Dear Colleagues,
I hope you each had a productive week. I know that in the current environment, members of our community feel more vulnerable than ever in light of continued messaging and direction from the federal government calling into question our commitment to all students. With this in mind, I was thankful that yesterday, Governor Healey and Attorney General Campbell reaffirmed the legal protections in place for all students in Massachusetts, along with continued support for an education vision in which, “every student is seen, heard, and valued and where all students have the opportunity to thrive.” Secretary of Education, Patrick Tutwiler also commented that, “This country has long fought for all students to have equal access to a public education. The federal government is attempting to take us back decades, exacerbating real inequities that still exist today. Today’s joint guidance reaffirms that Massachusetts will continue to acknowledge and address historical and persistent gaps in student access and achievement, including Black and Brown students, students with disabilities, low-income students, LGBTQ+ students and other marginalized student populations. We remain committed to supporting schools and higher education institutions, within the law, to build more equitable education systems for all students.”
I’m proud of our state leaders for their principled stand at this moment and I want to assure our staff that we will continue to follow this state direction and work each day to live by our district’s core values. Thank you for helping to support this vision on behalf of our students, our families, and each other.
Finally, the holy month of Ramadan begins this weekend for members of our Muslim community, culminating on Eid al-Fitr on March 30th. (We have a school holiday on Monday, March 31st.) This is an important time of fasting, prayer and reflection and I ask that we be supportive of the members of our community who will be observing Ramadan. I also want to encourage our staff to use this as another opportunity to educate our students on important cultural and religious days in our diverse community.
Thank you and have a great weekend!
Best, David
Calendar
March 11 – School Committee Meeting
March 18 – School Committee Meeting
March 31 – Eid al-Fitr (Schools Closed)
Condolences
To Arlene Argir (who previously served as our Interim Director of Student Services) on the passing of her husband on February 20.
Timeline for WPS Enrollment of Faculty Children (Kindergarten – Grade 12)
Children of Unit A and B members residing outside of Wellesley shall be entitled to attend Wellesley Public Schools without charge for tuition on a space available basis (Article 12, WEA, Unit A and B Contract).
Below is the timeline for submitting applications:
March 1: Interested applicants may submit a letter of intent with the one-page application to the District Registrar, at registrar@wellesleyps.org.
Eligible staff members can also access the application on the WPS website.
May 1: All applications are due to the District Registrar, late applications will not be accepted.
The district will review all applications in May and school placement decisions will be made in June. Placement decisions are made based on available space and staff will be notified of their school when decisions have been made. Once notified of a determination, applicants will be provided with access to the online registration forms. Registration of students is not completed until all forms have been received and approved by the District Registrar and Nurse.
If there are any questions, please reach out to the District Registrar, at registrar@wellesleyps.org.
A survey will be sent out in mid-March to confirm currently enrolled faculty children will be returning in school year 2025-2026.
For enrollment of younger faculty children, please contact Isabel Cashman cashmani@wellesleyps.org for PAWS Preschool or Heidi Marquedant marquedanth@wellesleyps.org for the WHS Child Lab Program.
Supporting All Students, Including LGBTQ Students
| To: | Superintendents, Charter School Leaders, Leaders of Collaboratives, and Executive Directors of Approved Special Education Schools |
|---|---|
| From: | Russell D. Johnston, Acting Commissioner |
| Date: | February 7, 2025; updated on February 11, 2025 |
In light of recent communications from the White House and the U.S. Education Department, I want to share the following with you:
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Educational Vision remains unchanged. In its simplest form, it is to create a public education system where every student is seen, heard, and valued and where all students have the opportunity to thrive.
This work remains firmly grounded in Massachusetts General Law Chapter 76, Section 5, which prohibits discrimination in public schools based on race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin or sexual orientation, and the Massachusetts Constitution, Article CXIV of which prohibits discrimination based on disability. Massachusetts schools remain responsible for providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all students, and this responsibility under state law is not impacted by recent executive orders at the federal level. Our guidance on nondiscrimination on the basis of gender identity in public schools is unchanged.
It is essential that schools should continue their support for marginalized students — including LGBTQ students — to reinforce that they belong in their school communities. Research consistently demonstrates that when schools take proactive steps to foster inclusivity – through strong policies, affirming practices, and supportive educators – students experience improved mental health, academic success, and overall well-being.
School and district leaders are strongly encouraged to continue implementing policies and practices that protect all students, including transgender and nonbinary students. The Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students is available to provide training, technical assistance, and implementation support to help schools uphold these commitments. If your school or district would like assistance in continuing this essential work, please reach out through the contact information at the link above.
We can work together so that all students in Massachusetts experience a safe, supportive, and affirming learning environment.
WPS Family STEAM Night
We invite families of WPS to our second annual Family STEAM Night, Monday, March 10, 2025 from 6:00 – 7:30 at the Hunnewell School Cafeteria. We will have STEAM tables and activities set up in which students can participate. These will include, but are not limited to, programming robots, math games, science shadow puppets, novel engineering and more. As a bonus, students from Babson College’s Innovation Lab Weissman Foundry will join us to showcase some of their amazing work. A light dinner of pizza, veggies, cheese and crackers and water will be provided. Join us for a fun filled and very active evening!
American Red Cross Blood Drive
Sponsored by Wellesley Educators Association and Wellesley Fitness and Health Department
Sprague Elementary School
401 School Street
Wellesley, MA 02482
Wednesday, March 19th, 2025
12pm-5pm
To schedule an appointment, please visit www.redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code: Sprague
Or Click HERE
COVID-19 Tests
Order your 4 free at-home COVID-19 tests by clicking this link.
Opportunities from the Town of Wellesley
Get your event featured!: The Town of Wellesley has a new Community Events Calendar on its website. Schools or departments hosting events are welcome to submit an event for inclusion on the town-wide calendar. Send details via the event submission form.
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