Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to December! I hope you each had an enjoyable Thanksgiving break with family and friends. (The turkey always tastes better with a Wellesley win that day, and our football team did not disappoint with a victory over Needham in this 138th matchup!) 

On Monday, we had an exceptional day of professional learning organized by our Teaching and Learning Team.  More than 100 members of our staff led sessions for their colleagues throughout the day, sharing effective practices from their own work.  I especially appreciated the cross-sectional representation of Pre-K, elementary, middle, and high school levels in sessions, which led to vertical conversations that I hope will continue.  In addition to each of our facilitators, special thanks to Assistant Superintendent Sandy Trach and her team for all of their efforts to organize this day of learning for our district. 

We also learned this week that our WHS Choral Director, Dr. Kevin MacDonald, has been named one of ten finalists for the 2026 Grammy Music Educator Award.  The finalists include 10 music teachers from 10 cities across 10 states. In total, more than 2,000 initial nominations from 50 states were submitted. The recipient of the 2026 Music Educator Award will be recognized during Grammy Week 2026, days ahead of the 2026 Grammy Awards ceremony.  Please join me in congratulating Kevin on this well-deserved recognition.   

Today, I was delighted to join more than 40 of our colleagues who attended the annual METCO Director’s Conference.  Highlights included an introductory address by new METCO Director, Dr. Kandice Sumner and keynotes by Michael Bonner and Dr. Bettina Love. For me, the student voices present were by far the most memorable, including Amelia Mehia from Arlington High School, and our very own Arima Christopher (pictured below), from Wellesley High School.  Such a day of inspiration, and I want to give a shout-out to Wellesley METCO Director, Stephanie Holland, for her work, and that of all of the MDA Directors, to make this day of challenge and inspiration happen.

Following the terrific performance of Something Rotten Jr. at Wellesley Middle School, our high school musical, Legally Blonde, opened on Thursday night and has performances on Friday and Saturday.  Please consider coming out to support our students this weekend! 

And finally, next week, we will be providing a staff preview of our FY2027 budget on Monday at 3:30PM in the WMS auditorium.  On Tuesday night, we will present that budget to the School Committee.  

Thanks for what you do each day in support of our students and have a great weekend.  

Best regards, 

David

December 8 – Budget Presentation to Staff

December 9 – School Committee Meeting

December 16 – School Committee Meeting

December 24-January 2 – December Break (Schools Closed)

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

Blood is a perishable product and only volunteer donors can fulfill that need for patients in our community. The need for blood is constant. Nationwide, someone needs a unit of blood every 2 to 3 seconds and most of us will need blood in our lifetime. Sign up to donate today and help ensure that patients in local hospitals have a supply of blood ready and waiting before an emergency occurs. There’s no better feeling than knowing that your blood donation may give someone a second chance at life.

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