WHS Principal’s Newsletter for 18 September, 2026

Dear Families, 

Welcome to the end of the first five day week of the school year.  It may not seem like much of an accomplishment, but I would imagine many of your kids are pretty tired tonight.  I know the staff is!

At my principal’s coffee this morning I had an energetic crowd of really great parents and one of them asked me a question I imagined might be worth responding to in writing to everyone this afternoon.  In this space I often write about using the high school resources to support our kids, but often that is in reaction to something.  Today I wanted to write about some academic resources that are incredibly valuable for all our kids. 

English, Social Studies, Math, World Language, and Science all offer support labs for students who need academic support. We also have a Center for Student Success which is designed to help students who might benefit from organizational assistance.  All of these resources are available to any student in the building and there is no appointment necessary.  

Often I’ve heard upper class students describe how they had wished they learned to use these resources early in their academic career.  It is one of the talking points for our Journeys students when they go into the 9th and 10th grade advisories to give our newer students advice. I thought this might be a good time to remind all of you that we’d love to have you encourage your children to visit any or all of them to make sure they are getting all the help they need. All of these centers are staffed by Wellesley High School teachers from the department they serve. 

Of course your children’s teachers also have availability with their office hours and other appointments kids can make directly with their teachers.  Feel free to reach out to the teachers if you have any questions about their availability, or, better yet, guide your children to do that on their own. 

Please visit our home page and find this link to the resource centers for the 2026-2027 School Year.   All of these are “no appointment necessary”, though sometimes there can be a line.  The lunch schedule is also in this folder as an additional bonus. 

Senior Parent Night: Wednesday, September 23rd, 2026 at 7:00pm

Use this link to Join the Meeting

Please join members of the counseling department (Annis Chwalek & John Steere) for our next evening event covering topics in Senior Counseling Seminar and an overview of the college application process.

Dear WHS Grade 9 and New WHS Families,

Welcome to our school community. We are thrilled to invite you to a special morning event designed specifically to help you transition into the high school years.

We hope you will join us for this valuable morning of information and community building.

Dear Families,

SEPAC and Wellesley Public Schools Student Services invite you to join us for our Annual Basic Rights Presentation- Understanding Your Rights: A Guide for Parents in Special Education on Monday, September 28th at 5:30 p.m. at Hardy Elementary School.

This informative session will be co-led by members of SEPAC and the Student Services team and is designed to help families better understand the special education process, parent rights and responsibilities, and how families and schools work together to support students.

The evening is open to all families. We especially encourage parents and caregivers of students with IEPs and 504 Plans to attend, as well as families whose children do not currently receive services but who would simply like to learn more about special education and the supports available within our schools.

There will also be an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about resources available to families.

We hope you will join us for what we believe will be a helpful and informative evening.

Warmly,

Dear Students & Families,

The Fall process to request a schedule change will be as follows:  Program Changes WHS Handbook

Our school counselors will review all schedule change requests on Monday, September 14. If a change is possible, they will update it in PowerSchool.  Please check your PowerSchool account after this date for any updates to your schedule.

Step Up Day is Wednesday, October 14th at Wellesley High School. Students will participate in activities tailored to their grade level. 

9th & 10th Grade 

11th Grade  

12th Grade  

Visit the WHS Step-Up Day for detailed information.

Questions? Contact your school counselor or Jen Culver, WHS Testing/SSD coordinator.

Dear Parents and Families,

Do you have an old graphing calculator (like a TI-83 or TI-84) sitting in a drawer gathering dust? If your child has graduated or upgraded, please consider donating their used, working calculator to the school.

Many high school math classes require expensive graphing calculators that can cost over $100. Not all families can buy them. We are collecting used, working calculators to create a loaner pool for students in need. 

If you would like to donate your used and working calculator, please drop it off at the WHS Main Office, or send it to school with your student. Thank you for your support!

If you are observing Yom Kippur, I hope you have a good holiday on Monday.

Have a great weekend everyone. 

Best, 

Jamie