Principal's Newsletter
August 26, 2020
To translate this newsletter, please use the link to the right.
Para traduzir este boletim, clique nele e use o link à direita.
Para traducir este boletín, haga clic en él y luego use el enlace a la derecha.
لترجمة هذه الرسالة من المدرسة ، اضغط عليها ثم استخدم الرابط الموجود على اليمين.
Այս տեղեկագիրը թարգմանելու համար կտտացրեք այն, ապա օգտագործեք աջ կողմում գտնվող հղումը:
Чтобы перевести этот бюллетень, нажмите на него, затем воспользуйтесь ссылкой справа.
Bu bülteni çevirmek için üzerine tıklayın ve ardından sağdaki bağlantıyı kullanın.
Dear Watertown High School Families,
I hope that this letter finds you and your family well and enjoying the summer. It has been a challenging and unusual summer, but I couldn't be happier to be serving as your principal through these challenging times. I have heard from many of you through parent information sessions, school committee meetings, zooms, phone calls, and seeing you out in the community, albeit with a mask on. These conversations have informed my entry to this great community and shaped what the Fall will look like for our students. I have enjoyed connecting with the WHS staff who have continued to learn, brainstorm, and plan new and exciting ways to reach our students during this time of remote learning. I have studied alongside educators from Watertown in the Harvard Graduate School of Education's online learning course, this summer. We plan to share our learning with the rest of the district to ensure we are innovative in our remote education. We are all looking forward to the start of the 2020-21 school year in just a few short weeks and I am especially looking forward to getting to know the greater WHS community. While the start of this year will look different than other years, we have worked hard to develop a plan to ensure that students are engaged in robust learning opportunities and have chances to continue to develop their social-emotional skills. It will be a change, for sure, but one that I am confident will result in a successful, safe, exciting year for the entire WHS community.
The first day of school for students will be Tuesday, September 22 at 8:30am. One notable change for students is that we will return to our traditional grading system (letter grades, not pass/fail). Attendance will also be expected and tracked during Zoom meetings. Students will participate in synchronous (“live”) learning with their teacher and classmates over Zoom and asynchronous (independent) learning where students will work on their own. Assignments during remote learning will be rigorous and focused on moving our curriculum forward. In the coming weeks, we will provide more specific details about attendance, grading, and discipline. These details will be reviewed frequently with students as we start the year to ensure that everyone understands the expectations.
Please note that this newsletter is also being physically mailed with important documents included. Future communication will be via my newsletter through Smore. If you have concerns about which email address is being used as your contact, or if you haven’t been receiving a link to the weekly principal update, please contact the WHS main office and speak to Mr. Kareem Mimms to update your profile. Sending our newsletters via Smore allows information to be translated into over 100 languages.
In the mail, you will soon receive several forms. Please make sure to sign any form that indicates and return them to school when you and your student pick up their materials September 17th, 18th, and 21st (more information on pickup later).
This mailing will include:
Chromebook Contract
Free & Reduced Lunch Application
Health Forms
Hard copies of -
Student schedule
Student technology orientation and deployment
9th grade orientation
Athletics
Student remote learning expectations
“How to” guide for preparing your student for remote learning
WHS Guidance Newsletter
Information about resources for families and students in need
The following sections contain information about the start of the school year with a promise to provide more details on those areas that we are still finalizing. You should expect to receive another communication that will provide a more detailed and final plan for the year, the week of September 14. For now, we hope that the information provided here will answer many of your questions and help you and your student prepare for the start of the school year.
Wishing you and your family a safe and healthy end of the summer,
Joel Giacobozzi
WHS Principal
Student Schedule
School begins 8:30am on Tuesday, September 22.
Monday through Thursday
Students take 7 classes (identified as A-G Blocks) over a two day period (Monday/Tuesday and Wednesday/Thursday)
One advisory period per week
Identified block for ensembles, clubs, asynchronous time, etc.
Academic time is from 8:30am-3:05pm
Classes are 60 minutes long with a 10 minute break between classes
Afternoons from 1:50-3:05pm are used for getting extra help, working on asynchronous (independent) work, meeting with a counselor, and office hours by discipline
Friday
Guidance seminars:
9th and 12th grade seminars run from September 25 through the end of October
10th and 11th grade seminars run from November 6 through the end of December
Attend teacher office hours for extra help, review, and consultation
Complete any additional asynchronous (independent) classwork
Individual guidance appointments (scheduled by your student’s guidance counselor)
Students will receive an email with their PowerSchool username and password by Tuesday, September 8th, at which time students can view their schedules in the portal. Guidance counselors will be available for student schedule meetings following the release of schedules. Students can contact their guidance counselor if they have questions or reach out to Ms. Linda Tracy (linda.tracy@watertown.k12.ma.us) to schedule a meeting. It is important for students to understand that schedule changes are dependent on availability of space in a class and preparations for future cohorting in the hybrid model.
Prior to the first day of school, students will receive more information about accessing their Zoom links for their first classes.
Sample Student Schedule
9th Grade Orientation and Technology Deployment
9th grade students will receive information about a virtual orientation in the coming days. Technology for 9th graders and new students will be distributed September 17th, 18th, and 21st. This distribution will include dispensing textbooks and any other necessary materials. Teachers will pack bags for each student and have them ready. Pickup will be arranged alphabetically. It is critical that families return any and all completed and signed forms during this exchange. More details forthcoming.
What to Expect During Remote Learning
- All teachers and students will use Google Classroom and Zoom as the tech platforms for remote learning
- Weekly Learning Plans will be available by 8:15am Monday and will contain:
Zoom links
Assignments
Activities
Additional resources
Learning objectives
Office hours meeting times and zoom links
- Students will be expected to:
Check and follow all learning plans
Attend ALL their Zoom meetings (attendance will be taken)
Submit all assignments on time
Per the WHS handbook (pg. 21-23 ) student’s credit attainment is tied to attendance. Students that fail to attend classes over Zoom may lose credit according to the handbook policy.
Additional information about the Weekly Learning Plans, where to access them, and how students will receive their initial class Zoom links will be provided in the next communication. In short, Weekly Learning Plans will be posted to the WHS website so students and families can easily access them.
Remember, this school year is different than last spring. Students and families should think of this remote model as, “online school,” rather than a stop-gap measure during an emergency closure. Students will be held accountable for their work, attendance, and participation in class. Assessments will be given and grades will be earned.
Setting Up a Remote Learning Space
To best position your student for a successful and rewarding start to the school year, we recommend the following:
Set aside a learning space with minimum distractions for your student. This provides your student with a consistent “school” space and a place to leave their Chromebook and other necessary school related supplies. The learning space should include writing utensils, blank paper, and a copy of their schedule.
This will become their “go-to” spot for Zoom meetings, work, and anything school related. This space should be conducive to students using their cameras to engage in the learning process. We recommend a blank background with adequate lighting.
Consider allowing your student to decorate their academic space :-)
Try to ensure that students are comfortable and their learning posture takes into consideration 60 minute Zoom meetings multiple times a day.
An Update from Athletics
We have recently received our recommendations and guidelines from the EEA, Department of Education, and The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA). The Middlesex League will be meeting to discuss how best to implement these recommendations and guidelines. Given that Watertown Public Schools is beginning the year in a remote model, the school committee will need to vote on which sports, if any, are permitted this fall. I look forward to having more information to share with you all soon. Stay safe
Guidance Newsletter
The first WHS Guidance newsletter is enclosed and can be found online at: https://www.smore.com/4z807. The newsletter includes:
Information about schedule changes
SAT Test Site Update
Resources and information about senior post-secondary planning
Welcome to our new guidance counselor!
Guidance Seminars
Virtual college representative visits
Resources for Students and Families
Joel Giacobozzi, Principal (joel.giacobozzi@watertown.k12.ma.us)
Annmarie Boudreau, Assistant Principal (annmarie.boudreau@watertown.k12.ma.us)
Brian Brewer, Dean of Students (brian.brewer@watertown.k12.ma.us)
Guidance Counselors
- Adrienne Eaton (adrienne.eaton@watertown.k12.ma.us)
- Jaimie Leonard (jaimie.leonard@watertown.k12.ma.us)
- Lindsy Orpen (lindsy.orpen@watertown.k12.ma.us)
- Kimberly Osborne (kimberly.osborne@watertown.k12.ma.us)
- Fabian Rivera (fabian.rivera@watertown.k12.ma.us)
Sara York, Team Chair (sara.york@watertown.k12.ma.us)
Marie Mele, Secondary Special Education Coordinator (marie.mele@watertown.k12.ma.us)
Brandon Rabbitt, Director of School Nutrition (brandon.rabbitt@watertown.k12.ma.us)
Watertown’s COVID 19 Resource Guide (https://sites.google.com/minlib.net/watertowncovidguide/home)
Next Update
In the next update, we will provide more details about:
- 9th Grade Orientation
- Zoom links for the 1st day of classes
- Accessing Weekly Learning Plans (WLP)
- Attendance and Discipline Expectations
- Zoom Expectations
- Grading
- Where to find information about student progress, weekly learning plans, etc.
- Textbooks
- 504s/IEPs