Colleagues,
I hope you each had a productive week. This week we officially began our internal budget process for FY2023. Administrators from all of our buildings began working together to consider needs in each of our four priority areas. I know it’s still very early in the current school year, but please let your principals and/or department heads know if you have ideas on ways we may be able to better support our students THIS year and NEXT year, based on the needs you are identifying in your classrooms.
I also want to give a special shout out to any of our staff members who may be running the Boston Marathon on Monday. (I know J.J. Kelleher from WMS is one!)
Thank you for all you do to support our students each day and please remember that Monday is now officially Indigenous Peoples Day here in Wellesley.
-David
Calendar
10/11/21 – Indigenous Peoples Day – No School
10/12/21 – SC Meeting – 6:30 pm
10/13/21 – Deadline to complete Panorama Survey
10/14/21 – Offices of Teaching & Learning and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Open House – Equity Initiatives 7-8:30 pm
10/25 & 10/26/21 – Special Town Meeting, School Building Projects – 7 pm
10/31/21 – Deadline for All Staff Mandatory Training
11/01/21 – Deadline to Submit Letters of Intent to Change Lanes
11/02/21 – SC Meeting – 6:30 pm
Condolences to Kirsten Blackwell (WMS Gr 7 Social Studies Teacher) on the loss of her mother-in-law, Kathleen Blackwell, on September 21, 2021.
Panorama Survey
Our survey window is open and will close Wednesday, October 13. All survey responses are anonymous and confidential. No one at your school or in WPS will see your individual responses to the questions. Panorama will manage all data collection to ensure confidentiality. Please take 20 minutes to complete the brief survey! Please use the following links to access the survey most applicable to you and your role for SY21-22*:
Instructional Staff: Classroom Teachers, Directors/Department Heads, Long-term Substitutes, Math and Literacy Coaches, Paraprofessionals, Special Educators, Specialists, Teaching Assistants, etc:
https://surveys.panoramaed.com/wellesleyma/teacher/surveys
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Non-instructional Staff: Assistant Principals, Guidance Counselors, METCO Staff, Nurses, OT/PT/SLT, Psychologists, School Front Office Staff, Social Workers, Technology Specialists, etc:
https://surveys.panoramaed.com/wellesleyma/staff/surveys
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Operations Staff: Custodial, Facilities, Food Services, Mail, Maintenance, Transportation, etc:
https://surveys.panoramaed.com/wellesleyma/staff-operations/surveys
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If you have difficulty accessing the survey or questions, please reach out to support+wellesleyma@panoramaed.com for support. We thank you in advance for your thoughtful responses.
*Please note: If you are a staff member who works at two schools, select the school where you work the most and with which you are most familiar. You may take the survey for each school only if you feel that your experiences at each school strongly differ. If you work at more than two schools, please select “District-wide” as your school. If you have questions about your employee group, please reach out to dei@wellesleyps.org
Reminders Regarding Salary Lane Change Process:
New Reminder: For professional staff slated for a lane change this school year: All transcripts and other proof of completion must be submitted by November 1, 2021.
Letters of Intent to Change Lanes are due annually by November 1st for the following school year. The letter should include your present lane, intended lane and year in which you plan to make the change. For instance, the intent to change lanes letter due on November 1, 2021 is for a lane change in school year 2022-23. Please note that your letter of intent does not carry over from year to year.
Also, 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 9/1/2021 for a course starting 10/1/2021 would be active through 6/30/2023). 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 1/1/2022 transcript must be submitted by 6/30/2023).
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.