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WMS Newsletter - Mid-October (Halloween, Red Ribbon Week, Dates, Reminders)

Posted Date: 10/17/25 (4:12 PM)
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WMS Newsletter - Mid-October (Halloween, Red Ribbon Week, Dates, Reminders)

October 17, 2025

Dear WMS Families,

We are already halfway through October! The second half of the month will be busy with events and spirit weeks. Our first five-week progress reports went home, and students reviewed their individual reports earlier this week. As they reflected on their first five weeks, every student created personal goals to accomplish by the end of the first academic quarter on November 7. Please feel free to check with your child about their goals (page 5 of their agenda) and ask how they’re working toward them.

Please review the information below - we have a lot going on through the rest of the month!
A progress report template with sections for self-reflection on student skills.
 
Halloween dance flyer with jack-o'-lanterns and spiderwebs.

Important Dates for the Remainder of October

🚨October 20 (Monday) – WCSD Early Dismissal Drill (15 minutes early!)🚨
We will be conducting our annual Early Dismissal Drill on Monday, dismissing approximately 15 minutes earlier than usual. Please make sure your family and caregivers have a clear early dismissal plan in place. In recent years, we’ve had unplanned early dismissals (such as power outages), and having a plan ensures your child gets home safely and calmly.
  • ⏰ Have a Family Plan!
  • Sports, rehearsals, and after school activities WILL occur and end at the normal 3 PM time.
  • Students going home or getting picked up will leave 15-minutes early.

Please take time to develop an early dismissal plan with your family and any caregivers. In recent years, we’ve had scenarios where students were sent home early (for example, during an extended power outage). Having a plan in place helps ensure your child arrives safely and prevents families from scrambling at the last minute.


💻October 21 (Tuesday) – 7Cs Survey During First Period
Students will participate in the 7Cs Survey (Care, Confer, Captivate, Clarify, Consolidate, Challenge, and Classroom Management)—a short questionnaire that helps us better understand their classroom experiences. The survey takes about 20 minutes and is completely anonymous. Feedback helps guide our efforts to enhance teaching and learning for all students. If you have questions about the survey, please reach out. We value your partnership as we continue working together to help our students succeed.

🎃 October 24 – WMS Halloween Dance
Our Student Government is organizing a fun Halloween Dance for all grade levels! Admission is $3 -- food and drinks can be purchased separately!

🎃 October 25 – Trunk-or-Treat (11 a.m.–1 p.m., WMS Parking Lot)
Our PTO is hosting a fun and engaging Trunk-or-Treat event for the community, featuring decorated trunks, lawn games, pizza, face painting, and more!

🎀October 27–31 – Red Ribbon Week (Link to see Spirit Week Themes)
  • Mon: Team Up Against Drugs - Wear your favorite jersey
  • Tues: Too Bright for Drugs - Wear neon
  • Wed: Drugs and I don't mix - Mismatch Day
  • Thurs: Wake up Drug Free - Wear pajamas
  • Fri: Say Boo to Drugs - Wear a Costume

Red Ribbon Week, founded in 1988 to honor DEA agent Enrique Camarena, is celebrated nationwide to promote drug-free choices. Please talk with your middle schooler about the importance of this message and encourage them to show support by participating in the themed dress-up days.

If you have concerns about substance use, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s school counselor. We can help connect your family to community resources.
A colorful graphic promoting Red Ribbon Spirit Week with daily themes.
A Halloween reminder poster with safety guidelines for costumes.
🎃October 31 – Halloween During School
If your student chooses to dress up, please help them select a costume that is fun, safe, and respectful of all members of our community.
  • No full-face masks or sunglasses (we must be able to identify students).
  • No weapons or weapon-like props.
  • Costumes must meet the dress code (appropriately covered, no offensive messages, no promotion of drugs/alcohol).
  • Costumes and footwear must be safe for buses and stairs (no inflatable costumes).
  • Costumes should be considerate of others.


November 6 – Digital Dangers Presentation (WHS, 5:30–8:00 p.m.)
Our Director of Safety and Security, Travis Andrews, shared information on this event in a ParentSquare post on October 7. The FBI Buffalo Office and Wayne Central are presenting Digital Dangers: Empower Yourself to Protect the Children in Your Life. Click here to register!
 

Character Ed. Update, 8th Grade D.C. Trip, Student Vacations

😀CARE the Wayne Eagle Way – Character Education Focus
During lunches this week, we celebrated how well our school demonstrated respect in the first month of school. We also held a CARE Card drawing, selecting four students per grade (16 total) to attend a team-building trip to the Ninja Warrior Factory!

This month’s character focus is Responsibility. Staff will continue recognizing students who demonstrate responsible behavior throughout their school day.


✅Supporting Our 8th Grade Washington, D.C. Trip
The 8th grade trip to Washington, D.C. offers students an exciting opportunity to experience our nation’s capital firsthand. We’ve received inquiries from families about how they can help ensure that all students are able to participate. Those wishing to contribute may donate funds to assist students in need of financial support.
  • If you’d like to help, please contact Jenny Wing at jwing@waynecsd.org or Kelly Jackson at kjackson@waynecsd.org.


🛫Family Vacations and School Attendance🛬
While we discourage extended absences during the school year due to their impact on learning, we understand that family events sometimes make them unavoidable. Our teachers design daily lessons that are responsive to student needs, and these experiences can’t always be replicated outside the classroom.

If your child will miss school, it’s their responsibility—with parent support—to check Schoology regularly and make up missed work promptly. Teachers will gladly offer clarification during class but cannot provide individualized instruction for vacation-related absences.

When planning trips, please refer to the district calendar (link) to minimize disruptions to your child’s learning. Thank you for helping keep students engaged and on track.

Communication and Support

We want to thank you for sending your children to Wayne Middle School. Every day there is so much to celebrate in our classrooms and hallways. We also recognize that sometimes peer conflicts arise, and school may not always feel great. Please know that our staff is dedicated to fostering a positive, welcoming, and safe environment for all students.

At WMS, we deeply value open and honest communication between parents, students, and staff. When conflicts occur, reaching out directly helps us address concerns quickly and provide the right support for everyone involved.

Steps to Report a Concern:
  1. Talk directly with the staff member involved (e.g., teacher). This helps clear up misunderstandings and ensures the adult most closely connected can respond.
  2. Contact an Assistant Principal or the Counseling Office (315-524-1080). If the concern isn’t tied to a specific staff member or wasn’t resolved, our counselors and administrators can assist.
  3. Contact the Principal (315-524-1080). If you still feel the issue hasn’t been resolved, please reach out directly.

New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) requires schools to respond to harassment and bullying. If you would like an incident documented in a DASA file in addition to our SchoolTool discipline records, you may complete a DASA form (link).

🌐📱 Safe School Helpline – Report Safety Concerns Anonymously 💬📞

If you are ever concerned about someone’s safety, Wayne has partnered with the Safe School Helpline—a secure, confidential service for reporting unsafe or disruptive behavior at school. Reports can include bullying, harassment, drug or alcohol use, weapons, threats, or any other safety concern. Reports may be made anonymously at any time, day or night.

Ways to Report:

Each report receives a case number for follow-up or additional information. Together, we can help keep our schools safe.
 
Thank you for your continued support. As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Let’s have a great finish to October!

Sincerely,

Kevin Page, Principal
Bill Heinsler, Assistant Principal
Chris Shaffer, Assistant Principal