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Para leer este boletín en otros idiomas, visite nuestro sitio web.
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يرجى زيارة موقعنا الألكتروني لقراءة هذه النشرة الإخبارية بلغات أخرى.
Yearbook pre-orders are open!
Pre-order your yearbook today! https://yearbookforever.com/schools/washington_irving_middle_school_320438/cLwxkvJ2bUUdlsILz2gm52Zx
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Upcoming Important Dates
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Feb 2
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Tickets for the Winter Wonderland Dance are now on sale using MySchoolBucks. The $5 fee includes pizza, refreshments, DJ, and decorations.
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Feb 6
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PTA Spirit Night at TACO BAMBA Springfield - for more details, see below
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Feb 9-11
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WIMS Students present the musical We Will Rock You! For tickets and showtimes, please see the information below.
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Feb 13 at 6:00 pm
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ZOOM - Track Parent/Guardian Interest Meeting
- Zoom Link will be provided on Feb 9
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Feb 21 at 6:00 pm
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WIMS PTA and FCPD present: Kids in Today's Society - a MUST see presentation for every parent/guardian. Please note - due to the nature of the program - it is an adult only presentation.
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Feb 28
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Spring SEL Screener - students will take the SEL screener for the 2nd time this year. If you have already opted out your child, you do not need to complete the form again. If you would like more information about the SEL screener or to access the opt-out form, click HERE
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This week, to celebrate the start of the 2nd semester, staff surprised students by having a secret spirit week. We started out subtle and amped up the theme each day, on Thursday we surprised students with Barbie, Ken, and Alan Day and as you can see above we had a lot of staff participation!
Greetings, Irving Families!
Welcome to the 2nd semester! Students this week settled into their new semester electives. We continue to welcome new students and families into our Irving Family so we appreciate your flexibility and understanding as we spent extra time making sure our classes were balanced.
As we look toward the second half of the year, we will be reminding students about the importance of following the Students Rights and Responsibilities. As a part of our reminders, we will talk about safety and behaving safely! To help ensure we have a safe day from the beginning of the day to the end, we need your help - especially at arrival and dismissal. Please see below for information about arrival and dismissal. We truly appreciate your partnership in a safe arrival and dismissal every day!
Lastly, I will be hosting Track student and parent/guardian interest meetings on February 13. Students interested may attend a meeting during 3rd period and parents/guardians may attend via ZOOM at 6:00 pm. We are still in need of a Head Coach and at least 2 additional assistants to make the season happen. There is a $500 stipend and training for coaches. Please email me if you are interested.
Take Care!
Cindy Conley
Safe Arrival and Dismissal
To make the most of our parking lot and Kiss & Ride loop, we have developed a path for arrival and dismissal that ensures staff and students are seen and can safely navigate the parking lot. Please help us by following the directions of staff in the morning and afternoon as well as the information below. To help alleviate some of the traffic in the Kiss and Ride Loop, if your child is a bus rider, please have them ride the bus as much as possible.
- Students may be dropped off starting at 7:00 am at Door 2 via the Kiss & Ride Loop. Once in the building they need to report to the cafeteria.
- In the morning, please only use our Kiss and Ride Area to drop your child off. See the picture below.
- Please do not drop off your child at any location along the Kiss & Ride route. Students should only exit the car at the bottom of the loop and enter through Door 2. See the picture below.
- Once in the Kiss & Ride Loop, please stay in the loop and do not cut through the parking lot - this is very dangerous as we have staff walking through the parking lot.
- So that our students who walk to school can safely navigate the cross walks in our parking lot, we will not be permitting students to be dropped off at the buses only entrance. Drop off will only be permitted in the Kiss and Ride. Please see the picture below.
- Please put cell phones down while on school grounds during arrival and dismissal. We recognize there is a wait at times while in the Kiss and Ride Loop, however being alert is critical to safety.
We have 1228 students and over 135 staff members coming and going in cars, buses, on bikes and scooters, and walking each day. We appreciate your patience, understanding, and cooperation as we work to ensure everyone arrives and leaves our school property safely.
Caring for Our Computers
We are seeing a significant increase in cracked computer screens and damaged computers and we are in need of your assistance.
- Please help us by reminding your child to
- Carefully close their computer
- Put the school computer in their backpack before moving throughout the building.
- Let Mr. Snow know if their computer is not working properly
- There are fees associated with repairing or replacing damaged or lost student laptops, as well as lost power cords. Those fees are in the MySchoolBucks school store:
- Screen Replacement: $85
- Laptop Replacement: $472
- Power Cord Replacement: $23
Lightspeed Classroom Management
As part of our commitment to creating a safe and focused learning environment for our students, our school is using a classroom management tool that will help teachers better connect with student devices during classes. We are continuing to expand our use over the coming weeks. This tool will provide teachers with a number of helpful features:
- Easily view student screens in real time from the teacher console to see which students may need guidance or support.
- Focus student attention on a particular website on their device to minimize distractions.
- Pause student access to the internet to focus on other classroom tasks.
We believe this classroom management tool will allow us to maximize class time to support your student’s learning while at school. Please note that student devices will not be monitored outside of school hours. The regular filters remain in place on school devices, but once they are home, teachers cannot monitor students. As parents, we would like to encourage you to sign up for your own Lightspeed reports, which will allow you to see how your child is spending time on the computer during and after school hours.
Irving Stays After - After School Program Registration
The After School program at Irving Middle School provides students access to high-quality activities in a safe environment for all students. The Program strives to improve academic performance, foster social, emotional, and physical well-being, all while reducing the potential for risk-taking behaviors.
https://forms.gle/jj9RXegR3C85tJ6u6
Volleyball Clinic, athletic attire (including your shoes) and registering via the weekly sign-up are required. Volleyball is extremely popular, students will not be allowed to participate if they do not sign-up and/or properly dressed.
Updates on the following clubs:
- Art Club, postponed until further notice
- Back to Basics Leadership, postponed until further notice
- Soccer Club, postponed until Monday, February 5.
- MakerSpace/Robotics, added Thursdays first block until the end of February.
- Open Gym, will be offered Mondays (2nd block), Wednesdays (both blocks) and Thursdays (2nd block)
Library News
Another end to a busy week in the library! This week and next, we’ll be teaching 8th grade students about a method to assess the validity and credibility of web resources. After those lessons, they’ll be beginning a small research project that will involve their using and citing reliable resources.
It’s been a while since we’ve reported on our “Irving Says” informal survey results. Last week’s question asked if students would rather have an “Two-Hour Delay” or a “Early Dismissal” day. Sixty-two percent of students voted in favor of the delayed start, while 38% felt that an early-dismissal was better.
Readers Unite will finish discussing a book on Monday, February 5th and selecting a new title. Newcomers are welcome to attend. And,the Battle of the Books teams are gearing up for the school tournament on March 15th. Stay tuned for a picture of the BOTB members in their team t-shirts. Our school winner will move on to represent Irving in the county-wide competition!
Ms. Monk & Mr. Brizek
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Buy your tickets by scanning the QR code above or click here
Showtimes
Friday, February 9 – 7:00 pm
Saturday, February 10 – 7:00 pm
Sunday, February 11 – 2:00 pm
PTA News
RESTAURANT SPIRIT DAY EVERY THURSDAY - All Day at Papa John's (Rolling Road!). Order online using promo code IMS4010. You'll get 40% off all menu prices! See flyer on the PTA website - https://irvingms.memberhub.com. (copy and paste / links don't work!)
RESTAURANT SPIRIT DAY - 2/6/24 - TACO BAMBA Springfield! - Either mention the unique code (WIMS) or "Washington Irving Middle School" when ordering in-store for credit. When ordering online, enter the code: WIMS in the coupon code area at check-out.
TEACHER APPRECIATION - Stay tuned for the next event! - If you are interested in volunteering - please email us! - irvingmspta@gmail.com - or we're happy to take direct donations to support - you can donate here - https://irvingms.memberhub.com/store/items/62509 (copy and paste the link!)
NEW SPIRITWEAR / NEW LOGO - COMING VERY SOON!!February 21st IN-PERSON PTA MEETING @ 6pm! + "Kids in Today's Society" presentation (formerly "Hidden in Plain Sight") from our local Fairfax County Police in West Springfield. This presentation provides insight into a range of teen behavior, from risky to illegal, that the local police are currently dealing with. It is an adult only presentation. This presentation will be combined with our general PTA meeting.We'd love for you to join the PTA! $10 Parents/Guardians; $9 additional family members; $5 Staff/Faculty https://irvingms.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true (COPY & PASTE SINCE THE LINKS ARE NOT LIVE)Feel free to reach out to learn more about the Irving PTA, or with questions you might have.Website: https://irvingms.memberhub.com (copy & paste link)Email: irvingmspta@gmail.com
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