Colleagues,
I hope you each had a productive week. It was certainly a busy one. A Special Town Meeting convened on Monday and Tuesday night at WHS. While there were no school-specific items on the warrant, among the items that received a great deal of attention and deliberation were two zoning articles related to future housing developments. Both articles ultimately failed, with a number of concerns cited around the density of future multi-unit proposals, traffic, and walkability, to name a few. It’s no secret that there is a shortage of housing, and especially affordable housing, in greater Boston. I’m not sure how we can address this challenge if we don’t think differently about housing that allows more families to move into town and more of our staff to be able to live in the community in which they work.
On Thursday night, the Academic Calendar Task Force convened for its final meeting. The charge of this group, which began meeting last spring, was not easy. I know the group was keenly aware of many concerns about extending the school year deeper into June, the impact of interruptions to learning during the year, the impact of school closures on working families, disruptions to pay periods for staff, and many other operational impacts. Equally important, the Task Force also understands the importance of supporting a sense of belonging within our diverse school community and the signaling of our values implicit within our calendar choices. These are not easy things to reconcile and the Task Force heard a great deal of feedback through its focus groups, community survey and forum, public comment at its meetings, and individual outreach. Ultimately, the Task Force voted to recommend a calendar for SY2025 that would include Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Lunar New Year, and Eid. As part of this recommendation, both Diwali and Good Friday would no longer be holidays during which schools would be closed. Is this a perfect solution? Likely not, but it does reflect an attempt to respond to the feedback the Task Force received through its work.
I want to highlight that our efforts to ensure a sense of belonging within our school community must extend beyond calendar conversations. The degree to which we educate our students on the meaning of days of significant religious and cultural importance remains imperative as we prepare them to be global citizens. Similarly, the understanding and flexibility we bring to our management of curricula, and flexibility with the timing of tests and homework is also critical in allowing our students and families to appropriately observe their traditions while feeling supported by our district.
The calendar recommendation from the Task Force will be presented to the School Committee on Tuesday night for its review and ultimate decision in the next month or so.
Thanks for all that you do to support our students each day in WPS and have a great weekend!
Best, David
Calendar
October 29 – School Committee Meeting
November 1 – Diwali (Schools Closed)
November 7 – Early Release PreK-5 (Parent Conferences)
November 11 – Veterans Day (Schools and Offices Closed)
November 12 – School Committee Meeting
November 13 – WEF Spelling Bee
November 19 – School Committee Meeting
Staff Flu Clinic
Wednesday, November 6 | 2:30 – 4:30pm
Wellesley High School | 1st Floor in the FDR
Join us for the 35th Wellesley Spelling Bee!
Wednesday, November 13th, 7 pm, WHS Cafeteria
The Wellesley Spelling Bee is a Wellesley tradition that brings our community together to celebrate education. The Bee is a major fundraiser for WEF and raises money to fund enrichment programs for the Wellesley Public Schools – and it is great fun for participants and observers alike! We hope to see you there!
Click here to register a team of spellers for $500. Who can form a team? Anyone! Local businesses, community groups, town committees, friends, neighbors, etc.!
Click here to sponsor a high school or community team. Business sponsorships are available at various levels and provide great exposure for your organization to the Wellesley community
Questions? Email wellesleyeducationfoundation@gmail.com.
Nominate A Staff Member for the Educator Leadership Institute Program
Please take 1 minute and click on THIS FORM to nominate a member of your staff for the ACCEPT Educator Leadership Institute (ELI) Program.
We all want quality leadership in public education. We need your help identifying the next generation of educational leaders from your school. ELI candidates obtain DESE Administrative licensure while also earning a Master’s degree from Fitchburg State.
Our recruiting flier describes the program and info session dates at ACCEPT in Natick this fall.
Please take 1 minute and click on THIS FORM, and you will honor one of your educators with this leadership nomination. ELI will reach out to your candidate directly to invite them to the program.
Please submit your nomination now. You just might inspire the next great school leader!
COVID-19 Tests
Order your 4 free at-home COVID-19 tests by clicking this link.
MAALANA Affinity Group
Sponsored by
(IDEAS) INITIATIVES for DEVELOPING EQUITY and ACHIEVEMENT for STUDENTS &(M.A.S.S.) MASSACHUSETTS ASSOCIATION of SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS
INVITATION TO IDEAS AFFINITY GROUP FOR EDUCATORS OF COLOR 2024-2025
(Updated 7/11/2024)
The IDEAS MAALANA affinity group provides a space for educators of color to network. The conversation is organic; there is typically no set agenda. Participants bring their willingness to engage, support, and brainstorm on school-related issues, process scholarly articles, and promote social justice. MAALANA also provides an opportunity to share each other’s company, and enjoy light refreshments when we meet in person. Meetings occur ten times over the school year. An email reminder is sent out each month to remind folks as to whether the meeting will be virtual on Zoom or in person, and a summary is sent after each meeting with links to articles on related topics. There is no commitment to attend all meetings. The meeting time is generally from 4:00 PM EST – 6:00 PM EST once a month, most often on the Second Friday. The physical location may change but it typically off 128/95 in the Waltham, MA area.
MAALANA is an affinity group designed to provide opportunities for educators of color from various communities in (or connected to) Massachusetts. We share school experiences regarding topics of race, culture, ethnicity, power/ privilege, culturally responsive teaching practices, and systemic social change to create educational equity. Strategies for addressing the academic achievement of children of color, preparing all students to successfully navigate a culturally diverse society, and collaboration techniques among colleagues are discussed.
MAALANA educators are Multiracial, Asian, Arab, African Descent, Latino/a, and/or Native American (Indigenous) educators, advisors, counselors, administrators, staff, consultants, tutors, and retired educators of color. We are people who are the only or one of few of their racial/ ethnic group in their building or school system. Claudia A. Fox Tree has facilitated the monthly meetings since the 2006-2007 school year. Please do not confuse us with MA-ALANA (with a hyphen), the Massachusetts Teachers’ Association (MTA) committee that formed in 2020.
Two (2) Contact hours will be awarded for attendance per meeting These may be combined with the IDEAS Book Group for a “bundle” of 10.
We typically meet on the lands of the Pawtucket, Agawam, Nipmuc, Massachusett, and Wampanoag.
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DATES: Please “pencil in” our 10 Dates for the 2024-2025 School Year Summer dates will be determined at the April meeting. Unless otherwise noted, we meet on Fridays (typically the second Friday of the month), usually in the Waltham Area from 4:00-6:00 pm EST. 2024-25 Dates are: Sept. 13, Oct. 11, Nov. 8, Dec. (skip), Jan. 10 (likely to be virtual), Feb. 13 Thursday due to Feb. break (likely to be virtual), March 14, April 11, May 9 (Bring Your Ally), July (TBD), and August (TBD). Summer dates will be determined at the April meeting.
There is no commitment to attend all meetings.
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Please email cfoxtree@gmail.com, to join the mailing list. You will receive reminders, announcements, and summaries, whether or not you attend.
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WHS Child Lab
The WHS Child Lab is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 school year. Children who will be three years old or four years old by September 1st, 2025 are eligible to apply. Please contact Heidi Marquedant at marquedanth@wellesleyps.org for an application. All applications are due by October 31st.
Opportunities from the Town of Wellesley
Get your event featured!: The Town of Wellesley has a new Community Events Calendar on its website. Schools or departments hosting events are welcome to submit an event for inclusion on the town-wide calendar. Send details via the event submission form.
The WELLesley Employee Newsletter
Please click here to view the October edition.
Human Relation Services
The Human Relation Services (HRS) can help. Wellesley Public Schools has contracted with HRS to provide up to ten free counseling visits for you and/or your family members. This program is designed to help you deal with stresses of life and work –including personal and family issues, drug or alcohol problems, and job related tension. It offers prevention and intervention to reduce these stresses and improve coping skills.
HRS is located at 11 Chapel Place in Wellesley and can be reached at 781-235-4950. This is a confidential service. Wellesley Public Schools is not aware of the names of employees or their family members who utilize this service.
Do you have a question for the WPS Human Resources Department?
Email AskHR@Wellesleyps.org. The Human Resources Department is happy to assist you.
WPS Internal Job Postings on District Website
For all Internal Job Postings, please go to “Internal Job Postings” under the Faculty tab of the District’s website. How to Apply for WPS Internal Job Postings as a New Internal Applicant