District Monthly Update

During the week of February 7 through 11, our grade 7 students at Kennedy and McDevitt Middle Schools participated in our annual Model United Nations program in partnership with the United Nations Association of Greater Boston. The students worked collaboratively while representing the interests of more than forty nations from around the world to develop solutions to global challenges related to access to clean water. Thank you to our partners at UNAGB, to our students' families, and to our Waltham community for your continued support for this project! And, most of all, congratulations to our students for your outstanding work to address this essential global issue!

In the coming weeks, Waltham Public Schools students in grade 8 and at Waltham High School, with the support of our History and Social Studies teachers and administrators, will begin to develop student-led, non-partisan civics projects in accordance with Chapter 296 of the Acts of 2018. As outlined in the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Civics Project Guidebook the arc of this work will follow the six stages of high-quality Action Civics Projects. Students’ active participation in these authentic, hands-on learning experiences is critical to the development of the knowledge, values, skills and dispositions necessary to fully participate in our democratic society. We thank all of our stakeholders for your support of our students' efforts as they aim to better our Waltham and Massachusetts communities.

At the Plympton School, 4th Graders share their graphic comic strips about Animal Defense Mechanisms with 1st Graders. The 4th Graders recently finished an Animal Defense Mechanism narrative that assisted with creating these graphic comics. The information learned from this share-out will help 1st Graders to build background knowledge and vocabulary as they begin their literacy unit on "BIRDS."

MacArthur 5th Graders enjoyed the tradition of Blind Date with a Book during the month of February coordinated by MacArthur School Librarian Stephanie South. Students randomly select a wrapped book and read it during the month of February. Students completed other activities related to the text and found a fun way to dive into an unfamiliar text. Thank you to Mrs. South and all of our Waltham librarians for supporting our students’ love of reading!

PBLWorks, the leading provider of professional development for Project Based Learning (PBL), has selected Waltham High School to participate in its 2022 PBL Massachusetts School Leader Network. This two-year professional development program, which commenced this month provides intensive professional development and support to help participants create the ideal conditions for implementing high-quality PBL at their schools and making it self-sustaining at their organizations.

Generous financial support for the PBL School Leader Network is being provided by the One8 Foundation whose mission focuses on helping schools and teachers prepare students for success, focusing on STEM and 21st century skills and applied learning opportunities.

Waltham High School & District participants include: Brenda Pena, Bobby Lyons, Val Alfeo, and Derek Vandegrift. This work is being supported by the PBL District Champion, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning Sarah Kent.

Principal Brenda Pena stated, “We are thrilled to be part of this learning opportunity. Our team has the shared vision of leveraging our professional learning to support equity and engage all learners by designing interdisciplinary, project based units of instruction aligned to the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks We then envision teachers leading the learning by modeling their units and facilitating PBL Workshops for colleagues at Waltham High School.”

PBLWorks’ PBL School Leader Networks, which are taking place in Massachusetts and California, offer a blend of face-to-face and online workshops, personal online coaching for each school, and deep collaboration with a peer network of fellow local PBL leaders. Leadership teams from across Massachusetts are selected to participate in each PBL School Leader Network.

“Our PBL School Leader Networks are one-of-a-kind opportunities for school leaders to receive best-in-class training and support to lead the PBL work at their schools. They will also become part of an invaluable community of like-minded peers they can collaborate with for years to come,” said Bob Lenz, CEO of PBLWorks. “Waltham High School has shown an incredible passion for, and commitment to, Project Based Learning as evidenced by its education plan and we are looking forward to having their leadership team participate in our 2021 School Leader Network.” For more information about the PBL School Leader Networks, visit https://www.pblworks.org/pbl-school-leader-networks.

As spring approaches, the district has begun planning summer programming for students. As of March, the following academic programs will be in place based on teacher referrals and student need or per student's Individualized Education Plan. More details to follow from your school or appropriate department. A small number of enrichment programs will be provided by the district for a tuition or no cost (details to be provided next month!).

ELEMENTARY PROGRAMMING

• Title I Elementary Program @ Plympton (July) by teacher referral
• ELL Elementary Summer Institute @ Whittemore (July) by referral from Multilingual Dept.
• Comprehensive Elementary Special Education Programming @ Stanley (June 27 - August 11) as per IEP and Office of Pupil Services

MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAMMING

• Title I Middle School Step Up Program @ Kennedy and McDevitt (July) by teacher referral
• ELL Secondary Summer Institute @ McDevitt (July) by referral from Multilingual Dept.
• Comprehensive Secondary Special Education Programming @ Kennedy (June 27 - August 11) as per IEP and Office of Pupil Services

HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMMING

• ELL Secondary Summer Institute @ McDevitt (July) by referral from Multilingual Dep
• High School Credit Recovery @ McDevitt (July) by referral from high school
• Comprehensive Secondary Special Education Programming @ Kennedy (June 27 - August 11) as per IEP and Office of Pupil Services
• Work Transition @ WHS (June 27 - August 11) as per IEP and Office of Pupil Services

On February 17, district leaders and administrators continued to learn about the teams that support the District Curriculum Accommodation Plan (DCAP) and had a parent panel share their personal perspectives on the Fall District Panorama Family Survey data.

Waltham's Mutual Moral Imperative: We need to be urgently concerned about and mutually invested in working as one team to improve the school experiences of our students so that we can improve the achievement of all our students.

The districtwide Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Working Group is planning for the 3rd annual International SEL Day for Friday, March 11. The theme this year is Finding Common Ground, Pursuing Common Good.

Last year students, teachers and schools across the district participated in a variety of activities and events to promote kindness, empathy, emotional regulation and diverse perspective taking.

Keynote Speakers * Workshops * Community Resources *

The goal of the 3rd annual Waltham Parenting Awareness Conference is to connect and empower parents to be strong advocates for themselves and their children. Parents will have the opportunity to contribute to and engage in meaningful conversations, and gain insights alongside other parents and professionals on topics that matter most to them. This year’s conference will be in person with access to interpreters. Stay Tuned for more.

As part of the Waltham Public Schools’ continuous improvement efforts and as we engage in developing and implementing a new districtwide strategic plan effective July 2022, we are seeking new and better ways to inform and engage our district community. We are now asking for the input of our families and community members to help us understand how we can better communicate with you on a regular basis.

We will be inviting you to participate in an anonymous survey to measure the effectiveness of the school district's communication efforts and to show where we can make improvements to better meet the needs of our families, students, staff, and community members. It will take about 8-10 minutes to complete and will be open from through March 22 - April 10, 2022.

Your child is eligible to enroll in kindergarten if they were born between September 1, 2016 - September 1, 2017, and live in Waltham with a parent or legal guardian. Registration information for the 2022-2023 school year will be posted on the WPS Registration page. Please contact the Parent Information Center (PIC) by email or phone 781-314-5524 (English) 781-314-5668 (Spanish) to make sure your child is on our list, or to add your child so that you will receive communications and mailings for Kindergarten registration. Families wishing to participate in the Dual Language School lottery must notify the PIC at the time of registration. The Dual Language lottery will be held in May 2022, and to qualify you must submit all required documents. We look forward to welcoming your child and working with your family throughout the registration process.

The Building E transition wall is almost complete. Plumbing for Building B is done and the team will now move on to Building A. The deck at level two in Building A is in place and underground utilities are underway. Wall netting and anchor installations, prepping, placing and backfilling foundation walls continues. A second crane has been erected to keep the steel going up!

Waltham Public Schools has received a FY22 Alternative English Learner Education Programs Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to expand the Dual Language School into grade 6 at Kennedy Middle School. The grant was submitted and will be managed by the Multilingual Department.

Rochelle Nwosu, Principal of Dual Language School, reaffirms the school mission, “The mission of Dual Language Education K-8 in Waltham is to support students on their journey to becoming bilingual and biliterate in both Spanish and English. We strive to develop socially and culturally competent citizens who will contribute to our community and to the world.” Principal Nwosu is encouraging students and families to participate in the process of expanding the Dual Language into the middle grades.

Funding from this grant will support curriculum development for a Spanish language arts class and a social studies class. Professional development workshops will be provided to Kennedy staff on dual language development. The grant will also cover curriculum materials in Spanish for the 2022-2023 school year, a short-term consultant, and a part-time bilingual assessment coordinator.

Kevin Gildea, Principal of Kennedy Middle School is appreciative of this support. “This funding from MADESE will support a smooth transition of the Dual Language program. We look forward to welcoming our sixth graders as integral members of the Kennedy community.”

The decision to wear a mask or not is an individual and personal choice for each family and staff member. There is no right or wrong decision as to whether an individual chooses to wear a mask. There may be several reasons that determine whether a student wears or does not wear a mask including:

• personal health concerns;

• health concerns of a family member;

• individual student learning needs;

• individual student social and emotional needs;

• individual comfort level; or

• other personal reasons.

We ask all members of our community to remember that the choices of others are respected and we treat each other with kindness.

Voluntary COVID Testing: The District is providing all Waltham Public Schools students and staff at-home test kits to be used Sunday, March 6. These tests are voluntary and are in addition to the weekly at-home testing program that families opted into a few weeks ago. We are providing these additional test kits to all staff and students in an effort to stop COVID transmission after the break and as we transition to a mask-optional school environment. Click here for instructions on how to use the home kits in multiple languages.

Whittemore Elementary will be hosting a COVID VACCINE CLINIC Saturday, March 12th from 8 am - 2pm for ALL Waltham families.

If you have any questions, please check with your school nurse.

MARCH 2 & 16, 2022

EARLY RELEASE DAY - ALL SCHOOLS

MARCH 4, 2022

VACCINATION CLINIC

MARCH 12, 2022 (8 am - 2 pm) @ Whittemore

EARLY RELEASE DAY - ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ONLY (TEACHER CONFERENCES)

MARCH 22, 2022

JOB OPPORTUNITIES WITH WPS!