An Update from the School Committee
May 27, 2022
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An Update from the School Committee…..
The School Committee met on Monday, May 23, 2022.
On Tuesday, we, as a nation, experienced another senseless mass killing at a school in Texas, where 19 children and two educators needlessly lost their lives. I’m trying not to let my feelings of despair overwhelm my hope that we, as a country, can face this tragedy and take steps to address it.
And, now, the School Committee update…
The meeting kicked off with Class of 2022 Valedictorian, Taylor Lambo and Salutatorian, Zachary Paquette. Congratulations to Taylor and Zachary for their impressive accomplishments, and to all our 2022 graduates.
The spring is a busy hiring time for schools. The Superintendent introduced the following new WPS administrators: Laura Sanchez, WHS Assistant Principal; Jennifer Chin Fein, WMS Principal; and, Casey Andrews, 8-12 ELA Coordinator. We welcome these new administrators to Watertown.
We heard a presentation about digital literacy and Fine, Applied, and Performing Arts (FAPA) at Watertown Middle School. It is exciting to see the growth and interest in our FAPA programs.
As noted in a past update, an Attendance Zone Committee was created and has been working over the past few months to review elementary school zones. This work has been done in partnership with AppGeo, a consulting firm that specializes in school redistricting and geographical information system mapping. Their recommendation (option 3) was presented and discussed at the meeting. Note that any proposed changes will not impact any current placements. Changes would take effect in September 2023 and only for incoming Kindergarteners without older siblings. The School Committee will vote on the recommendation at the June 6, 2022 meeting.
Each spring, schools present their School Improvement Plans (SIP) for the following year. The Watertown Middle School SIP and the Watertown High School SIP were presented and discussed.
The district continues weekly COVID testing and remains flexible as we move in and out of “mask optional”. Thank you to the school community for your flexibility and to the Superintendent for creating clear metrics with which to make decisions. Here are the weekly metrics.
The demolition of the old Hosmer Elementary School is nearly complete and asbestos abatement at the Lowell Elementary School is finishing up. The work on O’Connell Field has begun and will be complete this fall, although the grass will not be usable for a few seasons. The planning for a state-of-the-art high school and high quality swing space continues. The high school project breaks ground in one year and the swing space construction begins in November 2022. To learn more about Watertown’s school building projects, attend the School Building Committee (SBC) meetings the third Wednesday of each month on zoom. SBC agendas can be found here.
Below are upcoming meetings/forums:
WHS Graduation, June 3, 2022
School Committee Meeting, June 6, 2022
Agenda information and supporting documents can be found here. All supporting documents have also been linked in the update above.
Kendra Foley
Chair, Watertown School Committee
Watertown School Committee
Lindsay Mosca, Vice Chair
Amy Donohue, Secretary
Jessica Middlebrook
Lily Rayman Read
David Stokes
Mark Sideris, City Council President
Email: schoolcommittee@watertown.k12.ma.us
Website: www.watertown.k12.ma.us
Location: 30 Common Street, Watertown, MA, USA
Phone: 617-926-7708