February 5, 2016
Dear Colleagues,
As I stare out of my office window at rapidly accumulating snow, yesterday’s 60 degree weather is already a distant memory. I thought we might have a chance to make it without a snow day this year, but no such luck!
The WPS School Committee approved the FY17 Budget last night, bringing to a close a process that began back in September. I know that I share your disappointment that we had to make reductions to the budget we recommended in December. At the same time, we must balance our education imperative with a recognition of the Town’s resources, which don’t always allow us to proceed in a manner of our choosing. Frankly, we are in a much better position when compared to other districts across the state and for that I am grateful. Even at a reduced level, this budget will still help us move forward in key areas of our Strategic Plan. The next stop in our budget process will be Town Meeting in the early spring.
Finally, if you have not yet had a chance to read, “Waking up White,” by Debby Irving, I highly recommend it to you. Chronicling the author’s self-awakening with regard to race and racism, the book provides a sobering look at how race has affected American society in ways that are not widely known. Ms. Irving gave a powerful book talk last night at WHS that was sponsored by the World of Wellesley and was very well attended by members of our community. I’m encouraged by the interest in this topic by our community and hope that WPS can remain engaged in this important discourse.
Please stay safe throughout the storm and have a great weekend!
Best regards, David
Calendar
02/15-02/19/16 – Winter Break
02/23/16 – School Committee Meeting – 7 pm – Town Hall
03/08/16 – School Committee Meeting – 7 pm – Town Hall
03/22/16 – School Committee Meeting – 7 pm – Town Hall
CONGRATULATIONS TO Matt Delaney (WPS Food Service Director) on the birth of his son, Leo Thomas,born on January 28, 2016; and to Thom Henes (English Teacher) who welcomed William Luca Whitman Henes into his family on January 29, 2016.
CONDOLENCES to Nancy Eich (Gr 2 Schofield Teacher) on the loss of her brother, Ron Goguen, on January 19, 2016; Eric Collins (WHS Math Teacher) on the loss of his mother Theresa Collins on January 22, 2016; and to Emily Shaw (Gr. 2 Schofield Teacher) on the loss of her father, Stanley Macht, on January 22, 2016.
Upcoming Special Performances!
Monday, February 8th, 7:00 pm Vocalogy at WHS – KLB Auditorium – Vocalogy, a professional, nationally renowned jazz quintet will be appearing in concert with the WHS Rice Street Singers and Keynote Singers. This is a rare opportunity to see this ensemble perform on their Boston Tour.
For more information see http://vocalogy.simpl.com/
Monday, March 7th, 7:00 pm U.S. Navy Band at Wellesley High School – The US Navy Band is performing at Wellesley High School on their 2016 National Tour on Monday, March 7th at 7:00 pm (free and open to the public). Currently all the tickets have already been taken (before advertising), however please keep checking back as we may be able to release more tickets as we get closer to the performance date: http://tinyurl.com/usnavyband
The Educator Eval Working Group
Wants Your Questions!
Dear Educators:
The next Educator Evaluation Working Group is scheduled for February 11, 2016. The Working Group is in the process of putting together a list of frequently asked questions that will be published under the Faculty Tab of the WPS website.
Please forward your educator evaluation questions to one of the Working Group members prior to February 11th. The Working Group will publish the answer to your question after the February 11th meeting.
Working Group members are: Karen Archambault, Chelsea Bailow, Sandy Bogage, Thom Carter, Linda Corridan, Kathleen Dooley, Tim Eagan, Jany Finkielsztein, John Finneron, Heather Haskell, Judith Malone-Neville, Gayle McCracken, Kate Morton, Joanne Naso, Jonathan Simon, and Julie Verret.
Thank you
Professional Development Opportunities
WellesleyPD
Registration is open for the following winter courses through WellesleyPD:
Online Tools for Formative Assessment and Collaboration – Last Chance to Enroll!
- Instructors: Ranjani Sriram & Amy Jankins
- Participants: PreK-12 Educators
- Date/Times: Online Only, Weeks of 02/22/16 – 03/21/16
Teaching Second Languages to Students with Learning Disabilities – Last Chance to Enroll!
- Instructor: Pedro Carrasquillo
- Participants: K-12 Educators, Special Educators
- Date/Times: 02/24/16, 03/02/16, 03/09/16, 03/16/16, 03/23/16, 03/30/16, 3:15pm – 5:45pm
Advanced iPad
- Instructors: Rosey McQuillan & Ranjani Sriram
- Participants: PreK-12 Educators
- Date/Times: Online Only, 03/07/16 – 04/11/16
Introduction to the WIDA Standards and Differentiated Instruction for ELLs
- Instructors: Jenn Hannon & Jenn Eramo
- Participants: K-12 Educators, Specialists, Special Educators
- Date/Times: 03/12/16, 8:30am – 3:30pm; 03/22/16 & 04/05/16, 3:30pm – 6:30pm
NEW DATES! Google Apps for Education
- Instructor: Pete Ritter
- Participants: PreK-12 Educators
- Date/Times: Online Only, Weeks of 03/14/16 – 04/11/16
WellesleyPD Instructor Information Session
Are you interested in offering a course to colleagues this summer or next school year? Come to a 30-minute information session. We’ll discuss the process for becoming an approved graduate level instructor for Framingham State University, the course proposal and approval processes, and the requirements for submitting a course for approval.
- Tuesday, February 9th, 2:45pm – 3:15pm, Wellesley High School FDR
Please RSVP using the following link.
If you have any questions, please contact Chelsea Bailow, Professional Development Coordinator.
Primary Source Summer Institutes
The district has an annual Primary Source membership through which we are allotted seats in their courses. Since the number of seats is limited, you must receive approval from the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning prior to registering.
To view the summer catalog of face-to-face and online offerings, click here. A hard copy will also be available in buildings.
If you’re interested in registering for a course, please submit the Primary Source Registration Request form. Deadline to request registration is Friday, April 15th. Notification of your registration status will be sent after April vacation.
Other Opportunities
TEC Online, Self-Paced Courses Free to WPS Educators
WPS has partnered with The Education Cooperative (TEC) to offer two online, self-paced courses free of charge to Wellesley educators. Please note that the ELL course is NOT an endorsement course.
- Engaging All Students with Differentiated Instruction (Click here for more details.)
- Strategies to Enhance Instruction for English Language Learners in the Classroom (Click here for more details.)
To Register: Go to tec.registration.etlo.org and complete the registration page. You’ll receive an email with a URL for the course you’ve selected, as well as instructions on enrolling in the course.
PDPs: Upon completion of the course, participants will receive a certificate of completion. Submit the certificate to Chelsea Bailow, Professional Development Coordinator, in order for the course to appear in your WellesleyPD records.
Apply Now to Enroll Children
of Non-Resident WTA Members in Wellesley Schools.
Children of teachers or nurses residing outside Wellesley shall be entitled to attend Wellesley Public Schools without charge for tuition on a space available basis (Article 12, WTA Unit A Contract). If you are interested in this benefit for the 2016-17 school year, please click here to access the form. Once complete, please return it to District Registrar Nancy Costigliola in Central Office or email it back to her at registrar@wellesleyps.org. The Application Deadline is May 1, 2016.
Graduate Course Reimbursement
Course reimbursement funding of $30,000 is available to distribute in FY17 among qualified teachers. This funding is for graduate course work done as part of a master’s degree program to fulfill a teacher’s obligations for the Massachusetts Educators Professional License and for course work required to achieve the next stage of licensure culminating in a professional license. To apply for this course reimbursement, please send the following information to Valerie Spruill, Administrative Assistant to the HR Director,spruillv@wellesleyps.org: your name, evidence of your enrollment in an applicable master/doctoral degree program, name and description of the course, evidence of course cost (a billing statement), proof of payment (i.e. credit card statement, canceled check or receipt of payment), and transcript. The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2016. You will be notified of the amount awarded to you some time prior to the first paycheck in September 2016. Please note: all information must be received by June 1, 2016 or you will be disqualified for reimbursement. All courses must have occurred in the summer of 2015, fall of 2015 and spring of 2016 and have been completed by June 1, 2016. Any courses taken prior to the summer of 2015 will not be considered reimbursement.
Thinking About Retirement?
For WTA members interested in retiring in 2016: Contact a representative from MTRS at 617-679-6877.
For further information to determine eligibility for retirement benefits visit: http://www.mass.gov/mtrs; to calculate your retirement benefits, go to http://www.mass.gov/mtrs/active-and-inactive-members/retiring-from-the-mtrs/regular-superannuation/estimate-your-retirement-benefits.html and tohttp://www.mass.gov/mtrs/forms-and-general-resources/downloadable-forms/
If you plan to retire this year, please send a signed letter (four months prior to retirement) indicating your intention to Director of Human Resources Gayle McCracken, Wellesley Public Schools, 40 Kingsbury Street, Wellesley, Massachusetts 02481.
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.