WMS Bulletin
10-21-19 Faculty and Staff
Welcome to STEM week!
Also this week on Monday I will be presenting our MCAS results and the Turnaround Plan (along with Heidi - thank you, Heidi!) to the School Committee.
Hopefully, the majority of you have met with your evaluator to go over your goals. If you have any questions, please see either your evaluator or me. I'm happy to help anyone! As a reminder, the Goals and Educator Plan needs to be finalized by November 1st.
Have a terrific week!
Duties This Week:
AM: Cafeteria / PM Waverley and Bemis: L. McDonagh
AM: Cafeteria / PM Bemis and Westminster: E. Fitanides
AM: Waverley Entrance / PM Waverley Driveway: K. Conceison
Bemis St. Crosswalk: J. Daigneault
The full Bus/Breakfast duty schedule can be found here:
Bus and Breakfast Duty Schedule
Lunch Duty this Week: None! We welcomed Nairi Makarian this week as our newest lunch aide - stop in and say hi! Please keep asking around and let me know if you know anyone who might be interested!
**Upcoming Dates**
October 21-25 - STEM Week
October 21 - School Committee Meeting 7:00 pm
October 23 - Equity Leaders Meeting 3:00-5:00 pm
October 28 - Mentor/Mentee Meeting 3:15-4:15 pm
October 29 - Anti-Bias Coalition Dinner and Speaker
October 30 - WMS School Picture Makeup Day
November 1 - Dr. McGuinness visits WMS
November 3 - Daylight savings
November 5 - Professional Development Day
November 6 - End of Quarter 1
November 6 - Faculty Meeting
November 6 - School Site Council meeting 6:30-8:00 pm
November 8 - Off-Site Evacuation and Lockdown Drill (**NEW DATE**)
November 11 - NO SCHOOL - Veteran's Day
November 13 - Department meetings
November 14 - Afternoon and Evening Parent Conferences
November 15 - Peter and the Starcatcher at WHS (details to come)
November 19 - Afternoon and Evening Parent Conferences
November 20 - PLT Meetings
November 26 - Dr. Galdston School Visit and Listening Tour
No Backpacks to Period 7 please!
STEM Week - October 21-25
Kudos to you for taking the initiative to engage our students in a purposeful STEM dialogue during and beyond STEM Week 2019.
At WPS we actively seek out opportunities to engage our students and families in a holistic STEM-rich educational experience throughout the school year. During STEM week 2019 we have planned multiple STEM playgrounds and speaker events at our schools. In addition, we recommend you connect with Local programs at nearby libraries and museums that feature STEM activities. There are a ton of regional and national STEM competitions in which most of you can take part.
Please visit the WPS STEM Week 2019 Website for more information on opportunities, WPS calendar of events and curriculum connections, along with a word from Superintendent Dr. Deanne Galdston, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Dr. Jeffrey Leiden, Chairman, President and CEO of Vertex and U. S. Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III.
Kindly take a few minutes to fill out this form to request WPS STEM Week 2019 Certificates for your students. Please don't forget to include your classroom number with the correct count of the students' certificate requests. We plan to drop off printed certificates to your classrooms.
Happy STEM Week 2019 and beyond!
Thank you,
WPS STEM WEEK 2019 Team
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Thank you to everyone who is able to participate in STEM week activities! If you have any pictures, please forward them to Rashmi, Leah, or me. And thank you to Leah and Justin for working to plan several of the STEM activities, including the STEM playground in the library!
**IMPORTANT** - Interpreter Services for Conferences
Thanks!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehgKjIgbWDfWjEVJ3Riq3ouvhHVsyQRTVGx011kByVQpQlgA/viewform
Anne-Marie
WATERTOWN SCHOOLS PROGRAM GRANTS
The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) and the Watertown Education Foundation (WEF) have merged and are pleased to announce they are accepting applications for the Watertown School Grant Program. This program focuses solely on Watertown’s public schools and seeks to support activities that improve instruction and learning. The application form is available online. Eligibility Applicants must be public entities or nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Organizations implementing programs within a school(s) are welcome to apply. It is also required that applicants review their proposed project with the school principal before applying. NOTE: Grants will not be provided to individuals; applications from teachers must be submitted in partnership with their school or school’s PTO to serve as the fiscal agent and administer the awarded funds. If a grant involves bringing people from outside the Watertown School Department into a school, it should be submitted by the principal or someone in district leadership to ensure the proper clearance for those people. Grant Amounts Grant requests of up to $2,500 will be considered, though the average amount awarded will likely range from $500 to $1,000. Where partnerships of two or more schools or organizations have involved an award of up to $5,000 will be considered. Grant Types Applications can be submitted for individual classrooms, grade-level initiatives, afterschool programs, school-wide efforts, and system-wide plans. Preference will be given to proposals that extend beyond one classroom and enrich the learning environment. Examples of past support include:
● Supplemental materials or books (e.g., student book clubs, school gardens)
● Equipment (e.g., musical instruments, supplemental lab or engineering equipment)
● Special events and speakers (e.g., anti-discrimination or drug and alcohol prevention programs, author-in-residence)
● Student Programs (e.g., college readiness, the student newspaper, art, and science afterschool)
● Experimental School or District-wide initiatives (e.g., the Buck Institute’s Project-based learning professional development for K-8 teachers, Picture-in-Writing materials and training for all three elementary schools)
Applications seeking support for field trips, snacks, furniture/desks, buses, teacher travel, or individual professional development will not be funded. The grant budget cannot include stipends for anyone currently employed by the Watertown Public Schools.
Grants should focus on activities for the spring and fall of 2020 but can be extended into the following school year if necessary. Priority will be given to those proposals that involve partnerships and collaboration.
Timeline October 15, 2019 Request for Proposals Posted November 19, 2019 Applications Due to WCF December 16, 2019 Applicants Notified of Grant Decisions December 15, 2020, Reports Due to WCF
Submission Instructions
● Applications must be completed online.
Questions? Email info@watertownfoundation.org
*This application is for school-based educational grants only. Educational programs that are not school-based can apply for a Watertown Community Foundation Program Grant in the spring of 2020.
Respecting one another's classes
Thank you!