COVID-19

LETTER: Lowell PTO Members Urge Watertown Schools to Move to In-Person Learning

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Lowell School in Watertown. Dear Dr. Galdston and Members of the Watertown School Committee,

As members of the J.R. Lowell School Parent Teacher Organization and the Cunniff School Parent Teacher Organization many of us have spent years volunteering our time to enrich the educational experience of Watertown Public School children. In March of 2020 we found ourselves in an unprecedented time and the unthinkable happened, all in person learning was suspended. Now, nearly a full year later, we are sincerely grateful for the many steps the school district has taken to keep our children and teachers safe. The thoughtful approach to return to the classroom, COVID testing for teachers and pooled COVID testing for students has in fact proven to keep our children safe.

Schools

Watertown’s Elementary School Projects to Finish Months Ahead of Schedule

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Recent photos of the construction at Hosmer (left) and Cunniff elementary schools. The construction of the new Cunniff and Hosmer elementary schools will be completed several months ahead of schedule. Students at Cunniff are projected to move into their new school three months early. At Hosmer, children and staff will return seven months early, with the entire project scheduled to be completed a year early, said Vivian Varbedian from owner’s project manager firm Hill International. The School Building Committee received the news last week, and it was shared with the Town Council on Tuesday night.

Schools

Two Watertown Students Make Arlington Catholic Honor Roll

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Arlington Catholic High School announced the second quarter honor roll, and two students from Watertown made the list. Watertown residents Donald MacMillan and Henry Sarris were both named to the second quarter Honor Roll at Arlington Catholic High School. Donny is a junior and Henry is a senior. Both received grades of B or better in all classes during the second quarter. 

Schools

Applications Being Taken for 53rd Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship

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Lt. Paul Sullivan of Watertown, killed in Vietnam in 1968, will be remembered during the 50th Annual Scholarship Awards in June. Each year, the Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship and other awards go out in memory of a Watertown native who was killed serving in Vietnam in 1968. The following information was provided by the Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship Committee:

Announcing the 53rd Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship

The Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship is now on line:https://sites.google.com/view/lt-paul-j-sullivan-scholarship

The application deadline is April 16, 2021. The top scholarship is $5,000. Additional scholarships will be awarded.

Schools

Watertown Student Makes UMaine’s Fall 2020 Dean’s List

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The following information was provided by the University of Maine:

The University of Maine recognized 4,133 students for achieving Dean’s List honors in the fall 2020 semester. Of the students who made the Dean’s List, 2,670 are from Maine, 1,366 are from 38 other states and 97 are from 35 countries other than the U.S.

Due to the unusual and challenging circumstances faced this semester amid the global pandemic, the university has modified its Dean’s List policy for the fall 2020 term. The requirement that students earn 12 calculable credits to be eligible for Dean’s List has been waived. Instead, students will be eligible 1) if they earned Dean’s List recognition in spring 2020 and have placed all of their fall 2020 courses on pass/fail; or 2) if they have earned a minimum GPA of a 3.5, regardless of the number of credits taken, in fall 2020. Please note that some students have requested that their information not be released; therefore, their names are not included.

Schools

Several Positions Would be Added in Watertown School’s “Level Service” Budget

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The Watertown School schools have a little over $100,000 left in next year’s budget after preserving the current staffing and programs, the School Committee heard last week. Director of Finance and Operations Heidi Perkins presented the level-service budget last week, which would be $53.75 million including a 3.5 percent increase in funding from the Town. That amount does not include other funds such as state special education circuit breaker money, which will add about half of the increase that makes the total budget $57 million. While the budget will go up by about $1.8 million, Perkins said that only six percent of that will be available for new proposals. The level-service budget, however, does include some new positions.

Around Town

MassBay College Nursing Students Volunteer at Watertown Vaccine Clinic

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MassBay Community College nursing students administering vaccines at a recent vaccine clinic in Watertown. The following announcement was provided by MassBay Community College:

MassBay Community College Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) and Practical Nursing (PN) students recently volunteered with the Watertown Health Department in administering COVID-19 vaccinations. Fifteen ADN students and 11 PN students assisted with vaccine administration and with the registration process for hundreds of residents who received their COVID-19 vaccine. “Nursing students are needed to administer vaccines and provide vaccine education in our communities,” said MassBay Director of Nursing, Andrea Bresnahan. “Being part of the COVID-19 vaccination effort is a rare opportunity for students to directly learn about population health, participate in public health program, gain clinical experience, and ultimately save lives.”

The Watertown Health Department vaccination clinics that the student’s participated in were held the first and second weeks in February at Perkins School for the Blind for both students and staff and at the Watertown Police Department for people over 75 years of age.

Schools

Watertown School Officials Stand Behind Decision to Delay Start of Hybrid After Release of State Audit

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Watertown School officials stood by their decision to delay the start of in-person learning, citing COVID-19 safety concerns, after the release of the district’s audit by state education officials. Watertown was one of two districts audited in October 2020. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) commissioner sent a letter saying the Town’s COVID-19 rates were low enough that Watertown should start the school year with in-person learning, at least part-time. The Audit report largely summarized the findings of state education officials’ interviews with district officials, and the materials submitted by Watertown officials to DESE. (See the report by clicking here).