Colleagues,
I hope you each had a productive week as we continue to settle into the school year. Next Wednesday (9/23), the Town Advisory Committee will be hosting a public (Zoom) meeting at 7:00PM to receive feedback on our two elementary school building projects for Hardy and Hunnewell. Advisory’s voted opinion will be shared as part of the Special Town Meeting in October (10/25-10/27) in which funding for these projects will be sought before (hopefully) moving on to a Town-wide debt exclusion vote in December. Given how much time we have put into the planning for these projects over the past ten years, I’m hoping we will see strong community support during these final, key votes to complete this work.
Finally, I’m hoping that our WMS kitchen will be coming on line next week as final inspections and commissioning are completed.
Thank you for what you do each day to support our students and have a great weekend!
-David
Calendar
09/22/21 – Advisory Committee Public Hearing – Hardy/Hunnewell School Projects – 7 pm
09/28/21 – SC Meeting – 6:30 pm
10/11/21 – Indigenous Peoples Day – No School
10/12/21 – SC Meeting – 6:30 pm
10/25 & 10/26/21 – Special Town Meeting, School Building Projects – 7 pm
News from the Town of Wellesley Wellness and Safety Committee
The newly created Town of Wellesley Wellness and Safety Committee will be offering safety and wellness programs designed to increase our knowledge about health matters, explore fun ways to eat healthier, improve our level of physical fitness, and more. Watch for your first newsletter in October!
To kick off our new program, the Wellesley Wellness and Safety Committee would like to encourage all employees to sign up for the Working Together, Walking Together program through WSHG (West Suburban Health Group). This program begins next Monday, September 20th through October 31st! The registration deadline is the first day of the competition, September 20th! There will only be one team per community, so let’s join together as co-workers to compete against other WSHG communities!
Together we’ll show Dedham, Dover, Holliston, Wrentham, Natick, Dover-Sherborn Regional School District, Needham, ACCEPT Education Collaborative, Wayland and Shrewsbury what Wellesley is made of!
See flyer for registration link and details!
Community Mental Health Webinar: Tuesday, September 28th, 7:00-8:30 pm.
The Wellesley Health Department invites the community to a free mental health webinar: Unmasked… Understanding Anxiety and Suicide in the COVID Era. Jon Mattleman, mental health consultant, will present practical ways to address specific mental health issues such as anxiety, and up-to-date information about suicide prevention. Email Joyce Saret at the Wellesley Health Department for joining information. jsaret@wellesleyma.gov
Reminders Regarding Salary Lane Change Process:
Letters of Intent to Change Lanes are due annually by November 1st for the following school year. The letter should include your present lane, intended lane and year in which you plan to make the change. For instance, the intent to change lanes letter due on November 1, 2021 is for a lane change in school year 2022-23. Please note that your letter of intent does not carry over from year to year.
Also, effective November 1, 2020, a teacher must submit a Course Approval Form (CAF) if: 1) a course may lead to a lane change or 2) a course is paid by District funds. Forms should be submitted at least 30 days in advance of the expected start date of the course. Course approvals are active from the date of approval through June 30th of the following school year (e.g., approved 9/1/2021 for a course starting 10/1/2021 would be active through 6/30/2023). Approvals are based on the course title and course description and cannot be exchanged for another course without prior written approval of the Superintendent or designee. A teacher has until June 30th of the following school year from the course completion date to submit the transcripts (e.g., course ended 1/1/2022 transcript must be submitted by 6/30/2023).
Human Relations Services
The Human Relation Services (HRS) can help. Wellesley Public Schools has contracted with HRS to provide up to ten free counseling visits for you and/or your family members. This program is designed to help you deal with stresses of life and work –including personal and family issues, drug or alcohol problems, and job related tension. It offers prevention and intervention to reduce these stresses and improve coping skills.
HRS is located at 11 Chapel Place in Wellesley and can be reached at 781-235-4950. This is a confidential service. Wellesley Public Schools is not aware of the names of employees or their family members who utilize this service.
Do you have a question for the WPS Human Resources Department? Email AskHR@Wellesleyps.org. The Human Resources Department is happy to assist you.
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.