Dear Families,

Happy Friday at the end of the first week of February and the end of the first week of our 3rd quarter. I actually wanted to write to you about something that happened last Friday evening after I sent out my weekly newsletter.  

Last Friday night I had the absolute pleasure of attending our Rock Band concert in the Little Theater. We had a fantastic audience in attendance with lots of parents and family members coming together to enjoy the performance from the over twenty members of the Rock Band group. If you don’t know, this group rotates in different musicians to play different instruments and different vocalists to sing different songs. The student performers choose their own songs and they practice without direct instruction from our performing arts staff. Of course they follow some WPS rules around safety and supervision while they are in our spaces, but largely, and appropriately to their age and genre, they operate with a lot of independence. I have to tell you I love that independence and spirit so much. 

Developmentally adolescents have one job to do – individuate. In the past it was adolescents that coined phrases like, “Never trust anyone over 30” or “Question Authority”, that frankly drove me and my predecessors crazy. And yet, teenagers need to express themselves. They need to learn to build their own communities. Sometimes art, in this case performance art, is the perfect outlet to do that. What I saw last Friday night was the expression and exploration of this group of teenagers. Their performances expressed joy, frustration, hope, love, and more I’m sure. I wish everyone in the community could have seen it. 

Of course what the students displayed was their talent and hours and hours of practice. I love and admire their commitment, and what I loved about being there the most was watching them bravely displaying themselves. If you were worried about kids on their phones and computers too much not interacting with each other, you would have been inspired by Rock Band. I get to see so much good in your children every day when I walk the halls of Wellesley High School and last Friday night I got to witness kids doing exactly what they were meant to be doing at this age. I’m thankful for it. 

If you want to know my favorite tunes, there are too many to name, but I’ll highlight “The Seeker”, “Fake Plastic Trees”, “Light my Fire”, and “The Chain” as just a sample of songs that took the roof off. There were more, and if you’d like to hear them live yourself, I think they have an upcoming gig in a couple of weeks at Lockheart Restaurant in Wellesley Square. Look for them on social media. You won’t regret it. 

When: Saturday, February 7, 2026

Time: 9:00 AM -12:00 PM

Where: Proctored online via Zoom

Cost: $20 – 100% of the proceeds benefit Wellesley HS Class of 2027

*Please note that these live exams are proctored in standard time only. If you have been approved for an extended time accommodation, go ahead and register for the exam, then use this self-proctoring guide to walk you through the process of self-proctoring with extended time.

When: Saturday, February 7, 2026

Time: 9:00 AM -12:30 PM 

Where: Proctored online via Zoom

Cost: $20 – 100% of the proceeds benefit Wellesley HS

*Please note that these live exams are proctored in standard time only. If you have been approved for an extended time accommodation, go ahead and register for the exam, then use this self-proctoring manual to walk you through the process of self-proctoring with extended time.

 

Step 1: Register here: https://www.revolutionprep.com/partners/495          

Step 2: Schedule a free 30-minute score report review with a Revolution Prep testing expert to help you interpret the results and develop a customized plan to prepare. Please schedule this appointment for the few days after the exam. You can pre-schedule this Score Report Review here: https://www.revolutionprep.com/vasilios-kostakis  

Step 3: Attend the mock exam and instantly receive our best-in-class score report, illustrating three high-impact areas to focus on for each section of the test.

 

Questions? If you have questions or want to learn more about Revolution Prep, you can reach out to Vasilios Kostakis at (781) 916-8668 or by email at vasilios.kostakis@revolutionprep.com

We have our second of two important PTSO meetings next February 11 from 10:00–11:45am in the WHS Faculty Dining Room

The meeting will focus on the upcoming course selection process, with representatives from each department sharing information and answering questions. Please see below for the February meeting schedule.

The Wellesley High School Council serves as the legislative branch of the school government. The Council is responsible for conducting open discussions and making recommendations on matters of school policy, school culture, curriculum, and other issues brought to its attention from its respective constituencies of the Student Congress, Faculty Senate, PTSO, local residents and the principal. 

Please see the WHS School Council page on our website for the latest updates and information.

 

We’re excited to share an upcoming event hosted by the Wellesley Education Foundation: Making Sense of AI in Education: Understanding What Matters Most. 

The event will feature Greg Kulowiec, who will share insights into how AI works and what it means for education. The discussion will examine the impact of AI on learners, along with the opportunities and risks associated with generative AI. This event is open to WPS Staff, Families, and Caregivers.

Seating is limited: if you plan to attend, please RSVP using this link: WEF Event Registration

Additional information can be found HERE

Parents and Students of the Class of 2027 – We are excited to announce that the second round of the Class of 2027 Parking Raffle is now open!

This raffle offers students the chance to win the second of two guaranteed parking spots throughout the upcoming school year, providing a convenient and reliable spot to park in. The raffle drawing will take place on February 13th, just before February break, and we will announce the winner shortly after. 

Seminar day is an annual event on the first Wednesday of March in which students, faculty, and community members can share a unique story or teach about a topic outside of our normal curriculum.

Each seminar block will be held in person for one full hour, and speakers can sign up for one, two, or all three blocks. Please note: Deadline to sign up is February 20th

Schedule for Seminar Day 2026:

Please sign up with this Seminar Google Form, and we hope to see you there!

Please contact baileya@wellesleyps.org, prichardt@wellesleyps.org, or 26budson-mcquilkena@wpsraiders.org with any questions or requests for any materials.

**** 

Thank You, The WHS Student Congress

We are beginning the succession process for the PTSO Executive Board and committee chair positions. We are looking for dedicated parents and guardians to step into leadership roles for the 2026-27 school year. Serving on the PTSO Board is a meaningful way to support our students, collaborate with school staff, and help shape programs and activities that enrich our school community.

We are currently looking to fill all board positions, including:

No prior PTO/PTSO experience is required. just a willingness to collaborate, communicate, and contribute your time and ideas. Board members work as a team, and support and guidance are provided. Please send any questions or interest to whsptsopres@gmail.com. 

SBIRT screening (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) will be conducted during 10th grade Health classes. SBIRT is a mandated screening for substance use/abuse in public schools. The screening is interview-based and takes approximately 5 minutes. All results are kept confidential and are not included in your student’s school record. The screening is completed by trained health teachers and nurses. For more detailed information see the full letter here: SBIRT Info Letter.

If you would like to have your child opted-out of this screening for this year, please let us know by filling out this form: SBIRT Opt-Out Form.  

Additional information visit: WHS School Counseling Website 

Students will begin meeting with teachers about course recommendations for next year after February break. Course selection for the 26-27 school year will take place in March.

9th graders will prepare for course selection with counselors in seminar in January. 10th and 11th graders will have counseling seminar during the course selection window in March.

All meetings are from 9-10 am on Fridays in the Faculty Dining Room. Next Dates: February 13, April 10

Wellesley Scholarship Foundation application is now open and closes on March 1st. Please check in with your counselor with any other post-secondary questions.

Visit the Standardized Testing Padlet for all your testing information throughout the year.

WHS School Counseling Department

Director: Margaret Walendin – walendinm@wellesleyps.org

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@wellesleyps.org

Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at the Wellesley Free Library Cafe (1st floor) at 7:30pm to discuss The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (novel in verse) 

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

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

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. 

Since I’m writing today about groups of students bravely being themselves in public, I also want to take a moment and highlight our Evolutions students who this past Monday night displayed and presented the work they recently did on their Midstone projects.   If you haven’t attended an Evolutions Midstone or end of year Capstone event what you’ve missed is the opportunity to see these students show off the work of their own genuine curiosity.  In these moments our students in the interdisciplinary Evolutions program research a topic of their choice, do the hard work of learning to narrow it to a focus that fits their time frame and resources, and then choose the mode they think best expresses what they want to communicate.   I got to see an art installation that was a closet with clothes at the front and a poster on the back wall with statistics about the negative effects of the fast fashion industry.  I saw a TED style talk about the power of not having your phone in your bedroom. I heard a passionate talk from a young woman who wanted to show how the narrow definition of beauty in our society particularly hurts our young women of color. There was a presentation on the pressures of youth sports, a display about the negative effects of social media, and another on how food companies continue to push unhealthy choices on all of us to sell their products. 

Evolutions doesn’t teach the students to create perfect products, but it does teach students to pursue the iterative process of real research about a curiosity they have.  If this sounds interesting you can check out the Evolutions page on our website as you consider course selection for next year. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend and Go Pats!

Best, 

Jamie