Greetings!
The Parents Association is holding its first fundraiser on November 11. The Association and Shirley LaBrecque are hosting a “One Pearl Party” at Morrow house. The event, featuring beautiful jewelry designs by Theresa Hines will be held from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. A postcard is being sent with details, and we are looking forward to a wonderful evening. We are also planning to have information available during Parents Weekend, so please stop by our table and say hello! Lisa Jalbert
Parents Association President
Parents Weekend Conferences
On Friday and Saturday, October 14 & 15, teachers and advisors are available in Greenhalgh Gymnasium to meet with parents and bring them up to date on their children's progress at the Academy. Conferences will be held Friday from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Students will be signing their parents up for conferences during the week of October 3. Below is the sign-up process. - Wednesday, October 5 - students receive the conference sign-up sheet & talk to their parents about which teachers they want to see & when.
- Thursday, Friday, Monday, October 6-10 - students sign up with teachers.
- Tuesday, October 11 - sign-up sheets will be collected & processed.
Be sure not to miss Friday evening's dinner followed by the traditional procession of flags and wonderful entertainment by instrumental and vocal student musicians. A full schedule of events for Parents’ Weekend will be available on the website shortly.
Fall Mid-Trimester (M1) Grades & Comments
October 7 - marking period ends
October 13 at noon - grades and comments finalized on PowerSchool
To access your child’s grades and comments, go to our PowerSchool website and log in using your username and password.
Because grades and comments are available on PowerSchool, we will not be providing a paper copy at Parents' Weekend. Please be sure to print a copy before you arrive if you would like to refer to them during the conferences with teachers or advisors.
Please use the parking lots
When dropping off and picking up students, it is vital that we all use the parking lots. Stopping on Faculty Street is dangerous both to drivers and pedestrians because of restricted sightlines. Please help safeguard our students by pulling into one of the parking lots to drop them off or pick them up.
College Counseling
On Wednesday, October 12, all juniors and sophomores at Wilbraham & Monson Academy will be taking the PSAT. The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a program cosponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It is a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT. It also gives juniors a chance to enter NMSC scholarship programs and gain access to college and career planning tools.
What: PSAT
When: Wednesday, October 12, 2011 Please arrive by 7:45 a.m. as the test begins at 8:00 a.m. sharp.
Where: Greenhalgh Gymnasium, WMA Athletic Center
Who: Mandatory for all juniors & sophomores
Bring: No. 2 pencils and a calculator
For more information, please contact the College Counseling Office or visit www.collegeboard.com/psat
WMA Give-a-Book Program
 Library resources are important to learning, research, and enrichment for all students.
Parents, students, alumni, and friends can help build Gill Memorial Library and leave a legacy on campus by donating to the Give-a-Book Program.
You can select a book to donate or let the librarians pick one for you. To make a gift contact WMA Director of Library Services Deborah Levheim at 413.596.9161.
Springfield Public Forum
Wilbraham & Monson Academy is proud to sponsor Robin Wright’s lecture, part of the 2011 Springfield Public Forum series.
 In her career as a foreign affairs analyst, journalist, and author, Robin Wright has worked in more than 140 countries on six continents. Her reporting has been featured in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Sunday Times of London, CBS News, and The Christian Science Monitor. Wright has also written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The New York Times, and The International Herald Tribune.
On Wednesday, November 9, the entire upper school will be transported to Symphony Hall to hear Ms. Wright's remarks. While middle school students are not required to attend, certainly families who wish to hear Ms. Wright's lecture are welcome to attend on their own. The lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. Students will depart from the Academy at 6:45 p.m. and will be back on campus between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m.
Admission Open House
As parents, you have first-hand knowledge of the strength of a WMA education and can contribute to the continued growth of our school by sharing the WMA story with your friends and acquaintances. Please share your children's experiences and encourage all interested families to attend our fall Open House on Sunday, November 6 at 2:00 p.m. For more information, please contact the Admission Office at 413.596.9107 or watch for details in an October eNews.
Parent-Connect: a valuable resource
Again this year, we are excited to offer a series of informative online seminars exploring topics of vital interest to all parents. Parent-Connect, an outgrowth of Katherine Koestner’s Campus Outreach Services, will be available to WMA parents during the coming year. During the registration process in September, Ms. Koestner, Executive Director of Campus Outreach Services and Take Back the Night Foundation, is a national expert on student safety and wellness issues. She has presented to more than one million students in the United States. As the first victim of date rape to speak out nationally and publicly about her experience at The College of William and Mary, she appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine in June of 1991. HBO made a movie about her story in 1993. Parent-Connect 2011-2012
Through the efforts of the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Deans Office, parents will be able to participate in this ground-breaking program. Parent-Connect offers school communities compelling topics concerning young adults and extraordinary perspectives through our series of online seminars. Respected authors, experts, and psychologists provide the latest research and practical parenting tips on Monday evenings during the school year. The WMA Parents’ Association is hosting monthly gatherings to provide parents an opportunity to participate in the webinars. They are held in the Campus Center Conference Room at 6:00 p.m. Light refreshments are served. Be sure to check the Parent page of our website for exact dates and topics. 2011-2012 Schedule of webinars (pdf format)
Registration instructions (pdf format)
International travel opportunities 2011-2012
Wilbraham & Monson Academy is pleased to announce the proposed travel destinations for the 2011-2012 school year. Each trip is designed to add value to the existing curriculum and to give our students a deeper understanding of the places, peoples, arts, and languages they study at the Academy.
March 2012 June 2012 July 2012
England Israel The Amazon
India Vietnam
Italy For more information, please contact Wally Swanson. | | |
Meeting of the
Wilbraham & Monson Academy
Parents Association
Please join us!!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
8:00 a.m.
WMA Athletic Center Board Room
Coffee, tea, juice, fruit, & breakfast pastries
These informal morning meetings are held the second Thursday of each month and are designed for us to get to know each other better and to provide an opportunity for parents to share their thoughts, ideas, and questions about all things WMA. We know your valuable input will help make the Academy experience the best it can be for our children and for us as parents. We will supplement these meetings with selected educational programs
throughout the year.
Questions, or to get involved, contact:
Lisa Jalbert President 413.221.3969
Kris Kirwan, Vice-President 413.244.7159
Melissa Reeves, Treasurer 413.530.4704
Robin Cook Secretary 413.599.6609
Andrea Robbins, Associate Director of Alumni Relations & Parents Association Liaison 413.596.9118
WMA Parents Association Book Club
When: October 6
Time: 6:45-8:00 p.m.
Where: Athletic Center
Book: Grapes of Wrath
November Book (November 3)
The Bluest Eye
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Geri French Robitaille at 413.575.5528.
Upcoming events
September 18 - October 25
Princeton Review course
October 6
Parents Association Book Club
Athletic Center Board Room
6:45 – 8:00 p.m.
October 12
PSAT/NMQT for Grades 10 and 11
Greenhalgh Gymnasium
8:00-11:30 a.m.
October 13
Parents Association Meeting
Athletic Center Board Room
8:00 a.m. October 13
Spirit Day Pep Rally
Evening
Parents Weekend
October 14 & 15 Friday, October 14
7:30 ~ Registration opens in Rich Hall Lobby
8:00 a.m. - noon ~ Parent class visits
1:00 - 5:00 p.m. ~ Parent-Faculty conferences
4:15 p.m. ~ Athletic contests begin
5:30 p.m. ~ Dinner, flag procession, & musical performance
Saturday, October 23
7:30 ~ Registration opens in Athletic Center entry
8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. ~ Parent-Faculty conferences
2:30 p.m.~ Athletic contests begin
October 15 (Saturday)
Fall long weekend begins after students’ last commitments
October 19 (Wednesday)
Classes resume at 8:00 a.m.
November 3
Parents Association Book Club
Athletic Center Board Room
6:45 – 8:00 p.m.
November 4
WMA’s Got Talent
Campus Center
7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
November 6
Admission Open House
WMA Athletic Center
2:00 p.m.
November 8 & 10
Fall Dance Recital
Athletic Center Dance Room
6:30 p.m.
November 9
Springfield Public Forum series
7:30 p.m.
November 11
Parents Association One Pearl Party
Morrow House
6:00 p.m.
November 15
Varsity Athletic Awards
Lak Dining Hall
6:15 p.m.
November 18 & 19
Academy Players 9/11 Reflections & Accounts
Founders Theatre
7:00 p.m.
Important Links on WMA.us Atlas
Student Newspaper
Media Gallery
Updated 2011-2012 School Calendar
All School Calendar
Risley Sports Photography
WMA is on Facebook and Twitter!
 
 
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Rita Carey
Director of Communications
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