Dear Colleagues,

I hope you each had a productive week.  On Wednesday evening, the Wellesley Education Foundation held its 36th annual Spelling Bee. This is a wonderful event, which has become a mainstay of our community, and not only helps to raise money for grants to WPS and our educators, it’s also a great community-building event that is both competitive and fun.  The pressure was on Wellesley Middle School this year to repeat as champions, with a team of 8th grade students spelling to victory in 2024.  WMS did not disappoint and this year the faculty team of Jess Trofatter, Kari Sciera, and Valerie Stark (Team “Spelltics”) made it to the final round and spelled “ailurophile” for the win! (For those with less erudition, like me, “ailurophile” is a cat lover. A great word to use in conversations over Thanksgiving to impress your family and friends!) 

The annual “Bee” also has a long tradition of creative costumes.  I want to give a special shout-out to school secretaries, Dana Zakak and Megan LeBlanc, for going all-in on their costumes, which turned out to be far more impressive than their spelling!  

If you are looking for something to do this weekend, please consider checking out Something Rotten Jr. at Wellesley Middle School!

And finally, next week, Wellesley will take on Needham for the 138th time as part of the oldest high school football rivalry in the country. The game is at home in Wellesley on Thursday at 10am and tickets can be purchased at our WHS Athletics Office. 

Thanks to our entire team for what you do each day in support of our students and please enjoy a safe and festive Thanksgiving holiday next week.  

Best regards, 

David

November 27-28 – Thanksgiving Recess (Schools & Offices Closed)

December 1 – Professional Day (Schools Closed)

December 8 – Budget Presentation to Staff

December 9 – School Committee Meeting

December 16 – School Committee Meeting

The FY’27 Budget Presentation to Staff will take place on Monday, December 8, from 3:30-4:30 in the Middle School Auditorium.

The Town of Wellesley offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support employees and their families.  Effective July 1, 2025, CMG Associates is the new EAP provider (see announcement). Employees may want to access the EAP because of emotional difficulties, life stress, family difficulties, concerns about substance abuse or other addictive behavior, legal or financial problems, or other personal issues. The EAP is completely free, confidential, and available at all times (day or night, weekdays, weekends, and holidays). Employees may call CMG Associates at 888-851-7032, or they may visit www.cmgassociates.com, click on the link entitled EAP Log-In, and use the User ID: WELL.

SMART Plan (457 Voluntary Retirement Savings) 

May make changes throughout the year through the company.

Work directly through US Omni and the SMART Plan.

Email AskHR@Wellesleyps.org. The Human Resources Department is happy to assist you.  

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