Colleagues,
I hope you each had a productive week. Each year at the start of May, we honor our educators during Teacher Appreciation Week. Teaching is the foundational profession from which all other professions flow. Those who choose this profession choose a difficult but vital path to support our children’s development through the most formative period of their lives. Each day, our educators are called upon to challenge and support our students, each of whom represents an incredible diversity of interests, strengths, and challenges. Over time, we have increasingly asked more of our schools and educators. I know this burden is great, perhaps never more so than right now. And yet despite these many challenges, our teachers have continued to show incredible expertise and commitment to their craft. Teaching is both an art and a science, regardless of whether one is teaching kindergarten or advanced mathematics. I am so incredibly proud of our WPS Educators for the work you do in our schools and classrooms each day.
Similarly, this was also the week in which we honor the service of our school nurses, who play such a pivotal role in attending to the complex medical needs of our students. As with teaching, the responsibilities of our nurses have only grown over time, particularly during and following the pandemic.
And so, to all of our teachers and nurses, on behalf of our entire Wellesley community, I salute you and offer thanks for your service to our district.
Have a great weekend everyone and a special shout-out to all of our moms this Sunday!
Best, David
Calendar
May 14 – School Committee Meeting
May 20 – Family STEAM Night
May 20 – School Committee Meeting
May 21 – School Committee Meeting
May 27 – Memorial Day (Schools and Offices closed)
May 28 – School Committee Meeting
June 3 – School Committee Meeting
June 7 – WHS Graduation (Half Day WHS only)
Youth Mental Health Workshop Series
Parents & caregivers are invited to take part in the final installment of the workshop series, “Building Resilience: Supporting Youth Mental Health,” held at the Wellesley Free Library’s Wakelin Room on May 22 at 6:30 p.m.
The series is sponsored by Thrive Wellesley and will feature guest speakers from Newton-Wellesley Hospital’s The Resilience Project. It is designed to help families – parents, guardians & caregivers – gain a better understanding of the skills, community support, and resources for developing positive mental health and connections within their families.
The May 22 session topic will be “Building Resilience in Kids and Ourselves.” Full details here. Register now through the WFL website: https://wellesleyfreelibrary.libcal.com/. Thrive Wellesley is an Initiative of the Kiwanis Club of Wellesley, in partnership with the Wellesley Youth Commission and Wellesley Health Department, and funded by the Community Fund for Wellesley.
WPS Family STEAM Night
On Monday evening, May 20, 2024, WPS will host a Family STEAM evening for our PreK-12 families. We will have STEAM activities including coding, programming robots, science and math games, working with circuits and more. Additionally, Amon Millner, Associate Professor of Computing and Innovation at Olin College of Engineering will be our featured speaker. He will talk about a variety of technology and engineering topics including ways children can incorporate computing and programming into the way they play, learn and prepare for ways to help their community. Please join us for an evening immersed in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math).
Please click on this flyer to learn more.
403(B)/457 Fund Contribution Limits
The limit for 403(b) and 457 contributions for calendar year 2024 will be $23,000. Employees who are 50 years of age and older may chose to have an additional $7,500 in catch-up contributions, if eligible, bringing the limit to $30,500. Changes to your contribution amounts must be made through Voya (457) or OMNI & TSACG for 403(b). Contact information for the two programs are:
VOYA: Bruce Coughlin PH: 781-237-3776 or at bruce.coughlin@voyafa.com
Additional information is available at: https://www.wellesleyma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/11303/457b-Self-Enrollment-Instructions?bidId=
OMNI & TSACG: PH: 877-544-OMNI
Additional Information is available at: https://www.omni403b.com/SRA/Landing
Please use this link for information about SECURE Act 2.0. If you have additional questions about these provisions, please reach out to OMNI/TSACG directly.
If you have questions about payroll deductions, please contact Donna Kalinowski at ext. 5613.
Human Relation 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. How to Apply for WPS Internal Job Postings as a New Internal Applicant