{"id":9400,"date":"2025-12-05T15:24:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T23:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellesleyps.org\/whs\/?p=9400"},"modified":"2025-12-05T18:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T23:30:00","slug":"whs-principals-newsletter-for-05-december-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellesleyps.org\/whs\/2025\/12\/05\/whs-principals-newsletter-for-05-december-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"WHS Principal’s Newsletter for 05 December 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
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WHS Principal’s Newsletter<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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December 5, 2025<\/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
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Welcome to the end of the first week of December and I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday.\u00a0This week saw the start of the winter athletic season and this past Monday the district ran a dynamic Professional Development day here at the high school for all professional staff in the district.\u00a0We had a range of opportunities to choose from but all the presenters were from our own staff and all the workshops centered around district priorities.\u00a0There were workshops on Artificial Intelligence, how to build student agency, student centered classrooms, improving teacher clarity, and making connections from the middle school to the high school. There were many more I haven\u2019t listed.\u00a0I want to thank the PTSO and PTO\u2019s from around the district as well as the Wellesley Education Foundation for their generous support of materials and lunch for the day!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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2026 GRAMMY Music Educator Award Finalist<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Wellesley Public Schools extends its warmest congratulations to Wellesley High School Choral Director Dr. Kevin McDonald, who was has been named one of 10 finalists nationwide for the\u00a02026 GRAMMY Music Educator Award<\/a>! The GRAMMY honors educators who have made significant contributions to music education and the lives of their students.<\/div>\n
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Dr. McDonald has been a semifinalist for the award for the past four years, but this is his first time as a finalist. Most of this year\u2019s finalists are high school teachers,\u00a0but the list also includes<\/a>\u00a0elementary and university educators. The winner will be announced shortly before the February 1 GRAMMY Awards and will have the opportunity to attend the event and walk the red carpet.\u00a0<\/div>\n
The 10 finalists were\u00a0announced on CBS This Morning<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI am absolutely ecstatic that Dr. McDonald has been named a GRAMMY Music Educator Award finalist,\u201d said Lauren Saracino, interim WPS K-12 Director of Performing Arts. \u201cFor those of us lucky enough to know and work alongside him, this is no surprise \u2013 it is a thoroughly deserved honor. Dr. McDonald\u2019s talent is immense, his contributions are remarkable, and his commitment to his students is the very definition of this award.\u201d\u00a0<\/div>\n
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As a finalist, Dr. McDonald will receive a guaranteed $1,000 honorarium and a matching grant for the WHS music program. The winner receives a $10,000 honorarium and a matching school grant.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI am honored and humbled to be on this list of incredible educators and want to emphasize that we are merely representatives of the amazing work so many music educators are doing every day to keep music education alive and providing beacons of light for all students,\u201d Dr. McDonald said.\u00a0<\/div>\n
\u201cI also want to be sure to emphasize that this award is not an individual award!\u00a0It is recognition that has been made possible by my mentors, colleagues, family, community, and most of all students and musicians that I share my life with.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Dr. McDonald is in his 22nd year as Choral Director at Wellesley High School, where he leads a thriving program consisting of 5 curricular choral ensembles and 4 extracurricular a cappella groups.<\/div>\n
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The many highlights of Dr. McDonald\u2019s career at WHS include:<\/div>\n
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