October 6, 2025
At WLMS, our counselors and administration are actively involved in classroom lessons and are dedicated to addressing the needs of our students and staff. Please keep in mind that our counselors and administration may not be available for pop-up visits during the school day.
If you need to speak with your student's counselor, please reach out to Nakia_Hill@hcpss.org (Student Services Secretary) or call 410-313-6960 to schedule an appointment. To make an appointment with Administration, please contact Heather_Godwin@hcpss.org (Principal’s Secretary).
TIGER SHARK BITES- THIS JUST IN!
October 1st- October 31st: National Principals Month
Tuesday, October 14 PTSA Meeting 7pm
October 15-22: Taharka Brothers Ice Cream Fundraiser Order between Oct 15th (6am) and Oct 22 (11pm) - delivered to your home October 24th. Order at https://deliver.taharkabrothers.com/ Use code WLMSBOOSTERS25
Tuesday, October 21 7th Grade Zoo Field Trip
Thursday, November 6th , Absentee/Retake Picture Day- If you purchased photos and wish for retakes, you must bring in the purchased package you received.
Charleston Wrap Fundraiser 9/22-10/21
Register: www.registercw.com Our organization number is 30351.
Our Charleston Wrap fundraiser kicks off today! With over 2,500 gift ideas – including holiday, birthday, hostess, and corporate gift ideas – there’s something for everyone. Register online today at www.registercw.com and help spread the word! Share our fundraiser through email, text, and social media with at least 10 friends and family. Remember: sharing is caring! #charlestonwrap #fundraiser #giftwrap #wrappingpaper #homegoods #kitchen #chocolate #cookiemix #personalizedgifts #gift #giftgiving #belpiatto #charlestonbags #holidaygift #charlestonwrapfundraiser
In this free after school program, middle school students will plan, design, construct, and compete in different STEM areas. This year’s competitions are similar to last year’s but some of the design requirements are different:
● NEDC (National Engineering Design Challenge) : Each team will identify an area of need in their community and engineer a solution which incorporates a coding element to positively affect members of the community most affected.
● Wearable Tech: Students will use the Engineering Design Process to design a wearable device that will monitor and accurately report an indicator of heat exhaustion
● Community Clean-up: Students construct an automated, environmentally (solar or wind) powered machine that collects trash on land and/or in water. Conveyor belt no longer required! ● Planetary Lander (expanding structure): Students will construct an efficient, expanding structure that can safely land astronauts on a planet or moon and verify a safe landing through calculations! For more information go to the MD MESA website : http://www.jhuapl.edu/mesa/home/default.asp .
The WLMS MESA team will meet most Wednesdays after school from 3:15-4:45. As an extracurricular activity, students must follow the HCPSS and Wilde Lake expectations for behavior at all times. At 4:45 students can walk home or be picked up.
How to sign up: 1. Fill out and return the registration form (attached) by October 31st. 2. Parents will register students at JHU APL’s new Learning Management System (good-bye classe365!) starting on November 1st. 3. Hardcopy registration forms are available from B37 / Mrs. Bernard’s room.
HCPSS Partnerships
The HCPSS Partnerships 2024–2025 Annual Snapshot is now available. The snapshot includes a link to school system partners including each school’s partners, as well as system wide, curricular, and program office partnerships. The Snapshot highlights the essential role our partners play in ensuring every student has the tools to succeed beyond graduation.
SHARK BITES THAT STILL MATTER!
Family File
As of today 10/6, we have 221 students with incomplete Family Files.. Please take a moment and take care of this today. We strive to keep our students safe and when an emergency arises we need to know who to contact.
Several updates have been made to Family File, including how and where to access. Parents/guardians can now access and complete Family File by logging in to HCPSS Connect Synergy, selecting the Online Registration at the top right of the page and then selecting Family File Verification.
New this year, Family File includes a Secondary Science Safety Agreement, a comprehensive Information Release section.
- Science Safety Agreement: Formerly a paper that middle and high school students brought home for parents/guardians to sign and return to school, this is now available in Family File. The full agreement can be found online and parents/guardians will acknowledge the agreement in the Family File Student Information section.
Message from the Health Suite
This year WLMS will not offer vaccine clinics during the school day. I have attached a copy of flu vaccine clinic sponsored by Howard County Health Department. There are multiple locations , dates, and time. This should help accommodate families with busy schedules. The flu vaccine is free here.
I mentioned in last week's email, parents can go online an order FluMist an influenza nasal spray to administer at home. The FluMist can be administered to individuals ages 2-49. It is FDA approved and recommended by the CDC. Please read the information provided on the website. The information provided indicated who is eligible to receive FluMist and who is not a candidate.
Go to: https://www.flumist.com/Any questions and/or concern feel free to contact the health room @ 410-313-8940.
Policy 9400 Notification The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) is committed to providing a safe, engaging, and supportive school environment that fosters the social and emotional safety, dignity, and well-being of all students. HCPSS acknowledges the need for employees
- to use an array of research-based positive behavior interventions, strategies, and a tiered system of supports to address student behaviors and keep students safe and free of harm
- to minimize the practice of exclusion from the classroom environment
- to minimize the use of physical restraint (which may only be used when necessary to protect a student or other person from imminent, serious, physical harm and only after other less intrusive, nonphysical interventions have failed or been determined inappropriate).
It is the expectation of the Board that HCPSS employees will be knowledgeable of and implement proactive positive behavior interventions in an effort to reduce the need for exclusion or physical restraint.
Additional information can be found at HCPSS Policy 9400 - Student Behavior Intervention. If you have any questions regarding this policy or its implementation, please contact a school administrator.
Heart & Sole’s Registration https://community-programs.hcpss.org/2025-08/girls-run-fall-2025
Registration for Heart & Sole’s Fall 2025 Season opens on Sunday, August 24, 2025, at noon. Our Heart & Sole middle school program is designed to meet the unique needs of 6th-8th grade girls of all abilities. The program considers the whole person – body, brain, heart, spirit, and social connection. Heart & Sole offers an inclusive place of belonging, where participants feel supported and inspired to explore their emotions, cultivate empathy, and strengthen their physical and emotional health. At the end of the season, all team members complete a 5K. Wilde Lake MS will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:15 - 4:30 starting Monday, Sept. 22. The season-ending 5K for Howard County will be on Saturday, December 6 at 8:30 a.m. The program registration fee is $210, which includes lessons, all program materials, 5K and program shirts, a water bottle, and more. Financial assistance is available! Visit www.gotrcentralmd.org for a list of program sites and to register. Questions? Call 443-583-7740.
Cell Phones As a reminder, we will follow the HCPSS Student Personal Device Use Policy. Please review the guidelines at hcpss.org/student-personal-device-use. Per policy, below are the consequences for policy violations:
- First Incident: The personal technology device is confiscated until the end of the student day. Students should turn off or lock devices prior to confiscation. A device that is confiscated during the final period of the student day will be confiscated for the entire next student day. The student may retrieve the device at the end of the day it was originally confiscated to take home, but must provide it to the front office upon arrival on the next student day.
- Second Incident & Beyond: The personal technology device is confiscated until it is retrieved by a parent/guardian. Students should turn off or lock devices prior to confiscation.
Food Deliveries During the School Day: All students are to refrain from having food delivered during the instructional school day (8:30-3:15 PM). Deliveries will be declined. If you need to drop off food or forgotten items for your student, we have a cart in our front entryway where you can label the item and our front office staff will make sure we get it to your child.
WLMS Breakfast Program - No Outside Food permitted. ALL WLMS students are given the option of free breakfast every day in their period 1 class. Outside food and drinks from Starbucks, 7-11, home, etc. must be consumed prior to a student entering the building or saved for the student’s assigned lunch time. If students do not plan on eating the free breakfast, please make sure they eat prior to entering school.
Student Dress Code Reminder
Clothing items that obscure a student’s face, such as a ski mask or similar headgear, will not be permitted in order to allow students to focus on learning. Policy 9210 Student Dress Code states that attire that causes or is likely to cause a material disruption, a substantial disorder to school activities or the orderly operation of the school, or an invasion of the rights of others is prohibited. A copy of the HCPSS student dress code may be found here. Exceptions will be made for religious observance and documented medical needs.
PTSA Updates Please join the PTSA! Our membership drive at the start of each school year forms the backbone of our budget! Your membership fees & donations go directly to supporting students and to staff appreciation! Join here: https://tigersharks.givebacks.com/shop Joining as a member does not obligate you to volunteer for anything! It simply keeps you in the loop of all things PTSA.
WLMS Performing Arts Boosters: 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! Please become a WLMS Booster member today: https://form.jotform.com/242294952012150
- Performing Arts Booster Fundraisers
- October 15-22: Taharka Brothers Ice Cream Order between Oct 15th (6am) and Oct 22 (11pm) - delivered to your home October 24th. Order at https://deliver.taharkabrothers.com/ Use code WLMSBOOSTERS25
- December 6th Barnes & Noble Bookstore at10300 Little Patuxent Pkwy (at the mall) Present the flyer at check out or visit bn.com/bookfairs to support us online from 12/06/24 to 12/11/24 by entering Bookfair ID12885786 at checkout. We do receive a larger donation for in person purchases
- Buy a shirt from our spirit wear sale! The shirts are gorgeous (and designed by our very own art teacher, Mr. Tullis) and super comfortable. Get one for yourself and your student today!
https://www.customink.com/fundraising/wlms-performing-arts-boosters-8206