Washington Middle School

MESSAGE FOR OUR STUDENTS: We are so excited for the first day of school tomorrow for our A group (students with last names A-K) students!  When you arrive for your first day we will be doing something different than previous years.  You will see that the playground is sectioned off into 3 parts.  You are required to stay in the area for your grade level once you arrive on campus unless you are going to eat breakfast and have to walk through the 6th grade area.   Also, don't forget that face coverings are required at different points during the day.  Being outside on the playground before school is one of those times.  Please make sure you have one on and keep it on until the bell at 7:50 am.  At that time the 6th grade will go towards the 6th grade entrance (cafeteria line up area), 7th grade will exit the playground and go towards the front of the school where they will stand outside of the middle entrance door, the 8th graders will wait until all 7th graders are off the playground before heading towards the entrance we usually entered through past years on the south side of the building.  Teachers at each entrance will call out the students that are coming with them to their room where schedules will be given out and we will go over a number of things before we go through our typical 7 period schedule.   For the B group students, the same thing will happen on Thursday. Looking forward to seeing you all soon! GO DEMONS!!!

The following is guidance and protocols developed by the Dawson County Health Department to help mitigate the risk of COVID-19 spread at Glendive Public Schools. Please check out the following link. We will also be sending out a Frequently Asked Questions sheet developed by the Health Department in the next couple of days. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gBmrDjKhix4AThfhBR41dIhbb0uYmphHKze8Hqc4YX4/edit?usp=sharing

RE: GPS will NOT be charging the Tech Fee for 20-21 school year Thank you for your patience as we travel to new waters for Glendive Public Schools. Recently it was announced that parents were going to need to pay a $30 rental fee for the Chromebooks and Ipads that the students will be receiving this year. After last spring, we heard from many parents and staff members that the online learning was difficult for many reasons. Some of those reasons had to do with not having the proper devices, not being able to keep their student on task, not being able to control what their student was doing, etc. We heard loud and clear and were able to purchase Chromebooks for all students grades 3-12 and IPads for students grades PK-2. Not only were we able to get a device for every student, but we also wanted to make sure that they meet all student privacy requirements and applicable technology laws. In addition, we wanted to make sure that we were able to control all aspects of the device at school or at home for their offsite days. We have received many emails and have talked to many parents over the last week about the rental fee. We will NOT be charging this fee this year as we agree that it was announced too late. If you have already paid the fee, the school will be contacting you to give your money back. We understand that grants were used to purchase this equipment. The school district will need to find a way to help make this sustainable moving forward. There will still be a device checkout sheet that will need to be signed so parents are aware of the process for checking out the device. If you have any questions about this, please contact your student’s building administrator. We are really looking forward to having students start back in the schools tomorrow. Again, thank you for your patience and grace throughout this difficult time.

Just a reminder for all sixth grade parents and students that tomorrow the A group students will be at Washington middle school from 2 to 330 for the WEB student orientation. Students do not need to bring anything with them they will bring their school supplies the first day they attend with the rest of the students. The B group students will attend on Tuesday from 2 to 330 as well. Parents are not attending this event as it is only for students. We are so excited to see you and have you join our WMS family! GO DEMONS!! #WMSDEMONS

WMS PRACTICE TIME UPDATE: After discussions with the GEA (teachers union), Mr. Buckley (AD) and Mr. Schreibeis (GPS Superintendent), the decision has been made that all sports practice will start at 4:00 pm district wide. With that said, practice times for Monday, 8/24 will be moved from 3:30 to 4:00 (football, 7th grade volleyball & cross country). 8th grade volleyball practice will take place at 5:30 pm. 6th grade volleyball will have their first practice on 8/26 @ 4 pm in the cafeteria gym. Just another reminder that athletes are required to have a sports physical prior to participating and they must be turned into the middle school office. Face coverings are also required of all athletes during different parts of practice, so please make sure to bring them. Athletes also need to bring their own water bottle as drinking fountains are not allowed to be used at this time. We apologize for the late notice. We are trying to work through many different aspects of reopening including our extra curricular offerings. Please call the school if you have any questions. 377-2356 GO DEMONS!!! #WMSDEMONS

Governor Bullock's Clarification on Face Coverings for Schools PDF: https://5il.co/k123

Info on Transportation: With the A/B Hybrid Schedule, Glendive Public Schools will have busing available for all students that need it! Busing will be available starting the first day of school. Here is the new bus schedule for the 20-21 school year. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rhUUChgIlVbDlDstRJtI5yyXN-KGAUgD1dnrGMmk-6E/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you for your patience and grace in this difficult time. We have been working on a document to get out to our staff, parents, and community. Below you will find a link to the GPS Reopening Plan 20-21. This is not intended to be an all encompassing document, but a resource that you can go to for some information about reopening our schools for the 20-21 school year. Please also check out our website where you can find additional information and who to contact if you have questions or concerns. http://bit.ly/GPSReopeningPlan20-21

This year we will have different schedules to accommodate all the changes that need to be made. Below you will find the start and end times for each school. Please note that these can be changed as new information arises before the first day of school. Students will not be allowed to be onsite at the school before 7:45 a.m. JES - Start time: 8:00 a.m. - End Time: 3:20 p.m. LES - Start time: 8:00 a.m. - End Time: 3:05 p.m. WMS - Start time: 8:00 a.m. - End Time: 2:46 p.m. DCHS - Start time: 8:00 a.m. - End Time: 2:46 p.m. Thank you for your patience with this. There have been so many changes and we could not finalize these times until we had everything set. Please check out our Frequently Asked Questions Sheet for more information: https://bit.ly/GPS20-21FAQ

FALL SPORTS UPDATE! Attached you fill find our fall sports schedules. All fall sports (Cross Country, Football & Volleyball) will have their first day of practice on Monday, August 24th. Football practice will be at 3:30 pm and players are asked to use the entrance coming off the playground. Volleyball and cross country will use the gym doors. Practice for volleyball will be at 3:30 pm (6th & 7th) and 5:15 pm (8th). Practice for cross country will be at 3:30 pm. Participants must have their physical form completed and turned into the middle school office prior to practicing. Face coverings are required of all participants and coaches. Please contact the school office if you have any further questions at 377-2356. GO DEMONS!!! #WMSDEMONS #GPSPRIDE

Message for our incoming 6th graders and parents! This letter got mailed out today but we wanted to post it online as well. We are so excited to see you soon. This year is going to ROCK!!! #WMSDEMONS #GPSCOMMUNITY #WMSWEB

GPS Reopening 20-21 Frequently Asked Questions Updated: 8/14/20 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1melu61KH_WWSEBcEiiDpls-c6HZ-xxg1Yq2ug3Io3xk/edit?usp=sharing

Glendive Public Schools is hosting a substitute teacher training on 8/21/20 at 9 am in the DCHS cafeteria. All current substitutes are required to attend along with any new subs. The district is in dire need of substitutes and encourages anyone interested to apply online at www.glendiveschools.com (click on menu - employment - current openings - then scroll to the bottom and click on apply - left hand column (vacancies- substitute) - apply!) A degree in education is not required but applicants must be able to pass a background check and have a desire to be a positive influence in the lives of our students. https://www.applitrack.com/glendiveschools/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=Substitute

With school just around the corner, please check out our communication sheet. The best way to get immediate and accurate information about what is happening with Glendive Public Schools is to download our app. (see sheet for details). Thank you for your patience as we work out everything that will help us have a great start to the 20-21 school year. PDF Version: https://5il.co/jkm3

We have a new approved calendar for 20-21! Please note that the first day of school for "A" students is on Wednesday, August 26th and Thursday, August 27th for "B" students. We are working hard on class lists and schedules so that we can get those out soon. Thank you for your patience! Calendar PDF: https://5il.co/jh7e

GPS Reopening 20-21 Frequently Asked Questions Please check back frequently as we will be changing this document as more information comes out. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1melu61KH_WWSEBcEiiDpls-c6HZ-xxg1Yq2ug3Io3xk/edit?usp=sharing

Just a reminder that if you would like to opt your child out of face-to-face instruction for the start of the 2020-2021 school year, please complete the form below. Today is the last day to do it. Opt out Form: https://forms.gle/ZTnrrTsWPoPh7rmS9 Thanks!

Kindergarten registration is now open for the 2020-2021 school year. In order to be eligible for kindergarten, your child must be 5 by September 10, 2020. If your child fits this criteria, please click on the following link to register electronically. This is our first time registering online, but we are giving it a go! https://mtdecloud3.infinitecampus.org/campus/OLRLoginKiosk/glendive

Kindergarten Registration Information: Please watch out for information about how to register your Kindergarten Student by Tuesday, August 11th. We are working on a way to register your student online.

GPS is working on getting the A and B student groups finalized for each school. If your child’s last name starts with an A-K they will be in the A Group that will attend onsite Monday and Wednesday of each week. If your child’s last name starts with an L-Z they will be in the B Group that attends onsite Tuesday and Thursday. We know issues may arise with this split because of things like families with different last names, childcare, work schedules, etc. If this is the case for your child/family, please take the following survey with as much detail as possible. We will do our absolute best to accommodate everyone’s request but will also have to make sure the groups are evenly distributed to allow for social distancing and an optimal learning environment. Priority will be given to make sure that children in the same household will stay on the same schedule. Class Lists will not be released until this information has been collected, reviewed, and staff able to make adjustments. This survey is due at the end of the day on August 10th. PLEASE DO NOT MOVE FORWARD TAKING THIS SURVEY IF YOUR ASSIGNED SCHEDULE WORKS FOR YOUR FAMILY. Survey Link: https://forms.gle/iifUymSqU1BaQXV59