How is it April already? We hope everyone had a safe and rejuvenating break. Next Friday, April 17, marks the last day of the third marking quarter. In the days leading up to break, our team reminded students to review their quarter three goals, which are in their school agendas, and to check their grades and assignments in Schoology to ensure they are caught up academically. We also encourage caregivers to check their child’s Schoology account. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or counselor if you have any questions or concerns.
Administratively, we want to thank our families for their continued support as we guide our middle school students in becoming kind, compassionate, and understanding individuals. March, April, and May can be challenging months in middle school—after being cooped up inside all winter, students can start to lose patience or become frustrated with one another. Please continue to coach your children on how to respond to conflict respectfully. If your child ever needs assistance working through a challenging situation, please do not hesitate to reach out to the adult associated with the incident, their counselor or an administrator. We cannot help if we do not know about an incident. Please review the “Who to Contact” part of our Contact Us section of our website if you need additional information!
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Upcoming NYS Assessments
WMS students will take their NYS English Language Arts, Math, and Science assessments in April and May. Our teachers have been working with students to ensure they feel supported and confident as they demonstrate their progress in meeting grade-level standards. We appreciate your support!
ELA Exam Information (April 14 & 15)
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Friday, April 10 – All students should charge their Chromebooks over the weekend.
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Monday, April 13 – All students leave charged Chromebooks in first period (No Chromebook use in classes).
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Tuesday, April 14 – ELA Day 1 (no Chromebook use in classes).
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Wednesday, April 15 – ELA Day 2
NYS Math Exams (April 28 & 29)
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April 27 – All students leave charged Chromebooks in first period (No Chromebook use in classes).
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April 28 – Math Day 1 (no Chromebook use in classes). (Algebra students will prepare for Regents exams)
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April 29 – Math Day 2 (Algebra students will prepare for Regents exams)
NYS Science Exams (Grade 5 & Grade 8)
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May 11 – 5th and 8th grade students leave charged Chromebooks in first period (No Chromebook use in classes).
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May 12 – 5th & 8th Grade Science Exam (Biology students will prepare for Regents exams)
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✅ Outside Food & Drinks (AM & Lunch):
We kindly remind families not to send morning drinks, lunches, or other food from restaurants (e.g., McDonald's, pizza) to school, as it can create disruptions in classrooms and the cafeteria. While we understand the excitement of receiving a special lunch, bringing in outside food often leads to distractions and students feeling the need to do the same the next day. If you have any questions, please contact an administrator. Thank you for your cooperation!
✅ Energy Drinks:
Please note that energy drinks are not permitted in school due to their high caffeine and sugar content, which can negatively impact students’ focus and well-being.
✅ Dress Guidelines 👕👖👚👟
As the weather warms, please remind students of our dress expectations. We want our students to be comfortable, but also appropriate for a conducive learning environment. It may be helpful to review the guidelines below, or read pages 13 and 19 in the student agenda:
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Safe & Appropriate: Clothing should not disrupt learning.
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Fully Covered: Private areas must be fully covered with opaque fabric.
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No Offensive Messages: Clothing should not promote drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or illegal activities.
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Headwear & Sunglasses: Hats, hoodies, and sunglasses inside are generally not allowed (except religious/medical).
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Footwear: Shoes are required; some classes have specific shoe needs (PE, labs, art, etc.).
Students who do not follow guidelines may be asked to modify clothing.
✅ Charging Chromebooks Nightly:
We kindly remind students to charge their Chromebooks each night to avoid disruptions in class. Arriving with an uncharged device interrupts the learning process, as students may need to leave the lesson to borrow a charged Chromebook.
✅ Student Chromebooks & Cases:
All students have been loaned a District-issued Chromebook, and it is essential that these devices remain in their assigned cases. This helps prevent unnecessary damage and avoids additional costs for families. Thank you for your help in ensuring students care for their devices!
✅ Behavior Expectations – School & Bus 🚌🚌
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Positive Choices: Encourage students to follow expectations at school and on the bus.
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Celebrate Success: Most students show excellent behavior! Thank you for helping support this!
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Safe & Respectful: Reinforcing expectations helps everyone finish the year successfully.
Thank You for Your Partnership! Together, we can help students make positive choices, finish strong, and maintain a safe, respectful school community!
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April is induction month! We will welcome sixty-three 7th & 8th grade students on April 9 at 7:00 pm in the High School’s Performing Arts Center. Membership in this prestigious organization is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on a middle school student. The National Junior Honor Society recognizes students for their outstanding accomplishments in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, character, and citizenship. The National Junior Honor Society strives to recognize the total student – one who excels in all areas. No student is inducted simply because of a high academic average. Additionally, academically eligible students complete a lengthy application that is evaluated by a panel of staff members. Congratulations to these exceptional students! |
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Wayne Central Schools will be hosting its Annual Chess Tournament on Saturday, April 11 from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at Wayne Elementary School. This is an open tournament for students in grades K–8, including homeschooled students. All participants will play 3–5 games, and prizes will be awarded to all players, with trophies for top finishers in each section (K–2, 3–5, and 6–8). Team awards will also be given in each section.
Important: Students must have adult supervision during the event and may not be left unattended between rounds.
The registration fee is $12, and families can register in advance using the QR code on the flyer or register on-site from 8:30–8:45 a.m.
Chess sets will be provided, and food will be available for purchase.
For more information, please contact the Rochester Chess Center at 585-442-2430 or Tami Adams-King, Wayne Chess Club Advisor, at tadams@waynecsd.org
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Beginning in Quarter 3, families and students will see a newly formatted report card at the middle school. Along with academic grades, the report card will now include a new section called the Eagle Score.
Traditionally, report cards have focused on a numerical grade and teacher comments. As part of the feedback gathered during the development of our Strategic Plan (link), families, students, and staff shared two important goals:
- Academic grades should clearly and accurately reflect learning.
- Schools should intentionally teach and support important learning behaviors.
What is the Eagle Score?
The Eagle Score reports on key learner behaviors that help students be successful in school and beyond. Our STAGR (Standards Targets Assessment Grading and Reporting) team identified three focus areas: Respect, Responsibility, Engaging as a Learner.
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Partnering to Support Healthy Digital Communication
We want to share a quick reminder for families. We find that during long breaks from school, students tend to engage in conflicts via social media/texting. Please check-in with your children, monitor, and help problem solve in productive, healthy manners.
When conflicts over social media happens, students benefit most when families partner together to support healthy communication and problem-solving. Families can help by:
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Talking regularly with your child about friendships, online behavior, and respectful communication
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Monitoring and limiting digital communication when conflicts arise, including blocking or muting when needed
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Encouraging students to resolve issues respectfully and in person rather than through text or social media
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Coaching your child to pause, think, and problem-solve before reacting
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Collaborating with other families when appropriate to address concerns constructively
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Modeling respectful communication when handling conflicts and disagreements
By working together, we can help students manage conflicts responsibly, prevent issues from disrupting the school day, and continue building positive social skills. Thank you for your partnership in guiding students toward respectful and healthy communication.
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Consider joining the 3rd Annual Day of Caring on Saturday, April 11 from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM at the Alex Eligh Community Center (303 East Ave., Newark)!
This FREE event is open to all Wayne County residents and offers a wide range of services, resources, and fun activities for families, including:
✅ Mobile mammograms & cancer screenings
✅ Dental screenings
✅ Health insurance assistance
✅ Counseling & recovery resources
✅ Early childhood programs & Play & Grow circles
✅ Aging & brain health information
✅ Smart eating & financial literacy resources
✅ Free bike helmets
…and much more!
This is a great opportunity to connect with local resources and support your family’s health and wellness.
📧 Questions? Contact: jharper@soduscsd.org
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- April 9 - NJHS Induction Ceremony
- April 14-15: NYS ELA 5-8 Assessments
- April 17: Quarter 3 ends
- April 28-29: NYS Math 5-8 Assessments
- May 4: SAEBRS Survey
- May 5: NYS Science 5 & 8 Assessments
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Thank you for your continued support. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you ever have any questions or concerns!
Sincerely,
Kevin Page, Principal
Bill Heinsler, Assistant Principal
Chris Shaffer, Assistant Principal
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