Dear Colleagues,

Happy Friday everyone! I definitely saw some tired students and staff on Monday following our one-hour time change last weekend to mark the start of daylight savings time. I hope everyone has adjusted to our later sunsets and enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather we had earlier in the week, which felt like a gift after this winter. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about stress and anxiety this week, particularly in the context of both world and national events. The expanding war in the Middle East, now two weeks old, continues to take a human and economic toll, with no clear sense of timeline or how victory will be measured. Yesterday, we saw violence in this country with a shooting at a college and an attack on a synagogue that I hope are not portends of more of such incidents to come. Beyond the recent rise in gas prices, this economy has been very difficult to manage, even for middle-class Americans, who are struggling to afford healthcare, housing, and groceries. And immigration enforcement has created a terrible climate of fear among vulnerable members of our community.

I’m sure each one of us could likely add many more items to this list. Schools don’t exist in a vacuum and our students, families, and colleagues bring these anxieties and sources of stress into our district spaces as, collectively, we go about our work each day.  

I share these thoughts for two reasons. First, I appreciate the skillful way that our staff have continued to help our students make meaning of world, national, and local events. Our students are certainly not monolithic in their views or their desire to engage on any of these topics during their time with us. Please continue to read their cues for who may be particularly anxious and in need of adult support.  

Second, I ask for some grace when working with parents, colleagues, or other adults in our community, who may be on a hair-trigger in their reaction to situations, guided more by these external sources of anxiety than anything happening in schools.  

To say we are living in uncertain times feels like an understatement, but I hope the one thing we can control is supporting a safe and supportive district climate for the members of our school community.  

Thanks for what you do each day in support of this goal and have a great weekend!       

Best, David

March 20 – Eid al-Fitr (Schools Closed)

March 24 – School Committee Meeting

April 3 – Good Friday (Schools Closed)

Ken Johnson, Fitness teacher at the Middle School, on the passing of his father on March 6.

Children of Unit A and B members residing outside of Wellesley shall be entitled to attend Wellesley Public Schools without charge for tuition on a space available basis (Article 14 WEA Unit A, Article 13 WEA Unit B).

March 6:  Interested eligible staff members may submit a letter of intent using the one-page application form online. 

May 1:  All applications are due to the District Registrar, late applications will not be accepted.

The district will review all applications in May and school placement decisions will be made in June. Placement decisions are made based on available space and staff will be notified of their school when decisions have been made. Once notified of a determination, applicants will be provided with access to the online registration forms. Registration of students is not completed until all forms have been received and approved by the District Registrar and Nurse.

If there are any questions, please reach out to the District Registrar, at registrar@wellesleyps.org. 

A survey will be sent out in mid-March to confirm currently enrolled faculty children will be returning in school year 2026-27.

For enrollment of younger faculty children, please contact Isabel Cashman cashmani@wellesleyps.org for PAWS Preschool, or Heidi Marquedant marquedanth@wellesleyps.org for the WHS Child Lab Program. Enrollment in Child Lab typically opens in the fall.

Preparation courses to review core material covered in the designated MTEL

Asynchronous and Hybrid options

1 undergraduate credit per course for $297

Register, by May 1, 2026, by completing this form

Members of the Town of Wellesley Contributory Retirement System (WCRS), please see the information below about upcoming elections.  Most members of Units C, D, & E as well as Van Drivers participate in the WCRS. (The overwhelming majority of teachers and other certified professionals participate in the Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System (MTRS) and are not members of the WCRS).  

June 11, 2026 Time: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Location: 525 Washington St., Wellesley, MA 

Purpose: To elect a member to the Wellesley Retirement Board in accordance with the provision of M.G.L. Chapter 32, 840 CMR 7.00.  Term of Office: Effective July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2029 (3 years) 

Candidates/Nomination Papers: Any member in service or retired member may qualify as a candidate by filing with the Wellesley Retirement Board Office a nomination paper or papers containing the signature and address of at least twenty (20) members in service or retirees of the Wellesley Contributory Retirement System. Nomination papers are available from the Retirement Office. Please contact the Retirement Office at (781) 489-4238 or retirement@wellesleyma.gov.  Nomination papers are due no later than 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday April 28, 2026. 

Absentee Ballots: Absentee Ballots will be mailed to all retirees. Absentee ballots are also available for active and inactive members if requests are received in writing on or before June 3, 2026. Absentee ballots shall be counted only if received by the Board no later than closing of the polls at 6:00 p.m. on June 11, 2026. 

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the Retirement Board, please contact Lynn Whynot at (781) 489-4238 or lwhynot@wellesleyma.gov. 

The Town of Wellesley offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support employees and their families.  Effective July 1, 2025, CMG Associates is the new EAP provider (see announcement). Employees may want to access the EAP because of emotional difficulties, life stress, family difficulties, concerns about substance abuse or other addictive behavior, legal or financial problems, or other personal issues. The EAP is completely free, confidential, and available at all times (day or night, weekdays, weekends, and holidays). Employees may call CMG Associates at 888-851-7032, or they may visit www.cmgassociates.com, click on the link entitled EAP Log-In, and use the User ID: WELL.

SMART Plan (457 Voluntary Retirement Savings) 

May make changes throughout the year through the company.

Work directly through US Omni and the SMART Plan.

Email AskHR@Wellesleyps.org. The Human Resources Department is happy to assist you.  

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