8:30 a.m - 1:30 p.m.

Kennedy Middle School

The 4th Annual Waltham Public Schools Parenting Awareness Conference will be held on Saturday, March 4th at Kennedy Middle School. Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. and the day begins with a keynote address by Dr. Jennifer DelRay, Staff Psychologist of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Associate Director of The Resilience Project at Newton Wellesley Hospital.

The first set of sessions are from 9:15 - 10:45 and are scheduled to include the following topics and presenters:

• Screen Time by Sandra Malec, Director of Educational Technology Integration and Library Media

• Navigating Grief and Loss by Christine Lambright, The Children's Room

• Addressing Family Stress and Depression by Jessenia Urrea, MPH & Rebekah Gibbons, LICSW, Families for Depression Awareness

• Gardening and Nutrition (working title) by Jessica Herwick, Director of Education and Community Programs, Waltham Fields Community Farm

The second set of sessions are from 11:00 - 12:30 and are scheduled to include the following topics and presenters:

• Sense of belonging for parents by Susan Sutherland, Waltham Public Schools Supervisor of Registration, Translation & Transportation

• Navigating Grief and Loss by Christine Lambright, The Children's Room

• Career Exploration and Training by Medjine Lucien, Waltham Partnership for Youth CET Program

• "Apoyando a los recién llegados en WPS/Supporting Newcomers in Waltham Public Schools." Sara Hamerla, Waltham Public Schools Administrator of Multilingual Education and BELPAC leadership

Parents can also visit many local organizations who will have information tables at the event. These include: Big Brother/Big Sister, Boys and Girls Club, Scouts of America, Charles River Community Health Center & JAHAN Women and Youth Intercultural, Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, Waltham Fields Community Farm, Families for Depression, OPportunities for Inclusion, REACH against Domestic Violence, Waltham Family School, Waltham Partnership for Youth, Waltham Special Education Advisory Council and Waltham Bilingual Parent Advisory Council,

Our day concludes at 12:30 with lunch and door prizes donated by area businesses and includes restaurant gift cards and an Apple iPad, Apple Watch, Printer donated by Staples.

Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole and ASL interpreters will be available and child care - for school aged children - will also be available.

For more information, please contact Dr. Nadene Stein at 781-314-5428 or nadenestein@walthampublicschools.org. Registration can be found at this link or below.

SEE HERE FOR SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

REGISTRATION BELOW

In partnership with Professor Mike Barnett of Boston College, WPS hosted another successful February STEM Camp over February break! WHS Student Counselors taught younger Counselors-in-Training (CITs) about coding, electronics, 3D printing and laser cutting as they designed and built a do-it-yourself desktop automated greenhouse. Students also explored how this technology can address concerns around food justice. CITs will have the option to return as Counselors for middle school students when the camp moves to its new permanent location at the Charles River Museum.

Artworks by five WHS seniors were selected in the Emerging Artists Recognitions juried exhibit, sponsored by the Massachusetts Art Education Association. Awards and date for ceremony will be announced in March. Congratulations to Adelpha Bathol, Kelly Borrayo Hernandez, Alma Rosado, Maria Montoya Payes, and Taylor Polk for their amazing works of art and imagery.

Waltham Public Schools will be again participating in the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy for the 2022-2023 school year. The Seal of Biliteracy is for any student who demonstrates proficiency in English and any other language, whether they speak the non-English language at home or learned it at school or in the community. The State Seal of Biliteracy aims to:

(a) Encourage students to study and master languages;

(b) Certify attainment of biliteracy skills;

(c) Recognize the value of language diversity;

(d) Provide employers with a method of identifying people with language and biliteracy skills;

(e) Provide universities with a method to recognize and give credit to applicants for attainment of high-level skills in languages;

(f) Prepare students with skills that will benefit them in the labor market and the global society; and

(g) Strengthen intergroup communication and honor the multiple cultures and languages in a community.

In order to earn the Seal of Biliteracy, students must meet the following criteria:

• Pathway Award Standardized Assessment Criteria for English and Partner Language
• MA Seal of Biliteracy -English- Score of 240 or higher on the Grade 10 Legacy ELA
• MCAS (472 on Next-Gen MCAS) OR Score of 220 or higher on the Grade 10 Legacy ELA MCAS (455 on Next-Gen MCAS) and ACCESS for ELLs-Level 4.2 overall and Level 3.9 composite literacy score
• Partner Language- Score of Intermediate-High in the lowest domain/mode of a proficiency test

We will be administering the AAPPL assessment in April, 2023, during the school day. We look forward to honoring the language expertise and diversity in our district through this initiative. If you have any further questions, please contact cynthiapiantedosi@walthampublicschools.org or by phone at 781-314-5663.

Virtual Monthly Meetings for this school year will be:

March 8, 2023

April 12, 2023

May 10, 2023

June 14, 2023

Meetings are from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. ZOOM LINK: https://walthamsepac.com/

The WSEPAC is a state mandated and supported advisory group comprised of parents, guardians, teachers and administrators working in partnership to promote an innovative environment where children with learning challenges have equal access to educational opportunities, while ensuring that our schools strive to improve educational outcomes for all children. Contact us at walthampac@gmail.com

DOES YOUR CHILD NEED:

A PHYSICAL EXAM?

A LEAD TEST?

VACCINES?

A DOCTOR?

INSURANCE?

Waltham Public Schools is partnering with Newton-Wellesley Hospital to provide a FREE Health Fair! The Health Fair will offer physical exams (and other requirements for school and camp), as well as help signing up for MASSHEALTH. There will be Spanish speakers available.

Date: Sunday, March 26, 2023

Address: NWH Urgent Care, 9 Hope Ave, Waltham, MA 02453

(Boston Children’s Hospital Waltham site)

Call Patty McCaffrey at 781-314-5462 during school hours for more information!

This brand-new Help Line is the Commonwealth’s “front door” for behavioral health needs. It connects callers to the full range of treatment services for mental health and addiction support through the Commonwealth. It can help in real time with immediate crisis intervention, urgent, and routine needs. The Help Line is available 24/7/365 in 200+ languages.

Please feel free to explore the website at www.masshelpline.com.

Call or Text 833-773-2445

The Waltham Public Library has partnered with the Waltham Boys and Girls Club to offer a new free dinner program! Youth 18 and under can come to the library for a 3PM snack and at 5PM for dinner. This program is open to all youth and will be available Monday-Friday. Come by for a bite!

Please contact our vendors to learn about incentives they offer!

JSC Transportation Services

(978) 600-5720

Eastern Bus Company

(781) 790-0878