Incoming Grade 6 Families

WMS FAQ

What does a typical 6th grade class schedule look like?
A typical 6th grade schedule at Whitman MS includes 6 classes.

• Math
• English Language Arts (ELA)
• History
• Science
• PE or other Elective
• Health

What course electives are available at Whitman Middle School?
For the 2022-2023 school year, the following electives may be offered:

Band, Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Course, Spanish 1, World Cultures and a Wellness/Art Class.

Elective course offerings change may change annually based on enrollment, staffing and interest.  World Language courses, which are available for high school credit, are available district wide for students in 7th and 8th grade.

Why are World Language courses only available to 7th and 8th grade students?
World Language course offerings are available as electives for middle school students and are available each year based on enrollment, interest and staffing. WMS offers a one-year Spanish 1A & 1B class to earn high school credit, based on current enrollment funding. The SPS World Language department is currently in the process of evaluating how to strengthen the pathway from middle to high school world language programs so that students can begin a language in middle school and continue it in high school at an appropriate, challenging level. For more information about middle school course offerings at SPS, please see the SPS World Language page. 

What is the Associate Student Body (ASB)?
ASB is a formal organization for students run by students. Student officers are elected in January of each year and these officers are asked to represent and be a voice of the student body. They work alongside the ASB Advisors (Mr. B and Mr. Hernandez), Principal Posten, Assistant Principal Cable, school staff and other student leaders. Students in 7th and 8th grade are eligible to run for office and students in 6th grade can be representatives for their 6th grade class. Student officers are responsible for helping to build a positive school culture and climate, creating and planning Tier 1 school wide activities and school events that are focused on equality and are inclusive to all.

Does Whitman MS offer Social Emotional Learning for students?
Whitman MS Staff support students’ social-emotional learning through an Advisory class, which meets weekly.  During Advisory class, students participate in activities and lessons that promote community-building, self-reflection, and self-regulation strategies. The curriculum used to teach these lessons and activities are from the district approved Character Strong program.  In addition, our staff implements the district supported social-emotional learning framework that engages students and staff in Welcoming Routines, Engaging Practices, and Optimistic Closures throughout each of their classes. The WMS administration team works with our school’s Instructional Council, staff Racial Equity Team, Building Leadership team and our ASB team to track student data.  These teams collaborate and analyze data trends, use our racial equity tools to make informed decisions, and implement updated and anti-racist practices. This is an ongoing process and more information can be found on our Racial Equity web page.

What sports are available at Whitman MS?
Whitman has several sports options for students. When we return to in-person learning, the following sports are typically offered at Whitman: 

Fall – Girls Soccer and Co-ed Ultimate Frisbee
Winter – Boys and Girls Basketball
Spring: Boys Soccer, Co-ed Track and Girls Volleyball. 

All 6th graders that try out for a team must have a physical on file.

Does each student have the same lunch time at Whitman Middle School?
In a typical year, there are two lunch periods at Whitman MS. Students eat in the cafeteria or outside in the courtyard when it is open. During lunch, students also go outside at designated times and in supervised locations. 

Do you have Clubs at Whitman MS?
Visit our Clubs page for information about our student clubs at Whitman Middle School.

SPS Enrollment and School Choice Timeline and Process

Visit the SPS Enrollment page for more details and dates about enrollment. Also visit the SPS School Choice for deadlines and process.

School Choice & Process for 2022-23

Start Date: February 1, 2022

Before the deadline, families with students enrolled in Seattle Public Schools may submit school choice applications for the following school year.

• All Seattle Public Schools choice assignments are subject to space availability.
• Submitting the form does not guarantee an assignment.
• Please review the School and Programs information as some programs or support services may not be offered at your preferred school.
• New students must first register on the Enrollment webpage before participating in the open enrollment.
• If there are more applications than seats available for a particular school and grade, then certain tiebreakers are used to determine assignment and waitlist status. Choice forms received after Feb 28, 2021 will not be eligible for tiebreaker consideration but will be placed in the order received and by lottery number.

Refer to the SPS School Choice page for complete details.

Key Enrollment Dates:

• Online Enrollment for new students for 2022-23 school year begins: January 3, 2022
• Open Enrollment for School Choice: February 1 – 28, 2022
• Open Enrollment results available online in April
• School Choice Window Closes: May 31, 2022