Attention all WJJMS students! Stay after school on Wednesday June 7, 2023, for a fun summer painting activity. Event will be in the cafe from 2:15-3:30pm. Cost is $15 per student. Please arrange to have someone pick you up from WJJMS around 3:30pm! Register here.

 

PTO YOGA NIGHT - SAVE THE DATE:

The WJJMS PTO is happy to announce a Yoga Night on Wednesday June 14, 2023 from 7-8pm in the Black Box Theater (The Commons).  Join us and yoga instructor Amie Meacham for a 90's night soundtrack of music and some stretchy relaxation; before the summer break begins!  Parents of 8th grade students are encouraged to join before their students return at 8pm from the field trip.  This event will be geared toward adults but middle and high school students with yoga experience are welcome. More info on how to sign-up to follow soon.

 

COLCHESTER YOUTH COALITION FIRST FAMILY AGREEMENT:

Sometimes talking to kids about alcohol and cannabis use can be hard.  Here is a link from the Colchester Youth First Coalition to a family agreement that is a really great conversation starter for parents and children regarding ways to provide a safe home environment where alcohol and cannabis products are secured.  As you may already know, legalized adult use of recreational cannabis products leads to increased accidental ingestion among children.

Youth First Flyer

 

8TH GRADE PICNIC:

WJJMS PTO is happy to coordinate this annual event for all 8th graders to celebrate their promotion with their classmates. Pizza, snacks, drinks and desserts will be served. Special Bacon Academy** T-shirts will be given to each graduate. 

We will need volunteers on the day of the picnic. Keep your eyes open for links coming soon so you can sign up for food, time and/or monetary contributions. Contact Jessica Trusz [email protected] with any questions you may have.

Thank you for your donation and assistance with this special day. We could not do it without you!

 

SAFE FUTURES PROGRAM:

Safe Futures will once again be coming to WJJMS to teach all 8th-grade students. The Pi team will be May 22-25 and Zeta Mu will be June 5-8.

Safe Futures is a non-profit organization that advocates for those impacted by domestic violence. This organization provides many services to families. One of them is a teen dating violence prevention program in grades 7-12.  This is an evidenced-based program developed to teach children about what healthy and unhealthy friendships and/or dating relationships look like. 

The school counseling department has arranged for this program to come in as part of our students’ transition activities to the high school. 

As our students become young adults, it becomes increasingly important for them to recognize the signs of harmful relationships, and also to continue to learn skills to engage in safe, fulfilling ones.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Meg Lewis, School Counselor, [email protected]

 

CAREER FAIR - WE NEED YOUR HELP:

The Career Fair is coming Friday, June 2, 2023 from 8:00-12:30 p.m. with a luncheon provided immediately following. WE NEED YOUR HELP! We would love to have our parents and community members join us to share about their careers. ALL CAREERS ARE WELCOME!! Our goal is for students in grades 6-8 to explore the many opportunities available to them, with an emphasis on finding careers that match their interests.  This will be in a career fair format, where students will visit a representative (that's you!) at their table and ask questions related to that career.  If you are interested in helping us please complete the attached registration form: 

Career Fair Registration Form We currently have 21 participants but we need many more! 

Looking forward to hearing from you and making this a community effort! 

 

YOUTH SERVICES SUMMER TRIPS:

Click here to view the calendar/registration of trips and a detail of each trip.

 

YOUTH SERVICES DROP-IN INFO:

Youth Center Drop-in Info

 

SUMMER CAMP AT THE WILLIAMS SCHOOL:

Please click here for more information.

 

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

 

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.

 

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.