Dear Colleagues,
With April vacation now behind us, I know the next 6-7 weeks are always very busy as we approach the end of the school year.
I want to give a special shout out this week to two groups of our colleagues. The first includes our administrative professionals/secretaries throughout the district. Whether in very public roles or behind the scenes, these individuals are the backbone of WPS and do so much to ensure the success of our students and staff. (On a personal note, I don’t know how I could do my job without Addie!) If you haven’t already this week, please take a moment and thank our amazing administrative professionals.
Next, I want to formally thank our World Language teachers throughout the district. Earlier this week, Tim Eagan and Barbara Barnett provided an update to the School Committee on the progress of our FLES program (elementary World Language) as well as the plans to expand to grade 6 next year at WMS. As I was listening to the thoughtful presentation on the program’s curriculum, I was reminded of how connected this work is to our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. There is a great deal of research supporting the benefits of second language exposure and proficiency, including the degree to which it promotes intercultural communication and understanding. As a district striving to develop global citizens, I know these efforts are critical and want to highlight the exceptional professionals we have leading and teaching in this area.
Thanks for all that you do for our students and have a great weekend.
Best regards,
David
Calendar
05/01/19 – Deadline for WPS Enrollment of Non-resident WTA members (see below)
05/07/19 – School Committee Meeting – Town Hall – 6:30 pm
05/23/19 – School Committee Meeting – Town Hall – 6:30 pm
05/29/19 – Memorial Day – No School
Baby News!
Congratulations to Meg Danek (PAWS Teacher) on the birth of their daughter, Simone Maxwell Danek, on April 13, 2019; and to Donna Kalinowski (Payroll Accounting Coordinator) on the birth of her granddaughter, Evelyn Grace, on April 24, 2019.
Condolences to Kim Nicksa (Schofield Teaching Assistant) on the loss of her father, Loren “Larry” Watts, on April 15, 2019; to Gerardo Martinez, (Schofield Principal) on the loss of his abuela, Gladys Cardona Martinez, on April 21, 2019; and to Deb Karagozian (Fiske Teaching Assistant) on the loss of her mother, Elizabeth Mass, on April 25, 2019.
Proctors Needed!
Associate Supervisors are needed to administer SATs for June 1, 2018. Proctors are needed to monitor the halls, direct students to their classrooms and assist the Main Office staff with running the test center, as needed. Both positions are paid positions via the College Board.
The following positions are open:
Proctor (Hall Monitor): $100, 7:00am to 1:00pm*
Associate Supervisor (Test Proctor): $125-$133, 6:45am to 1:30pm*
*All positions have the opportunity for early release should students arrive and complete testing early.
Please note the following:
According to College Board guidelines, Associate Supervisors and Proctors must be current or retired faculty or other professional staff of WPS or from a neighboring institution or a graduate student.
Also, according to College Board guidelines, an Associate Supervisor or Proctor cannot administer any SAT Program test that will be taken by a member of their household or immediate family at any test center NATION WIDE.
If you are interested in any or all of the dates and are eligible according to the College Board guidelines, please email Kyle Gekopi at gekopik@wellesleyps.org.
In your correspondence, please indicate which position you would be most interested in filling, as well as your current address and cell phone number.
IMPORTANT: Indicating interest doesn’t guarantee a position as the number of Associate Supervisors and Proctors required to run the test center is based on the number of students testing as well as their needs. Every effort will be made to make positions available to as many people as possible.
Apply now to enroll children of non-resident WTA members in WPS
Children of teachers or nurses residing outside of Wellesley shall be entitled to attend Wellesley Public Schools without charge for tuition on a space-available basis (Article 12, WTA Unit A Contract). If you are interested in this benefit for the 2019-20 school year, please click here to access the form. Once completed, please return the form, along with a letter of intent, to District Registrar Nancy Costigliola in Central Office in person or by email at registrar@wellesleyps.org. The application and letter of intent deadline is May 1, 2019.
Graduate Course Reimbursement
Course reimbursement funding of $30,000 is available to distribute in FY20 among qualified teachers. This funding is for graduate course work done as part of a master’s degree program to fulfill a teacher’s obligations for the Massachusetts Educators Professional License and for course work required to achieve the next stage of licensure culminating in a professional license and/or when a specialist teacher’s immediate supervisor, subject to the approval of the Assistant Superintendent, verifies that there are no further in-district courses available for recertification in that specialist’s field, that specialist may apply for tuition reimbursement. Any Unit A member for whom no DESE license exists, including but not limited to occupational and physical therapists, so long as that member maintains appropriate certification and/or licensure required to perform his or her duties, shall be eligible to apply for tuition reimbursement. To apply for this course reimbursement, please send, by no later June 3, 2019, the completed reimbursement form, along with evidence of your enrollment in an applicable master/doctoral degree program, name and description of the course, evidence of course cost (a billing statement), proof of payment (i.e. credit card statement, canceled check or receipt of payment), and transcript to Valerie Spruill, Administrative Assistant to the Director of Human Resources, spruillv@wellesleyps.org. You will be notified of the amount awarded to you some time prior to the first paycheck in September 2019. Please note: all information must be received by June 3, 2019 or you will be disqualified for reimbursement. All courses must have occurred in the summer of 2018, fall of 2018 and spring of 2019 and have been completed by June 3, 2019. Any courses taken prior to the summer of 2018 will not count for reimbursement.
MTRS Member Benefits Seminars
Your MTRS Benefits” seminar is an optional, free, two-hour (4–6 p.m.) informal program for MTRS members who want more information about retirement benefits—whether you are a recent member, mid-career educator or soon-to-be retiree. Topics include:
- MTRS benefits and services,
- estimating your retirement benefits under the regular and RetirementPlus formulas,
- various issues you need to consider in retirement, including health insurance coverage, taxation of your retirement benefit, the rules on working after retirement, Social Security—and more!
Choose from 9 dates and locations, and click here to register today!
- AUBURN, Thursday, May 2, Auburn High School auditorium
- NORTON, Tuesday, May 7, Norton Middle School auditorium
- CHARLESTOWN, Thursday, May 9, MTRS Main Office, Presentation Room, 2nd Floor (Space is limited!)
- SOUTH YARMOUTH, Tuesday, May 14, Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School auditorium
- NORTHAMPTON, Thursday, May 16, Northampton High School auditorium
- WOBURN, Thursday, May 16, Woburn Memorial High School auditorium
- PEABODY, Tuesday, May 21, Peabody Veterans Memorial High School auditorium
- WILBRAHAM, Tuesday, May 21, Minnechaug Regional High School auditorium
- HANOVER, Thursday, May 30, Hanover High School auditorium
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@wellesleyma.gov or by calling 781-431-1019 extension 2244.
Renewing Your Educator’s License?
Information about requirements to renew your educator license is available on the WPS website. Click here to go to the HR Licensure tab. When you apply for your license on the DESE website under ELAR, the DESE will send you an electronic communication about what is missing from your licensure file in order to renew. The HR licensure tab and your ELAR account are two tools to assist you with information about licensure renewal.
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.