{"id":10361,"date":"2026-10-24T06:50:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T13:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellesleyps.org\/whs\/?p=10361"},"modified":"2026-10-24T09:59:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T13:59:37","slug":"whs-principals-newsletter-for-23-october-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellesleyps.org\/whs\/2026\/10\/24\/whs-principals-newsletter-for-23-october-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"WHS Principal’s Newsletter for 23 October, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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WHS Principal’s Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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October 23, 2026<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Dear Families,<\/div>\n
\u00a0Welcome to the end of a sunny, beautiful Friday afternoon in Wellesley.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This is my favorite weather of the year for sure.\u00a0<\/div>\n

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Homecoming Appreciation<\/strong><\/div>\n
Thank you to Julie Caparco, Leah Marshall, and Collin Shattuck for all their work putting on all the events for Homecoming. The Raffles, the honoring of our Athletic Director John Brown at halftime of the game, all the clubs and kids on the field last Saturday afternoon, and of course the successful dance with almost half the school tucked in and around the cafeteria.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It was great for our kids to do real in person talking, dancing, singing, cheering and sharing. These events help all of our work by developing social skills, in easy and difficult ways, that then can be employed and improved during the regular school day in our hallways and classrooms.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/div>\n

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The \u201cother curriculum\u201d at our school is social development. Our kids need it more than at any other time I can remember in my career.\u00a0\u00a0Not all the kids came to these events of course, but for those that did, I’m hoping they took a step forward.\u00a0\u00a0They couldn’t have done it without the work of our three colleagues, some hard working student leaders, and many dedicated parents.\u00a0\u00a0<\/div>\n

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This gift is what I’m thanking Julie, Leah and Collin for this week.\u00a0\u00a0Great job.\u00a0<\/div>\n

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Attendance<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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I know you\u2019ve spent the last two years hearing from me about our needing your partnership to help us improve our chronic absenteeism.\u00a0\u00a0Well, I have good news and bad news.\u00a0\u00a0The good news is because of the great work of our three house teams we were able to significantly reduce the percentage of kids who were chronically absent in the category of our highest needs students.\u00a0\u00a0The bad news is the rest of the population\u2019s chronically absent rate actually got worse.\u00a0<\/div>\n

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The state of Massachusetts defines \u201cChronically Absent\u201d as any student who is absent for 10% or more of the school year.\u00a0\u00a0Here in Wellesley if you miss two or more periods you are considered absent for the day.\u00a0\u00a0We had 16.92% of our overall student body who fit this definition. Please know that the state makes no distinction between whether the absence was excused or not.\u00a0\u00a0If the student wasn\u2019t in class, they were absent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/div>\n

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What this means is that the state holds us accountable for reducing this percentage.\u00a0\u00a0Our school accountability rating goes down at the end of the year if we aren\u2019t able to improve in this area.\u00a0\u00a0So we are going to be talking about ways we can help this at our School Council this year.\u00a0\u00a0I will definitely be spending some time discussing it at future PTSO and Principal Coffee meetings this year.\u00a0<\/div>\n

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You may be receiving letters from our Assistant Principals notifying you of excessive absences.\u00a0\u00a0We may be including a survey for you to fill out to help you and us figure out what we can do to help your child get to school more often.\u00a0\u00a0We will likely be asking the students themselves to fill out a reflective questionnaire to bring them into the solution as well.\u00a0<\/div>\n

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Please know we have many very successful students who fall into this category.\u00a0\u00a0And, even though grades might be fine, the experience of high school would be better if they were here more. Even good grades might improve with improved attendance.\u00a0\u00a0I guess what I\u2019m saying is we could use your help by just helping your kids realize the importance of kids being here for all their classes as often as possible.\u00a0\u00a0We saw what it was like when kids weren\u2019t in school during covid.\u00a0\u00a0It will always be generally true that being in school is better for kids than not.\u00a0\u00a0<\/div>\n

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Thanks for reading.\u00a0\u00a0Please never worry alone about attendance or anything else here.\u00a0\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Wellesley High School Celebrates Homecoming Weekend<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Wellesley High School\u2019s Homecoming Weekend brought the community together for a fun celebration of school spirit, community, and Raider pride! The weekend kicked off with the Homecoming football game, which included a special recognition honoring our Athletic Director, John Brown, retiring after 27 years of service, with 20 of those years as the WPS AD. Surrounded by alumni, families, and student-athletes, the tribute celebrated his dedication to Raiders for the past twenty years.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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The festivities continued with Raider\u2019s Day featuring dozens of student clubs and sport teams gathering on the field for a day of activities and family-friendly fun. There were also performances from Rock Band and Improv Troupe as well as the Wellesley Cheer team. The Hot Dog wagon came out and sold out for our event! Raffles added to the excitement, made possible through the generosity of PTSO and community volunteers, spearheaded by Wellesley parents Melissa Mack and Susan Zimmer. All items were generously donated from local businesses and families who helped support the event.\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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The weekend wrapped up with the Homecoming dance at the high school with over 600 students celebrating, a DJ, photobooth, and a 360 photobooth, allowing students to celebrate with friends and create lasting memories.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Many student leaders, including the Student Unification Program (SUP) team and class officers worked hard to bring these events to life, helping create a welcoming celebration for students, families, and community members of all ages.\u00a0<\/div>\n

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Thank you to everyone who volunteered, participated, and contributed to making Homecoming Weekend such a success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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ACATOBER <\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Acatober is one of the most exciting community events in the town of Wellesley featuring our very own choral department and a cappella groups.\u00a0\u00a0This is a two night event taking place on October 23rd and 24th at 7:00pm.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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American Mathematics Competitions – Register Now!<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Registration for the AMC math competition is now open to students. Students can click the links below or scan the QR codes on the attached flyer.\u00a0<\/div>\n

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The competition will take place in Mr. Miller’s room (442) from 7:45am-9:00am on Thursday 11\/5. This is a day 6, so students will miss A block and part of their purple block class.\u00a0<\/div>\n

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AMC 10 A Registration Link<\/a><\/div>\n

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AMC 12 A Registration Link<\/a><\/div>\n

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MEFA Financial Aid Presentation<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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