Dear Bates,
As this is my first email of the summer, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to the new families in our Bates community. I hope the summer is off to a good start for all. Here at Bates our hard working custodial crew is busy performing a spectacular whole school deep clean. Summer is also a time for planning and preparation for the upcoming school year. A critical part of this preparation is the hiring and assignment of educators. I am very pleased to announce the hire of several new educators at Bates: Kim Casalena, grade 3 teacher; Sasha Moore, grade 4 teacher; Allison Lussier, grade 4 teacher; Kenneth Craig, math specialist for grades 3-5; Riley Granger, music teacher; and Catherine Araya, part-time Spanish teacher. In addition, Bates is thrilled to welcome back former Bates art teacher Jacqui Martell as our full-time art teacher. Finally, I am very happy to share that Megan LeBlanc continues to be our amazing Bates secretary.
Although teacher assignments are shared with families in mid-August, the assignment of teachers by grade level for school year 2024-2025 will be as follows:
Kindergarten: Rita Cameron, Franny Jacobson
Grade 1: Katy Comstock, Jessica Mead
Grade 2: Katie Catalano, Nicole Melanson, Pam Rosenbloom
Grade 3: Kim Casalena, Erica Ilyin, Ellen Theriault
Grade 4: Allison Lussier, Sasha Moore
Grade 5: Irene Gruenfeld, Mara Hochberg, Molly Perkins
In early August I will send an email with important dates and events related to the opening of school. At that time an updated Bates Insider’s Guide will be available, which includes bios on each of our educators. In the meantime, you may be interested in visiting our Summer Learning website, where you can find summer reading, math, science and Spanish resources for students.
The Bates PTO is eager to welcome all new and returning families to Bates and provide families with important information throughout the year. If you have not done so already, please sign up to receive PTO emails using this link. Finally, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. You can reach the Bates office at (781) 446-6260 or by email: wps-bates-office@wellesleyps.org.
I look forward to seeing you in August!
Warm regards,
Toni Jolley