Dear Colleagues,
This has certainly been a busy week in WPS. First, I want to thank Hunnewell Principal Ellen Quirk and her staff for their professionalism and flexibility in the wake of the fire in their building Wednesday morning. The good news is that the building will re-open on Monday thanks to the incredible efforts of our Facilities Management Department. In fact, many parents and Town Departments rallied to our support this week including Police and Fire, as well as the Recreation Department, which put together a two-day camp for Hunnewell students with no notice that was invaluable to working parents in need of support while the school was closed. (If you see Matt Chin from the Recreation Department, give him a high-five for his efforts to make this happen!) In a time of crisis, we had many people step forward to provide support and we are extremely grateful.
I also want to be sure everyone knows that this weekend is Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend. If you have never been, there are many great events, a parade, and fireworks. Please check out the events calendar at the following link: https://wellesley.wickedlocal.com/news/20190516/wellesleys-wonderful-weekend-schedule-of-events
Finally, I want to give a shout-out to two of our award-winning teachers. First, WMS French Teacher Rebecca Blouwolff has been named the 2019 recipient of the Dorothy Ludwig Excellence in Teaching Award at the Middle School level by the American Association of Teachers of French. Félicitations Rebecca!
Next I want to congratulate WHS English Teacher Shima Khan on being named a 2019 recipient of the Olmsted Award by Williams College. Each year, seniors at the college nominate high school teachers who have had an impact on their lives. Shima was nominated by former student, Korinna Garfield. Congratulations Shima on this well-deserved award!
Thank you all for your good work on behalf of our students and enjoy the weekend.
Best regards,
David
Calendar
05/06 – 05/29/19 – WPS K-12 Student Art Show – Wellesley Free Library
05/23/19 – School Committee Meeting – Town Hall – 6:30 pm
05/27/19 – Memorial Day – No School
06/03/19 – Deadline for Graduate Course Reimbursement Submissions
06/04/19 – School Committee Meeting – Town Hall – 6:30 pm
06/07/19 – WHS Graduation – 5 pm
06/14/19 – Last Day of School for Students
06/18/19 – School Committee Meeting – Town Hall – 6:30 pm
WHS Graduation News
Wellesley High School Graduation is on Friday, June 7, 2019, Hunnewell Field at 5:00pm.
If outside, a ticket is not necessary. In case of rain the graduation will be in the GYM at Wellesley High School. All Faculty and Staff are required to have a ticket for admission. Please use this link to order a chair and ticket. RSVP by Tuesday, May 28, 2019, if you plan on attending graduation. You will receive a ticket and instructions, before the ceremony.
Congratulations to Addie Doherty on the birth of her grandson, Ronan Joseph Doherty, born 4/21/19.
Proctors Needed!
Associate Supervisors are needed to administer SATs for June 1, 2018. Proctors are needed to monitor the halls, direct students to their classrooms and assist the Main Office staff with running the test center, as needed. Both positions are paid positions via the College Board.
The following positions are open:
Proctor (Hall Monitor): $100, 7:00am to 1:00pm*
Associate Supervisor (Test Proctor): $125-$133, 6:45am to 1:30pm*
*All positions have the opportunity for early release should students arrive and complete testing early.
Please note the following:
According to College Board guidelines, Associate Supervisors and Proctors must be current or retired faculty or other professional staff of WPS or from a neighboring institution or a graduate student.
Also, according to College Board guidelines, an Associate Supervisor or Proctor cannot administer any SAT Program test that will be taken by a member of their household or immediate family at any test center NATION WIDE.
If you are interested in any or all of the dates and are eligible according to the College Board guidelines, please email Kyle Gekopi at gekopik@wellesleyps.org.
In your correspondence, please indicate which position you would be most interested in filling, as well as your current address and cell phone number.
IMPORTANT: Indicating interest doesn’t guarantee a position as the number of Associate Supervisors and Proctors required to run the test center is based on the number of students testing as well as their needs. Every effort will be made to make positions available to as many people as possible.
Graduate Course Reimbursement
Course reimbursement funding of $30,000 is available to distribute in FY20 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 and/or when a specialist teacher’s immediate supervisor, subject to the approval of the Assistant Superintendent, verifies that there are no further in-district courses available for recertification in that specialist’s field, that specialist may apply for tuition reimbursement. Any Unit A member for whom no DESE license exists, including but not limited to occupational and physical therapists, so long as that member maintains appropriate certification and/or licensure required to perform his or her duties, shall be eligible to apply for tuition reimbursement. To apply for this course reimbursement, please send, by no later June 3, 2019, the completed reimbursement form, along with 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 to Valerie Spruill, Administrative Assistant to the Director of Human Resources, spruillv@wellesleyps.org. You will be notified of the amount awarded to you some time prior to the first paycheck in September 2019. Please note: all information must be received by June 3, 2019 or you will be disqualified for reimbursement. All courses must have occurred in the summer of 2018, fall of 2018 and spring of 2019 and have been completed by June 3, 2019. Any courses taken prior to the summer of 2018 will not count for reimbursement.
MTRS Member Benefits Seminars
Your MTRS Benefits” seminar is an optional, free, two-hour (4–6 p.m.) informal program for MTRS members who want more information about retirement benefits—whether you are a recent member, mid-career educator or soon-to-be retiree. Topics include:
- MTRS benefits and services,
- estimating your retirement benefits under the regular and RetirementPlus formulas,
- various issues you need to consider in retirement, including health insurance coverage, taxation of your retirement benefit, the rules on working after retirement, Social Security—and more!
Choose from the following dates and locations, and click here to register today!
- NORTHAMPTON, Thursday, May 16, Northampton High School auditorium
- WOBURN, Thursday, May 16, Woburn Memorial High School auditorium
- PEABODY, Tuesday, May 21, Peabody Veterans Memorial High School auditorium
- WILBRAHAM, Tuesday, May 21, Minnechaug Regional High School auditorium
- HANOVER, Thursday, May 30, Hanover High School auditorium
Last Chance for Benefits Enrollment
There are still approximately 100 employees who did not re-enroll in insurance as of today’s date. If you are one of those employees, the Benefits Office is giving you one last chance to enroll by using their self service portal. You will be able to enroll using the self service portal through Sunday, May 19th.
Attached is the link with the self service portal. Please don’t miss out on this opportunity. Thank you.
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@wellesleyma.gov or by calling 781-431-1019 extension 2244.
Renewing Your Educator’s License?
Information about requirements to renew your educator license is available on the WPS website. Click here to go to the HR Licensure tab. When you apply for your license on the DESE website under ELAR, the DESE will send you an electronic communication about what is missing from your licensure file in order to renew. The HR licensure tab and your ELAR account are two tools to assist you with information about licensure renewal.
WPS Internal Job Postings on District Website
For all Internal Job Postings, please go to “Internal Job Postings” under the Faculty tab of the District’s website.