Colleagues,
I hope you each had a productive week as winter appears to be making a roaring comeback. A few updates from the past few days. First, on Tuesday night the School Committee approved our budget for FY22. This is certainly a lean budget, although I want to emphasize that this is not a reflection of our community’s desire to invest in our collective work. Rather, this budget reflects the challenging fiscal reality before our community—and all communities—as a result of the pandemic. My hope is that we can return to investing in our strategic priorities again with the budget we will build next year.
Most importantly, I want to highlight the Middle School announcement yesterday that WMS will be hanging a Black Lives Matter flag in the school. I applaud this action, which both reflects the sentiments of the WMS school community as well as our broader District Core Values. Our nation’s history is fraught with examples of injustice and systemic racism directed toward the Black community. Wellesley is not immune from this pattern either as a community or a school district. Of course we believe that all lives matter, but we would be naïve to believe this is true when held against the painful reality that members of the Black community live each day. Displaying a Black Lives Matter flag at school is not a political statement, but rather a statement of human rights and an affirmation of our core beliefs. For Black members of our school community, whether they be students, staff, or parents, I hope this also stands as a symbol of their inclusion and belonging as members of our school community.
For all of these reasons, our District leadership team believes that the scale of this conversation needs to be broader than just a single school. With this in mind, each of our principals will be engaging with their respective staff upon returning from the February break to discuss similar action across the district. Speaking with one voice to reinforce our belief that Black Lives Matter is an important step in our effort to be unambiguous about our values in WPS. My thanks again to our colleagues at WMS for leading the way in this important conversation.
Please stay safe throughout this well-deserved February break and thanks for all that you do for our students each day.
-David
Calendar
2/15-2/19 – February Break
2/23/21 – School Committee Meeting – Remote Online – 6:30 pm
3/01/21 – WEF Grant Applications
3/09/21 – School Committee Meeting – Remote Online – 6:30 pm
3/23/21 – School Committee Meeting – Remote Online – 6:30 pm
Timeline for WPS Enrollment of Faculty Children
Children of Units 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 12, WTA, Unit A and B Contract). Below is the timeline for submitting applications:
- March 1st: interested applicants can submit a letter of intent with the one-page application to Asya Kibko, District Registrar, at registrar@wellesleyps.org. The application will be available on our website on March 1st and circulated in the Superintendent’s Bulletin on Friday, February 26, 2021.
- April 30th: All applications are due to Asya Kibko, District Registrar, via email at registrar@wellesleyps.org. Late applications will not be accepted.
- Placement decisions will be made in mid-to-late May. Once notified of a determination, applicants will be provided an enrollment packet to be completed and submitted to the District Registrar.
If there are any questions, please reach out to Asya Kibko, District Registrar, at registrar@wellesleyps.org. A survey will be sent out in March to confirm currently enrolled faculty children will be returning in school year 2021-2022.
WEF Grant Applications Due . . .
Just a reminder that the WEF grant cycle is now open and applications are due by March 1st. Also, if you are planning to submit a WEF grant application, please contact your school principal or department administrator prior to submitting the grant. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Mike LaCava at lacavam@wellesleyps.org .
WPS is so fortunate to have WEF as a collaborative partner. Please consider applying for a grant this year.
Salary Lane Change Process Reminder
Effective November 1, 2020, a teacher must submit a Course Approval Form (CAF) if: 1) a course may lead to a lane change; or 2) a course is paid by District funds. Forms should be submitted at least 30 days in advance of the expected start date of the course. Course approvals are active from the date of approval through June 30th of the following school year (e.g., approved 1/20/2021 for a course starting 3/1/2021 would be active through 6/30/2022). Approvals are based on the course title and course description and cannot be exchanged for another course without prior written approval of the Superintendent or designee. A teacher has until June 30th of the following school year from the course completion date to submit the transcripts (e.g., course ended 4/1/2021 transcript must be submitted by 6/30/2022).
Human Relations 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.