Dear Bates families,I hope you are enjoying the summer. Although it is relatively quiet at school, we have been busy planning and preparing for the school year ahead. Part of our preparation has included hiring new staff, and I am thrilled to announce that we will have two new faculty members: Melissa Clancy and Katie Catalano.
Melissa is well known to many in the Bates community, as she taught at The Bates School for many years. We are very excited to welcome her back to Bates as our new literacy specialist. Melissa has tremendous expertise and an enthusiasm for professional learning that we all embrace.
I am also excited to announce that we have hired Katie Catalano as our new kindergarten teacher. Katie comes to Bates after having taught kindergarten last year at the Fiske School in Wellesley and previously in the Boston Public Schools. Katie is known for her passion and deep knowledge of kindergarten teaching. We are thrilled to have her at Bates.
As in past years, Bates will have three sections of each grade taught by the following classroom teachers:
K: Katie Catalano, Rita Cameron and Jessica Mead (job share), Amy Kapinos,1: Laura Hoke, Franny Jacobson, Laura Kelly2: Nicole Melanson, Miranda Miller Wolfskill, Pam Rosenbloom3: Deb Cohen, Katy Comstock, Ellen Theriault4: Irene Gruenfeld, Mara Hochberg and Jenn Distefano (job share), Heather Macchi5: Abigail Eustis, Erica Ilyin, Molly Perkins
The PAWS classroom that was previously expected to come to Bates next year has now been relocated to the Upham School. Upham has available classroom space that will be ideal for the additional PAWS classroom.
One of my favorite things about summer is the ample time to read! I am working my way through my own summer reading list, which includes professional books as well as my favorite genres, fiction and historical fiction. I recently read the interesting book
Creative Schools, by Ken Robinson. Robinson’s book and his engaging TED talk “Do Schools Kill Creativity” advocate for the need to create schools that cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence to prepare our students for the changing world. The book is a fascinating read on a topic that many are thinking about. I am excited about the possibilities Robinson’s ideas present for our students at Bates.
For parents of kindergarten and first graders, if you are searching for “just right” books for your child to read, there are a couple of resources I can share. First, the Wellesley public library just added several first readers called “PM readers” to their circulation. These books are accessible for young students to read with just a little help. Also, in the Bates office we have collections of “leveled books” available to loan to families of kindergarten and first grade students. If you plan to stop by to borrow books or for any other reason, please call first so we can be sure to be here to greet you. You can reach the school at 781-446-6260.
Below are some upcoming dates you may want to note on your calendar:
- Students will be excited to know that the much-anticipated class lists will be mailed out on August 7.
- The first Principal’s Coffee will take place at 9:00 am on September 9.
- Our Back to School Night for parents will be held on Thursday, September 17 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
In August you can expect to receive another letter from me with more detail about the coming year. If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email me at jolleya@wellesleyps.org. In the meantime, enjoy the summer!
Warm regards,
Toni Jolley
