PROMOTION PROGRAM ARTWORK OPPORTUNITY:
Grade 8 students are invited to design the front cover for our printed Promotion Programs which are handed out to parents and families on the night of Promotion. The cover design should be black on a 4.25” x 5.5” sheet of white paper. This year’s Promotion Program artwork entries are due by Friday, June 9, 2023. Please turn in the artwork to the main office.
GRADE 8 PROMOTION COMMOTION SEMI-FORMAL:
Tuesday, June 13, 2023, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in Gym West. WJJMS students only, no guests will be allowed. Dress to impress - nice slacks, skirt, dress, collared shirt w/ a tie, flats, sandals, shoes or neat sneakers. Complimentary beverages and light snacks will be available. Students must be in good standing, in attendance at school the day of the dance and be eligible for Promotion. Puma Pride Core Values are expected. Permission forms are available in the main office and online here. The cost is $10.00. Forms are due by 2:00 pm on the day of the dance.
GRADE 8 FIELD TRIP:
The 8th Grade field trip to High Meadow Resort in Granby will be on June 14th from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The cost is $70.00 (student behavioral points will be used toward eligibility). Field trip permission forms with payment are due Friday, June 9, 2023.
GRADE 8 PROMOTION CEREMONY:
The Promotion Ceremony will be held at 6:00 p.m. in the William J. Johnston Amphitheater Courtyard on Thursday, June 15, 2023. We ask that students arrive by 5:45 p.m. The Promotion Ceremony generally lasts just over one hour. As a suggestion, appropriate attire for the evening would be slacks and a tie (jackets are optional) or a simple sundress or skirt with a blouse. This is an OUTDOOR event. Tickets are not required for the outdoor event. Please bring your own folding chair(s). IN THE EVENT OF RAIN the ceremony will take place at Bacon Academy in the gymnasium. Tickets WILL BE required to enter the gym. Each student will receive four (4) tickets for the indoor event. A decision about rain will be made the night before, June 14th, and families will receive an email from the school. Please note that the front entrance of WJJMS is only to be used for ADA access. All others please walk around the right side of the building to the back amphitheater/courtyard. Here is a map that shows routes for walking to the back of the building depending on the location of where you park.
GRADE 8 PROMOTION REHEARSAL:
Students promoting to 9th grade will have rehearsal the morning of Promotion at the WJJMS school, providing that the ceremony will be held outside. However, if it has been determined that there will be rain on the evening of Promotion, the ceremony will then take place at Bacon Academy in the gymnasium. For rehearsal, students will be dropped off by their buses at Bacon Academy first thing in the morning on Thursday, June 15, 2023. Parents who drive their students to school should drive their students directly to Bacon Academy. Walkers can walk to Bacon Academy, take a bus from WJJMS to Bacon Academy or take their bus from home. Students will be brought to WJJMS after rehearsal by buses around 9:30 a.m. Students are handed their Promotion tickets during Promotion practice. A decision about rain will be made the night before, June 14th, and families will receive an email from the school.
GRADE 8 PROMOTION TICKETS:
All 8th grade students will receive four tickets to attend the Promotion Ceremony IF it needs to be held in the Bacon Academy gymnasium in the event of rain. 8th-grade students do not need tickets. Promotion tickets will be distributed to students during Promotion practice which is held the morning of the Promotion Ceremony. Should your family need additional Promotion tickets, please complete this online form by noon on 6/14.
GRADE 8 PROMOTION PICNIC AND T-SHIRTS:
The WJJMS PTO is happy to coordinate the annual event for 8th graders to celebrate their promotion with their classmates. Pizza, snacks, drinks, and desserts will be served on Friday, June 16, 2023. Special Bacon Academy T-shirts will be given to all students promoting to 9th grade. We will also need volunteers on the day of the picnic.
If you would like to help set up, assist during the picnic, and/or clean up, please fill out the CPS volunteer form/info in preparation and then sign-up with the PTO using this link. Please contact Jessica Trusz at [email protected] with any questions. Thank you for your donation and assistance with this special day. We could not do it without you!
BA CHEER TRYOUTS:
Bacon Academy Cheerleading Tryouts for the fall 2023 season will be Thursday, June 8th, 3pm-5:30pm and Saturday, June 10th, 9am-12pm. Tryouts will take place in the BA Gymnasium. Please wear cheer shoes/sneakers and athletic clothing. Incoming Freshman are welcome to tryout. Make sure to sign up using this google form: https://forms.gle/o8fdrUa5dAbwcxzv8 . If you have any questions please email coach at [email protected].
PUMA NEWS - FINAL EPISODE:
Please enjoy this last episode of Puma News Monthly for the year.
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 by 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:
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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:
Due to lack of participation, Paint Night on 6/7 has been cancelled.
PTO YOGA NIGHT:
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. Sign-up using this link.
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.
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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]
YOUTH SERVICES SUMMER TRIPS:
Click here to view the calendar/registration of trips and a detail of each trip.
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.
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.