Wellesley Public Schools
Learning • Caring • Innovating
Superintendent’s Bulletin
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Dear Colleagues,I hope everyone had a great week. As Superintendent, one of the best parts of my job is having the chance to spend time in schools observing the excellent work of our teachers and students. This week was no exception. On Wednesday, I appreciated the chance to start my day at Wellesley High School, where I observed the first exhibitions from students in the Evolutions Program. Their assignment was to look forward to the year 2100, when ocean levels will have risen by 30 feet and the present city of Boston is under water. The effect is that Wellesley will have to become part of a “New Boston” that will be home to approximately 170,000 residents. (For reference, Wellesley now has approximately 30,000 residents.) The students’ task was to redesign Wellesley to accommodate this higher population, which meant studying urban planning, spending time in Boston learning about its neighborhoods, and thinking about how to transform Wellesley with these new needs. Watching the exhibitions and listening to the students describe their final products, I was reminded of the type of learning highlighted in Most Likely to Succeed. Later on Wednesday, I enjoyed visiting Bates during their “Magnificent Day of Play.” This is the second year that Principal Toni Jolley and her team set aside a half day in which student creativity was unleashed as they designed and assembled infinite variations of games, structures, and vehicles out of cardboard and just about every arts and craft item I have ever seen! Watching some of our youngest students work through design issues that didn’t play out as they planned, this activity also reinforced the importance of trial and error and persevering through challenges.My time on Wednesday reminded me that the 4C’s are alive and well in the Wellesley Public Schools! Helping to close out my week, I had the pleasure of attending the WHS Winter Concert last night, where approximately 250 students performed a variety of winter and holiday songs. The planning for moving this many students throughout the night was impressive. The creative selections that Kevin McDonald and Chad Weirick chose were incredibly creative and the students were clearly enjoying themselves as much as the audience. (By the way, Chad Weirick, our choral accompanist, continues to be one of our unsung heroes who has quietly done so much for our Performing Arts Program. Thank you Chad!!) One final reminder that we will be presenting the Administration’s recommended FY2017 Budget to the School Committee on Tuesday night (12/15). Also, the Committee is slated to take action on approving the school calendar for 2016-2017, which is posted on our website. If you have any feedback on the calendar, which follows our traditional schedule, please let me know.Thanks to everyone for your excellent work in support of our students and a have a great weekend. Best regards,DavidCalendar
12/15/15 – School Committee Meeting – 7 pm Town Hall
12/24/15 – 1/1/16 – Winter Break – No School
01/04/16 – School Resumes
Learn more aboutWork and Life Balancethrough this webinar being offered to all WSHG employees.Work and Life Balance One of the biggest challenges employees face is: How do I balance work and personal life? Attend this webinar to learn strategies on how to recognize and respond to stress triggers. Learn ways to find a better balance with time management and prioritization techniques. When: Thursday, December 17, 2015 8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. This online webinar is led by a trained health professional. Improve your health knowledge. Join today! Click here to register: Work and Life Balance Webinar REGISTRATION !Please input your name, e-mail address (please note: this must be the e-mail address from which you will be participating in the webinar) and WSHG Town or School into the fields on the registration form. After registering, additional information will be sent to the e-mail you have indicated on the form. Thank you and enjoy the webinar!
Professional Development OpportunitiesWellesleyPDNew Course! – “Special Education for General Educators: A 5-Part Series”
- Instructors: Astrid Mazariegos and Kristen Stacy
- Participants: K-5 Educators
- Date/Times: 02/01/16, 02/22/16, 03/10/16, 03/24/16, 04/04/16, 3:15pm – 6:15pm
- Course Description: This course will provide an overview of special education law and the eligibility process. Participants will take a close look at the components of an IEP and the roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders.
This course fulfills the DESE requirement of at least 15 PDPs related to training in strategies for effective schooling for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles (effective July 1, 2016 for professional licensure renewal).
- To Register: Login to WellesleyPD and select “Offerings” from the menu on the left, then select “Special Education Courses” from the pull-down menu.
New Course! – “Teaching Second Languages to Students with Learning Disabilities”
- Instructor: Pedro Carrasquillo
- Participants: K-12 Educators, Special Educators
- Date/Times: 02/24/16, 03/02/16, 03/09/16, 03/16/16, 03/23/16, 03/30/16, 3:15pm – 5:45pm
- Course Description: Today’s foreign language classrooms are inclusive and diverse. Participants in this course will explore ways to teach a second language to students with learning disabilities. Participants will discuss ways to design and modify lesson plans, as well as use specific strategies that will enhance the participation and success of special education students.
This course fulfills the DESE requirement of at least 15 PDPs related to training in strategies for effective schooling for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles (effective July 1, 2016 for professional licensure renewal).
- To Register: Login to WellesleyPD and select “Offerings” from the menu on the left, then select “Special Education Courses” from the pull-down menu.
New Dates! – “Advanced iPad”
- Instructors: Rosey McQuillan and Ranjani Sriram
- Participants: PreK-12 Educators
- Date/Times: March 7, 2016 – April 11, 2016, Online Only
- To Register: Login to WellesleyPD and select “Offerings” from the menu on the left, then select “Technology Courses” from the pull-down menu.
New Dates! – “Introduction to the WIDA Standards and Differentiated Instruction for ELLs“
- Instructors: Jenn Hannon & Jenn Eramo
- Participants: K-12 Educators, Specialists, Special Educators
- Date/Times: 03/12/16, 8:30am – 3:30pm; 03/22/16 & 04/05/16, 3:30pm – 6:30pm
- To Register: Login to WellesleyPD and select “Offerings” from the menu on the left, then select “ELL Courses” from the pull-down menu.
Other OpportunitiesNew!– TEC Online Courses
WPS has partnered with The Education Cooperative (TEC) to offer two online, self-paced courses free of charge to Wellesley educators.“Engaging All Students with Differentiated Instruction” For more information: http://courses.edtechleaders.org/tec/tec_diffinst/tec_details.html
Completion of this course fulfills the DESE requirement of at least 15 PDPs related to training in strategies for effective schooling for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles (effective July 1, 2016 for professional licensure renewal).
“Strategies to Enhance Instruction for English Language Learners in the Classroom” For more information, please contact Chelsea Bailow at bailowc@wellesleyps.org
Completion of this course fulfills the DESE requirement of at least 15 PDPs related to SEI or English as a Second Language (effective July 1, 2016 for professional licensure renewal).
To Register: Go to tec.registration.etlo.org and complete the registration page. You’ll receive an email with a URL for the course you’ve selected, as well as instructions on enrolling in the course.
PDPs: Upon completion of the online course, participants will receive a certificate of completion. Submit the certificate to Chelsea Bailow, Professional Development Coordinator, in order for the course to appear in your WellesleyPD records.
Spring IDEAS Courses
In 2014, EDCO announced the launch of Initiatives for Developing Equity and Achievement for Students (IDEAS), a merger of two past EDCO programs – Empowering Multicultural Initiatives (EMI) and Greater Boston Students of Color Achievement Network (GBSOCAN). WPS is a member district of IDEAS.IDEAS1 Anti-Racist Practices to Support the Success of All Students: Course dates: 2/27/16, 3/12/16, 4/2/16, 4/9/16, 8:30am – 3:30pmInstructors: JoAnne Kazis and Johnny Cole
Location: Needham High School
Cost: Free to WPS Educators who have not yet taken EMI 1 or IDEAS 1IDEAS1 Anti-Racist Practices to Support the Success of All Students: Course dates: 2/9/16, 4/5/16, 8:30am – 3:30pm; 2/23/16, 3/8/16, 3/22/16, 4/26/16, 3:45pm -6:45pmInstructors: Leslie Smart and Rebecca Smoler
Location: Lincoln-Sudbury Regional HS
Cost: Free to WPS Educators who have not yet taken EMI 1 or IDEAS 1Strategies for Examining the Academic Achievement Gap: Course dates: 4/16/16, 4/30/16, 8:30am – 3:30pmInstructors: Claudia Fox Tree and Jennifer Wolfrum
Location: EDCO offices
Cost: $225Difficult Conversations: Talking about Race and Racism with Students, Colleagues and Parents/Guardians: Course dates: 2/25/16, 8:30am – 3:30pm, 3/10/16, 3/17/16, 3:45pm – 6:45pmInstructors: Melissa Patrick and Doug Weinstock
Location: Wayland HS
Cost: $225To Register: Submit the IDEAS Registration form to Chelsea Bailow
MTEL SEI/ESL WorkshopThere will be a MTEL SEI and ESL Exam Workshop at Bunker Hill Community College for anyone who plans to take the MTEL assessment as part of the requirements for certification. The workshop will provide an in-depth review of all the content and standards that are currently targeted on the current MTEL certification exam.
- When: Thursday, December 17, 2015, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Where: Bunker Hill Community College, Building E – Room 175, Charlestown, MA
- Cost: $100
- To Register: Contact Dr. Brent Daigle, drbrentdaigle@praxisreview.org
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. |
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Wellesley Public Schools • Wellesley, Massachusetts www.wellesley.k12.ma.us/district/superintendent David Lussier, Superintendent
The Superintendent’s Bulletin is posted weekly on Fridays on our website. It provides timely, relevant information about meetings, professional development opportunities, curriculum and program development, grant awards, and School Committee news. The bulletin is also the official vehicle for job postings. Please read the bulletin regularly and use it to inform colleagues of meetings and other school news. 
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