May 5, 2023

PTO MESSAGE ABOUT STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK:

It's Staff Appreciation Week, May 8 - May 12. Let's celebrate our WJJMS Staff with lunch on Friday, May 12! All Items can be dropped off at the WJJMS' main office between 7am-10am on 5/12/23, or earlier if non-perishable. Our theme is tropical - get creative with food ideas! 

Here’s a link to the sign-up sheet: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409054AAFA62EA1F49-wjjms1

 

GRADE 7 DANCE - HOLD THE DATE:

The Halfway Home Hula is a dance for seventh graders and will be held on May 25th, from 6-8pm ($10/person).  More info to follow soon.

Hula Dance

 

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 are asking for a $10.00 donation to help defray the costs of pizza, t-shirt, drinks, paper goods and entertainment. 

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.

Please return this form with your $10.00 donation to the office by May 16, 2023.  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]

 

SCHOLAR-LEADER AWARD RECIPIENTS:

Congratulations to Toheed Usman & Keegan McKenzie, the WJJMS recipients of the Middle Level Scholar-Leader Award. A banquet will be held in June to recognize these two students who distinguished themselves in scholarship & leadership in both school & community. 

Award Recipients

 

BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE BOOK FAIR:

Get ready! The Buy One, Get One Free Scholastic Book Fair is coming our way May 8th-12th!  Choosing their own books empowers kids and inspires them to become Bolder, Prouder, and Stronger Readers. AND—as always—every book they buy earns rewards for our school.  

Students can use cash or you can set up an  eWallet—your child’s digital payment account. Before the Fair, set up eWallet for worry-free, cash-free purchases. Anyone can contribute! Share each child’s eWallet so friends and family can add funds and give your kids more books to enjoy. If you had an ewallet from a previous fair with funds on it, please visit the scholastic site to update the wallet to connect it to the Spring fair.

If you can’t make it to the Fair, then shop at our school’s Online Book Fair. All orders ship directly to your home, and shipping is free for book orders over $25. Your online orders will also benefit our school.

Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more and get started with eWallet and online shopping:

https://bookfairs-content.scholastic.com/bf/williamjjohnstonmiddlesch?method=homepage&url=williamjjohnstonmiddlesch

The countdown to more Bookjoy is on! Catch you at the Fair! Happy reading!

Book Fair info

 

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.

  

STUDENT  COUNCIL MEETING:

The next Student Council meeting is May 8 in room 109 after school until 2:45 PM. 

 

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.