Principal's Newsletter-Week 9

Important Dates: Oct 20: CORRECTION Mission Tomorrow Trip 8th Grade ONLY Oct 28: End of Quarter 1 Student Half Day Oct 28: Scholar v. Staff Basketball Game + Pep Rally Oct 28-29: School Pictures (subject to change) Oct 29: CommUNITY Trunk or Treat All Welcome, 5-7 PM Nov 2-3: No School for Scholars Nov 5: Parent-Teacher Conferences 5-7 PM Nov 20: Harvest Ball Nov 25-27: Thanksgiving Break Principal's Message Your student's academic success is of upmost importance to us! This year's theme is "Lock In. Level Up. Lead with Pride" Our core values remain as: Pride, Accountability, Commitment, and Tenacity. Gentle Reminders Monday, October 19, 2026: Day 2 CALENDAR REMINDERS October 28: End of Quarter 1- Half Day November 2-3: No School for Scholars November 5: Parent Teacher Conferences 5-7 PM   School Processes and Procedures School Doors Open- 8:05 AM *no student may enter the building prior to 8:05 AM* First Bell- 8:30 AM Tardy Bell- 8:35 AM Dismissal- 3 PM (GYSA Bus and Car Rider Dismissal) Dismissal- 3:15 PM (Car Riders) Update Contacts Planning to update your contact information or your scholar's emergency contact information? Call 804-515-1100. Early Dismissal: Families are REQUIRED to make arrangements for early dismissal prior to 2:30 PM. Thank you in advance for your support!!  Visitors: Whether visiting the building or picking up a student, every adult will need to present a valid picture ID to our Main Office staff. Student Deliveries: NO Food deliveries, to include services such as Door Dash, are allowed during the 2026-2027 school year for scholars. Occasional delivery of a forgotten lunch by a parent or guardian is permitted. School Calendars Day 1/Day 2 calendar- CLICK HERE Wilder Half Day Schedule- CLICK HERE 2025-2026 Climate Survey Results Every year, HCPS offers a Climate Survey for staff, scholars, and families to complete. Our school won $500 for having the most survey entries for the Fairfield Magisteral district for the SECOND YEAR IN A ROW! Please view the results of that survey by clicking the link below:   SURVEY RESULTS

Yay of the Day Is there a staff member at Wilder Middle School who you would like to recognize for going the extra mile?! Nominate them HERE: https://www.henricoschools.us/page/yay-of-the-day

Trunk or Treat- All are Welcome- Donations Needed The National Junior Honor Society Trunk or Treat Celebration returns for its 2nd Year!! Join us for a fun, safe evening as a school community. If you are able, consider donating prewrapped, peanut-free candy for giveaway for this evening. Unused candy will be donated to charity post the event. Consider decorating a car and joining in on the fun!!

Support Our School Community Please consider supporting our school community as you are able. https://www.donorschoose.org/sl/7hupcuDppi

WMS NJHS Receives Top Awards As a result of their philanthropic endeavors, the WMS chapter of National Junior Honor Society was named a Chapter of Distinction! What an honor! Special thanks goes out to our scholars and their 2025-2026 sponsors, Ms. Brown and Ms. Blue and current sponsors Ms. Brown and Ms. Little for their efforts. Here's an excerpt from the recent press release: "In addition to maintaining strong academic records, chapter members demonstrate leadership through active involvement in numerous student organizations and community initiatives. Their service efforts include hosting a Comm"UNITY" Trunk or Treat, creating Cards for Kids for St. Jude Children’s Hospital, donating Sweet Relief Candy to the Children’s Hospital of VCU, and supporting Feed More and the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Within their school, members provided teachers with supplies through the Turkey Hunt and supported Wilder families in need through the Family First event. They also promoted literacy among students in Integrated Services through the Read and Rise Program, extending their commitment to service throughout the school community. "The National Junior Honor Society Chapter of Distinction Award celebrates chapters that truly embody what the National Junior Honor Society stands for—students who don't just excel academically but actively strengthen their communities," said NPA CEO Ronn Nozoe. "The L. Douglas Wilder Middle School chapter demonstrates how powerful it can be when young leaders channel their talents toward meaningful service and positive change."

Please complete this form if your scholar intends to be picked up each day from school as a CAR RIDER.  CAR RIDER FORM

Scholars and Families: As we enter our fall sports season, here are the guidelines that we have in place to maximize scholar and spectator safety: Scholar spectators are not allowed to stay after school to attend an event unless they are actively participating in the sporting event as an athlete. At dismissal, all scholars (who are not athletes participating in the game) will need to leave the campus and return with a parent or guardian at game time. Scholars not accompanied by an adult will not be allowed into the game. They must be accompanied by an adult the entire game. Scholars should be prepared to use their student ID when entering the game.  If a scholar is seen without a parent or guardian, he/she will be asked to return to his/her parent or guardian and if he/she doesn’t have one, his/her parent or guardian will be contacted and the scholar will be asked to leave the game. The Code of Conduct regarding scholar behavior extends to school-sponsored sporting events, whether on our campus or not. Scholars who did not attend school are not allowed to attend school-sponsored events. Scholars and scholar-athletes who do not follow the stated rules for behavior or create disruptions place themselves in jeopardy for future attendance at all sporting events for the remainder of the year and may be subject to disciplinary action. For questions or concerns, please contact a member of the Wilder administration or our Athletic Director, Coach Malik Brown at mlbrown2@henrico.k12.va.us This Week's Interest Meetings Looking for Ways to Get Involved? Here are this week's Interest and Club meetings occuring during Advisory: Monday:  Flag Football (select scholars) Tuesday Fiber Arts Club Running Club (afterschool) Spirit and Social Club (select students) crochet, knitting Wednesday Flag Football (select scholars) compete in-house, learn the fundamentals of flag football (focus on female participants) Thursday Film Club Spirit and Social Club (select scholars) watch and analyze short films, create short films

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We are excited to announce that afterschool tutoring began on Tuesday, October 6. Tutoring will be offered Tuesday through Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. and is available in the following subject areas:

• Math

• English

• Science

• Spanish

The weekly tutoring sign-up form is attached and must be completed each week for students who wish to participate. Please note that submitting a form does not guarantee placement for that week. Tutoring availability is contingent upon staff availability and the number of students requesting services.

Our tutoring program is designed to meet individual student needs. Instruction may include:

• Grade-level skills aligned to SOL standards

• Reteaching of essential concepts

• Homework support

• Quiz and test review

• Building foundational academic skills

To ensure high-quality instruction, all tutors are current teachers or instructional assistants.

Some benefits of participating in afterschool tutoring include:

• Smaller instructional groups

• Increased opportunities for one-on-one support

• Improved academic understanding

• Increased academic confidence

At this time, parents/guardians are responsible for providing transportation home and are expected to pick up students promptly at 5:15 p.m.

Students are expected to follow the same behavioral and academic expectations that apply during the regular school day. Participants should:

• Report to their assigned tutoring location on time. A snack will be provided upon arrival.

• Bring necessary materials, including a charged laptop, charger, and pencil

• Stay engaged and actively participate in learning activities

• Demonstrate respectful behavior consistent with Wilder Middle School's P.A.C.T. expectations: Pride, Accountability, Commitment, and Tenacity

• Use cell phones only for academic purposes and only when directed by the tutor

Please remember that participation in afterschool tutoring is a privilege, not a right. Students who do not meet behavioral or attendance expectations may lose the opportunity to participate in the program.

We look forward to partnering with you to support your child's academic success. If your child would like to participate, please complete and submit the attached sign-up form each week.

Medication Drop Off Please make arrangements to drop off your scholar’s medication before school starts, during orientation on Thursday, or during the first week of school. These items cannot be dropped off to the clinic by scholars.  For more information, please contact Nurse Joan Sturdevant at jmsturdevant@henrico.k12.va.us !

As an added layer of scholar safety accountability, scholars who are everyday car riders will receive a special designation on the back of their ID badges.

HCPS Cell Phone Guidance Cell phone lock boxes are located in each classroom for scholars' storage of devices. Otherwise, cellphones are expected to remain on SILENT/AIRPLANE MODE and out of sight (in a bag, not a back pocket or on their person) for the entire school day. Please ensure that your scholar is prepared to keep their electronics away during transitions and lunch periods as well. Please ensure that wireless headphones, wearable devices (i.e., Apple watches) remain at home or secured in scholars' bag at all times. Warnings will be issued; however, these items will be confiscated for parent pickup. Here are the HCPS-outlined consequences for insubordination regarding cell phone use:

Absence Notification System Is your student scheduled to be out? Are they sick and you need a way to alert the Attendance Secretary? Please fill out the absence link below or locate the link on our website. ABSENCE NOTIFICATION LINK HERE Bus Referral Process For transparency purposes, the following bus referral disciplinary actions will be taken when a scholar is found acting inappropriately on a bus. Please note that a bus referral and/or suspension is NOT a suspension from school.  COMMON CONSEQUENCES - Not Seated While Bus is in Motion/Eating/Littering/Using Foul Language- 3 days of bus suspension -Endangering Self or Others, Including blocking aisle, standing after warning or excessive mischief/horseplay- 5 days of bus suspension -Fighting on the bus- 10 days of bus suspension As a reminder, each incident will be investigated prior to a decision being rendered. Decisions may be appealed to Principal Segar in writing at lasegar@henrico.k12.va.us  Beginning of the Year Forms Please see the beginning of the year forms. Using the PowerSchool link, please be sure to complete the Student Code of Conduct and Technology forms under the tab labeled "FORMS." Bell Schedule 2026-2027 School Year Here is the bell schedule for the school year. Please note that transitions have been built into the schedule to minimize the number of scholars in the hallways at the same time.