WHS Principal’s Newsletter for 11 September, 2026

Dear Families,

This morning in a slightly longer advisory session our students watched the first Friday morning video of the year. If you’re not familiar with our Friday morning announcements we normally run a news show for the school each week where each week new anchors take turns talking about the school’s events of the week and what’s coming. We usually also have a sports and weather update.

However, today our morning announcements were something completely different in honor of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.  Today the school watched a video of a group I had gathered of veteran staff volunteers to talk about where they were that morning and what their strongest memories were.  People talked about how they took care of their kids that day, things they wished they could have done better, and the very personal stories of individuals they knew.   I told the students I wanted to do this oral history from the perspective of adults they saw every day and could follow up with here if they were curious.  One theme that came up was how important our community was in that moment and how it still is today.  People described their fears and also how much we relied on each other during that incredibly difficult time.  I want to thank those staff members for their willingness to share their humanity with these vulnerable testimonies.

I couldn’t see all the kids, but the ones in my advisory were respectful and appreciative of the effort.  I hope you have the opportunity to speak with your children about not only the advisory this morning, but also the greater events commemorating 9/11 in general.  On the radio this morning (I’m showing my age), I heard someone say 9/11 showed us how the best of humanity could come out of even the worst tragedy. We have the opportunity, through these conversations, to help a new generation both remember those who lost their lives and the importance of being united as a community, especially in times of tragedy.

Congratulations to the following nine WHS seniors, who were named 2027 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists this week! Per tradition, the students posed with the beloved lobby Raider and their principal, Dr. Jamie Chisum.

Dr. Chisum and Director of School Counseling Meg Walenden congratulated the students Thursday morning during their Advisory block. All nine semifinalists are eligible to apply for an estimated $24 million in scholarship opportunities from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, corporate partners, and colleges and universities.

From left to right: the semifinalists are: Grace Zhao, Ryan Prentice, Lucy Yu, Oscar Allan, Kornkanya Charoensiddhi, Dalya Bayulgen, Katherine Xu, Noah Desviat Ruiz, and Jacob Haspel.

The first PTSO meeting of the school year will be on Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 9:00 AM in the WHS Faculty Dining Room (FDR).  All parents and guardians are invited!

One area we would like to improve this year is how we use our PTSO general meetings so they are as valuable and engaging as possible for parents and families, and we would love to hear your thoughts! Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and let us know what you would like to see from the general meetings this year.

Please follow this link to register for the webinar:

Summit Educational Group is pleased to partner with Wellesley High School to provide this informational webinar about the college testing landscape. In this webinar, Summit’s Drew Heilpern will share the latest information about these standardized tests, talk about what’s on the tests and how and when to prepare for them. Wellesley High School’s Margaret Walendin will provide specific testing details for junior year students.

The goals of this session are simple: to reduce anxiety, increase clarity, and impart confidence to families about the college admissions testing process. To learn more about Summit, visit mytutor.com

Please note: If you cannot make it on this date, register anyway and we’ll send a link to the webinar recording.

Please join us for our first Coffee with the Principal of the school year with Principal Jamie Chisum on Friday, September 18th, 9:00-10:00 am in the WHS Faculty Dining Room.

On one Friday each month, we invite you to kick off your morning with us! We open the doors of our Faculty Dining Room for an informal, relaxed gathering dedicated entirely to our parent and school community. This is a wonderful, casual opportunity to connect with other families, meet new faces, and share a cup of coffee and conversation.

School Principal Jamie Chisum and Director of School Counseling Meg Walendin will alternate every month, sharing timely school information and taking questions from the audience.

No RSVP or formal agenda required—just come as you are, whenever you can drop by. We look forward to seeing you there.

Please visit the WHS Calendar Monthly View on the WHS Homepage to find dates for future Friday morning gatherings.

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!

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 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.

Visit the WHS Step-Up Day for detailed information.

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

Please review our Updated Tardy Policy on page 13 of The 2026-2027 WHS Student Handbook, available on the WHS Website under WHS Quick Links

You may have seen the news about the new Massachusetts High School Graduation requirements that were released by the Massachusetts Department of Secondary and Elementary Education (DESE) last spring. They are lengthy and they will definitely have an impact on Wellesley High School in the future. Fortunately, we will not begin the implementation of those guidelines until the class of 2031 enters the high school next fall. None of our current high schoolers will be under the new requirements. We will be communicating a lot more about how things will look as we iron out our implementation plans later this year. If you are curious about what the state is asking of us all feel free to follow the link above for more information.

As we finish up the second week it’s worth noting that the opening of school energy will not last forever and it is worth keeping an eye on your children to make sure they are establishing a schedule that will help them be as productive as they can be and that starts with getting enough rest.  We know nothing builds resiliency, sharpens thinking, ensures performance, and ensures recovery as much as a good night’s sleep.   Building a good sleep routine for the school year takes some transition time and discipline but over the long haul nothing is more important to your child’s health.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Best,

Jamie