Wellesley Public Schools
Learning • Caring • Innovating
Superintendent’s Bulletin
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Dear Colleagues,Today’s weather feels more like April than November, so let’s enjoy it while it lasts! A few important items to highlight this week. First, I hope everyone received the invitation to participate in a survey regarding a District Progress Report. We have been working for the past year to establish a comprehensive and transparent way to assess our progress as a district that is grounded in our values as a community. This is no easy task, and we want to ensure that our areas of focus are the right ones as we move forward. Your voice as educators is critical in this process. Thank you in advance for participating in the survey, which will remain open until November 16th. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L28WMDBSecond, I also want to thank Gayle McCracken and Kathleen Dooley for their work to make the state-mandated Restraint and Conflict of Interest training available to our staff online. Please refer to the details of necessary next steps later in this bulletin. Third, I also want to thank the many staff members who proposed sessions for our upcoming staff development day on November 30th. A large portion of the day will be devoted to sharing the many innovative practices already in place in the Wellesley Public Schools. We think it will be a day of inspiration for all! Finally, please be sure to check out the Wellesley High School performance of “Grease” next week from November 12th through November 14th. Tickets can be purchased online! Thanks to everyone for the important work you do in our classrooms each day and enjoy the weekend. Best regards,David Calendar11/9/15 – School Committee Meeting – 7 pm, Town Hall 11/11/15 – Veterans’ Day – Schools Closed 11/12/15 – The Forum: A conversation on Girls and Stress – 7 pm – Dana Hall School 11/17/15 – School Committee Meeting – 7 pm Town Hall 11/18/15 – School Committee Working Meeting – 8:30 am WMS 11/25/15 – Early Dismissal – Thanksgiving Break 11/30/15 – Professional Development Day – No Classes 12/1/15 – Deadline for All Staff Restraint and Conflict of Interest Training (see below)
The Forum: A Conversation on Girls and Stress
Thursday, November 12, 7 – 8:30 pm
Dana Hall School, WellesleyThe Forum at Dana Hall School is a symposium series designed to examine a topic of particular relevance to girls and girls education. The first symposium will focus on adolescent girls and stress. Click here for additional information and the list of participating panelists. Mandatory TrainingPlease be aware that Massachusetts law requires all staff to complete mandatory restraint and conflict of interest training. The mandatory training is now available online for all staff. To be in compliance, each employee must go through mandatory training this year. Training must be completed by December 1st.
To do the mandatory training:1. Go to www.wellesleyps.org2. Click Faculty Menu -> Mandatory Training3. Complete all 5 training modules: Civil Rights/Teacher Responsibility, Medical Emergencies, Head Injury/Concussion, Restraint & Seclusion, and Conflict of Interest4. Take the 2 associated assessments for Restraint & Seclusion and Conflict of Interest. a. Your Restraint training assessment results will be emailed to you.b. You will fill out and print the Conflict of Interest certification at the completion of the assessment.c. Print each assessment/certification.5. Fill in the Validation Form to record date of completion of each training module.6. Send the printed assessments/certifications to your school/department office secretaryIf you have any questions, please contact Val Spruill at extension 5603 or spruillv@wellesleyps.org READY FOR RETIREMENT SEMINARSFor members retiring in 2016The MTRS staff will be presenting their popular seminar, “Ready for Retirement,” across the Commonwealth in November and December. “Ready for Retirement” is a free, optional, two-hour program (4-6 p.m.) designed for members retiring in 2016. They’re reaching out to soon-to-be retirees before theretirement season starts so that when you begin the application process, you will know just what you need to do and when.Topics include:· the retirement application process and the benefit calculation formula,· timelines and service expectations,· first payment information,· health insurance, tax and working after retirement issues, and· cost-of-living adjustments after you retire. Please note: Personalized account information and pension estimates are not offered during these sessions.To attend, simply choose the date and location that is best for you, and then register online. We hope to see you soon!Program schedule: NORTON, Tuesday, November 3; Norton Middle School auditorium AUBURN, Thursday, November 5; Auburn High School auditorium WOBURN, Thursday, November 5; Woburn High School auditorium CAMBRIDGE, Thursday, November 12; MTRS Cambridge Office, Presentation Room PROGRAM FULLNORTHAMPTON, Tuesday, November 17; Northampton High School auditorium SOUTH YARMOUTH, Thursday, November 19; Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School auditorium HANOVER, Monday, November 23; Hanover High School auditorium CAMBRIDGE, Thursday, December 3; MTRS Cambridge Office, Presentation Room PROGRAM FULLBEVERLY, Monday, December 7; Beverly High School auditorium
Professional Development OpportunitiesUpcoming Primary Source WebinarsWorld War I as a Global PhenomenonNov. 9, 2015 7:00 – 8:15 p.m. ET For teachers of grades 6-12 Webinar – online
Our webinar series for teachers of world history continues this fall with a timely session that seeks to re-center our view of the war in this centennial moment. World War I was a global phenomenon, the zenith of centuries of imperial endeavor. Whether in a World History, US, or European History course, the war and its aftermath cannot be understood without reference to the relationships between competing metropoles, colonies, and other entities. Professor Heather Streets-Salter, Department Chair and Director of World History Programs at Northeastern University, will examine events beyond the master narrative and explore the truly global impact of the war, particularly as it affected East Africa and South, East, and Southeast Asia. Classroom resources and teacher perspectives will be shared.
To register: https://www.primarysource.org/professional-development/courses/online-seminars
Explaining the Refugee Crisis in the Mediterranean
Nov. 12, 2015
7:00 – 8:15 p.m.
For K-12 teachers
Webinar – online
The refugee crisis in the Mediterranean is one of the most significant humanitarian crises in a generation. What is causing the mass migration of hundreds of thousands of people in the region, and how is the international community responding? Join us as Professor Noora Lori of Boston University, an expert on migration in the Middle East, and Barbara Petzen of Middle East Connections discuss the roots and significance of the crisis, as well as strategies for talking about it in your classrooms.
To register: https://www.primarysource.org/professional-development/courses/online-seminars
Global Read Africa: Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria
Dec. 2, 2015
4:00 – 5:15 p.m.
For K-12 teachers
Webinar – online
Join Primary Source and readers from around the U.S. for a live, online discussion with author Noo Saro-Wiwa and Nigeria scholar Darren Kew of UMass Boston.
Looking for Transwonderland takes us on an adventure-and irony-filled tour of modern Nigeria through the observant eyes of Noo Saro-Wiwa. Her journey is not only geographical and cultural, but also personal: it tracks her coming to terms, after 15 years, with the country that executed her father, activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. As Noo travels to different regions, she reflects with wit and feeling on subjects ranging from history to holidays, religion to roads, and the environment to ethnicity – all while sharing the perspectives of people she meets along the way. The book is appropriate for high-school students and anyone interested in life today in Africa’s most populous country.
To register: https://www.primarysource.org/professional-development/courses/online-seminars
WellesleyPD
- Your username for WellesleyPD now matches the format of your WPS gmail address (lastnamefirstinitial).
- Fall course offerings may be viewed by selecting “Offerings” from the menu on the left side of the screen.
WPS Internal Job Postings on District Website
Please be aware that we added a new feature called “ Internal Job Postings” under the Faculty tab of the District’s website. We will post all of our internal jobs under this website tab. Therefore, you will no longer see internal job postings in the bulletin. This new way of posting will allow us to post internal positions any day of the week. |
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Wellesley Public Schools • Wellesley, Massachusetts www.wellesley.k12.ma.us/district/superintendent David Lussier, Superintendent
The Superintendent’s Bulletin is posted weekly on Fridays on our website. It provides timely, relevant information about meetings, professional development opportunities, curriculum and program development, grant awards, and School Committee news. The bulletin is also the official vehicle for job postings. Please read the bulletin regularly and use it to inform colleagues of meetings and other school news. 
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