The WMS Parent/Teacher Advisory Committee meets the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Washington Middle School library. Some of the activities that the committee has been working on include:
Talent Show: The talent show was a huge success, thanks to the fabulous student participants and to the organizer, Ashley Hinton-Sharp. Thank You Ashley! The PTA raised ~$200 at the event.
Eighth Grade Promotion and Dance: Eighth grade promotion will be held on June 6 at 7:30 p.m. at Sentinel High School in the gym, with a dance and party immediately following in the Sentinel cafeteria. Organizers Robin Abeshaus & Jorrun Liston, are both hoping that the majority of students will opt for the party at Sentinel rather than hosting individual, private parties. This way, the entire student body will be invited, and no one will feel left out.
6th Grade Camp fundraising: Each year the 6th grade classes spend 3 days and 2 nights on Flathead Lake, attending short courses put together by parent volunteers and teachers. The camp is a wonderful experience and great for student morale. However, the cost of the camp continues to increase and has become difficult for many WMS families to afford. The PTAC has traditionally contributed to the camp in order to keep the cost down and provide scholarships for some students. This year, Lisa Lenard has reset the bar by raising $3,600, helping to ensure that all students will be able to participate in the camp. A huge “Thank you” to the Washington families and the law firm of Datsopoulos, MacDonald & Lind, P.C. for their generosity in contributing to this effort!
Montana Common Core Initiative: This is a teaching initiative that will be implemented at WMS beginning during the 2013-2014 school and has been adopted by almost all 50 states. This means that the teaching standards that are adopted here will be nationwide. The basic idea is that teachers will go into more depth on fewer topics in all subjects. For example, in English students will do more writing, with an argumentative approach, using facts and reference materials. In math the teachers well go into more depth and students will be expected to master the concepts taught at grade level. The requirements for students will be clear and it will make studying for the core goals easier as the students learn the patterns.
WMS Student Council activities: The student council sponsored the School Black Light Dance and Black and White Day on April 25th. Student Council will sponsor “Teacher Appreciation Week” May 6-10 by providing the entire WMS Staff with gifts and cards from the entire Student Council body. We appreciate your hard work and dedication to ensure our success. If you would like to provide the WMS staff with a special something, contact Mrs. Schowengerdt at aschowengerdt@mcps.k12.mt.us to arrange a day/time.
Tech Levies: Missoula County Public Schools will have two levies on the May 7 school elections ballot. The K-8 Levy would increase the current levy of $302,000 to $850,000, which would cost ~$14.31 per year per household based on a $200,000 property value. This levy would support replacing the 166 aging computers at WMS, as well as computers at other elementary and middle schools, fund infrastructure improvement to improve internet access, and fund technology training for teachers. Please take time to vote in the election.
PTAC funding: Remember, if you would like to donate to PTAC, please leave donations at the front desk or contact Deb Schock at dschock@bresnan.net. You can also turn in "Box Tops for Education" at the office or the library. Additionally, The Good Food Store will donate 3% of all your purchases to the WMS Parent Advisory Committee through their community scrip program. All you have to do is sign up for a scrip account by e-mailing Ann Franke at franke@bresnan.net. We are open to new ideas for fundraising.
The WMS PTAC funds go toward the school directory, scholarships for picture packets, writing coaches, 6th grade environmental camp, watershed field trip, math counts team, 8th grade promotion, and special materials requested by teachers.
To get involved, join us the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm in the library.