Schools

Public Forum Scheduled for Construction Project at Watertown High School

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The old Watertown High School building. (Courtesy of Watertown Public Schools)

A public forum will be held about the old Watertown High School building, will soon begin the process of demolition and construction of the new school building in its place. The Watertown Public Schools sent out the following information:

The old WHS building has been turned over to the general contractor for the new WHS project. Construction activity will pick up in the coming weeks as crews prepare for demolition. A community forum is scheduled for Thursday, Sept.

Schools

Local Students Earn Honors at Simmons, Southern New Hampshire

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The following students were recognized for their academic performance at Simmons University and Southern New Hampshire University during the spring and summer semesters, respectively. The following information was provided by the universities:

Simmons University

The following local students were named to the 2023 spring semester dean’s list at Simmons University in Boston. * Eileen Coleman, Watertown (02472)

* Niamh Murphy, Watertown (02472)

* Krishna Patel, Watertown (02472)

To qualify for dean’s list status, undergraduate students must obtain a grade point average of 3.5 or higher, based on 12 or more credit hours of work in classes using the letter grade system. Southern New Hampshire University

President’s List

It is with great pleasure that Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) congratulates the following students on being named to the Summer 2023 President’s List. The summer terms run from May to August.

Schools

LETTER: Dangerous Situation for School Kids on Local Road

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“A true measure of any society can be found in how well it treats its most vulnerable members,”Mahatma Gandhi

I’m not a photographer. This will be obvious. When Highland Street repairs were announced, I was very happy. I mentioned to our Councilor that there was a real safety issue at the school crossing at Copeland and Highland streets. This would be a very good time to fix this, I said.

Schools

Students, Parents Get a Look Inside the Temporary Watertown High School After Ribbon Cutting

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The temporary campus for Watertown High School at PFC Richard Moxley Field opened after a ribbon cutting on Aug. 31 by, from left, Superintendent Dede Galdston, Principal Joel Giacobozzi, Assistant Superintendent Steve Magoon, and City Council President Mark Sideris. (Photo by Maya Shwayder)

The huge, empty hallways smelled like the wood aisle at Home Depot. Large boxes – empty and not – lined most corridors, and all the computers and monitors in the media room were still wrapped in plastic. But nonetheless the modular Watertown High School at PFC Richard Moxley Field held its grand opening five days before the first day of school, complete with a red ribbon and giant scissors to cut it.

Schools

Enrollment Up at All Levels in Watertown Schools, Especially at the High School

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Enrollment is up at Watertown High School, despite moving into the temporary location at PFC Ricard Moxley Field. (Courtesy by City of Watertown)

Watertown’s schools are growing at all levels, and some classes at two elementary schools are near or at capacity, Superintendent Dede Galdston told the School Committee. The biggest growth, however, is at the secondary level. Typically, School officials wait until September to provide the first enrollment report to the School Committee, Galdston said, but she wanted to inform members before school started incase they receive questions about it. “Our enrollment is up,” Galdston said.

Schools

Watertown Nursery School Celebrating 70th Anniversary with Free Event

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The following information was provided by Watertown Cooperative Nursery School:

Watertown Cooperative Nursery School is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a free event that is open to the public. StoryFest will take place on Saturday, Sept. 9 from 9 a.m. to noon. Founded in 1952 by a group of parents affiliated with MIT, Watertown Cooperative Nursery School (WCNS) remains dedicated to making families an integral part of their children’s preschool experience. Parents volunteer as classroom helpers and board members.

Schools

Changes to Watertown Schools Attendance Policies, Other Policies at Middle and High Schools

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The new school year brings new policies for the Watertown Public Schools, including families being asked to report student absences with an online form, new rules for tardies at the high school, and actions for middle school students failing math and English Language Arts. The School Committee heard about changes to the student handbooks at Watertown Public Schools starting this fall at the Aug. 21 meeting. Absences

Superintendent Dede Galdston said that the big change for the procedures when a student is absent is filling out and sending in a Google form online. “If you have an excused absence, any absence, you have to fill out a form, a Google form, instead of an email or phone call,” Galdston said.

Schools

Watertown Schools Appoint New Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

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Superintendent Dede Galdston announced the hiring of Dr. Ceronne Daly as the Watertown Public School’s Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Galdston announced the hiring to staff on Monday. Daly has worked in the Boston Public Schools for more than 10 years, most recently as the Managing Director of the Office of Recruitment, Cultivation, and Diversity Programs.

Daly will officially start working in October, but will be attending events starting this week, Galdston said in her statement. Daly succeeds Kimberlee Henry, who was the first Director of DEIB. The School Committee approved the creation of the position in 2020.