Dear Colleagues,
Last night I attended a powerful event at WHS where our outgoing METCO seniors had a chance to reflect on their experiences in WPS. The courage of these students to share deeply personal stories, often filled with emotion, was both moving and inspiring. Race is far from an easy topic to discuss and we sometimes stumble to find the right words to capture what we are feeling. The authenticity and grace these students displayed last night to engage this topic could serve as a model to us all.
In particular, many of our METCO seniors talked about expectations, both their own and those of the teachers and administrators whom they have encountered during their many years in WPS. It was heartening to hear anecdotes where the encouragement of educators had a profound impact on the choices these students made to challenge themselves. At the same time, students also shared experiences when they perceived only low expectations of their abilities from staff and fellow students.
These seniors were quick to admit that, ultimately, they are responsible for their own success. And while that is true, we as a District clearly have a role to play to support, inspire, and challenge these students because we see something in them that they may not see in themselves. Students generally rise to the expectations that we set for them and those expectations should be high, regardless of whether those students live two blocks away, or whether they rise in the darkness of the early morning to travel on buses to schools in a distant suburb.
Best regards,
David
Calendar
04/07/16 – WPS Staff Focus Group – Special Education Strategic Plan – 3:30 – WMS Library
04/12/16 – School Committee Meeting – 7 pm – Town Hall
04/13/16 – WPS Staff Focus Group – Special Education Strategic Plan – 3:30 – WHS Library
04/18-22 – School Vacation
04/26/16 – School Committee Meeting – 7 pm – Town Hall
Special Education Strategic Plan Focus Groups
Members of the Wellesley Public Schools community have begun the important work of establishing a Strategic Plan for Special Education. A critical step of this planning is to check in with our stakeholders and capture their feedback. We value the input of educators in this process. Regardless of your current involvement with the Special Education Department, we invite you to join us for a focus group to help strengthen our District programming.
April 7, 2016
3:30 pm Wellesley Middle School Library
April 13, 2016
3:00 pm Wellesley High School Library (please note location change)
Should you have questions, please contact Lori Cimeno, Director of Student Services via email cimenol@wellesleyps.org. Light refreshments will be served.
We look forward to the conversation!
The Moving Company in “Footnotes”
The Wellesley High School Performing Arts Department presents the Moving Company in “Footnotes” a collaborative dance performance bringing together dancers from local schools and professional dance companies in a sharing and informative setting. Student and faculty choreographies will be showcased. A variety of dance styles will be featured including collaboration with the WHS Symphonia under the direction of Dr. Sergey Khanukaev. Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” will be showcased and accented by tap dance rhythms. The WMS Junior Moving Company, directed by Kara Sullivan, will return for their 14th season and students from Dana Hall School (director Devon Fitchett) and Cambridge School of Weston (director Nailah Bellinger) will also be performing.
This year Footnotes will welcome back guest artists Rhode Island College, under the direction of Assistant Professor Jessica Pearson, and dancers from Dean College in Franklin, MA. This lineup promises to make for a diverse and dynamic Footnotes performance.
Members of the WHS Moving Company will be performing dance pieces choreographed by company director, Janet Sozio. The focus of Moving Company is to expose both the dancers and audience to a variety of styles including Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Modern, and African. Student works include pieces choreographed by junior Daharah Pritchard and sophomores, Ayri Ayala, Destiny Edwards and Paloma Okunbor. All four students are making their choreographic debut!
“Footnotes” will be held at the Katherine L. Babson Jr. Auditorium at Wellesley High School on Thursday, April 14, 2016 at 7:00 PM. Tickets will be sold at the door: Adults $10; Students K-12 $5; WPS faculty/ staff and senior citizens free. For more information, contact the WHS Performing Arts Department at (781) 446-6250 x5720.
Congratulations to Kathleen Brophy (WHS Fitness & Health Teacher) who will be honored as the Eastern District High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year by SHAPE America – Society of Health and Physical Educators at its 131st National Convention & Expo in Minneapolis, April 5-9. The award is given in recognition of outstanding teaching performance at the high school level and the ability to motivate today’s youth to participate in a lifetime of physical activity.
PRESCHOOL- P.A.W.S. POSITIONS
SUMMER PROGRAM 2016
Job requirements for Lead Teachers:
Teaching experience and license within content area required. Familiarity with WPS learning goals preferred. Applicants for positions within academic strands must state their preferred grade level and content area. Applicants must have dual certification in Special Education and Early Childhood Education.
Special Education Lead Teachers: 7/5/16 through 8/4/16
- $41.91 per hour
- Morning Session: 8:30 – 12:00
- Extended Day Session: 8:30-2:00
- Programs: 5 week program
- M-T or W-TH 9-11:30
- M-Th 9:00-1:30
Teaching Assistants Five Weeks: 7/5/16 through 8/4/16
- $18.88 per hour (or current FY16 TA rate)
- M-T or W-TH 8:45-11:45
- M-TH 8:45-1:45
Paraprofessionals: 7/5/6 through 8/4/16
- $24.27 per hour (or current FY16 Para rate)
- Programs: 5 week program M-T or W-TH 9-11:30
- M-Th 8:45-1:45
- Must have ABA experience and training.
Send your application to:
Rebecca Zieminski, Director of Early Childhood
45 Hastings Street, Wellesley, MA 02481
or by email to: zieminskir@wellesleyps.org
MIDDLE SCHOOL POSITIONS
SUMMER PROGRAM 2016
Job requirements for Lead Teachers:
Teaching experience and license within content area required. Familiarity with WPS learning goals preferred.
Special Education Lead Teachers for ISS and Skills program : 5 week programs -7/5/16 through 8/4/16
- $41.91 per hour
- M-Th 8:30-1:00
- Skills Program: grade 6,7,8
- ISS Program: grade 6,7,8
Special Education Lead Teacher for the Language Based Program, Learning Center and TLC program: 4 week Programs July 5th through July 28th
- $41.91 per hour
- T-Th 8:30-11 (2.5 hours)
- Language Based Teacher: grades 6, 7, 8
- Learning Center Teacher: grades 6, 7, 8
- Therapeutic Learning Center Teacher: grades 6,7,8
Paraprofessionals:
- $24.27 per hour (or current FY16 Para rate)
- 4 week program (T-Th 8:30-11:00)
- 5 week program (M-Th 8:30-1:00)
- Must have ABA experience and training.
Related Service Providers: 7/5/16 through 8/4/16
- $45 per hour
- Hours: 8:30-3:00
- Speech and Language Therapist
- Occupational Therapist
Send your application to:
Mimi Feerick
Department Head of Special Education
Wellesley Middle School
50 Kingsbury St. Wellesley, MA 02481
or by email: feerickm@wellesleyps.org
Professional Development Opportunities
WellesleyPD
Registration is open for the following courses through WellesleyPD:
New Dates! – “Special Education for General Educators: A 5 Part Series”
- Instructors: Astrid Mazariegos & Kristen Stacy
- Participants: K-5 Educators
- Dates/Times: 04/30/16, 8:30am – 3:00pm; 05/02/16, 05/09/16 & 05/17/16, 3:30pm – 6:30pm
- To Register: Login to WellesleyPD and select “Offerings” from the menu on the left, then select “Special Education Courses” from the pull-down menu.
SEI Extending the Learning Course
“Six Standards of Effective Pedagogy for Elementary and Secondary Classrooms”
- Presented by: Dr. Annela Teemant & Dr. Serena Tyra
- Participants: All K-12 teachers, including ELA, math, science, history, ESL, elementary, secondary.
- Dates/Times: August 8-12, 2016 plus an online component
- Location: Leominster Area
- Cost: $650 per person
- Registration deadline Friday, May 20, or until course is full.
For more information and to register: www.matsol.org/retell-extending-the-learning
American International College: Off-Campus Master’s & CAGS Programs
Programs Offered:
- Professional License – Early Childhood, Elementary Ed., Moderate Disabilities (Middle/Secondary options also available)
- Initial License – Early Childhood, Elementary Ed., Moderate Disabilities
- Initial License – Reading Specialist
- Initial License – Middle Ed., Secondary Ed. (Subject areas available for Middle & Secondary licensure: Business, Biology, Chemistry, English, French, General Science, History, Math, Spanish.)
- School Adjustment Counseling (offered only in Springfield)
- School Guidance Counseling (offered only in Springfield)
- Initial License School Leadership – Principal/Assistant Principal, SPED Administrator, Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent
Information Meetings:
Tuesday, April 12 @ 3:30 or 4:30
Sharon High School
181 Pond Street, Sharon, MA 02067
Wednesday, April 13th @ 3:30 or 4:30
Milford High School
31 West Fountain Street, Milford, MA 01757
Thursday, April 14th @ 3:30 or 4:30
King Philip Regional High School
201 Franklin Street, Wrentham, MA 02093
To RSVP or for more information, please call (800) 540-9749 or email mnichols@graduateprogram.org
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.