Dear Colleagues,
I hope everyone had a productive week. Last Friday, I appreciated the chance to engage in a provocative conversation with superintendents in reaction to an article by Joel Westheimer entitled, “What Kind of Citizens Do We Need?”. The essential question we examined is to what degree do our school districts develop the competencies we wish to see in our citizens? Are we teaching our students to question? Are we exposing them to multiple perspectives? Do we focus on real issues within our communities? Are we modeling the development of democratic values? It’s an important time to be asking these questions as we are about to embark on the development of a Profile of a Graduate for Wellesley.
Given the current political climate, my colleagues and I also discussed the challenge of supporting our core values (and calling out their violation) while keeping faith with our commitment to being non-partisan. Is it possible to provide moral leadership without being partisan? That is certainly a balance I strive to achieve and I hope we all consider in our work.
Thank you for all that you do for our students and have a great weekend. Go Pats!!
Best regards,
David Lussier
Calendar
1/23/18 – SC Meeting – 6:30 pm – Town Hall (FY19 Budget Public Hearing 6:45 pm)
1/30/18 – SC Meeting – 6:30 pm – Town Hall
1/31/18 – Deadline for Filing HRA Expense Reimbursements for 2017(see below)
Baby News!
Congratulations to Bethany Ladd (Schofield Gr 4 Teacher) on the birth of her daughter, Charlotte (Charlie) Ladd, on January 14, 2018.
You are invited to support the WHS team as a member of the studio audience for our first round match in WGBH’s High School Quiz Show. The match against Natick High School will be recorded Sunday, January 21, 2018 at 8:30am and will be broadcast later in the spring. Tickets are free and can be reserved at http://www.wgbh.org/support/hsquizshow_studio_signup.cfm
This is a great family event. Cheer on the team and experience the making of a television show.
Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) 2017 Reimbursements Deadline is January 31, 2018
If you have health insurance through the Town (with the exception of the HPHC PPO plan), you have an HRA.
Family subscribers are eligible for up to $1,000 and Individual subscribers are eligible for up to $400 in reimbursement per calendar year. If you have already reached your HRA maximum for the calendar year but still have eligible expenses, you may submit those claims as well for possible reimbursement. Wellesley has set aside a pool of $50,000 to distribute as additional reimbursements to subscribers who have exceeded their personal HRA accounts.
For information or to submit reimbursement forms, please contact/send to Cafeteria Plan Advisors, Inc (CPA), 420 Washington Street, Suite 100, Braintree, MA 02184, Phone: (781) 848 – 9848, Fax: (781) 848 – 8477
Apply Now to Enroll Children of Non-Resident WTA Members in Wellesley Public Schools
Children of teachers or nurses residing outside of 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 2018-19 school year, please click registrar. The Application and Letter of Intent Deadline is May 1, 2018.
Insurance Benefits Information
Health and Dental Insurance Benefits information is handled by the Town Hall Benefits Office. Inquiries should be directed to Joanne Liburd at JLiburd or by calling 781-431-1019 extension 2244.
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.