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Early Steps Updates ~ February 26

2025

Early Steps Updates~ February 262025

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Principal Updates 15 - February 26, 2025

Dear Early Steps Community:


Spring is around the corner and are littles are very excited, as the playground snow is melting while recess temperatures rise. This week's important date:


  • Friday, February 28 - The Early Steps Application Period for the 2025-2026 SY Closes


All parents/caregivers of students who are interested in attending Preschool or PreK for the 2025-2026SY must complete a brief application of interest by Friday, whether your child is attending school here this year or not.


  • Click here for the Application for your child to attend Pre Kindergarten (PreK) in the Fall, 2025.

  • Click here for the Application for your child to attend Preschool in the Fall, 2025.


For questions, please contact: Tricia D’Amelio, Administrative Assistant to the Principal

tricia.damelio@watertown.k12.ma.us


Keep each other well,


Dr. Theresa McGuinness

Principal

theresa.mcguinness@watertown.k12.ma.us


Every Child...Every Classroom...Every Day

Quick Resources: Early Steps Website (Under Construction)

WPS 2024 - 2025 School Year Calendar

1 Concord Road

Watertown, MA 02472

2025 - 2026 Preschool ~ UPDATED FY26 Tuition Rates

The 2025 - 2026SY Tuition Rates for Preschool are: (PreK is free.)

3-days/week - 8:00 am - 12:00 pm $425/month

5-days/week - 8:00 am - 1:00 pm $885/month

5-days/week - 8:00 am - 12:00 pm $709/month


As I've messaged, the Application Period for the 2025 - 2026 school year is open through February 28, 2025. The next date to look out for is----on or before March 14th when a 'Confirmation of Placement & Next Steps is Sent to Parents/Families' via email.

Caretaker & Teacher Conference Dates (Sign Up)

We are excited for the upcoming conferences to engage with parents/guardians on the dates above. As we did last Fall, we've offered both afternoon and evening times as well as options for either in-person or online via Zoom.


  • ***Please refer to this doc to schedule a 20-minute conference: (1) to sign up, and (2) to access the Zoom meeting links (if you selected to meet on Zoom). Your child's teacher may have already shared this information with you. You only need to sign up once. If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher directly.


Directions for Families:

  1. Select your child's teacher's name

  2. Click on the SignUp Genius Link

  3. Select the time you would like to meet with your child’s teacher

  4. Enter your first name, last name, and email address

  5. Select the “sign up now button” to confirm the time

  6. During the selected time, please use the Zoom link provided to meet with the teacher


Teachers will also send their students' parents/caretakers information to sign up for one of the dates to meet with them for Winter conferences.

  • Kindergarten Information Night will take place on Wednesday, March 5th, from 6:30-7:30 pm. It will be an in-person event. Caregivers should attend the information session at their respective neighborhood school. Any questions should be directed the the main office of your neighborhood elementary school or email the contact below. All are welcome to attend. Children who are registered for Kindergarten must turn 5 years old by August 31, 2025. Elementary School Locations:


From the Director of English Language Education (ELE) Program

English as a Supplemental Language (ESL) Program Review

Every 6 years the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reviews English Learner Education (ELE) programs. There are 12 ELE criteria that target implementation of the requirements related to ELE programs under state and federal law and regulations:

Targeted and Focused Monitoring includes a self-assessment, a verification process including a visit by the Office of Language Acquisition (OLA), and a Continuous Improvement and Monitoring Plan (CIMP) process where the OLA makes recommendations to the school district. The Watertown Public Schools ELE program completed their self-assessment in the spring of 2024 and OLA visited our programs in the fall of 2024. We have successfully implemented 9 of the areas they review, so our program is meeting standards in notifying parents, assessing, maintaining paperwork, and exiting students from our ESL program. We also are continuously training teachers to work with English Learners (ELs).

We have received 4 items of feedback in 3 areas. The findings were about our online registration system, our ESL curriculum, the ability of ELs to participate in Spanish classes, and ensuring that all teachers have their SEI Endorsement (meaning that any content teacher has received state mandated training to work with ELs).


To address the findings we plan on doing the following:


  • Ensuring that both Portuguese and Spanish registration forms in place for 2025-2026 school year registration.

  • Reconvening our Curriculum and Program Review team to make our current ESL curriculum more consistent

  • Ensure that all eligible ELs who have completed their ESL minutes to have access to FLES (Foreign Language in Elementary School) and World Language in middle school

  • Notifying teachers who are missing SEI endorsement that they must complete their endorsement by the end of the school year to be eligible to work in the Watertown Public Schools for the subsequent school year. To date, the vast majority of teachers missing SEI endorsement have completed their coursework or plan to by the end of the year.


Finally, please know that we are continuously working to improve our program offerings and supporting the ELs in our district to be successful students both in their classrooms and in the school community. We will be working on curriculum changes over the next 2 years.


If you have any questions or concerns, please email Kate Phillipson (kathryn.phillipson@watertown.k12.ma.us) or call/text 617-581-8200.

Some Important Dates

  • February 28 - Early Steps Application Period for the 2025-2026 SY Closes

  • March 5 - Kindergarten Information Night 6:30 - 7:30 PM @elementary schools
  • (See March 'Caregiver & Teacher Conference Dates/Times' above.)
  • Wednesday, April, 9th - Early Release @11:45 AM - Educator Professional Development
  • Friday, April 18th - Early Release 1/2 Day before April Break
  • 4/21-4/25 = No School - April Recess

For Reference ~ Past Principal Newsletters

Early Steps Contacts

Early Steps Early Childhood Center

1 Concord St.

Watertown, Ma 02472

Phone: 1-617-926-7765


Principal - Dr. Theresa McGuinness

theresa.mcguinness@watertown.k12.ma.us


Administrative Assistant - Tricia D’Amelio

Tricia.DAmelio@watertown.k12.ma.us


Special Education Team Chair- Ilana Sommer

ilana.sommer@watertown.k12.ma.us


Nurse - Kaitlyn Reynolds

kaitlyn.reynolds@watertown.k12.ma.us
Theresa McGuinness
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