Wellesley Public Schools

In March, the School Committee appointed a task force to make recommendations regarding the observance of religious and cultural holidays within the Wellesley Public Schools Academic Calendar. The task force began meeting in April and included a variety of stakeholders, including members of the School Committee, members of WPS faculty and staff, WPS parents, and Wellesley High School students. On October 29, the task force recommended a model that retains Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as holidays; adds Lunar New Year and either Eid Al-Fitr or Eid Al-Adha, depending on the year; and removes Good Friday and Diwali. The School Committee has received feedback and discussed the recommendation. It is also considering other models that have been developed through this process, including “rotating” models. See recording from the Nov. 19 meeting. A vote is now scheduled for Dec. 10. For more information including meeting materials and recordings, please see the dedicated page for the Academic Calendar Task Force. 

The Joseph E. Fiske Elementary School is one of 356 schools nationwide that has been recognized by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona as a 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools award winner! The prestigious awards are handed out each year to top-performing public and private schools. Fiske was designated an Exemplary High-Performing School, awarded to schools that are among their state’s highest performing as measured by state assessments or nationally formed tests. Fiske, which serves approximately 278 students in grades K-5, is the third WPS school to earn the National Blue Ribbon designation, following Sprague (2010) and Hardy (2021). Read more here.

Wellesley Public Schools is excited to debut the new, state-of-the-art lights on Hunnewell Field for WHS events this fall, starting September 10! Please mark your calendars for several WHS sporting events to be held “under the lights” over the next few months. They include the first-ever home night games for our varsity soccer and field hockey teams, and the first-ever varsity football homecoming game on October 18. See this detailed post for a full schedule of regular-season night games this fall. See this link for attendee guidance and an area parking map. Go Raiders!

Isolation is no longer required for those testing positive with COVID-19. Please see this Frequently Asked Questions document on the WPS Nursing website for further information and guidance. Students and staff should stay home if they are ill, regardless of testing results. To return to school after a respiratory illness, students should be fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, and comfortable playing and learning normally. If your child never develops a fever, and symptoms are mild and do not interfere with normal activity, he or she can continue to attend school. Let’s all do our part in supporting a healthy start to the year!

Important updates to the WPS attendance procedures will become effective with the start of the 2024-25 school year. These updates include detailed new procedures on absences and tardies that will be included in all school handbooks. Improving student attendance is an important goal for WPS during the upcoming school year. Please read this post for more information on the district’s new attendance procedures.

On May 21 in the courtyard of Wellesley High School, Gov. Maura Healey and Sec. Kate Walsh of the Department of Health and Human Services announced a new initiative supporting students’ mental health. The Healey-Driscoll administration will make an unprecedented investment in the Bridge for Resilient Youth in Transition (BRYT) program, an in-school program supporting students who have fallen behind academically due to challenges with their mental health. Using the WHS Bridge program as a model, the administration is investing $13 Million to establish similar programs in other communities. Read more about this exciting day.

The updated Elementary School Districts Map will take effect at the start of the 2024-25 school year, with the closing of Upham School and the opening of the new Hardy School. Please read Updated Elementary Redistricting Map Voted January 2024 for further information on the recent changes to the redistricting map. Use the Find Your Elementary School District Tool to find your elementary school district using your street address.

Kindergarten: For children 5 years of age on or before August 31, 2024. Click for Registration Forms, Required Documents and More Information.

Grades 1-12:  For Grades 1 through 12, please see more information, forms and document requirements.

Child Find: Under federal and state special education regulations, the Wellesley Public Schools has a responsibility to locate, identify, refer, evaluation and if eligible, provide a free, appropriate, public education to students with disabilities who reside in the town of Wellesley. Click for more information.

As the Wellesley Public Schools prepares to open new Hunnewell and Hardy schools, a detailed schedule of events has been created and shared with the community. The new Hunnewell opened Monday, February 26, 2024, with the new Hardy scheduled to open in August 2024. Please see the full timeline of events. This schedule will be updated throughout the year as plans are finalized. Read more about the new Hunnewell design and sustainability features in this brochure from architect SMMA, and learn more about the building projects at wellesleyHHU.org.

With Lights Installed, Focus is on Preparing for New Buildings by Hunnewell Track & Field

School Committee’s proposal to install bathrooms, a concession stand, team rooms, lights and an improved sound system – collectively known as Phase II Enhancements to the Hunnewell Track & Field – has seen significant progress since the end of 2023, as outlined in this update dated 4/23/24. With lights installed and a new sound system to follow, much of the recent activity has been on preparing the site for the installation of prefabricated bathrooms and a concession stand, expected by Fall 2024. The Committee voted on May 21 to move forward into Design and Permitting with an enhanced modular building option for the Team Rooms and with DPW as the implementation partner. Read more on the T&F Projects page.

The Wellesley Public Schools is in the process of updating its district strategic plan, for implementation in Fall 2023. The Strategic Plan Steering Committee developed an initial framework for the 2023-28 Strategic Plan that was approved by the School Committee on June 13. On November 14, 2023, the School Committee approved the 5-year worksheet that serves as the blueprint to the Strategic Plan. A report will be provided to the community in early 2024. Please visit the strategic planning page for additional information on the process and goals.

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