Superintendent's Newsletter
December 22, 2023
As we head into the much-awaited winter break, I wanted to take a moment to extend my warmest wishes to every one of you. I am continually inspired by the unwavering support and commitment displayed by our students, families, and staff to ensure that each of our students has the best school experience possible.
This winter break is a time of celebration, reflection, and rejuvenation for us all. It's an opportunity to create memories with friends and families, embrace the festive spirit, and take a well-deserved pause from our daily routines. I encourage you to try new hobbies, enjoy a good book, or get outside! Our schools will eagerly await the return of our students, refreshed and ready to begin new learning adventures together in the new year.
On behalf of the entire Watertown Public Schools team, I extend our sincerest gratitude for your ongoing partnership and trust in us.
Wishing you all a joyful holiday season and a happy, healthy New Year!
Best,
Dede Galdston, Superintendent of Schools
Sunday is the final day to take our annual parent/caregiver climate survey
WPS parents and caregivers are invited to participate in the annual 5Essentials survey until Sunday, December 24.
This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school. This will be our third administration of the survey and have found the information provided from the results to be very impactful in our practices.
Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.
To take the survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/watertown/survey/parent/.
Bricks from the old Watertown High School are available to the community from December 19, 2023 through January 3, 2024. Bricks are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and will be limited to 1 per person.
Bricks can be picked up in the field by the Central Administration sign at the Phillips Administration building, near the Spring Street parking lot. As a reminder, please do not enter the WHS construction site.
Watertown Middle School sent students off for Thanksgiving break with a school-wide game of "Pac-Man." Staff played the role of the ghosts, trying to corner students in this fun activity!
In another pre-vacation tradition, Watertown Middle School hosted the Geo-Bee finals this morning. Students showed off their geography knowledge in a school-wide challenge. This is a favorite tradition that is always a fun way for the WMS community to head off into the winter break.
Congratulations to our winner, eighth grader Carson Beale, and thank you to the faculty and staff at WMS who made this exciting event such a success.
In this season of giving, we are grateful for our school communities that have stepped up to help our neighbors in need.
The Cunniff School recently wrapped up their food drive, donating boxes upon boxes of food to the Watertown Food Pantry.
Meanwhile, our Watertown Middle School community supplied 30 Thanksgiving food baskets to local families in need. Additionally, WMS staff donated over $1,000 to help purchase food and supermarket gift cards for those families.
It is important to us that our schools play a role in helping out our friends in the Watertown community. Thank you to all those who contributed.
Raiders Field Hockey Wins Third Straight State Championship
The Raiders have done it again. Our amazing field hockey team defeated Newburyport 4-3 in a thrilling game to claim their third-straight state championship, and their 21st overall under head coach Eileen Donahue.
The Raiders record-breaking run of 41 straight shutouts came to an end. There is no doubt that this national record will stand for years to come. Congratulations to our entire Raiders field hockey family on an unbelievable season and a truly incredible record.
Check out highlights from the state championship game from our friends at Watertown Cable News:
Congratulations to our 19 Raiders who earned Middlesex League All-Star honors for Fall 2023!
Field hockey: Molly Driscoll (MVP), Aislin Devaney (All-Conference), Rachel Egan (All-Conference), Adrianna Williams, Regan Driscoll, Katelyn O’Connor, and Caroline Andrade.
Soccer: Lily Lambo, Elsa Ryan, Cyrus Kiani, Roy Nicolas, and Michael Jokic.
Golf: James Erickson and Connor Jones.
Football: Asa Logan and Anthony Shorter.
Volleyball: Chloe Johnson.
Cross Country: Anna Longergan.
Cheerleading: Shannon Gilman
The event was generously supported by the Watertown Community Foundation and Title 1 grant funding. Enjoy these pictures from a fun night!
Recently, the Diversity & Belonging Council at the Hosmer school paid a visit to the new Embrace monument in Boston. As part of the visit, students, staff, and families created their own art to embody what the sculpture meant to them. Members of the public also joined in on the button-making event.
The gathering was documented by Embrace Boston on their social media platforms:
"Embracing others and taking the time to connect with people of all ages and experiences is what we hope The Embrace continues to accomplish. We were so happy to see the community come together to experience all that the monument has to offer, and we hope they left excited and inspired to work together to change their future for the better."
We live in New England, and whether we love them or hate them, snow days may be just around the corner. In the case of inclement weather or school closure for emergency reasons, information about school closures will be:
- Posted on the District’s website (www.watertown.k12.ma.us), the WPS Facebook page (@watertownpublicschools) and the WPS X feed (@watertownschool)
- Emailed to parents and staff from the Superintendent’s office via the District’s messaging service
- Broadcast by the following stations:
WBZ Television (Channel 4)
WCVB Television (Channel 5)
WHDH Television (Channel 7)
NBC Boston (Channel 10 and NECN)
WFXT Television (Channel 25)
WBZ Radio (AM 1030)
In most occurrences, the decision to open, delay, or close school is made between 5:30 and 6:00 AM.
Delayed Openings
A delayed opening may be announced to allow the District and/or Department of Public Works to adequately prepare streets, walkways, and parking lots for safe travel. Delayed openings will be for one (1) hour to two (2) hours after the schools’ regular scheduled start times. Before-school programs are canceled on days with delayed openings. Lunch will be served at the regular time and school will close at the regular time.
Preschool
Preschool classes are canceled on days of school closure. Delayed opening may impact some of the partial day programs. Please check the closure announcement for more details.
Extended Day
Extended Day programs are canceled on days of school closure. On days with delayed openings, before-school Extended Day programs are canceled and after-school Extended Day programs begin as usual.
On occasion, the District may call for an early release or cancel PM and evening activities including after-school Extended Day programs. Please check the aforementioned television and radio stations for notifications of PM closures.
We are also actively looking for substitute teachers.
Recently, the Watertown School Committee unanimously approved an increase in pay for substitute teachers, which brings our compensation for substitutes in line with surrounding districts. The new pay structure is:
$125/day for non-certified subs.
$135/day for certified subs.
$145/day for retired Watertown teachers.
And the Watertown Police Department has positions available for Crossing Guards. This is a vitally important position for our schools. For more information about how to become a crossing guard please contact Sergeant David Sampson at dsampson@police.watertown-ma.gov
Dr. Deanne Galdston
Email: deanne.galdston@watertown.k12.ma.us
Website: www.watertown.k12.ma.us
Location: 30 Common Street, Watertown, MA, USA
Phone: 617-926-7708
Facebook: www.facebook.com/watertownpublicschools
Twitter: @WatertownSupt