Happy Friday!
What an incredibly busy week at the Lake! A huge shoutout to our 6th-grade chorus students and Ms. Freel for their outstanding performance at adjudication this past Tuesday. Ms. DeLuca, along with the 6th grade team and our 6th graders, had an amazing experience at the Ho Co Conservancy field trip on Wednesday. Last night, Ms. Mackie’s Dance A and Dance B had a great performance at the Dance Showcase Concert, and our after-school Step Team, led by Ms. Hill, Ms. Wright, and Ms. Brown, made a remarkable appearance. Congratulations to all the talented dance performers, and thank you for your unwavering support of our students!
Today marks the end of the 3rd quarter. Report cards will be available after Spring Break on April 25th.
Attention Parents:
If your student is attending the Field Trip to Music in the Parks with Ms. Dice, Ms. Freel, and Ms. Walker, payment MUST BE MADE BY FRIDAY, APRIL 11th. Payments can be cash or via online payments at https://tinyurl.com/55mbuvde
Upcoming dates: HCPSS Calendar WLMS Calendar
4/4- End of 3rd Marking Period
4/10- String Fling FT
4/11 Payment due for Music in The Parks FT Payment Link: https://tinyurl.com/55mbuvde
4/14 - 4/21 Schools closed for Spring Break
4/16- Performing Arts Boosters Fundraiser 5 pm-9 pm Chipotle @ 9851 Broken Land Pkwy, Columbia, MD 21046. Order Online pickup using code 66VXLQH or show the flyer in the restaurant, and they will donate 20% of your total meal purchase to the WLMS Boosters! The flyer is available in English. and in Spanish.
4/23- Spring Picture Day- Envelopes will be sent home on 4/22
4/24- PTSA Meeting
4/24- 8th G Open Gym Night 6-8pm
5/1- Spring Band Concert at Rouse Theater WLHS
5/8- Dance Performance at Wilde Lake High Details to come.
5/14- 8th Grade Panoramic Photo 8:45am 8th Graders MUST be at school on time
5/16- Shark Bite Store Sponsored by the PTSA during lunch shifts
5/16- 8th Grade Formal
5/19- Spring Chorus Concert
5/20- 8th G Open Gym Night
5/22- PTSA Meeting
5/27- Rising 6th Grade Parent Meeting 6:30 pm
5/30- Music in The Parks Competition FT 7:15 am-8:00 PM
PTSA:
Next Shark Bite Store will take place on May 16th
We are currently accepting donations for the next Shark Bite Store. There are several ways to donate: 1. You can donate money on the PTSA Website 2. You can purchase items on the Amazon Wishlist (Please feel free to share the Amazon Wishlist with family and friends.) or 3. You can purchase items off of the suggested list below and turn them into the main office (Labeled “Shark Bite Store”). Any amount helps!
Suggested Donations: (from Five Below or similar store) Room decor, stuffed animals, blankets, tech stuff, art/craft supplies, basketballs, footballs, and beauty items. Donated items must be new or unused.
What is the Shark Bite Store? We’ve noticed a little bit of confusion now that the School Store is back in action (yay!). Students have opportunities to use the Shark Bites they earn to shop for goodies at both the School Store and the Shark Bite Store. Unlike the School Store which takes place weekly, the Shark Bite Store is a major event that happens three times a year during lunch periods. The Shark Bite Store is the brainchild of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports team (PBIS); the PTSA supports this effort by stocking the store and providing volunteers to staff each Shark Bite Store. While the School Store is stocked with fun school supplies and small gift items, the Shark Bite Store is intended to feel like an exciting, BIG, shopping opportunity for students to celebrate their hard work and excellent behavior. The Shark Bite Store has items available for purchase at different price points, ranging from a few Shark Bites for a cute pencil eraser to 100 Shark Bites for a full-sized basketball or LED room lights. Other popular items available at the Shark Bite Store include artist sketch pads, board games, fidgets, lip gloss, and fun seasonal items like cozy blankets or beach towels.
The more support we get for the Shark Bite Store, the more fantastic it will be for your students.
Thank you for your support!
Spring Cleaning?
Donate any clothing or shoes to the yellow bin near the baseball diamond. Thank you!
Planetaid Clothing Donation
Last year, we were able to collect 8,003 pounds of clothing. This year our goal is 10,000. The yellow Planetaid clothing donation bin is located in the front of the building near the baseball field. Planetaid pays Wilde Lake Middle by the pound. Dropping off clothing donations to the Planetaid bin is a great way to help out. Thanks for your donations and your support. If you are interested in direct financial donations, please reach out to our Principal's Secretary, Heather Godwin, at Heather_Godwin@hcpss.org.
Student Services and Administration: Our Counselors and Administration are actively involved in classroom lessons and taking care of the needs of our students and staff during the school day. Should a need arise and you need to speak with your student's counselor, please contact Nakia_Hill@hcpss.org (Student Services Secretary) or call 410-313-6960 to make an appointment. Student services staff and administration may not be available for pop-up visits. Please keep this in mind when visiting the school. To schedule an appointment with the Administration, please contact Heather_Godwin@hcpss.org.
2024-2025 Cell Phone Policy
The policy changes will take effect on Monday, March 3, 2025.
New Tardy Procedures:
On February 4th, WLMS began our new tardy procedures.
There are two ways for students to sign in when they arrive late.
- Student barcodes (based on student ID#, unique to each student) have been generated and will be at our tardy table. When a student is tardy, their barcode will be scanned; this timestamp will be captured directly into Synergy. It will generate a pass for class admittance.
- Students, with parental/guardian permission, can use the StudentVUE app. This free app is an HCPSS app that will have a unique QR code the students will scan themselves (with staff assistance) and have a pass generated for class admittance.
If the app is the method being used, please note that the cell phone is used as the student enters and must immediately be put away for the remainder of the school day.
Parents can view the time of arrival via HCPSS Connect by navigating to the Attendance tab>clicking on the day of concern in the calendar display>reviewing the timestamp under Attendance detail.
As a reminder, if your student is going to be absent, please send an email to wlmsabsence@hcpss.org. Include the following information:
- Student First and Last Name
- Date
- Reason for absence (e.g., illness, bereavement, observance of a religious holiday, lack of transportation).
Summer School Programs:
https://www.hcpss.org/summer-programs/
Performing Arts Boosters
Please mark your calendar to support WLMS Performing Arts! These fundraisers help Boosters make sure that every student has an instrument, the classrooms have all the supplies they need, kids can go to events, and the after-school theatre program is a success! The more we raise, the more resources we can provide our teachers and students!
- April 16th, 5pm-9 pm Chipotle @ 9851 Broken Land Pkwy, Columbia, MD 21046. Order Online pickup using code 66VXLQH or show the flyer in the restaurant, and they will donate 20% of your total meal purchase to the WLMS Boosters! The flyer is available in English. and in Spanish.
One of the things that makes WLMS such a great place for our kids is the amazing performing arts program. Whether your kiddo is enrolled in Band, Orchestra, Theatre, Chorus or Dance, the Boosters make sure they have what they need and get those extra resources that make the programs thrive. The Boosters help arrange and pay for everything from the WLMS afterschool theatre program to purchasing dance shoes, costumes, and instruments, to bringing in actors and musicians to work with the students. But to do this, we need your support! Not a member yet? Just go to our sign-up page at this link (https://form.jotform.com/242294952012150).
Spring Break 2026
Are you interested in traveling to Spain for Spring Break 2026? All WLMS students and their families are invited on this amazing trip. Join some Wilde Lake teachers and your friends as you visit Madrid, Granada, Seville, Toledo, and Barcelona. If you missed the informational meeting, don't worry. Here is the presentation I shared. Review it and email me with questions at cheryl_gwynn-haymes@hcpss.org.
Explorica is the party organizer and is responsible for this trip. This trip is NOT a Howard County Public School System, Wilde Lake Middle School, or PTSA-sponsored trip, and the individuals chaperoning the trip are not acting as agents for the Howard County Public School System.