Dear Families, 

Congratulations on making it to our April break. This has been a long stretch for the students and the staff, so I know they really need this time. Thanks for supporting them all to get to this point. 

Below is a new Unexcused Tardy to Class policy that was passed by the School Council after a couple of months of discussion across the various stakeholders.  We think it is a pretty reasonable and hopefully clear practice that we hope will curb what we have been noticing here at school.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your house Assistant Principals who can talk you through it. 

Here’s the wording of the new policy for next school year. I will write about this again in my summer letter to remind everyone. 

If a student is late by less than half of any class or advisory without an approved excuse, they will be marked as unexcused tardy. 

If a student has five unexcused tardies in a quarter, the following procedures will be enacted:

5 Total Tardies: Student meets with AP for initial discussion about punctuality expectations and potential solutions

10 Total Tardies: Student receives a detention and parents/caregivers are notified

15 Total Tardies: Student receives Saturday Detention or additional detentions and parents/caregivers are notified

All student attendance information can be accessed by parents/caregivers via Powerschool.

We have noticed a significant increase in students ordering food and beverages to the campus from outside food delivery services (UberEats, DoorDash, etc.) during the school day, which has created a few safety and instructional concerns.

To ensure our school remains a secure environment, please review the following points:

We appreciate your partnership in helping our students make choices that prioritize their safety and education.

Hello Class of 2027! This is a reminder that the boat cruise ticket price will increase to $115 at midnight on Friday, 4/17. Buy your tickets now before the price goes up! 

Join your fellow Class of 2027 students for an unforgettable sunset cruise on Friday, May 15th, complete with delicious food, music, and dancing… all for the discounted price of $95 until midnight Friday, April 17th. Where this special rate increases to $115! 

So make sure to grab your cheaper tickets soon from the fee payment page on the WHS website! As you won’t want to miss this exciting highlight of junior year! 

Best regards, 

The Class Officers of ’27

Nate Cody, along with his team “Running For A Cure”, raised a remarkable $102,514 for the Blood Cancer United mission – earning him and his team the title of Runner Up! Nate worked so hard with his team by reaching out to friends and family members to secure donations for his campaign and raise awareness for Blood Cancer United’s mission- a world without blood cancer. This team, along with 17 other teams across New England, collectively raised $842,996. 

Student Visionaries of the Year is a national seven-week challenge through which high school student leaders raise funds and awareness for the fight against blood cancers. The funds raised benefit their mission; to cure blood cancer, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. 

 

This is truly an elite competition and we count ourselves lucky to have Nate, leading Team “Running For A Cure”, as part of this campaign to represent Wellesley High School. Here are photos from the night of the Gala last month when the group was together celebrating.

A HUGE congratulations to WHS junior, Kaya Charoensiddhi, who was awarded the Grand Prize at the Massachusetts Science and Engineering Fair that was held at the DCU Center in Worcester on April 9th. 

As the Grand Prize winner, Kaya has been delegated to participate in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which will be held in Phoenix, Arizona from May 9-15, 20

This past Saturday, Wellesley High School hosted the Massachusetts Association of Jazz Educators’ (MAJE) Combos and Choirs festival. Students in our WHS Jazz Combo and our Jazz Choir, the Rice Street Singers participated in the festival along with 11 combos and 3 choirs from neighboring school districts.

Many students and staff volunteered their time to ensure the festival ran smoothly. We thank the student volunteers along with Mr. Scott, Dr. McDonald, Mr Weirick, and Mr. LeDoux. 

We are excited to report that the Jazz Combo received a silver medal, and the Rice Street Singers were awarded the prestigious gold medal! This is the 16th consecutive gold medal for Rice St., and they are now invited to perform at the MAJE Gold Medal Showcase at Boston’s famous Hatch Memorial Shell on May 3rd. 

Congratulations to all the students and staff involved!

Hi Students and Families,

We hope you all are doing well. On Friday, May 1st from 7-9 pm, the class of 2029 will be hosting the 9th grade semi-formal in the high school cafeteria. The theme of the dance will be A Night in Miami.

We are excited to host our first class dance and this will be a fun night for 9th graders where they can spend time with their friends with music. There will also be a photobooth, a DJ, and snacks. Early Bird tickets will be on sale until April 17th for $25 through RecTrac. Students and caregivers who would like more information on how to receive financial assistance should reach out to their school counselor or Mr. Shattuck.

We hope to see you there!

Best,

2029 class officers  

Ever wonder about the books teens are reading?

Ever read a popular YA book and wished you had someone to discuss it with?

The librarians at Wellesley High School host a monthly Book Club for parents where we read YA books and discuss. If you are interested in participating please email us at whslibrary-group@wellesleyps.org

at the Wellesley Free Library (in the first floor cafe/commons)

at 7:30pm

to discuss Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt (middle grade novel)

June 9 – The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (realistic fiction)

Summer read – TBD

Tuesday, September 15, 2026 – TBD

The Wellesley Free Library will have copies available for check out.

Any question can be emailed to whslibrary-group@wellesleyps.org

Please see the recently updated School Counseling Page for Spring events and information.

Our list of clubs and enrichment programs for 2025-2026 has recently been updated.

To print your own copy or access the list, see Complete List of 2025-2026 Clubs on the WHS website. 

The Swiss Exchange FINALLY on their way to Basel, Switzerland after experiencing a few bumps in their travels. More pictures in the next issue.

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I’m excited to report that after some long travel both our Art Trip to Japan and our Swiss exchange trip to Basel are in those places and are already enjoying the sites and the cultures.

A big thanks to all the teacher chaperones who are leading these trips.  I know our Swiss trip had some significant delays and changes as a result of the Lufthansa strike, but sometimes that’s just part of being flexible when it comes to travel.  Enjoy a couple of pictures above.  I can’t wait to hear how things are going. 

I hope everyone has a safe, happy, and restful vacation week. 

Best, 

Jamie