Husky Highlight
Sunday, April 11, 2021
Note from Ms. Moulton
Greetings, Hosmer Families,
Students and staff have been doing an excellent job of following safety protocols and we have had a joyful and productive first week back! We can tell that there are smiles under the masks!
Drop-Off and Pick-Up
Thank you for your cooperation during drop-off and pick-up. We have been able to successfully, safely, and quickly get children in and out of the buildings. Please continue wearing masks and following these procedures.
As a reminder, there are no dogs allowed on school property per town ordinance. If you bring your dog, please be sure to remain on the sidewalks around the perimeter of the school and wave to your child's teacher so that he/she may be sent to you.
Virtual School Supply Distribution
Tomorrow (Monday) is a materials distribution day for students enrolled in Virtual School. We have lots of awesome things for you to pick up! Please come to school tomorrow from 7:30-8:00am or 1:00-2:00pm.
Lunch/Recess -- Dress for the Weather!
Please be sure that students come to school prepared for New England weather! The weather looks to be a bit less pleasant and predictable this week. We may be eating outside in the rain. While students would be under the tents, it may still be cooler than we might hope for in the mornings.
We are also evaluating options for eating indoors through creative use of the small gym and other spaces. Stay tuned for more information as we continue to adapt.
Updates on Quarantining
In the event that a student/adult in a classroom receives a positive test result and a classroom will need to quarantine, we will provide teachers and families a school day to prepare for the shift back to remote learning. This will enable teachers to organize schedules, zoom links, and supplies (including technology) for families to pick up.
With regards to international travel, a quarantine of 14 days upon return is necessary, with a negative PCR test on day 15. This is in accordance with the directive of the Watertown Health Department. Students quarantining after travel may not Zoom into classroom lessons.
Students are invited to Zoom into the classroom only in cases where they have tested positive for COVID themselves OR have been deemed a close contact. In these cases, parents/families must contact Nurse Sabrina (who will consult with the Main Office) for approval.
Thank you for your continued support of our wonderful school.
Erin Moulton
Important Calendar Reminders:
Monday, April 12th - Virtual School Materials Pick-up and Collections
- 7:30 am - 8:00 am
- 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Monday, April 12th - Site Council - 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Thursday, April 15th - PTO - 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Monday, April 19 - Friday, April 23 - No School - April Vacation
Thursday, April 29th - Diversity Council - 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Last Week's Daily Affirmation
Morning Announcements Continue at 8:05!
This Week's Daily Affirmation
Enjoying Outdoor Lunch
School Meals Program
Technology
Collecting All Chromebooks This Week!
As noted earlier this week, students must use their school provided device at school. They should not bring personal laptops, Chromebooks, kindles, etc. Cell phones, if in school, are expect to be turned off and put away.
This week we will collect all Chromebooks and iPads in order to conduct an inventory and update all devices over the April Vacation Week. Please remember to also return the charger. Students will not be able to have their devices at home during this time. (I think we can all use a good screen break anyway!)
Celebrating Student Work
2021 Cambridge Science Festival Curiosity Challenge Winners!
Earlier this winter, Hosmer students in Kindergarten through Grade 5 contributed posters to the "Cambridge Science Festival Curiosity Challenge". Hosmer has EIGHT student winners! Below you can see their entries and read the congratulatory email from the organization.
I encourage you to visit the Cambridge Science Festival website to learn more about free and exciting science opportunities available throughout the month and to see all of the contest winners.
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"This year, despite all the challenges faced by schools and parents, we received 2500 entries from over 50 schools and organizations and over 200 teachers and classrooms participated. This year we also received many entries from across the United States as well as Spain and Argentina.
We have completed the selection process and have chosen 8 students from your school as 2021 Curiosity Award winners. We are compiling the winning entries in a book for each student winner and their school.
Due to COVID restrictions, this year we will be honoring the winners on the Cambridge Science Festival website. Curiosity Award certificates will be mailed for each winner to their school along with their book."
Awesome Winning Entries:
Travel Protocols
Traveling Over April Vacation?
The governor of Massachusetts issued a Travel Advisory effective March 22, 2021. Below is information from the advisory. Please click on the link to get more information and check the link periodically as it is subject to change.
As of Monday, March 22, all visitors entering Massachusetts, including returning residents, are advised to quarantine for 10 days upon their arrival. Travelers in the following categories are exempt from this quarantine advisory:
Travelers who have received a negative COVID-19 result on a test administered not more than 72 hours prior to their arrival in Massachusetts. Travelers may also test out of the quarantine advisory after arrival in Massachusetts, as long as they quarantine until receiving a negative test result.
Anyone who is entering Massachusetts for fewer than 24 hours
Anyone who is returning to Massachusetts after being out of the State for fewer than 24 hours
Workers who enter Massachusetts to perform critical infrastructure functions (as specified by the Federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) during required commuting to or from work and while at work.
Travelers who are fully vaccinated (i.e. who have received two doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines OR who have received a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 14 days or more ago) and who do not have symptoms.
Anyone arriving from an international destination must quarantine for 14 days, per the Watertown Health Department. Staff should consult with the school nurse and building administrator regarding international travel as guidelines change rapidly.
Teaching & Learning
Ongoing Equity Work
In this week's professional development. teachers will be discussing this article, "Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books". I am sharing with you as you may find it a helpful resource for home as well. Additionally, I am happy to report that we have been able to purchase over $2000 worth of books for our school library that are in languages spoken by Hosmer families (other than English). These will be available for students to borrow next year.
A WPS Team is meeting this spring to review and unpack the School Committee approved Teaching Controversial Topics Policy for our staff members’ practical understanding and effective use. By June, we will share information and FAQs, broadly across the district and with our families, that are designed to translate the policy into practice. This will enhance our ability to address important curricular topics in a developmentally safe and intellectually curious manner, thereby helping our students to further develop their critical thinking and decision-making skills. Updates to follow in June.
iReady Diagnostic Information
he i-Ready mid-year Winter diagnostic was administered to students in grades 1 - 8 beginning the weeks of March 1st and March 8th. Results were analyzed by the assistant superintendent, curriculum coordinators, principals, and shared further in data meetings with teachers, service providers, and Title 1 tutors.
i-Ready has added a new percentile feature to their reports. In many cases, students increased in their achievement but went down in their percentile ranking. After contacting i-Ready Support about this they explained the following:
The percentiles we see in the reports are based on i-Ready norming windows. If students were assessed between Nov 15, 2020 - March 1, 2021, the percentiles will be from the Winter norming window. If they were assessed after March 1, the percentiles will be from the Spring norming window, thus not accurate percentiles. We assessed after March 1st thus, the Spring norming window. Also, the percentiles are normed from the 2018-2019 school year, a “normal” school year, so we're comparing apples to oranges. WPS and many other districts did not assess after the pandemic hit in Spring 2020 as students were learning from home, so there is no comparative data for the 2019-2020 end of year.
i-Ready Support suggested not using these percentiles with parents as they are not accurately reflecting our data against that norm. After the spring, during our June testing window we will examine the Parent Reports again for the accuracy of the percentiles. We may send home the end of year Parent Report, which will be slightly more accurate although still normed against 18-19 school year, only if we collectively determine that the end of year comparison data is accurate this unique year.
Our rationale for likely sharing the end of year Parent Report (with explicit explanation) is that they will provide individual student growth from the school year's beginning to the end, and a comparison to more accurate percentiles (since comparison will be all students at the end of year timeframe versus the March 2021 varying dates), even though they are still normed against 18-19SY.
MCAS Testing Dates
The dates and times for MCAS Testing have been reduced, with one session of test administration for each subject. Please note these dates. Our students and teachers have worked diligently to keep everyone learning despite the circumstances of the year. It is our intention to administer MCAS in as stress-free of an environment as possible. Students enrolled in Virtual School will be able to take the test online at home. More details will be provided as we get closer to these dates.
Reading (Grades 3-5) - Wednesday, May 12th
MATH (Grades 3-5) - Wednesday, May 19th
SCIENCE (Grade 5 Only) - Monday, May 24
Summer Programming
FREE Summer Explorations Program!
Please see this exciting message from Watertown Community Education regarding their 2021 Summer Explorations Program!
Watertown Community Education is pleased to announce The Summer Explorations Program will be running in person this summer at the Lowell Elementary School. This 6-week program is available to all Watertown elementary students entering grades K - 5 in September 2021 at the Cunniff West, Hosmer, and Lowell Schools. We are most fortunate to share that for this year only, we have additional federal funding for schools so this program is being offered for free!
Space for this program is limited and registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Please click the Smore link below for time-sensitive registration details and the online registration form link.
Summer Explorations Program Smore Link: https://www.smore.com/24we5
Important Registration Note for Students Who May Receive Services for Special Education, ESL, Reading, and/or Other District Supports or Services:
Due to the time-sensitive nature of the registration period for The Summer Explorations Program, please do not wait to confirm your summer services before enrolling in this program if you would like your student to attend. It is not necessary for us to know your student's services schedule or even have confirmation that your student will be receiving services. Please register your students for the full weeks you'd like them to attend the Summer Explorations Program and we can make adjustments to their attendance hours at a later date. We are not able to hold space for students receiving services to receive wraparound care so we strongly recommend you register your students for the Summer Explorations Program once the registration link is live at 6:00 pm on Thursday, April 15th. Additional summer information about Special Education, ESL, Reading, and/or Other Academic District Supports or Services for students who are recommended by their teachers, will be distributed by the first week of May.
If applicable, once your student’s Watertown Public School summer services are confirmed, please email Debi Cornelius at debora.cornelius@watertown.k12.ma.us using ‘Summer Services’ in the subject line, and we will make arrangements to transition your students to and from their services being held in the Lowell Elementary School during the hours of our program.
Summer Explorations Program Smore Link: https://www.smore.com/24we5
If you have any questions about The Summer Explorations Program please email Debi Cornelius at debora.cornelius@watertown.k12.ma.us or Jeff Bodner at jeffrey.bodner@watertown.k12.ma.us
Summer Success Program for Reading, Math and ESL
This year we will be once again offering a summer success program for eligible students. This program will run from July 12 - August 5th on Monday - Thursday from 8:00 - 11:30 at the Lowell School. Eligible students will be notified by the end of April and those that attend will receive small group instruction in math, reading, and writing.
Please reach out to Deb Opar (deborah.opar@watertown.k12.ma.us), Elizabeth Kaplan (Elizabeth.kaplan@watertown.k12.ma.us) or Kate Phillipson (kathryn.phillipson@watertown.k12.ma.us) with any questions about this summer program.
-- Community Resources --
Information on April Vacation Programming at the Boys & Girls Club
About Us
Website: www.watertown.k12.ma.us/hosmer
Location: 1 Concord Road, Watertown, MA, USA
Phone: 617-926-7740
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HosmerElementarySchool/
Twitter: @HosmerSchool