We are grateful for all of the enthusiastic parents who helped us coordinate the Mini Marathon on Thursday! The kids pushed through the 1.6 mile course, even when they had doubts, and all the cheering from parents along the way really helped. Many “thank yous” were uttered by the kids as they ran by us in pursuit of the finish line. Some pictures are below, courtesy of our parent volunteer. Wednesday is an Early Release day and the Spirit Wear Store is open at the Donizetti Entrance. The Grade 8 “Pano Picture” is on Thursday and Friday is the highly anticipated “Trills and Thrills” music festival at Six Flags for 7th grade chorus. Happy Passover to everyone who celebrated! All the best,
Your 2023-2024 PTO Presidents
Katie Sullivan & Annie Oh |
| - Monday 4/29: Day 4
- Tuesday 4/30: Day 5
- Wednesday 5/1: Day 6
District-wide Early Release - Thursday 5/2: Day 1
- Friday 5/3: Day 2
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Links for information on dates and events that are further out: LINK to Wellesley Middle School Events Calendar LINK to Wellesley Public School Events Calendar |
Wednesday: District-Wide Early Release Wednesday, May 1st is an early release day. It is a "Day 6" with all classes meeting with an abbreviated schedule. School dismissal is precisely at @11:21 a.m. **Please remind your students if they are visiting any establishments in Wellesley after dismissal to be respectful of employees and other customers. The WMS Spirit Wear Store will be open from 11:20-12pm at the Donizetti Street entrance with shorts, hoodies, and tees for sale. |
Teacher Appreciation Week: May 6th-10th Do we love our teachers? Here's our chance to show it!!! Our Vice President, Scott Lainer, is planning Teacher Appreciation week with the help of parents Caryn Navarro, Lara Cohen, and Ted Rebholz. We are so grateful for everyone's participation to coordinate a great week for our dedicated 212 WMS Staff. The plans include: thank you notes written by your students to their favorite teachers (Monday), Anna's Taqueria burrito lunch (Wednesday), and a breakfast in the Faculty Dining Room (Friday). 90% of the food and supplies are paid for by your annual donation to the PTO. For the other 10% we are asking for food donations, to keep the overall cost down. To sign up to donate yogurt, baked goods, or supplies, please click here. If you would rather support the effort financially, please click here to donate funds. |
iCode WMS Workshop: May 17th, 6-8PM iCode of Wellesley is offering a special beginner Robotics workshop on Friday, May 17th from 6:00-8:00PM for WMS students. Engage your child in a unique evening which fosters creative thinking and hands-on robotics skills. No experience necessary! During this 2-hour event, your child will be introduced to VEX Robots, as well as light and sound sensors, to build a “Battle Bot” for a fun round of competition after the build. 15% of the proceeds will go to the WMS PTO. Questions? Email Soundarya at: wellesley107@icodeschool.com Siblings are welcome, and friends from other schools, as long as they are 10-16 years. We need 12 students to run the workshop and Soundarya will be in touch about registration numbers after you SIGN UP HERE. |
Summer Book Fair: May 31, 1-2PM Friday, May 31st from 1-2pm we’ll have our last PTO Meeting of the year in the WMS Library and we request that all Officers, Executive Board Members, and helpers throughout the school year attend. We have a small gift for all attendees to show our gratitude for your support. Bindy from Wellesley Books will highlight a few novels on the Summer Reading List for all grades (including entering 9th). She’ll bring some books to purchase during the meeting. Treasurers, Lara Sojka and Katie Oldoerp, will give a short update on the “year in review” and distribute the 2024-2025 school year PTO budget for a vote. We look forward to seeing you there to celebrate a fantastic year!!! |
Rules of The Ride Event: June 1, 10-12PM The Third Annual “Rules of the Ride” bike training event (for students age 11-14 yrs) is scheduled for June 1st from 10am-12pm at the Wellesley High School parking lot. This popular event for rising and current middle schoolers includes basic safety instruction, and a Wellesley Police guided ride along the Brook Path and surrounding neighborhoods. Are you free on June 1st? Do you like to bike? We are looking for 5 parents to help with check-in and ride behind the student groups. Please email wmsptoinfo@gmail.com by Friday, May 10th if this is something you might be interested in. |
Mini-Marathon Pictures Thank you again for helping us to cheer our students on! SPECIAL NOTE: Grade 8 students need to keep their red t-shirts handy for Community Service Day on June 4th and the Boston Scavenger Hunt on June 6th. Please do not "customize" or cut your t-shirts before then. |
Southwest Parks: 8th Grade Trip Report A note and some pictures from Ms. Santelli who organized a fantastic Southwest Parks Trip over April Break. This first picture is from Zion National Park in Utah. These four kids and I hiked up to Scout Lookout, just below Angel's Landing. This is near the trailhead and the hike was 3.5 miles with an elevation gain of about 1,115 ft. They were strong hikers! The second picture is a beautiful sunset from the Cowboy Cookout Night we attended in Knab, UT. We took large military vehicles out to this location and learned about the indigenous history of the land and songs from the Paiute peoples. Afterwards, we had a "cowboy BBQ dinner" and sat around the fire to hear ghost stories (the legend of Montezuma's Gold) and enjoyed roasting smores' with Cowboy John. The area is known for having been in the scenes of many famous films, most recently "WestWorld". The third picture is the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, near the Desert View Watchtower. The photo doesn't do this area justice. I tried to include a view of the Colorado River in it to demonstrate its depth, sedimentary rock formation, the eroded landscape and its vastness with the Kaibab Plateau all around. The fourth picture is from Marble Canyon (Vermillion Cliffs) near the Navajo Bridge. This area is great for viewing the Colorado River and it is the starting point of the Grand Canyon, where you see many of the near extinct California Condors. In 1982, only 22 condors remained. Due to a captive reintroduction program that started in 1992, there are now 500 condors flying free as you walk along the Navajo Bridge. |
| A Road Map for Parents: Tools to Reduce Your Child's Anxiety, Stress and School Avoidance Lynn Lyons, LICSW THIS TUESDAY
April 30th @6:30pm, WHS Auditorium Current news about young people and mental health has created warranted concern, but the information can be overwhelming and hard to sort through. Parents need dependable strategies to help their children manage their anxiety, moods, and social pressures, including school avoidance. The ability to help guide our children requires, more than ever, an ability to recognize and address one’s own emotional management as we practice and model better skills. Based on current research and over 30 years of clinical experience, Lynn Lyons will talk about the common traps adults fall into, and the key adjustments needed to prevent and stem the current surge of anxiety and depression in our kids. |
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| Send a WEF Red Apple for Teacher Appreciation Week! Give a Memorable and Impactful Gift Teacher Appreciation Week is May 6th through May 10th. There's no better way to show your gratitude than to give a WEF Red Apple. A cherished Red Apple is a wonderful way to thank special teachers and staff members who make an impact in your child's daily life, while also supporting innovative educational programs for all WPS students from pre-K to grade 12. Click here to donate a Red Apple today! |
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| PAC Monthly Coffee Join us on Thursday, May 2 from 9-10:30 for our monthly PAC coffee! The coffee will be at the home of Christine Mizzi at 16 Suffolk Road. The PAC supports families in town who have children (PAWS through WHS) that are receiving special education services from the district. If you are unable to attend this coffee, the last coffee for the 2023-2024 school year will be Thursday, June 6. Please feel free to bring a friend or forward to someone that you think may benefit from meeting others within the PAC community. We look forward to meeting you! |
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| Spring Hike in Millennium Park with Friends of Wellesley METCO! Please join Friends of Wellesley METCO on Sunday, May 5, 2024, 12:00-3:00PM (Rain Date: June 2, 12-3pm). We will explore beautiful Millennium Park (300 Gardner Street, West Roxbury). Hike the trail, play games, and eat ice cream! Meet in the parking lot next to Field B. Hosted by Friends of Wellesley METCO and Building Bridges Initiative. Host contact (Dawn Woods): (617) 851-7354 |
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| Youth Mental Health Workshop Series Parents & caregivers are invited to take part in the workshop series, “Building Resilience: Supporting Youth Mental Health,” held at the Wellesley Free Library’s Wakelin Room on May 8 and May 22 at 6:30 p.m. The series is sponsored by Thrive Wellesley and will feature guest speakers from Newton-Wellesley Hospital’s The Resilience Project. It is designed to help families - parents, guardians & caregivers - gain a better understanding of the skills, community support, and resources for developing positive mental health and connections within their families. Join for either or both sessions. Full details here. - May 8 – The Continuum of Care from Prevention to Treatment
- May 22 – Building Resilience in Kids and Ourselves
Register now through the WFL website here. Thrive Wellesley is an Initiative of the Kiwanis Club of Wellesley, in partnership with the Wellesley Youth Commision and Wellesley Health Department, and funded by the Community Fund for Wellesley. |
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| Wellesley EV Test Drive and Showcase Test drive at least two EV or hybrid vehicles: - 12 makes and models available.
- Learn what it is like to own and drive an EV from fellow residents.
- Take advantage of federal tax credits and state rebates to save $10,000+.
- Get advice from EV experts.
REGISTER NOW
This free event takes place: Thursday, May 9th, 4 - 7 p.m. at the parking lot across from MassBay Community College. Rain date: Thursday May 16, 4 - 7 p.m. Test drives available based on order of pre-registration at: bit.ly/EVMay2024 |
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| Wellesley Post Office Food Drive - May 11th Want to help the cause of food insecurity in an easy but impactful way? Take part in the Wellesley Post Office Food Drive on Saturday, May 11th. This food drive is partnered with the Wellesley Food Pantry, which means that all proceeds from the food drive in Wellesley will be brought to the food pantry. This is a national event that takes place everywhere in the United States so alert your family and friends across the country so that they can donate to their local organizations as well. The idea is to leave any donations you have right next to your mailbox. If you do not have a mailbox, there are mailboxes located in areas accessible to anyone that are larger than normal mailboxes. Since all donations in Wellesley go directly to the Wellesley Food Pantry, donating items from their wishlist on their website would be very helpful to them. Additionally, this is not the only way to help food insecurity. The Wellesley Food Pantry is open for donations and many local religious organizations have opportunities for people to donate food to help the cause. Hunger is a problem that affects many people, so please, don’t wait to take action. |
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| Schofield Road Race - Registration Now LIVE! NEWS FLASH! - Schofield 5K - REGISTRATION IS NOW LIVE!!!! Sign up today and get early bird pricing and a FREE T-Shirt for the first 300 registrants! Click Here To Register Event Details: Sunday, June 2nd at 9:30am Kids FunRun, FunFair, DJ, food and games to follow! BIGGEST EVENT OF THE YEAR!! Sign up today! Race Link: https://schofieldpto.redpodium.com/2024-schofield-road-race |
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| Wellesley Swimming Association - Fall Tryouts Looking for a recreation swim team?
Wellesley Swimming (the area's premier recreation swim team and member of the Winter Suburban Swim League) will host fall tryouts on Sunday, September 29th* from 3-6pm at the Boston Sports Institute.
New and experienced swimmers, ages 6-18 welcome! Registration opens towards the end of August. Click here to join the WSA mail list
Information about tryouts will be shared late summer! Season runs mid-October through early March For general team information:
www.wellesleyswim.org email: admin@wellesleyswim.org Click here to view flyer (*date subject to change) |
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| WPS Family STEAM Night On Monday evening, May 20, 2024, WPS will host a Family STEAM evening for our PreK-12 families. We will have STEAM activities including coding, programming robots, science and math games, working with circuits and more. Additionally, Amon Millner, Associate Professor of Computing and Innovation at Olin College of Engineering will be our featured speaker. He will talk about a variety of technology and engineering topics including ways children can incorporate computing and programming into the way they play, learn and prepare for ways to help their community. Please join us for an evening immersed in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math). Please click on this flyer to learn more. |
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