Welcome back to the 2024-2025 School Year!

We are so excited to welcome back our students, staff and families to the new school year. I hope you have had an amazing summer break. A lot goes into opening up schools and there are many people to thank. Thank you to the following groups:

• Maintenance and Custodial Staff
• Cafeteria Staff
• Main Office and Central Office Staff
• Building and District Administrators
• All WB Educators

I also want to thank our town departments who support our schools. Thank you to the WB Police, WB Fire and WB DPW who continue to do a great job working with the school district.

This is such an exciting time of year and our dedicated and excellent educators are so excited to welcome our students back. We hope everyone has a great school year!

I wanted to extend a huge thank you to WB students Samara, Alanna, Presley, Vinny, Trey and Jake who joined me on stage for opening day with the teachers. You all did an outstanding job!

All families are required to sign into Aspen and review your contact information, and review and sign off on our current polices. Please log into your Aspen account and click "Initiate" on the left side of the screen to start the review process. Full instructions can be found here:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_AtrvJTZ4f55M2KKi3_IBDPdaKF-mWS7xiLHdforXbs/edit?usp=sharing

If you need assistance, please send an email to aspensupport@wbridgewater.com

If you have already completed this process, you can disregard this message."

We are so excited to welcome our newest educators to West Bridgewater! The new Howard School staff are to the right.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is recognized every September by childhood cancer organizations around the world.

With a goal to increase awareness, we encourage everyone to wear gold (or yellow) Friday 9/27 in honor of kids with cancer, especially those within our own community.

Wearing a color might not change the fact that 43 children in the US are diagnosed with cancer each day but hopefully through awareness we can make a difference.

Are you aware that only 4% of National Cancer Institute research funding goes to study pediatric cancer??

FOUR PERCENT.

What can YOU do about that?

Great News! Universal School Meals is permanent in Massachusetts. All students can choose to eat both breakfast (snack) and lunch at no cost to families! For menus and more information check out the School Nutrition Home Page.

Eating Local!

West Bridgewater is committed to expanding the amount of local food served to our students. We are partnering with C.N. Smith Farm, Vineyard Farm (formally C&C) and Langwater Farm this year to purchase the freshest and healthiest fruit and veggies grown right in our community. We are looking for other local vendors for poultry meat and dairy. If you know a local producer that might be interested in working with the school, please have them contact me at agrinder@wbridgewater.com.

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.

Any questions or concerns, please contact Ann Marie Grinder, Food Service Director at (508)894-1220 or at agrinder@wbridgewater.com.

Here is a link to the 2024-2025 School Calendar that was approved by the School Committee.

Elementary school building project update - We are excited to have chosen a Designer/Architect for the Feasibility Study. Over the past 2 weeks selected representatives for our School Building Committee (SBC) have participated in 2 Designer Selection Panel meetings with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). At our meeting on Tuesday, August 27th we conducted interviews and the firm selected was HMFH Architects. HMFH gave a presentation at the full SBC meeting on August 27th. We are looking forward to working with our Owners Project Manager (OPM) which is PMA and designer HMFH Architects to move forward.

Educational Visioning Sessions - As we move forward in the process of the elementary school building project we will be having visioning sessions with both members of our staff community and the community at large. We want to know what we as a school district, educators and community are looking for in a new school. These sessions are critical as the feedback taken from them will be incorporated into the Educational Program which will be part of the Preliminary Design Program Submission to the MSBA. We are excited to have these sessions and more information will be sent out.

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 .

A huge thank you to Cadette Troop 62542 members, Hannah, Julia and Isabella for bringing a buddy bench back to RLM! So, what is a buddy bench? It's a bench placed in a school playground serving a special purpose. If a child feels lonely or left out or needs someone to play with, they can sit on the buddy bench. This signals to other children that they want a friend or some company. We are excited to have this back in our playground!

We are currently running sign ups for Middle School Unified Bocce for students in grade 5-8 that begins the first week of October! Check out the informational flyer!

Check out the vegetable gardens in the Middle/Senior High School courtyard. What a great addition to the school!

The Fall sports season is off to a great start! Our athletes have put in tons of effort throughout the pre-season preparing for the start of the Fall. Our Girls and Boys Cross Country teams recently competed against Stoughton, Archbishop Williams, Bridgewater-Raynham, South Shore Vocational Technical, and Fontbonne, demonstrating great effort and determination. The Cheer team has been hard at work on their choreography with Matt Monteiro as they prepare for their competition season. Varsity Field Hockey won their first home game 6-1 against Seekonk, while JV won 3-1. Varsity Football's season opener is on Friday, September 6th, at home against Manchester Essex, 6:00PM. The Golf team stands at a 2-2 record, recently defeating Fairhaven High School. Boys Varsity Soccer opened their season with a 4-3 win against Holbrook, and JV followed with a 6-0 victory. Girls Soccer will start their season on September 6th against Dighton Rehoboth at Howard School Fields, 3:45PM. Our volleyball teams are ready to showcase their skills as they travel to Norfolk Aggie on Friday, September 6th, for their first regular-season match! Middle School Unified Bocce sign-ups are open, with the season starting in October. For schedules, updates, and highlights make sure to follow our coaches on Twitter and @WBMSHSAthletics, and check out the Arbiter Live schedule.

Finally, a heartfelt thank you to everyone for the wonderful messages of congratulations I’ve received for my daughter Ally, who competed with the USA Field Hockey team in the 2024 Paris Olympics!

The first meeting of the year will be on Friday, September 13th at 9:15 am. We will meet at the Spring Street School. All visitors should check in at the main office when arriving. This year we will also be having a virtual option through Google Meets. Google Meet links will be sent out a few days prior to the meeting via email. I do enjoy talking with people in person but if that will not work we hope to see you virtually.

Each year as Superintendent Mr. Bodwell presents his goals to the School Committee for their review and approval. He will be going over them in detail at the next School Committee meeting on Monday, September 9th. Here is some information:

Goal #1 Elementary School Building Project (District Improvement Goal) - as the district works with the School Building Committee (SBC) and Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) there be many things that need to be accomplished during the year.

Goal #2 Instructional Leadership (Student Learning Goal) - as the Superintendent of Schools Mr. Bodwell will continue to work with his administrative team doing observations and collaborate with building and district leaders to provide them with effective and meaningful feedback during focused walkthroughs.

Goal #3 Communication (Professional Practice Goal) Communication is so important and we will continue to look for ways to get information out to families as well as getting information back from families through feedback forms from Coffee Hours and surveys of students, staff and families.

Here is the link (below) to the Bus Routes for the 2024-2025 school year. If you have any questions please first contact your child's school.

To help parents and community members know the best way to communicate with the school we have created a chain of command guideline that should be a helpful resource. By contacting the following people in the order listed your questions and concerns can be dealt with most efficiently. This information is found on the website under "Contact"

Our nursing staff is extremely committed to assisting students and families in achieving optimal health in both the school and home setting. We work closely with teachers and other staff members to ensure a healthy and safe educational environment for the students. Our nurses are very approachable and are great resources for both information and health related needs. We invite parents to call with any questions or concerns they may have.

At the beginning of each year our nurses are working diligently to update all health information. Please ensure that you provide all necessary documentation, forms and/or medication promptly so that your student is appropriately cared for!

OUR STAFF:

• MSHS/LEAD NURSE

• Julie Diedrichsen 508-894-1220 x1305 or jdiedrichsen@wbridgewater.com

• HOWARD SCHOOL

• Sara Mando 508-894-1250 x3115 or smando@wbridgewater.com

• ROSE L. MACDONALD SCHOOL

• Priscilla Dennis 508-894-1240 x4102 or pdennis@wbridgewater.com

• SPRING STREET SCHOOL

• Carissa Monize 508-894-1230 x2122 or cmonize@wbridgewater.com

For more information about sick child guidelines, health related policies and state mandates, please visit the Health Services website at https://www.wbridgewaterschools.org/page/health-services

The West Bridgewater Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) partners with families with children with special needs, including children with IEPs and 504 Plans.

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The WB SEPAC was begun by a group of parents in response to the school district's need for a SEPAC. As an official 501(c)3, Inclusion Matters now offers workshops for caregivers and families, IEP and 504 consulting, an annual conference (on hold due to the pandemic), and family events for families with and without special needs in communities across the South Shore of Massachusetts.

Check out the update for September below:

Enrichment Session Signups Are Live!

Hello WB families! New after-school classes and returning favorites at both RLM and Howard—click the links for all the details. Classes begin the week of September 9th, so sign up today!

RLM Signup Form

Howard Signup Form

RLM Fall 2024 Descriptions

Howard Fall 2024 Descriptions

August 19, 2024

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 August 19, 2024, the following policies were reviewed and revised as indicated:

• CA - Administration Goals

• CB - School Superintendent

• CBD - Superintendent's Contract

• CBI - Evaluation Of The Superintendent

• KF - Community Use Of School Facilities

• KF-R - Community Use Of School Facilities

• KG-E - Guidelines for Use of School Property

• LA - Education Agency Relations Goals

• LB - Relations With Other Schools And School Districts

• LBC - Relations With Nonpublic Schools

• LDA - Student Teaching And Internships

• KF-E - Use Of Athletic Fee Schedule (Rescinded)

• KF-R1 - Guidelines For Use Of School Property (Rescinded)

• KF-R2 - Guidelines For Use Of Athletic Spaces (Rescinded)

• KF Form 1 - Application for Use of School Property (Rescinded)

• KF Form 2 - Application for Use of Athletic Spaces (Rescinded)

Additionally, the following policies were opened and are scheduled for review at the next school committee meeting on September 9, 2024:

• AC - Non-Discrimination Policy Including Harassment And Retaliation

• AC-R - Non-Discrimination Policy Including Harassment And Retaliation

• ACA - Nondiscrimination On The Basis Of Sex

• ACA-R - Nondiscrimination On The Basis Of Sex Under Title IX Including Sex-Based Harassment

• ACAB - Sexual & Sex-Based Harassment And Retaliation

• ACE - Nondiscrimination On The Basis Of Disability

• ACGA - Civil Rights Grievance Procedure

• ACGB - Title IX Sexual Discrimination Grievance Procedure

• JICFB - Bullying Prevention

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.

This notice is provided in compliance with State and Federal regulations for conducting Child Find activities in order to identify students who may be in need of an evaluation to determine eligibility for special education services.

It is the responsibility of the West Bridgewater Schools to identify any child who resides in West Bridgewater and may have a disability. This includes students who are homeschooled.

West Bridgewater Public Schools is also responsible for the evaluation of those students to determine if they are eligible for special education or related services under Federal law, IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) or, Massachusetts State Law, 603 CMR 28 (Massachusetts Special Education Regulations).

West Bridgewater Public Schools is also committed to identifying children before their third birthday in order to provide early intervention services for three and four year olds with disabilities. If you have questions or concerns regarding your child’s development and would like to have him/her screened, please call Kathy Marble at 508-894-1236 to set up an appointment.

If you suspect that your child may need an evaluation to determine eligibility for special education services, you may request an evaluation, at no cost, through the West Bridgewater Public Schools. Please contact the principal at your child's school for information about referring your child for an evaluation. Contact information for each school is listed below:

Keitha Goulet: Spring Street School and Rose L. McDonald, kgoulet@wbridgewater.com

Mary Giuffre: Howard School, mgiuffre@wbridgewater.com

Christine Page: West Bridgewater Middle Senior High School, cpage@wbridgewater.com

If you have any questions or require any additional assistance, please contact Kathy Marble at the following: kmarble@wbridgewater.com or 508-894-1236

The Apparel Store is open. I am working on sharing some of the promo codes that were sent in the email below. Feel free to share!

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

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
Twitter: @WBPSwildcats