In The Loop
December 6, 2024
Greetings Westbrook Families,
Welcome to the next edition of In The Loop. We are 56/141 of the way done already; we were the world on Wednesday night; a third of our school was walking through Herald Square on Thursday and it is time to get prepared to be prepared as the snow starts to fall in CT. Unlike the snow thus far, stick around, and I’ll Loop you in.
School Wide Read
We have finished the first five chapters of The Breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis. In just 56 pages, our students’ understanding of the world has expanded significantly. The vocabulary, themes and realities that exist in undiscovered parts of the students’ worlds are brought together by quality literature, and The Breadwinner achieves these ends perfectly. Students are working together with teachers to juxtapose the themes in the book with the skills and attributes outlined in the Portrait of a Graduate (PoG) as well as social-emotional attributes that we want to work on as a school community. WPS talks often about preparing students to leave our schools with PoG skills firmly in their wheelhouse. WMS is not talking about it. We are living it organically, and, as evidenced by the classroom discussions, students are demonstrating growth. Thank you to all of the families who have joined us as we read. Bringing these conversations home will only make the school wide read experience more rich and inclusive. It is not too late if you want to join us. Click here at 7:50 AM each day until December 19. Read along and learn with us.
Music
Our choirs treated us to an eclectic mix of beautiful music Wednesday night. I offer my sincerest congratulations to the kids for their hard work and for their presentation of learning on concert night. Ms. Floyd did a wonderful job preparing our students for this event, and the students did not disappoint. As I walked out of the concert, I could hear many folks humming (and a few even belting out) the combined choir’s rendition of We Are The World. It was wonderful. Coming up for our choirs:
- On Friday, December 6, 2024, they have the Water’s Edge Tree Lighting Ceremony at Water’s Edge Resort. Student arrival time is 4:00 PM sharp in the main lobby. Parents should be prepared to stay for the event, as it is short. Students should dress warmly, as some of the event is outside. Students may wear their new Westbrook music quarter zip sweatshirts. Other holiday dress adornments are optional.
- On Sunday, December 8, 2024, the choirs will be performing at the Town of Westbrook Tree Lighting on the Westbrook Town Green. The event is scheduled from 4:00 - 6:00 PM, but the choirs are not scheduled to sing until 5:20 PM. Students wanting to participate should meet Ms. Floyd behind the Gazebo at 5:00 PM. Students should dress warmly, as the event is outside. Again, students may wear their new Westbrook music quarter zip sweatshirts. Other holiday dress adornments are optional.
Inclement Weather
As the flakes begin to fly, it is a good time to talk about our process regarding snow days. Much information goes into making the decision to alter the school day. Dr. Martineau consults with several stakeholders prior to making the official call. These decisions are not easy and they are not made lightly. Safety is always priority number one. As such, it is important that we are able to reach you if the school day is altered in any way.
If you feel that our staff does not have the most up to date email and phone information in PowerSchool, contact the front office immediately and update your information. You can do this via email or by phone. Westbrook Public Schools uses a system named SchoolMessenger as a tool to communicate with our students, parents, and staff members. Because this system is sending messages on our behalf, your email client may be classifying them as spam. To make sure you are receiving communications, we ask that you whitelist some of the addresses we typically use to send messages. We also take cybersecurity very seriously and encourage you to reach out to us directly if you receive a message that seems questionable from one of the addresses we have recommended you whitelist. Click here for more information about this process. If your contact information is up to date, you can expect a phone call and an email notifying you of any change to the school day.
The Outsiders
We sent our eighth graders off to New York City yesterday on a fancy double decker bus. They made their way to Manhattan near Herald Square to see the Broadway musical rendition of S.E. Hinton’s classic novel, The Outsiders. Trip reports were overwhelmingly positive. The students were amazed by the Bernard B. Jacobs theater and were even more impressed with the musical itself. I want to thank the eighth grade team of teachers for organizing this formative experience for our kids. Thank you as well to the many chaperones who extended their work day by six hours to give our kids this educational and aesthetic opportunity. Additionally, I am grateful to the board of education and our superintendent for supporting this priceless, artistic experience.
Athletics
Winter sports season is officially underway, and our athletes are hard at work preparing for an exciting and competitive season. Here is your weekly update to keep you informed and connected to all the action.
Winter Sports Update
Our Boys' and Girls' Basketball teams have kicked off their practices and are focused on building skills and teamwork for the upcoming games. We are looking forward to a great season ahead and are proud of the effort our student-athletes are putting in.
Follow the Action
Stay up-to-date with game schedules, team highlights, and more by following the Westbrook Athletics Facebook Page and our Instagram account @wpsknights.
Basketball Practice Schedules
To help families stay organized, here are the practice schedules for Boys' and Girls' Basketball for the upcoming weeks:
Boys' Basketball Practice Times:
- Week of 12/9: Late Practices
- Week of 12/16: Early Practices
- Week of 12/30: Late Practices
- Week of 1/6: Early Practices
- Week of 1/13: Late Practices
- Week of 1/20: Early Practices
- Week of 1/27: Late Practices
- Week of 2/3: Early Practices
- Week of 2/10: Late Practices
Girls' Basketball Practice Times:
- Week of 12/9: Early Practices
- Week of 12/16: Late Practices
- Week of 12/30: Early Practices
- Week of 1/6: Late Practices
- Week of 1/13: Early Practices
- Week of 1/20: Late Practices
- Week of 1/27: Early Practices
- Week of 2/3: Late Practices
- Week of 2/10: Early Practices
For full Boys’ Basketball Schedule, click here
For full Girls’ Basketball Schedule, click here
Unified Sports Practice
Unified Sports will begin Tuesday, December 10th. Practices will take place every Tuesday from 2:30 PM - 3:40 PM. Athletes may take the late bus home after practice. We are excited for another season of inclusion and teamwork.
Intramural Volleyball Registration Open
It’s not too late to sign up for Winter Intramural Volleyball. We encourage all interested students to join and have fun.
Intramural Volleyball Details:
- Start Date: Wednesday, February 19th
- Head Coach: Bill Gombos
- Assistant Coach: Heidi Joslyn
- Practice Dates: 2/19, 2/21, 2/24, 2/26, 2/28, 3/3, 3/5, 3/10, 3/12, 3/17, 3/19, 3/21, 3/24, and 3/26.
Register for Winter Volleyball here
Important Links
For additional resources and information, please use the following links:
Contact Information
Caitlin Eichler
PK-12 Director of Athletics, Physical Education, and Health
Email: ceichler@westbrookctschools.org
Phone: 860-399-7099
Elizabeth Saunders
Athletic Trainer
Email: esaunders@westbrookctschools.org
Phone: 860-399-6214
upDates
December 6 - Water’s Edge Tree Lighting Ceremony
December 8 - Town of Westbrook Tree Lighting on the Westbrook Town Green
December 11 - WMS Bands in Concert; 6 PM - WHS Auditorium
December 13 - PJ Day
December 20 - Holiday Sweater Day and Early Dismissal Day
December 21 - January 1 - Winter Break
January 2 - Back to School!
That just about does it for the December 2 - 6th Loop. Before I sign off, I have a few holiday-related flyers for you to check out. The first is for the Westbrook Tree Lighting ceremony. Believe it or not, the tree lighting is this Sunday. Click here for details. The next flyer comes to you care of the Family Consumer Science Club at WHS. They are trying to give you some extra holiday shopping time by watching your little ones. Check out this flyer (English, Spanish, Portuguese) to learn more.Photos this week are from the chorus concert, students in the classroom, a little boys’ basketball preseason action and a few pictures from the eighth graders’ trip to the city. Click here to see this week’s photos. Students only get one chance at a middle school education. At Westbrook Middle School, we aim to make it the best education possible. Consider yourself Looped in.
Sincerely,
Matt Talmadge
Principal
Westbrook Middle School
