School District of West Salem, WI

Welcome to the WSMS ACADEMIC COVID-19 updates page.
Please visit this page for middle school updates.

2020-2021 School Year

OCTOBER 30, 2020 UPDATE
Weekly Update

OCTOBER 15, 2020 UPDATE
Weekly Update

OCTOBER 9, 2020 UPDATE
Weekly Update

OCTOBER 1, 2020 UPDATE
Blended Weekly Update

SEPTEMBER 25, 2020 UPDATE
Weekly Update

SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 UPDATE
WSMS Parents,

I'm sure you have read the message from Superintendent Rieber by now, and know that we will be in our Online Learning model next week for ALL students.

We will follow the same schedule we had the first two weeks of school, which can be found here. This will be a 4 Day model, Monday - Thursday Grades 5 - 8. (the first two weeks of school we didn't have school on Mondays so we ran Tuesday - Friday). On Fridays, students may have online work to complete for the following week. This is also a day to provide further support for students who may need it or extension opportunities. Teachers will also be meeting, participating in professional development, and preparing online content on Fridays. ATTENDANCE WILL BE TAKEN WHEN WE ARE IN THE ONLINE LEARNING FORMAT.

We loved educating your students in person this week. But since we have experienced the online model for the first two weeks, we are confident in our ability to "flip the switch." As Mr. Rieber stated, the district will update everyone on the mode of learning for the week of the 28th on September 23rd.

I have also attached our "Panther Netiquette" guidelines as a reminder and a handy flowchart I like to reference. It is a "when/if" flowchart to reference regarding attendance. Our teachers are busy preparing your students for this adjustment today.

Proud to Be a Panther,

Ben Wopat
Principal

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 UPDATE

WSMS Parents,

I just wanted to send out a quick message since we are starting our Blended mode of learning for Grades 6-8 on Monday, Sept. 14th. Thank you for the positive feedback regarding the Online learning model we have lived through for the past two weeks. I feel confident that if we were ever in a scenario where we had to go back to this mode of learning in the future, we could do so in an efficient and effective manner.

5th GRADE PARENTS: All 5th Grade students are reporting to school every day starting September 14th.

6-8 GRADE PARENTS: Attached you will find our Blended Format schedule (grades 6-8) and some specific building rules related to COVID-19. These were sent to you previously. On the days students are not here in person, they will be engaged in classwork, watching videos, and preparing for the following day when they are in person. Grade level teams will communicate example schedules to students that may work for your family. I have attached an 8th grade example for your reference.

ALL WSMS PARENTS: Below is a YouTube video outlining our morning procedures. This will explain which entrance your child should use in the morning and other important procedures. After school, if your student is a late bus rider, they will report to the LMC.

Morning Procedures: https://youtu.be/zBqWRG_fITY

We pride ourselves on having a "Growth Mindset" at WSMS. This applies to our students, but also for our professionals in the building and our procedures. One of the reasons our Online Format this fall was successful, is that we learned from the experience from the Spring. We will continue to monitor our Blended Format and get feedback on how it is working for families. Look for an opportunity to provide that feedback via a survey to be sent out at the end of the month.

Finally, look for another email from me sent out this weekend. This will be a link to a video showing bus expectations and procedures for this school year. If your child is not a bus rider, you can ignore.

Take Care, and have a great weekend.

Ben Wopat
Principal

AUGUST 27, 2020 UPDATE
WSMS Panther Parents,

This email contains some important attachments, links, and updates. This will be an important email to save. **This email with attachments will also be posted to the Message Center in Skyward.

Attached you will find.....
- Online and Blended Expectation
- Online Schedule
- Blended Schedule
- Panther "Netiquette"
- Student Handbook Addendum related to COVID
- Isolation & Quarantine Procedures
- COVID - 19 WSSD Health and Safety Protocols
- Homeroom re-organization by grade level.

For the Homeroom document you read across the grid to see which teacher your child will go to (ex: the first line is Jeranek, Mahlum, & Morgan. The 6th graders from those 3 teachers go to Jeranek, 7th to Mahlum, 8th to Morgan, etc.)

Below you will find Virtual Open House links from our WSMS Teams. Please click on the videos that apply to your child.

Virtual Open House Links
5th Grade Team
6th Grade Team
7th Grade Team
8th Grade Team
Allied Classes
Healthy Living Team
Music Team
Mrs. Betita's Room
Mr. Lang

We are excited to start the school year and see our students again! Let’s work together to make this situation the best it can be.

Proud to Be a Panther,
Ben Wopat
Middle School Principal

AUGUST 14, 2020 UPDATE
2020-2021 Online Schedule