It is hard to believe as of Friday, May 17th we will only have a few weeks of school left in the 2023-2024 school year. The last day of school in West Bridgewater is on Tuesday, June 11th. This is a half day of school for all students.

Thank you to the citizens of West Bridgewater who passed the FY25 School Committee budget at the Town Meeting on May 6th. Also thank you to the Town Administrator, Board of Selectman and Finance Committee for unanimously supporting the budget. Also passed at Town Meeting were the 2 Capital Budget items for the schools: Elementary Teachers Chromebooks and Copiers for the MSHS.

Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week. Thank you to all of our educators and to all who work in our schools. We are so fortunate to have an outstanding group of hard-working, dedicated, and caring educators. We appreciate all of you.! Thank you to the PTO for helping to recognize the staff this week.

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

Spring Street School has started a school garden. We have portable indoor gardens that will travel throughout the classrooms to encourage students to learn about plants and healthy eating habits. This year preschool will be transplanting our pumpkin plants which we have been growing since October to raised beds. Next year, our garden will expand to include multiple vegetable beds, a pollinator garden, a digging bed, and a mud kitchen. Through these efforts not only will our students learn the life cycle of plants, but they will gain hands-on knowledge on how to care for plants and be encouraged to try new foods. Our food services department will use the food we grow and incorporate it into snacks and lunches. Our digging bed and mud kitchen will provide sensory integration into our gardening experience. We recently received a donation from Cool Tropics and we are extremely grateful for their generosity and commitment to our project. If you or your company would like to make a donation to our school garden project we would love your support.

Superintendent Mark Bodwell and School Building Committee Chair Gary Keith attended virtually the MSBA OPM Review Panel on May 6, 2024. PMA was also present at the meeting and did a presentation for the MSBA. On May 16th the MSBA confirmed receipt of the OPM contract. Our next steps include working with PMA to complete the RFS for the designer/architect. This should be submitted to the MSBA by the end of May. The next School Building Committee meeting will be on May 28, 2024 at 6pm at the 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 .

Monday, May 27, 2024 at 10:00 am at War Memorial Park on River Street in West Bridgewater

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Mental Health Action Day is May 16th! This day is an opportunity to break the stigma and take the next step from awareness to action for yourself, a loved one, or your community. Consider adopting a positive “mental health habit” like eating a balanced diet, getting a good night’s rest, exercising, or offering support to a friend or family member who is struggling. You can also support others this month through having a gratitude practice, volunteering, random acts of kindness, or practicing mindfulness. Check out https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health-awareness-month for more tips.

We are delivering freshly made COFFEE to energize our school’s educators and save them from that extra coffee run. Let us help while we work on our life skills and job skills starting all the way in 1st grade and working up until 12th grade.

We will send out a google form at each school to be completed by teachers and staff who would like to order on Monday each week.

We will then be set up at our station for Teacher’s to pick up their Coffee orders once a week on a designated day at each building. We will eventually add to delivering the orders as we progress our skills.

We would love for student volunteers to help with this project at all grade levels. We will be reaching out to teachers in the fall to recommend students for participation in this program, and then follow up with parents to make sure it is okay for their child to participate.

THANK YOU!!!

Mrs. Keeley, District Occupational Therapist

The 7th annual River Walk will take place on Sunday, June 2nd from 10 AM to 2 PM (rain date Sunday the 9th). It is an opportunity to get out and celebrate some of WB’s great outdoor spaces, rich history and farming heritage. Each year, River Walk features a variety of music, activities, and great food & beverage options along car-free, pedestrian-friendly River Street. This year, we are especially excited to announce an expanded Crafter’s Row, WB Food Pantry Raffle and Silent Auction. So walk, bike, train or paddle your way along the street, but don’t miss out!

Congratulations to all of the students who were recognized at the Middle/Senior High Schools Honors Breakfast program. Students who reached honor roll two out of the first three terms this year were recognized. Additionally, congratulations to Isabella Hyde and Grace Polen for winning the St. Michael's Book award and Samara David for winning the University of Vermont Book award. Thank you to WB Graduate and current School Resource Officer Chris Packard for doing a wonderful job addressing the students and guests.

Congratulations to Aly, Avrey, Luke, Brooke & Noah for being recognized at the South Coast Conference Academic All-Star Luncheon. Students were honored for being in the top 5 of their Class. Congratulations!

Thank you to all students and staff who participated in the Academic, Technology and Fine Arts Showcase at the Middle/Senior High School on May 9th from 5:30 - 7:00 pm At this event we had staff and students representing Grades K-12 and all subject areas. We were so glad to have so many guests come to the event.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As we near the end of another school year, we want to express our gratitude for your ongoing support and collaboration. Your partnership is crucial in ensuring the success of all our students, particularly those who have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).

We are reaching out to kindly remind you to please return any outstanding IEPs you may still have at home. These documents are essential for maintaining accurate records and planning for the upcoming academic year. By returning the IEPs promptly, you assist us in ensuring that your child receives the necessary support and accommodations to thrive academically and socially.

If you have misplaced the documents or require any assistance in completing them, please do not hesitate to reach out to our special education department at 508-894-1236 or via email to Jeanne Karcis at JKarcis@wbridgewater.com. We are here to support you every step of the way.

Warm regards,

Kathleen Marble

Director of Student Services

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"

Inclusion Matters partners with families with children with special needs, including children with IEPs and 504 Plans.

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Inclusion Matters 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.

Our second WB Pledge Walk for Childhood Cancer was another successful community event held on May 4th this year. The pledge walk was initiated by two MSHS students Sarah Diedrichsen and Nala Mando, in an effort to raise awareness and funding for childhood cancer in honor of their fellow student and cancer warrior Bella DuBois. A committee of MSHS students was established to continue to make the childhood cancer pledgewalk an annual event at MSHS. They have a goal to make this a non profit organization that will serve the West Bridgewater community and offer support and encouragement to our local families who are facing the terrible reality of childhood cancer. This year’s walk raised close to $10,000 which will be donated to the Jimmy Fund Clinic at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in loving memory of our sweet boy Jase Russell who recently lost his battle to cancer. The memories of both Bella and Jase should live on through this community organization with the goal of giving our local families the hope and support they need to face this battle together. Special thanks to school resource officers Tim Pope and Chris Packard for logistical support, local food trucks Lolly Jolly Waffles and Wicked Flavah, The Acoustic Idiots (Bob and Brian Smith), Vinny the Bubble Guy, all local business that donated raffle prizes, as well as all of the students, staff, and families who joined in the efforts to make this event a success!

May 13, 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 May 13, 2024, the following policies were reviewed and revised as indicated:

• GCIA - Philosophy Of Staff Development

• GCJ - Professional Teacher Status

• GCK - Professional Staff Assignments And Transfers

• GCO - Evaluation Of Professional Staff

• GCQF - Suspension And Dismissal Of Professional Staff Members

• GCRD - Tutoring For Pay

• GDA - Support Staff Positions

• GDB - Support Staff Contracts And Compensation Plans

• GDO - Evaluation Of Support Staff

• JEB - Entrance Age

Additionally, the following policies were opened and are scheduled for review at the next school committee meeting on June 3, 2024:

• GDD - Support Staff Vacations And Holidays

• HA - Negotiations Goals

• HB - Negotiations Legal Status

• HF - School Committee Negotiating Agents

• KF - Community Use Of School Facilities

• KF-E - Use Of Athletic Fee Schedule

• KF-R - Community Use Of School Facilities

• KF-R1 - Guidelines For Use Of School Property

• KF-R2 - Guidelines For Use Of Athletic Spaces

• KF Form 1 - Application for Use of School Property

• KF Form 2 - Application for Use of Athletic Spaces

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.

Garden News- Spring Street has two new raised bed gardens! Mrs. Dancy has exciting plans for a large school garden and she is starting with a pumpkin patch. RLM's raised bed gardens have been planted with help from Surroundcare students along with our COA volunteer, Mr. Douglas DeCosta and Surroundcare teacher and (almost) HS graduate Jayla Boylen. Mrs. Warnock's, Living with the Land Club presented at the Academic showcase and will be getting their herbs and veggies outside for the summer at the MSHS soon. Howard's Dirty Thumbs afterschool program is visiting Vineyard Farm a couple times a week with Ms. Winter to help and to learn how a real farm works!

Monthly Menus - Click on WB Food Services to find May's lunch menus. While we are waiting for local produce to grow, Vineyard Farm has provided us with local honey and farm fresh eggs for baking!

Field Trip Lunches- Interested in saving time and money? Let your student's School Nutrition Staff pack a lunch for any upcoming field trips. It's free! Order forms ( or links to a Google Form) are typically sent with permission slips.

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

Fall position available- Great at social media and interested in food photography? There is a stipend available for an individual to promote our School Nutrition program on social media. Hours are very flexible and variable but the applicant will need to be available during the day. It is a great opportunity for a recent WB grad attending college locally!

Questions, concerns, suggestions? Contact Ann Marie Grinder, Food Service Director at agrinder@wbridgewater.com or (508)894-1220.

Spots are still available in our 5 day program!

Preschool Information for the 2024-2025 School year is now available. Please click the link below for more information:

Check out our Spring Sports scores, highlights below! The spring season is in full swing! Make sure to come by and support our teams on the fields and on the courts. As always make sure to check out our coaches Twitter as well as @WBMSHSAthletics for updates on the schedule and highlights from games and matches.

Spring Sports Highlights:

MIAA Power Rankings update is available https://miaa.net/power-rankings/

Rankings include scores entered into Arbiter.

Unified Cornhole:

The Unified Cornhole team has done a great job competing throughout their season. The team has really enjoyed playing cornhole as a group and interacting with the opposing schools throughout the season. Great Job!

Boys Lacrosse:

WEB Boys Lacrosse battled back down 3 with 6:30 to go in the 4th quarter to win in overtime v. Norton, 13-12. Thanks to strong defensive efforts by Brayden Bates (goalie) Andrew Perry and Nate Frechette. Great offense by Brian Westerlund, Jack Pimental, and the co-player of the game Tyler Webb.

Girls Tennis:

The girls tennis team had a tough loss against a talented Joseph Case team. Riley Bain, Reese Bunker, and Kaylee Pettinelli all put up a good fight at singles.Emma Dowdall and Adayln Jenkinson fought hard at first doubles and played well at the net. Great Job and Good Luck!

Boys Tennis:

The boys tennis team was on fire Tuesday picking up a four to one win over Case High School from Swansea. Noah Schneeweis and Aidan Maher won in straight sets for WB. The doubles teams of Noah Holland and Henry loan- Baker and Ryan Geniuch and George Baroud crushed it at the net and won their matches for the wildcats. Nathan Trott had a marathon match at third singles and did a great job with his groundstrokes. The boys travel to Bourne today, to hopefully keep up their win streak.

Track and Field:

On Tuesday, the track and field team had their final regular season meet against Seekonk.

The boys lost to Seekonk, but had some absolutely lovely performances.

- The 4x100 relay team of Sean Hancock, Kenly Laime, Sam Salter, and Tyler Holmes set a new school record!

- Kenly Laime also won the shot put, high jump, and took second in the 200.

- James Harris and Sean Hancock took 1st and 3rd in the javelin.

- Alex Kelly, Brendan Marinelli, and Jason Gothage did work in the distance events.

The girls won 74-58

• Kerri Gomes had a fantastic day with a PR to win Jav then finished 2nd in the 400m and 3rd in Disc

• Chloe Gauthier had huge PR in the triple jump to win then finished 3rd in the 400 hurdles

• Kimora Alicea finished 2nd in the jav

• Scarlette Marquez finished 3rd in the shot

• Finally, thank you to our four seniors finishing up the regular season; Aly Bassett, Ella Dunbury, Alyssa Duarte, and Ava Xayavong. You have been great leaders, competitors, and even better people. We will miss you next season!

Baseball:

Baseball picked up the win on Senior Night with a 6-5 victory over Joseph Case. Ben Dowdall picked up his first varsity win on the mound, pitching 3.1 scoreless innings in relief.

Ryan Nunes had 2 hits and an RBI. Christian Bates, Harry Clark, James Sheedy, Brayden Ross, and Ben Dowdall all contributed offensively with a hit each. Chris McMenimon, Christian Bates & Harry Clark all had good days defensively.

Softball:

The JV softball team beat Cardinal Spellman 17-11. Laura Schaffert pitched all 7 innings with 4 strikeouts. Sydney Muller had a great game behind the plate for her first catching appearance of the season, she even caught a foul ball behind the plate. Lauren Wallis hit an in the park homerun and Emma Maher and Holly Horton had great bats as well.

The varsity softball team had a tough first inning allowing 4 runs and 9 batters, but that was it for Cardinal Spellman. The girls scored 5 runs in the 3rd inning and added an insurance run in the 9th inning. The girls won 6-4. It was a good defensive game for the girls with Haylee Krakowski making a great play in the bottom of the 7th. Alana Fidalgo had 3 hits and scored a run and batted in a run. Jill Foley had a great game scoring 2 runs while Ava Matta had 2 runs batted in.

**Game Schedule**:

Please check out the WB game schedule on Arbiter Live! Link is below.

https://arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=25160

Other Athletic News:

Wildcats Athletic Store:

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

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

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

Registration is now open. Come join the fun!

Summer Surround Care will be available from June 24 through August 15 2024 at the Middle Senior High School. The program will run Monday through Thursday. Daily and weekly rates are available to best fit your schedule The program is open to students who are entering grades 1-6.

Activities will include: Arts & Crafts, Indoor and Outdoor Free Play, Music, Games, Waterplay & Sports. We will take walking trips to local places such as Friendship Park and Town Park. Registration and more information at: Summer Surround Care

The next meeting will be on Friday, May 17th at 9:15 am. The next meeting is TBD

Check out the May WB Principals newsletters! There is lots of great information in these newsletters for each of the schools.

MSHS https://secure.smore.com/n/n2jye

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

Rose L MacDonald School https://secure.smore.com/n/gp8hy

Spring Street School https://secure.smore.com/n/73sr98

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.

Our School Nurses:

• MSHS/LEAD NURSE

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

• HOWARD SCHOOL

• Peggy Linskey 508-894-1250 x3115 or mlinskey@wbridgewater.com

• ROSE L. MACDONALD SCHOOL

• Lynn Moniz 508-894-1240 x4102 or lmoniz@wbridgewater.com

• SPRING STREET SCHOOL

• Sara Mando 508-894-1230 x2122 or smando@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

Check out some of the PTO information below:

The WB Gridiron Club will again be selling fleece blankets!

There is a brand new design we are excited about along with the design from the fall.

These Super Soft Fleece Blankets are $40 ea. and will be available for pickup in the next week.

If you are interested in a presale, please fill out the attached google form to guarantee your blanket(s) as these will not last! Order Form: https://forms.gle/ZWSKjTaiSL9gfdBX9

Back by Popular Demand!

WB Youth Football Camp, hosted by Coach Kogler of the West Bridgewater Wildcats High School Football Team.

This Camp is designed for youth football players entering grades 5-8.

This is a moderate contact camp, players will be required to wear Helmet, Shoulder Pads, Practice Jersey, and Mouthpiece. Please contact your home programs Equipment Manager for all equipment arrangements.

Register Today: https://forms.gle/D3w6YXLbKx6HpTQZ8

For any questions please reach out to coachkogler@yahoo.com

Registration for Tackle Football & Cheer is now OPEN!
Sign onto our new crossbar website and register today!
www.wbwildcats.com

We have a few new things happening this year:
Cheer: Is Competition Cheer not for your athlete, but they still want to be involved? Sign up for Sideline Cheer Only! This is now available at all levels!

Early Bird Signup: Register Today and you can choose to either pay your registration in full or take part of our installment plan.

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