Dear Colleagues,
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday break and weathered our recent cold spell and snow. It’s hard to believe it may reach 60 degrees today!
As we begin our work in 2018, I want to highlight several key activities. The first is our ongoing effort to expand 21st Century Learning opportunities for our students. In particular, we are excited to begin developing a “Profile of a Graduate” (POG) for Wellesley that reflects our community’s aspirations for what our students should know and be able to do. Ken Kay from EdLeader21, the keynote speaker at our recent District-wide PD day, will return to Wellesley on January 22nd to work with staff and speak to the community about 21st Century Learning at an evening event. (A big thank you to the Wellesley Education Foundation for sponsoring Ken’s visit!) We are also in the process of establishing a POG Task Force comprised of students, staff, and community members that will begin the work of developing a draft POG, soliciting feedback on this work, and presenting a recommendation to the School Committee at the end of the school year. This work will form the foundation of a new WPS Strategic Plan that we will begin developing during the 2018-2019 school year.
Next, I want to provide you with a quick update on our FY19 Budget development. As you know, a key driver of this budget will be the reimbursement we receive from the state for our Special Education costs. This reimbursement came in significantly less than what we—and every other district—expected this year. We will have a greater sense of what the state funding outlook for next year looks like in just a few weeks when the Governor releases his draft budget. In the meantime, it seems more likely that we will assume a funding level consistent with what we have received for the past several years, prior to the drop in our most recent funding. The School Committee will hold a budget hearing on January 23rd and will vote on the FY19 budget at its January 30th meeting.
I also want to update you on our assessment of race and diversity within WPS. Our Diversity and Equity Leadership Council (DELC) met with representatives from the Kingston Bay Group (KBG) this week to receive and discuss preliminary findings from the many interviews and focus groups KBG conducted. Next month, we should also receive the findings from their survey work. Ultimately, our DELC will take these collective findings and recommendations and develop a multi-year action plan.
Finally, on Monday we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It’s hard not to juxtapose Dr. King’s leadership for racial equality and eloquent defense of civil rights with some of the political discourse today. I continue to believe that, as educators, each day we continue to support Dr. King’s dream as we focus not just on our student’s academic development, but their growth as moral citizens with strong core values.
Thank you for all that you do for our students and have a great weekend!
Best regards,
David Lussier
Calendar
1/15/18 – MLK Jr Day – No School
1/23/18 – SC Meeting – 6:30 pm – Town Hall
1/30/18 – SC Meeting – 6:30 pm – Town Hall
The Tranformative Power of Ten Minutes
Wednesday, January 17, 2018, 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Wellesley Free Library
Join clinical psychologist and author Dr. Beth Kurland, as she shares strategies from her new book The Transformative Power of Ten Minutes: An Eight Week Guide to Reducing Stress and Cultivating Well-Being. Discover how setting aside just 10 minutes a day, and bringing simple tools such as mindfulness with you into the course of your day, can help you reduce stress and develop a deeper sense of well-being. Refreshments and giveaways provided.
Continued Education Credits (CEU’s) for Nurses Offered
RSVP: Cheryl Lefman, Wellesley Health Department
E-mail: clefman@wellesleyma.gov
Phone: 781-235-0135
Sponsored by Wellesley Health Department and Wellesley Free Library
You are invited to support the WHS team as a member of the studio audience for our first round match in WGBH’s High School Quiz Show. The match against Natick High School will be recorded Sunday, January 21, 2018 at 8:30am and will be broadcast later in the spring. Tickets are free and can be reserved at http://www.wgbh.org/support/hsquizshow_studio_signup.cfm
This is a great family event. Cheer on the team and experience the making of a television show.
Insurance Benefits Information
Health and Dental Insurance Benefits information is handled by the Town Hall Benefits Office. Inquiries should be directed to Joanne Liburd at JLiburd or by calling 781-431-1019 extension 2244.
WPS Internal Job Postings on District Website
Please be aware that we added a new feature called “Internal Job Postings” under the Faculty tab of the District’s website. We will post all of our internal jobs under this website tab. Therefore, you will no longer see internal job postings in the bulletin. This new way of posting will allow us to post internal positions any day of the week.