Wildcat Pride
What is going on in WB - September 9, 2022
WB District Newsletter
Newsletter Distribution - The Wildcat PRIDE newsletter will be coming from the Central Office on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month. The building principals will be sending out school newsletters on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month. Throughout the year whenever other pertinent information needs to be sent out it will also be sent via email and posted on the website and social media.
Staff Recognition 20 Years - On opening day for staff, we recognized Erin Brogna, Erin Cronin, Michelle Mischley and Jeremy Winchell for completing 20 years of service to the students of West Bridgewater (see picture below). Thank you for all you have done for our students and families over the years! Last year we recognized 20 staff members for 20+ years of service. It is awesome to have such a dedicated group of educators who have been in WB for so many years.
New Staff - We are so excited to also welcome our new staff (picture below) to West Bridgewater on opening day. All of the new staff are part of the mentoring program run by Mrs. Daley and they are assigned a mentor to work with during the year. Welcome to WB to our newest Wildcats! The staff will also be recognized at the School Committee meeting on Monday, September 12th.
Thank you WBPD - Once again the West Bridgewater Police Department had a great presence during the opening days of school. Thank you to Chief Flaherty for his continued leadership and support on all issues related to school safety.
Planning for Success - We are beginning the process of creating a new district strategic plan using the Planning for Success model. We will be working the fall with administrators, and educators, as well as having representation by the school committee, parents, and students. Information will be shared during upcoming School Committee meetings.
Curriculum News
Students in grades one to eight have been busy this week taking the Beginning of the Year STAR assessments in math and English language arts. The scores from these tests are just one piece of the equation to help teachers plan and implement effective instruction.
Middle School Team Building
Welcome Back WB!
Ice Cream Truck for WB Staff
Bus Routes 2022-2023
Updated bus routes will be on the website. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the school main office directly and not Lucini Bus Company. The school will work with you and share all relevant information with Lucini. As always please be patient as we open school.
Open House/Curriculum Nights
- MSHS September 8th
- Howard September 15th
- RLM September 22nd
- SSS October 6th
Parent Teacher Conferences
Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Update
We will be hosting a meeting with the MSBA later this month as part of the Senior Study. The Senior Study is not an invitation to work with the MSBA but is part of the due diligence review phase of the MSBA Statement of Interest (SOI) Process. Last April we submitted two Statements of Interests (SOI) to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). A Statement of Interest was submitted for the Rose L MacDonald and the Spring Street School with the goal of being selected by the MSBA for a future building project. The SOI’s were reviewed by the School Committee and Board of Selectmen. More information will be shared at future School Committee meetings.
News from the Nurses
Our nursing staff is extremely committed to assisting students and families in achieving optimal health in both the school and home setting. We work closely with teachers and other staff members to ensure a healthy and safe educational environment for the students. Our nurses are very approachable and are great resources for both information and health-related needs. We invite parents to call with any questions or concerns they may have.
At the beginning of each year our nurses are working diligently to update all health information. Please ensure that you provide all necessary documentation, forms, and/or medication promptly so that your student is appropriately cared for!
OUR STAFF:
MSHS/LEAD NURSE
Julie Diedrichsen 508-894-1220 x1305 or jdiedrichsen@wbridgewater.com
HOWARD SCHOOL
Peggy Linskey 508-894-1250 x3115 or mlinskey@wbridgewater.com
ROSE L. MACDONALD SCHOOL
Lynn Moniz 508-894-1240 x4102 or lmoniz@wbridgewater.com
SPRING STREET SCHOOL
Sara Mando 508-894-1230 x2122 or smando@wbridgewater.com
For more information about sick child guidelines, health-related policies, and state mandates, please visit the Health Services website at https://www.wbridgewaterschools.org/page/health-services
SRO NEWS - Officer Pope
Updated COVID Information
DESE and DPH have updated their COVID guidance for the school year 2022-2023:
- Universal mask requirements, surveillance testing of asymptomatic individuals, contact tracing, and test-to-stay testing are no longer recommended in schools. All students and staff who wish to continue to wear a mask will be supported in that choice.
- Students and staff who test positive for COVID must remain out of school for at least 5 days. If they are asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving and they have been fever free without the use of fever-reducing medication for 24 hours, they may return to school and should wear a mask through day 10. If the person has a negative test on or after day 5, they do not need to mask.
- Exposed students and staff are no longer required to quarantine, regardless of vaccination status or where the exposure occurred. All exposed individuals may remain in school as long as they are asymptomatic. Masking is recommended but not required. Testing on day 6 is recommended but not required.
- Symptomatic individuals should be sent home and allowed to return if symptoms remain mild and they test negative, or if they have been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication and their symptoms are resolving, or with alternate diagnosis (written confirmation from medical professional required). A negative test is strongly recommended, but not required, for return.
COVID Symptoms:
- fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills or shaking chills
- difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- new loss of taste or smell
- muscle aches or body aches
- cough (not due to other known cause such as chronic cough)
- sore throat (when in combination with other symptoms)
- nausea/vomiting (when in combination with other symptoms)
- headache (when in combination with other symptoms)
- fatigue (when in combination with other symptoms)
- nasal congestion or runny nose, not due to other known causes such as allergies (when in combination with other symptoms)
Surround Care - Before and After School Programs
The Surround Care program is available for before and after school care. The program opens at 7 AM and is available until 6 PM at Spring St, RLM and Howard Schools.
Programs provide indoor and outdoor play, crafts, games, and fun with friends. Snacks are provided! Register online: https://www.wbridgewaterschools.org/page/surround-care
We also provide Half-Day care from dismissal time until 6:00pm.(Separate registration required). There will be an early release from all schools on September 28th. Register now to have your child join the fun! Hope to see you there!
Food Service News - Ann Marie Grinder, Director
WB's School Nutrition Staff are excited to welcome students back this year!
We are happy to announce that school meals are free again for 2022-2023 for all students.
Even though there is no cost to students, we are asking families to fill out the Household Application Form that was sent home the first day of school. Families that qualify may be eligible for additional benefits and it helps fund important school programs.
Please check out WB's Food Services page on the District's website for menu and additional information. WB Food Services Any questions or concerns you can contact Ann Marie Grinder, Food Service Director, at agrinder@wbridgewater.com or (508)894-1220.
WB Inclusion Matters/WB SEPAC
Inclusion Matters is a group of West Bridgewater families whose kids have IEPs and 504s. We offer learning and support and would love for you to join us. If you'd like to learn more about our events for parents, guardians, and students, please email us at InclusionMattersMA@gmail.com to join our private email list. See our upcoming events on our Facebook page at @InclusionMattersMA and our website at www.InclusionMattersMA.com
The mission of Inclusion Matters as West Bridgewater’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council is to build inclusive schools and communities. We do this by supporting families of students with IEPs and 504s and including regular education parents by offering advice, advocacy within the school system, and opportunities for education and community-building through regular workshops and events for parents, guardians and families.
We are excited about the year ahead of us! In addition to workshops and webinars, we’re looking forward to spending time with our Inclusion Matters community as we bring back fun social events like craft night and parents-night-out. We’ll be kicking off our events with an information table at each school’s curriculum night this fall. Please stop by to meet Inclusion Matters board members, ask questions, learn more about us, and join our mailing list for a chance to win some awesome giveaways.
WB Wildcat Athletics
WB Sports Highlights from AD Hammel:
Week one is in the books for our Wildcats, fall season has officially begun! Here’s a quick recap of how our Wildcats have been doing! It’s been an awesome start and we cannot wait to watch them throughout the rest of the season!
Cross Country:
The cross country teams opened their seasons yesterday afternoon on the home course against a multitude of teams. Ella Dunbury won the girls varsity race and Viv Morales-Wakin finished 10th overall out of 41 races. Katherine Donovan, Lilly Andrews, Lilli Milton, and Ava King all had outstanding races in their first ever 5K races as the girls defeated Ursuline Academy. Bryce Leighton led the way for the boys team, finishing 3rd overall out of 52 runners. Five other Wildcats, including Kenly Laime and Cam Frates earned personal bests on the muddy home course as the boys team beat Stoughton. In the junior varsity race, Alex Kelley, Tyler Beady and Nate Trott finished 1st, 2nd, and 5th overall.
Football/Cheer:
The WB football team lost a close game to EB 18-14 Thursday night. The players battled but came up short. The defense played a great game and was led by Will DeLuca, Sean Carter, Nate Anderson, Miguel Pleasants and Armani Baptista-Pereira. WB touchdowns scored by Will DeLuca and James Harris.
Field Hockey:
For Our first game of the season.. Field hockey Varsity won 3-2! 2 goals by Kiera O’Connell & Lauren Holland got 1. Assists by Olivia Razza and Abby Matta. Olivia Razza’s amazing stick handling took them to the net! Amazing drives by Grace Polen and Lily Martel! Good Job team! Jv had a close game but lost to Pembroke 2-1, Hayley Krawoski got the goal! Great teamwork by all!
Golf:
The varsity golf team started off its season yesterday with a match vs. Tri-County. Tyler Bisbee led the way for the Wildcats, cleaning up at the 1 spot. Aiden Delehoy heated up as the match went on and secured the victory by the 6th hole. Both Tyler and Delehoy earned maximum points for the team. With the match tied, it all came down to Vinny Centrella on the 9th hole…..And Vinny was clutch! He buried a knee knocker of a putt and secured the victory for WB. Congratulations to the golf team on an outstanding 5 to 4 victory!
Boys Soccer:
The boys varsity soccer team won their first game of the season 6-0 over Middleboro yesterday with senior captain Ryan Estrella scoring 3 goals. The other 3 goals were scored by senior captain Ben Fuller, senior captain Drew Raphel and junior Jamie Sheedy. Goalkeeper Nick Navin also earned his first varsity shutout, with the help of a great overall team performance.
Girls Soccer:
The girls varsity soccer team defeated Middleboro 3-0. Amanda Jacques scored two goals and Rachael Geniuch picked up a goal and an assist. Kylie Fuller also had an assist and Kerri Gomes picked up the shutout in net. Great team play overall!
Volleyball:
The varsity volleyball team defeated division 1 Bridgewater-Raynham in three straight sets. 25-7, 25-20, 25-23. This is the first time WB has won against BR!!! The serving was led by Sophomore Ava Harkins with 10 aces and a 93% service average. Junior Brooke Robichaud served 100% going 15 for 15. The defense was led by junior Alyssa Duarte and Senior Hannah Smith. Both had 50% in the perfect pass category. Our setting duo of Ava Harkins and Brooke Robichaud ran the floor flawlessly with 12 and 13 assists (an assist is a set ending with a kill) respectively. The volleyball Wildcats travel to Pembroke tomorrow.
Check out our sports schedule below to follow our teams throughout the season!
Important Links:
Arbiter Sports Registration:
**Fall Schedules: (please note schedules are subject to change)
**WB Athletics Page:
**WB Coaching Staff Contact Info:
Athletic Trainer, Audra Roberts, arobbins@wbridgewater.com
Athletic Director, Jenn Hammel, jhammel@wbridgewater.com.
Let’s Go Wildcats!!
WB Athletics Boosters
ATHLETIC BOOSTERS MEETING - Tuesday, September 13th @ 7 PM
Tuesday, 9/13/2022 @ 7:00 PM
WBMSHS - LIBRARY (Learning Commons)
Come join the discussion- all parents/guardians are welcome!
Questions? Email us @ wbboostersclub@gmail.com
GO WILDCATS!!
Next Superintendent Coffee Hour - September 16, 2022 at 9:15 am
The next Superintendent Coffee Hour with Mr. Bodwell will be on Friday, September 16, 2022 at 9:15 am at the Spring Street Schools. Thank you to all who were able to attend any of the prior meetings. There will be a few changes for this year. First, we will be going back to in-person meetings. We are looking forward to seeing everyone in person. We will also be bringing back guest speakers. If you have any suggestions for staff you would like to be at the meetings please let me know. Our first guest speaker will be School Resource Officer Tim Pope. The first meeting of the year will be at the Spring Street School. Also, we are planning on sending out the agenda prior to the meeting. This will better inform our guests about what topics we will discuss. We will always leave time in the end for questions and answers.
Park Day Celebration
Important Links for WB Families
Past Superintendent Newsletters
Superintendent's Office
Email: mbodwell@wbridgewater.com
Website: www.wbridgewaterschools.org
Location: 2 Spring Street, West Bridgewater, MA, USA
Phone: (508) 894-1230
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wbridgewaterschools
Twitter: @WBPSwildcats