August, 2021

Dear Students and Families,

For our incoming seventh graders and new families, welcome to West Hempstead Middle School! For our returning eighth graders, welcome back to what I know will be a great school year. I am proud to begin my fourth year as your principal, having joined the #RamFam in August, 2018. I bring with me experience as a classroom teacher, elementary school principal, and director of curriculum and instruction. Each of these roles has helped inform my beliefs about learning and students’ needs, which are always the primary drivers of the decisions we make at WHMS.

I recognize that this year will bring new challenges for all members of our WHMS community as parents, students, and staff return to a schedule of daily, in-person learning for the first time in 17 months! As we did last year, we will work to balance learning needs and best instructional practices with health and safety concerns as we continue to face COVID concerns. As principal, I will take on the primary responsibility for ensuring our students, staff, and families feel safe while also learning and working productively to create a vibrant school community.

We appreciate that the past 17 months have caused stress, anxiety, and in some cases, trauma on all members of our school community. Some of our students have not set foot in a school building since March of 2020. As a school, we will be alert to and will focus on the social and emotional needs of our students, families, and staff. While school will be fully reopening, it will not be like flipping a switch. It will take time, care, and purposeful action to help all members of our school community adjust. The return will also require a great deal of individual responsibility and #RamResolve from our students. Most importantly, we must all remember that asking for help is actually more a sign of strength than weakness. We are all here to help, beginning with me.

Some of the COVID safety protocols that we put in place last year will remain so we can continue to mitigate the risk of infection in school. In our school buildings, students will need to remain farther apart from each other than adolescents are naturally inclined to be. They will need to wear masks indoors with the exception of planned “mask breaks.” Our hallways and stairwells will be one-way and locker access will be limited to the beginning and end of the day and before and after lunch. The cafeteria will have more expectations for remaining seated, and socially distant. In a positive development from last year, our teachers will continue to use technology so that students can still collaborate and work cooperatively on projects. With all of the above, we will purposefully integrate social-emotional learning into our daily practices to help students feel connected, competent, and secure.

What has not changed is that my primary role as principal is to ensure that every child at West Hempstead Middle School is treated with respect and kindness, and that every student receives the instruction and support he or she needs to meet with success. The WHMS staff and I will support each child’s emotional, social, and academic needs as they navigate the challenges of adolescence in preparation for high school and beyond. As the lead learner of WHMS, I serve students, teachers, and families so that all are able to learn, grow, and thrive in a nurturing, yet demanding environment.

We are guided by the “This We Believe” attributes and characteristics from the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE). Among the most important of these beliefs are that every young adolescent:

• has the capacity to learn, grow, and develop into a knowledgeable, reflective, caring, ethical, and contributing citizen;

• must be engaged in learning that is relevant, challenging, integrative, and exploratory; and

• faces significant life choices and needs support in making wise and healthy decisions.

As in the past, another key element of student success at WHMS is an active, vibrant partnership between home and school with open lines of communication. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher, counselor, or me if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s emotional, social, or academic well-being.

Again, I warmly welcome you to West Hempstead Middle School for the 2021-2022 school year. It will be a challenging, yet exhilarating year for learning, growing, and getting to know each other. On that note, I strongly urge parents to attend our “Back-to-School Night” on Monday, September 20, at 7pm. Details about how the night will work are still being finalized, but the evening is an invaluable opportunity to meet me, your child’s team, and embark on the partnership necessary to make the most of the school year.

Sincerely,

Sean K. Murray
Principal