Hello WB Students, Staff, and Families,

I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Holiday break! It is certainly a busy time of year so I hope you all found some time to enjoy some downtime and family time. We are nearing the mid point of the school year and I want to thank our dedicated and hard working staff for all they do. I hope you enjoy the newsletter and as always if you have any comments or thoughts please do not hesitate to reach out.

Mark Bodwell

Superintendent

Check out the newsletters for each of the 4 schools in WB! Lots of great information

Spring Street School https://secure.smore.com/n/5f921

Rose L MacDonald School https://secure.smore.com/n/b36d4

Howard School https://secure.smore.com/n/r0zy2

Middle/Senior High School https://secure.smore.com/n/qzj8a

The Community Meeting was held on Tuesday, January 14th in the MSHS Auditorium. Thank you to those who attended. Information was presented by School Building Committee Chair Gary Keith, Superintendent Mark Bodwell, HMFH Architects James Liebman and Stephanie MacNeil and OPM Senior Project Manager Mitch Miller. There was also opportunities for attendees to ask questions.

If you did not attend or watch it live here is the link to the video https://youtu.be/3Y4z1NCIHs4

Also information such as the presentation and FAQs are posted on the building project website. The FAQs have been updated since the community meeting to include them. https://wbesbuildingproject.com/ Check out the Building Project website (link below) for information and updates. Questions? Email the project team at wbes@pmaconsultants.com

Next School Building Committee Meeting - January 28, 2025 5:30 pm at MSHS

It is our goal to keep you and the community updated as much as possible as we go through this process. As always if you have any questions please reach out mbodwell@wbridgewater.com .

Here are some important dates for FY26 School Committee Budget Presentations:

Budget Dates

• March 3, 2025 Budget Hearing at School Committee meeting

• March 10th* - SC votes on FY26 Budget

• March 19th - Board of Selectman Budget Presentation

• March 20th - Finance Committee Budget Presentation

The Spring Street Preschool Learning Center is exploring programs for the 25/26 school year. We know many families are looking for a longer option for their child. We are asking parents of our current and prospective students to let us know what types of programs they would like to see in our public preschool program. Any questions please reach out to Mrs. Goulet or Mrs. Ellis

Thank you to all of our families, staff and students (grades 7-12) who took the time to complete the Climate and Culture survey. We greatly appreciate it and below is some information related to the results:

• All survey data was collected anonymously.

• Responses Families 344 (25%), Staff 95 (63%) and Students (grades 7-12) 339 (57%)

• This survey was designed to help us understand respondent's views and experiences with the climate and culture in our schools and our school district.

• Committed to creating a safe, supportive, positive learning environment for all students, staff, and families.

• Survey data reviewed by Superintendent, district and building administrators

• Each survey had 20 questions plus 2 open ended questions

• Questions focused on building related questions and district level questions for families and staff (students only building related questions)

• Reporting Categories - Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree and Strongly Disagree

• Open ended questions asked about areas of strength/achievement and areas of growth/improvement

• Results were generally very positive and supportive of job schools and district are doing.

• Executive Summary will be posted on the district website

Below is a summary of the information presented at the January School Committee meeting but to review all charts and more in depth information please click on the link below.

Parent/Family Responses

Areas of Strength/Achievement

• Caring and dedicated staff

• Strong communication and community connection

• Academic excellence and enrichment/extracurricular opportunities

Areas of Growth/Improvement

• Social-Emotional learning and positive behavior

• Comprehensive student support and intervention

• Facilities and infrastructure

Staff Responses

Areas of Strength/Achievement

• Dedicated and caring staff

• Positive school culture and community

• Effective instruction and academic growth

Areas of Growth/Improvement

• Expanding/enhancing support for high needs students

• Supporting staff well being, discipline and professional growth

• Enhancing student engagement and belonging

Student Responses (grades 7-12)

Areas of Strength/Achievement

• Academic excellence and support

• Extracurricular programs and activities

• Community and inclusiveness

Areas of Growth/Improvement

• Teacher accessibility and support

• Student conflict and school climate

• Optimizing scheduling and balance of activities

RLM staff forgot what decade we are in!! #80thdayofschool They looked AWESOME!

Great job by our Middle/Senior High School students made holiday cards for senior citizens and delivered them to local nursing homes last month. They hoped to brighten their holiday season. Awesome job!

Delilah swam by the Rose L. today to visit with our first graders. Delilah is a life-sized inflatable North Atlantic Right Whale. Her measurements are based off of a real whale! They got to go inside the whale to learn all about its body and what it eats. They also looked at, and touched, real whale vertebrae and baleen (whale teeth). It was definitely a whale of a time! A big thank you to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation of Plymouth as well as the WBPTO for another amazing presentation!

Looking for an exciting way to spend February school vacation? We’ve got you covered with our Vacation Surround Care program for grades K-4! Our amazing staff can’t wait to make this week one to remember! Arts and crafts, gym games, outdoor play, walks to Friendship Park and lots of fun winter activities will be offered.

The program will be held at the Howard School from Tuesday, February 18th through Friday, February 21st. The hours are from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM.

Snacks will be provided each day. Don’t forget to bring a bagged lunch and a refillable water bottle.

We are offering both daily and 4-day registrations. Cost is $80/day or $275 for all 4 days. Space is limited, so register early using the link below. Prepayment is required to confirm your spot in the program. Can’t wait to see you there!

Please use the following link to register: February Surround Care Vacation Club

Mr. Bodwell was excited to continue the tradition of reading The Polar Express to the Kindergarten students prior to the holiday break. Thank you to the MSHS staff for allowing us to use the auditorium for this annual event. This was a tradition started many years ago by former Superintendent Oakley. It is always so much fun for all and the students were a great audience!

Our Multilingal students have officially entered the testing season! ACCESS for Ells is a state required assessment that measures English Language Development. Students have begun testing this week, and will continue through mid February. The results help us plan, and also drive our instructional decision making for each individual ML student. Just as important, this is an opportunity for our students to show us how their English language is developing in the areas of Listening, Speaking Reading and Writing! We wish all of our ML students from grades K-12 the most success on their ACCESS tests!

Check out the links below for the dates, times and locations of competitions and games for the Winter Season. With Fall Awards wrapping up we have a few more Wildcats to congratulate on more rewards coming out. Don't forget to follow our coaches Twitter, as well as @WBMSHSAthletics, for schedule updates and the most recent game highlights. The link to the Wildcat Store is at the bottom of the newsletter. Feel free to personalize and order any Wildcat Gear you would like.

Winter Sports Schedules:

Arbiter Live Link - https://arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=25160

Check out our sports schedule using the link above!

Hudl Link https://fan.hudl.com/

Catch games live on Hudl using the link below and searching for West Bridgewater Middle Senior High School!

**WB-CAM**:

A big thank you to the WB-CAM for live streaming our athletic events! They do an amazing job! Please follow them on Twitter to find out which athletic events are being live streamed. Let's Go Wildcats!

Twitter: @WBCAM0998, https://www.youtube.com/@westbridgewatercommunityac669/streams

Boys Basketball: The Wildcats Varsity Basketball team won 68-49 against Joseph Case High School at West Bridgewater on January 14, 2025. Great team win. Everyone contributed on both the defensive and offensive side. Proud of how they competed but most importantly who they can and will become if they believe. Great Job guys!!!

JV Boys Basketball: The Wildcats JV Basketball team won 58-35 against Joseph Case High School on January 14, 2025.The West Bridgewater Boys JV team is now an impressive 7-1 on the season.

Freshman Basketball: The Freshman Boys Basketball team lost to Apponequet in their most recent game. They look to rebound in their game at Somerset Berkley coming up! Good Luck Wildcats!

Cheer: The WB Varsity Cheerleading team has been out supporting our winter teams in their games. They have also been working hard to perfect their routines daily in practice. They are in the process of getting ready for their competition on January 23rd at Bellingham HS. Keep up the good work! Way to go WB!

Co-Op BR/WB Gymnastics: The Co-op team of Bridgewater-Raynham and West Bridgewater is off to a strong start going 2-0 in their first two competitions. BR/WB defeated the team from Middleboro/Lakeville 140.05 to 113.1

Junior Lily Moreira won the all-around competition, with her teammate and Sophomore Lindsay Woodbury coming in second. Woodbury had the top score on vault with 9.2, followed by Moreira in second with an 8.9 and Senior captain Mia Witkus with an 8.5.
On the uneven bars Moreira secured first place with a 9.05, Woodbury took second with a 8.75, and Senior captain Cecilia Meoli tied with a 8.75.

On balance beam Meoli won the event with a 9.0. Moreira placed second with an 8.8 and Juniors Frankie Fernandes and Amanda Ogilvie tied for third with an 8.4.

On floor exercise Fernendes took first with a 9.2. Meoli took second with a 9.15. And senior Grace LaRose finished in third with an 8.9.

BR/WB will face NDA on Saturday at Spectrum Gymnastics. The meet begins at 4:30.

Girls Basketball:

The Girls Basketball team got a huge win yesterday when they traveled to Case High School, 53-24. Sami O’Neil was on fire, scoring a season high 26 points. Grace Polen, Ava O’Neil, Kayla DaSilva and Mack Ryan were all over the glass, securing a ton of rebounds for the Wildcats! Alyssa Caldeira, Brooke Ryan, Alvia Phillips Sarah Florio and Jill Bouvier all played lock down D! Creating a ton of steals and Turnovers! The Wildcats return home for another conference opponent Friday night against Fairhaven! Come on out to support the Wildcats! Great team win!1

JV Girls Basketball:

The JV Girls played well against Case picking up a convincing victory! The team played well on offense and defense to secure the victory. Great Job Wildcats! They are back on the court next Tuesday vs Somerset Berkley at HOME! Good Luck!

Indoor Track (Boys And Girls):

The boys and girls teams competed yesterday at Wheaton College against Greater New Bedford Voke Tech. Our teams totaling about 30 athletes were up against their teams of about 120 athletes. Although neither WB team won overall, we had several impressive team and individual moments.

The boys Alex Kelly, Jason Gothage and Sam Stapleton swept the mile, each with a personal best time. Jason also placed 3rd in the 1000M. Alex placed 1st in the 2 mile with Sam right behind him in second with his 2nd PR of the night!! Nicco Robinson PR’d and placed 3rd in the 300M. Aquiles Gomes Placed 3rd in Shot put and Jude Tait placed 1st in the 600M and 3rd in the Long jump. PR's were also earned in the 55M dash by Theo Barrows, Joseph Folger and Michael Stewart. Anthony D'agostino earned a PR in the 300M.

The girls earned 1st and 3rd (Kate Austrino and Chloe Gauthier) in the 55m hurdles. Kate also Pr'd 55 and placed 3rd in the 55M dash. Alana Fidalgo placed 1st in the long jump. Eva Smith placed 1st in the mile and 3rd in the 1000M. PR's were earned in the 55M by Abbi Rudolph, Charlotte Farrell-Fren, Sevriana Pacheco and Ellie Pike! Sevi also had a PR in the shot put.
Our teams were complimented by the head track official on how quickly and enthusiastically they helped move the hurdles.
You made your coaches proud tonight and your hard work is paying off. Way to go Wildcats!!!!

A special congratulations to Nicco Robinson of the boys winter track team for having qualified multiple times for the New Balance nationals meet in the middle school division in the Long Jump with multiple jumps ranging from 15'6 to 16"10. Best of luck to Nicco at Nationals in March!!!

Middle School Basketball

Boys: The Boys Middle school basketball team lost a hard fought game to Whitman Middle school53 to 36. Jake Maclean and Xavier Washington were high scorers with 11 apiece. The return of Nick Karras was a plus as he led the team in defense along with Ferrell Eugene who led the team in rebounds. They are back on the court Friday, 1/17 as they travel to Holbrook.

Girls: The Girls Middle School basketball team captured their first win again Whitman Middle School on Wednesday, 1/16! The team effort was won on defense, holding Whitman to 16 points and forcing turnovers throughout the entire game! Way to go Wildcats! They are back on the court Friday, 1/17 @ Holbrook.

WEB Boys Hockey Team: The WEB Boys Hockey Team beat Minuteman last night by the score of 6-2. Once again Brayden Bates was solid in net stopping 22 of the 24 shots he faced! Jack Pimental had 2 goals and 2 assists, Everett Reddington had 2 goals, Daniel Vaughn had a goal and an assist, and Kyle Greeley had a goal and 3 assists. Assists also came from Tyler Henderson, Jake Greeley, and Gavin Bagley. The boys travel out west on Saturday for a 4pm faceoff with Oakmont!!

WEB Girls Ice Hockey:

The WEB Girls Ice Hockey team skated to a 2-2 tie against Stoughton this week. Goals scored by Colleen Koshulsky, and Kenzie Whitman and assists by Kenzie Whitman and Teagan O’Connor. The team is back on the ice this Saturday vs Scituate/NSA Co-op with a 5:50PM start at the Rockland Ice Rink. Good Luck!

Fall Awards:

Congratulations to Varsity Field Hockey Coach Bill Flynn for being named Boston Globe Division 4 Coach of the Year!

Congratulations Kylie Fuller for being selected by the Boston Globe as an All-Scholastic Honorable Mention for the 2024 season in Soccer. Kylie was also named Boston Herald All Scholastic.

Congratulations to Ty Holmes who was selected as an All-State football player at Running Back by the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association – Division VII for the 2024 season. Ty was also named Boston Globe All Scholastic Honorable Mention.

Congratulations to the following fall Enterprise All Scholastic and Enterprise award winners from the Fall Season!

Ty Holmes - First Team All Scholastic and Football Player of the Year

Kylie Fuller - First Team All Scholastic and Girls Soccer Player of the Year

Ava Harkins - First Team All Scholastic Volleyball

Aidan Delehoy - Golf Second Team All Scholastic

Alex Kelley - Boys Cross Country Honorable Mention

Emma Pope - Girls Cross Country Honorable Mention

Abby Matta - Field Hockey Honorable Mention

Brendan Marinelli - Boys Soccer Honorable Mention

Dylan Spadea - Boys Soccer Honorable Mention

Samara David - Girls Soccer Honorable Mention

Kerri Gomes - Girls Soccer Honorable Mention

Ryan Nunes - Football Honorable Mention

Gage Turner - Football Honorable Mention

Wildcats Athletic Store:

Check out the West Bridgewater Athletics online apparel store where you are able to personalize and order gear. Check out the link below to create and order your Wildcats Apparel. Let’s Go WB!!

https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/massachusetts/westbridgewater/west-bridgewater-high-school

We are currently hiring qualified Registered Nurses to work as occasional substitutes in our health offices throughout the district. Please see the School Spring listing https://www.schoolspring.com/. You may contact Julie Diedrichsen, Lead Nurse for more information at 508-894-1220 x1305 or jdiedrichsen@wbridgewater.com.

Click on WB Food Services to find Monthly menus.

We want student feedback!

We have launched a new "Happy or Not" customer feedback kiosk at the MSHS to allow students to let us know how we are doing in the Wildcat Cafe. We love to hear their opinions and are using their feedback to make improvements!

Food Assistance- Project Bread Food Source Hotline , West Bridgewater Food Pantry.

Food Allergies and Diet Modifications- If your student has a food allergy or needs a diet modification, WB's School Nutrition Department will accommodate them with a Medical Statement from a licensed healthcare provider. Please contact the school nurse for more information on the required documentation.

NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY!

Looking for a PHOTOGRAPHER to help us create a photo library of our school meals!

Interested individuals should contact Ann Marie Grinder, Food Service Director at agrinder@wbridgewater.com or (508)894-1220 ext 1320

Adding money for a la carte items: While meals are free, students must have money on their accounts to buy extra items. Milk is available for students that bring meals from home for $.75 at all schools and Howard and the MSHS offer many healthy snacks and bottled water. Cash and checks are accepted and electronic payments can be made through MySchoolBucks. You will need your child's 10-digit SASID# to register for a MySchoolBucks account.

The next Superintendent Coffee Hour with Mr. Bodwell will be on Friday, February 14th at 9:15 am at the Spring Street School. As always it is open to all and we hope to see you there!

The Little Leo's club is starting our annual Penny War January 15th to raise money for the Massachusetts Lions Club Eye Research Fund which helps research and find cures for eye diseases around the world. The Penny War lasts 2 weeks and will end January 28th. There will be a drop off time scheduled for each grade, so the Penny War does not interrupt learning at school, and students can only drop coins in buckets for their grade level. The drop times, overall prize, and grade level prizes will be announced January 15th in morning announcements. Please save your pennies, and silvers to get ready for the Penny War! Click the link below for the official rules.

Indoor recess at the Spring Street Schools isn’t boring when our PTO purchases these awesome items!!!

January 13, 2025

The objective of the Policy Subcommittee is to regularly review the policies of the West Bridgewater School Committee to determine if they are current, consider the interests of stakeholders, and are in line with guidance from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. At the most recent school committee meeting on January 13, 2025, the following policies were reviewed and revised as indicated:

• IB - Academic Freedom (Rescinded)

• IC/ICA - School Year/School Calendar

• ID - School Day

• IE - Organization of Instruction (Rescinded)

• IGA - Curriculum Development (Rescinded)

• IGA/IGD - Curriculum Development and Adoption (New)

• IGB - Support Services Programs (New)

• IGD - Curriculum Adoption (Rescinded)

• IHBD - Compensatory Education

• IHBEA - English Learner Education

Additionally, the following policies were opened and are scheduled for review at the next school committee meeting on February 3, 2025:

• ACA: Non-Discrimination of the Basis of Sex

• ACA-R: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex Under Title IX Including Sex-Based Harassment

• ACAB: Sexual and Sex-Based Harassment

• ACGB: Title IX Sexual Discrimination Grievance Procedure

• IHBF - Homebound Instruction

• IHBG - Home Schooling

• HBG-R - Home Schooling

• IHBH - Alternative School Programs

• IHBHE - Remote Learning

• IHCA - Summer Schools

• IJ - Instructional Materials

• IJ-R - Reconsideration Of Instructional Resources

• IJL - Library Materials Selection And Adoption

• IJLA - Library Resources

For any questions or to provide feedback, please contact the policy subcommittee at kmilton@wbridgewater.com and rdragonetti@wbridgewater.com. A complete listing of policies can be found in the WB Policy Index at https://www.wbridgewaterschools.org under the School Committee tab.

We are always looking for qualified persons to fill substitute teaching positions. If you are interested, please visit https://www.wbridgewaterschools.org/page/substitute-teaching for more information or contact one of the building principals for more information.

Mark Bodwell, Superintendent of Schools

Email: mbodwell@wbridgewater.com
Website: www.wbridgewaterschools.org
Location: 2 Spring Street, West Bridgewater, MA, USA
Phone: (508) 894-1230
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wbridgewaterschools