It’s a Great Day to be a Tiger!
October 6th is National Coaches Day! In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation declaring October 6 as National Coaches Day. It states: "Coaches are highly qualified teachers—in highly specialized fields. But more than that, they are friends and counselors who help instill in their players important attitudes that will serve them all their lives." Students who are involved in extracurricular activities are usually more successful in school. We would like to say thank you to our TIGER athletic coaches:
- Archery - Joey Tompkins
- Band - Director James Bailey, Asst. Director Joshua Overstreet, Asst. Colorguard Director Betsy Tompkins, Asst. Drumline Director Mikel Sykes
- Baseball - Head Coach Mark Austin, Asst Coaches: Steven Helms, Andrew Wilson & Adam Bobo
- Basketball - Boys’ Coach Jamario Rugley; Girls’ Coach Howard Phillips & Junior High Girls’ Coach Tonya Leverette
- Cheer - HIgh School Coach Deanna Lowery & Junior High Coach Elizabeth Lowery
- Choir - Director Megan Brock
- Cross Country - Head Coach Chris McRae
- Dance Team - Kaela Taylor
- Football - Head Coach Joey Tompkins, Asst. Coaches: Philip Jordan, Ben Burton, Dane Milling, Adam Bobo, Atavis Campbell, Steven Helms, & Mark Austin. Student Teacher/Coach - Jacob Dickson.
- Soccer - Boys’ Coach Mark Austin, Girls’ Coach Mikel Sykes
- Softball - Head Coach Gunner Nichols, Asst Coach Kylie Schuster
- Tennis - Coach Ben Burton
- Track - Head Coach Chris McRae, Asst Coaches: Tonya Leverette & Atavis Campbell
- Volleyball - Head Coach Gunner Nichols, Asst. Coach Megan Brock
ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING
Students will enjoy two days for Fall Break - October 11 and 12. Faculty and staff will be out on Monday, but will return on Tuesday for professional development.
After-school programs updates - Parents of archery students met on Tuesday night. Archery practice for students in grades 4-6 will start soon and will be held two days a week. We are excited to have archery back at WES! Winona Secondary students have been taking benchmark tests this week to check academic progress in their classes. Thank you for encouraging your children to do their best on these assessments so teachers are aware of any weaknesses that they need to address with your child.
OPERATIONS
This week’s game versus Yazoo County was cancelled due to COVID concerns with the Panthers. Students and faculty/staff are still encouraged to wear their favorite jersey this Friday, in support of our Tiger football team.
We are looking forward to next week’s Homecoming festivities and Senior Recognition. The Dress Up Days at Winona Secondary School for October 13-15th are:
- Wednesday - Party in the USA (Red, White, & Blue)
- Thursday - Past vs Future
- Friday - Spirit Day.
On Thursday, we will celebrate with the Homecoming Parade at 5:30pm. The route will be Fairground Street, Summit Street, and Front Street. At 6:30pm, students will be participating in the Powder Puff Game. Admission is $3.00 as this is a fundraiser for Super Scholars.
Friday’s events are:
- 9:00am Winona Elementary Pep Rally
- 2:00pm Winona Secondary Pep Rally
- 3:30pm Tailgating in the Central Office Parking Lot
- 4:30-5:30pm TIGER Walk ~ Pride Band, Cheerleaders and Football Team will make an
- appearance in the parking lot.
- 6:30pm Homecoming Ceremony
- 7:00pm GAME TIME
- Halftime - Senior Recognition for Football, Cheer, and Band
COMMUNICATIONS
Next WMCSD Board meeting is October 12 at 6:00pm in the Superintendent’s Office Conference Room.
From WMCSD and MDE: Building Partnerships…Working Together Mississippi Parent Conference on October 7, 2021. This event will provide guidance and training for parents, teachers, advocates, and others as it pertains to children with disabilities. The conference will be held in person at the Hilton on County Line Road in Jackson. Guests will also have the option to attend virtually. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Armerita Tell at atell@mdek12.org. Registration link for the Building Partnerships - Working Together Mississippi Parent Conference: https://msresaservices.com/events-mississippi-parent-conference
The Balfour representative will be at WSS on Thursday, October 7th at 7:15 a.m. for the purpose of assisting any student with their senior graduation invitation order. An $80.00 deposit is required to place an order. Make checks payable to “Scholastic Products & Awards”.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
The Winona Elementary School Health Council met on Monday, October 4. The group is planning for a Field Day at WES. In other health news, our COVID numbers look good. WMCSD has only had one employee quarantined since the week of August 30th. We currently have four students quarantined with one positive case.
TECHNOLOGY
Digital Citizenship - We strive for all of our students to be good digital citizens. We expect that they make good choices when using technology, especially through their school email and school-issued technology. As we continue to provide education at school as to what good digital citizenship consists of, we ask that parents also help us to instill the importance of this as well. Here are some tips that both children and adults can use to maintain their digital footprint:
- Think long term. What seems fun today could have long-term consequences.
- Keep personal information private.
- Use privacy settings on your social network pages. Don't use public posting.
- Protect your friends’ privacy as well as yours.
- Treat others the way you want to be treated.
Thank you for helping us keep our kids safe in a digital environment.
A cohort of WES and WSS teachers met with their Digital Learning Coach from MDE this past week. The coaches along with the cohort members will train the entire faculty and staff on the best practices in digital learning. The MDE coaches will be working with our teachers on how to best implement digital learning in classroom settings and how to encourage our students to be good digital citizens.
Stay healthy and choose joy! We are TIGERStrong!