Activities

Day One is a way of starting off the school year in a positive way. It focuses on setting the climate of the new school year by welcoming the students back after the summer. The objective is to have all students feel a sense of school belonging and motivation towards the fresh new school year. West Middle School has made Day One a tradition.

Student Day One Committee student members should be confident, outgoing, friendly, great role models and leaders among their peers.

The Day One Committee will not be meeting summer 2020 to plan. When more details are known about the beginning of the school year, students will be contacted.

Consent and Contact Form

For more information please contact Mandy Kraus at Mandy.Kraus@wayzataschools.org.

First Lego League is a team experience where students practice math, computer, problem-solving and robot-design skills and then compete against other teams in the west metro area. Sign ups occur in early September each year. Our region’s competition is held sometime in early December to mid-January on either a Saturday or Sunday. The winning teams at regional competitions compete at the state competition in February.

Please see at the local website for information. You may also refer to the First Lego League website to learn about the international organization or call Clarice Jorenby at 763-745-6424.

This team is open to grade 6-8 students. Registration for team will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, with a limit of ten students on the team.

Get fit and play games with Mr. Antczak and Mrs. Kenady. Learn the basics of fitness, exercise and weight lifting. Anyone in grades 6-8 is welcome. 

Meets most Tuesdays and Thursday from 4:15-5:15 p.m. all school year long in the West Fitness Center. If there is no Fit Club after school, it will be announced. You do not need to attend every session and you can join at anytime of the year.

To join, fill out the Activity/Extracurricular Participation Form, pay the activity fee and turn it into the office.

FPS is a program in which students gather in small teams to creatively come up with and express solutions for future world problems. More information is available on the Minnesota Future Problem Solving website. FPS is open to all grade 6-8 students. The regional competitions are typically held in January and the state competition is in March. Sign up opens in October.

D&D is a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game. The core of D&D is storytelling. Students will tell a story together, guide your heroes through quests for treasure, battles with deadly foes, daring rescues, courtly intrigue, and much more.

Contact Sarah Bingea at Sarah.Bingea@wayzataschools.org for more information.

The Honors Reading Program is intended to encourage students to achieve literacy in the classics and other significant readings across the disciplines. This program is an optional, self-directed program for grade 6-8 students to independently read books from the Honors Reading Program and discuss with a teacher/staff member. Materials are available on the Canvas course for the Honors Reading Program. Contact Clarice Jorenby at 763-745-6424 or at Clarice.Jorenby@wayzataschools.org with questions.

The Newspaper Club is an exciting club and learning opportunity. Students will take on leadership roles on the school newspaper staff to plan, draft, and publish editions of the WMS Newspaper.

• Informational Meeting in Choir Room: January 22, 4:05-4:45 p.m.
• Auditions in Choir Room: January 27 and 28, 4:05-5:20 p.m.
• Call backs in Choir Room: January 30, 4:05-5:20 p.m.
• First Practice: February 13, 4:05-5:20 p.m.
• Extended Practices: Starting on April 13, 4:05-6:30 p.m.
• Saturday Practice: April 25, 9:00-3:00 p.m.
• Dress Rehearsal: April 30, 6:00-8:30 p.m.
• Performances: May 1,7:00 p.m. and May 2, 2:00 p.m. (students arrive early)

Audition Information

• Sign up for an audition slot (outside the choir room)
• Memorize lines for a character of your choice: Audition Lines
• Prepare the audition song: “Tomorrow” Sheet Music
• Fill out the audition form: Audition Form
• Attend auditions (bring pages 3-4 of the form) - we can’t wait to see you there!

If you are interested in being part of the crew, please watch the announcements. More information will be posted a few weeks after the cast is set.

If you have any questions at all, do not hesitate to contact one of the directors or teachers involved:

Ashli Callaway, English Language Teacher
Ashli.Callaway@wayzataschools.org
763-745-6482

Ellen Junko, 8th Grade Gold Math
Ellen.Junko@wayzataschools.org
763-745-6437

Erin Schmidt, Choir
Erin.Schmidt@wayzataschools.org

Registration for our Math Counts team is open to all grade 6-8 students and opens in October. Practices are once per week and run through January.

We typically have more students on our team than we have spots for competing at the one meet. Interested students are encouraged to be part of our Math Counts team, recognizing that the value of being a member is not just the final competition, but also the growth gained from practices. Those with the highest scores on the qualifying practice rounds will be selected to participate in February competitions.

Math League includes practices and competitions for students who love to solve math problems in the Minnesota Jr. High Mathematics League. The program typically begins in early September and concludes in January; consequently, sign-ups will open in September each year. While most Math League students are in grades 7 and 8, grade 6 students are welcome.

Math Masters is a math problem-solving team for grade 6 students. Students on the Math Masters team practice solving math problems as they prepare for a regional Math Masters Challenge Event. Practices generally run December through the last week of February. This team may fill; registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. You will be contacted if there is not space on the team.

If you’re a fan of Minecraft or are just wondering what all the excitement is about, this is the club for you! Minecraft is a game that allows players to build with a variety of different blocks in a 3D generated world, requiring creativity from players. Other activities in the game include exploration, resource gathering and crafting. We have our own server so the game is played in house with a world that Dennis Lehman has set up. Game rules will be developed by the participants. 

The club is open to all grade 6-8 grade students.

If you have questions, please contact Dennis Lehman at Dennis.Lehman@wayzataschools.org or Clarice Jorenby at Clarice.Jorenby@wayzataschools.org.

Our annual National Geographic Bee is scheduled to begin immediately after winter break. Classroom competitions will be held in all grade 6-8 social studies classes. There will be one winner per classroom. Later that week or early the following week, classroom winners will compete with other classroom winners from their team to determine one winner per team. These team winners will compete in our school Bee to determine our school winner. Typically, the school winner would take a written test to see if she/he qualifies for the state Bee to be held in Spring. For additional information, see the National Geographic Bee website.

Science Bowl is an after-school team-based activity to practice responding to a variety of science and math questions. This activity is designed for students who have a strong interest in science and are available to compete at the regional meet that will be held on a Saturday in February.

Science Bowl is open to 6th-8th grade students and is limited to 12 participants. It is likely to fill. Registration typically opens in October.

We are offering a Spelling Bee, open to all students grades 6-8 who are interested in participating. More information available on the Spelling Bee website.

The Bee will is usually held in January. Families are welcome to watch in person, but we ask that spectators arrive to the media center after school dismissal at 4:00 p.m. Participants will go home either with parent(s) or ride the activity bus. Registration is taken on a first-come, first-served basis and this opportunity is limited to 30 students.