{"id":10263,"date":"2026-08-29T05:53:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T12:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellesleyps.org\/whs\/?p=10263"},"modified":"2026-09-02T11:08:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T15:08:43","slug":"whs-principals-newsletter-for-28-august-2026-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellesleyps.org\/whs\/2026\/08\/29\/whs-principals-newsletter-for-28-august-2026-2\/","title":{"rendered":"WHS Principal’s Newsletter for 28 August, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n\n\n\n
\n<\/td>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Wellesley<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n

WHS Principal’s Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
August 28, 2026<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
Dear Families,<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Happy Friday before the first week of school!\u00a0I hope the preparations for the return on Wednesday (see the opening week calendar below for exact times) are going well.\u00a0Not all teenagers are as excited for school to start as some of the parents (ahem), so if you find there is anything we might be able to do to help you as we begin the new school year please do not hesitate to reach out for help.\u00a0We also want to underscore that we will continue to be here all year if needs arise later and we believe that working together with you as a team is the best way to support our students.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Most of the newsletter are things I sent last week, but we figured it couldn\u2019t hurt for you to have them again for ease of reference.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This week we welcomed our new teachers to the school.\u00a0They had some orientation from the district and then some high school specific learning time today.\u00a0I\u2019ve included a picture of them below (including their names and what they teach). If your child sees a name you didn\u2019t recognize from years past, perhaps you\u2019ll find that new name here.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"A<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
from l to r: Principal Jamie Chisum; Ceramics Teacher Jessica Lau; Math Teacher Zeinab Haghighatjoo; Math Teacher Ryan Tolfree; METCO High School Counselor Yinan Xue; English Teacher Caroline Crouse; English Teacher Emily Oberg; Fitness & Health Teacher Zoe Athanasapoulos; Spanish Teacher Rose Healea<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n

WHS School Opening Days Schedules<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n
Wednesday, September 2nd <\/strong>though Friday, September 4th<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Schedule<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"A<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"School<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"School<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
A printable version of the Opening Days Schedule can be found on the WHS Website<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n

PowerSchool Parent Portal 2026<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n
As we prepare for the new school year, Wellesley Public Schools must confirm student emergency contact details, directory information, and permissions. We use PowerSchool to maintain these data. The PowerSchool Parent Portal will be open from August 19 through September 9, 2026.<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Please log in during this window to update your child\u2019s information. Homeroom assignments for Grades K-8 will be available on August 19, 2026; Grade 9-12 schedules will be released on August 26, 2026. Note that class lists are not distributed due to privacy laws (see MGL 603 CMR 23.00<\/a>). Some teacher names may show as \u201cTBD\u201d while we finalize placements.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Please see the PowerSchool Parent Portal Instructions\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>on our WPS District Website for further instructions.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n

Grade 9 Students: Course Change Requests<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n
Welcome to Wellesley High School!\u00a0At this time, the school is making the final preparations to release 9th-grade schedules for the upcoming school year.\u00a0It is important to pass along the following procedural information regarding our scheduling process.\u00a0Please review this information carefully.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
When will schedules be officially released for incoming 9th-graders?<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Student schedules will be released on Wednesday, August 26th at 3pm.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
How do I view my (student’s) courses?<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Course lists can be viewed via your personal PowerSchool account at the following link<\/a>.\u00a0If you have any complications, please contact the High School at 781-446-6290<\/a>.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Students may not have received elective requests or may have to make choices between competing interests:<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
As you review your student’s courses, please remember that every effort has been made to meet all individual requests.\u00a0Unfortunately, there are limitations to any schedule, and it is quite possible that due to the complexities of offering such a robust program of studies, you may not have been scheduled for your requested elective classes or you may be forced to make decisions to prioritize between competing interests.\u00a0School Counselors are available to support students in making these challenging, yet healthy, choices.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
How to request a schedule change:<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
As we continue to review our policies and procedures at WHS through the lens of Challenge Success, we remain focused on reducing stress-inducing practices and continuing to increase the personalization of our school environment.\u00a0As a result, the school has developed a process for requesting schedule changes that eliminates the lines and first-come-first-served practices.\u00a0This process is designed to ensure that requests to make a schedule change will be processed in an equitable manner.\u00a0Additionally, this approach is designed to reduce the stress surrounding the change process by having discussions in a more personal environment with a student\u2019s individual school counselor.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
For Incoming 9th Graders – Class of 2030<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
When schedules are released, students with one of the following issues with their schedule can make an appointment to see their assigned school counselor prior to the start of school:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n