WMS Bulletin
10-28-19 Faculty and Staff
What starts with October and ends with November?
Thank you to Leah, Justin, Rashmi, Laura, and Sarita for organizing and implementing an amazing STEM week! I saw so many tremendous activities and the students were so engaged and learning and having fun! Thank you also to all of the teachers who brought their students to the library or auditorium for STEM activities, or conducted them right in your classrooms - I appreciate your flexibility and enthusiasm!
If you did participate in STEM activities, kindly take a few minutes to fill out this form to request WPS STEM Week 2019 Certificates for your students. Please don't forget to include your classroom number with the correct count of the students' certificate requests. We plan to drop off printed certificates to your classrooms.
Hopefully, the majority of you have met with your evaluator to go over your goals. If you have any questions, please see either your evaluator or me. I'm happy to help anyone! As a reminder, the Goals and Educator Plan needs to be finalized by this Friday, November 1st.
Have a terrific week! Happy Halloween!
Duties This Week:
AM: Cafeteria / PM Waverley and Bemis: M. Loughran
AM: Cafeteria / PM Bemis and Westminster: R. Henry
AM: Waverley Entrance / PM Waverley Driveway: L. Shock
Bemis St. Crosswalk: E. Willoughby
The full Bus/Breakfast duty schedule can be found here:
Bus and Breakfast Duty Schedule
Lunch Duty this Week: None! Please keep asking around and let me know if you know anyone who might be interested! We need to fill 1-2 more spots.
**Upcoming Dates**
October 28 - Mentor/Mentee Meeting 3:15-4:15 pm
October 29 - Dr. Galdston will be visiting more classrooms in the morning
October 29 - Anti-Bias Coalition Dinner and Speaker
October 30 - WMS School Picture Makeup Day
October 30 - Putting the "Public" in Public Arts - here is the flyer
November 1 - Goals and Educator Plans finalized
November 1 - Dr. McGuinness visits WMS
November 3 - Daylight savings "fall back"
November 5 - Professional Development Day
November 6 - End of Quarter 1
November 6 - Faculty Meeting
November 6 - School Site Council meeting 6:30-8:00 pm
November 8 - Off-Site Evacuation and Lockdown Drill (**NEW DATE**)
November 11 - NO SCHOOL - Veteran's Day
November 13 - Department meetings
November 14 - Afternoon (1-3 pm) and Evening (6-8 pm) Parent Conferences
November 15 - Peter and the Starcatcher at WHS (details to come)
November 19 - Grant Applications due to WCF (see info below)
November 19 - Afternoon (1-3 pm) and Evening (6-8 pm) Parent Conferences
November 20 - PLT Meetings
November 26 - Dr. Galdston School Visit and Listening Tour
Attendance Issues
Thank you!
Watertown Talks Equity: Getting Comfortable with Discomfort
An evening to come together to talk about race, bias, and equity in Watertown
Sponsored by the Watertown Anti-Bias Coalition
*** Dr. Darnisa Amante ***
October 29, 2019 - Please see the FLYER
Watertown Middle School Auditorium
5:30 dinner, 6:00 event
5:30-6:00 pm Free family-style dinner
6:00 pm What is the Anti-Bias Coalition all about?
6:15 pm Dr. Darnisa Amante shares her thoughts about how we as a community can dig deeply into the issues of race, bias, and equity
7:00 pm Table talk: What brings you here?
7:30 pm Q & A
Hope to see you there!
No Backpacks to Period 7 please!
***They may also need a reminder by their lockers that they can't pack them up either. Taking the time to pack their bags will also make them late!***
**IMPORTANT** - Interpreter Services for Conferences
Thanks!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JW-vROsdiNE2u46U5S9VwNn3IoUEHU_HNG6v3-ZHVbE/edit?usp=sharing
Anne-Marie
WATERTOWN SCHOOLS PROGRAM GRANTS
The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) and the Watertown Education Foundation (WEF) have merged and are pleased to announce they are accepting applications for the Watertown School Grant Program. This program focuses solely on Watertown’s public schools and seeks to support activities that improve instruction and learning. The application form is available online. Eligibility Applicants must be public entities or nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Organizations implementing programs within a school(s) are welcome to apply. It is also required that applicants review their proposed project with the school principal before applying. NOTE: Grants will not be provided to individuals; applications from teachers must be submitted in partnership with their school or school’s PTO to serve as the fiscal agent and administer the awarded funds. If a grant involves bringing people from outside the Watertown School Department into a school, it should be submitted by the principal or someone in district leadership to ensure the proper clearance for those people. Grant Amounts Grant requests of up to $2,500 will be considered, though the average amount awarded will likely range from $500 to $1,000. Where partnerships of two or more schools or organizations have involved an award of up to $5,000 will be considered. Grant Types Applications can be submitted for individual classrooms, grade-level initiatives, afterschool programs, school-wide efforts, and system-wide plans. Preference will be given to proposals that extend beyond one classroom and enrich the learning environment. Examples of past support include:
● Supplemental materials or books (e.g., student book clubs, school gardens)
● Equipment (e.g., musical instruments, supplemental lab or engineering equipment)
● Special events and speakers (e.g., anti-discrimination or drug and alcohol prevention programs, author-in-residence)
● Student Programs (e.g., college readiness, the student newspaper, art, and science afterschool)
● Experimental School or District-wide initiatives (e.g., the Buck Institute’s Project-based learning professional development for K-8 teachers, Picture-in-Writing materials and training for all three elementary schools)
Applications seeking support for field trips, snacks, furniture/desks, buses, teacher travel, or individual professional development will not be funded. The grant budget cannot include stipends for anyone currently employed by the Watertown Public Schools.
Grants should focus on activities for the spring and fall of 2020 but can be extended into the following school year if necessary. Priority will be given to those proposals that involve partnerships and collaboration.
Timeline October 15, 2019 Request for Proposals Posted November 19, 2019 Applications Due to WCF December 16, 2019 Applicants Notified of Grant Decisions December 15, 2020, Reports Due to WCF
Submission Instructions
● Applications must be completed online.
Questions? Email info@watertownfoundation.org
*This application is for school-based educational grants only. Educational programs that are not school-based can apply for a Watertown Community Foundation Program Grant in the spring of 2020.
Respecting one another's classes
Thank you!