COVID-19

No Decision on How Schools Will Operate in Fall, Officials Prepping for Three Scenarios

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With about eight weeks until the start of the school year, Watertown School officials continue to prepare for three different scenarios — in-person teaching, remote learning, or a mix of the two. Superintendent Dede Galdston told the School Committee Monday that with “the sands shifting everyday” she will not know which of the three will be used until sometime in August. Massachusetts education officials presented district with guidelines and asked them to come up with plans for how to operate schools in each of the three scenarios. Galdston said that while it is not clear which of the three will be used for the district as a whole, the Watertown Public Schools must prepare for remote learning because some students will be choosing that option no matter what. If the schools do return in person, they could try to welcome everyone back, or have students rotate when days they are in school by the day or the week, Galdston said.

Government

School Committee Discussing Reopening Plans; Water & Sewer Rates on Council Agenda

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On July 13, the School Committee will be discussing how the Watertown Schools will look when classes start in the fall, and the Town Council will discuss a number of items on July 14, including the water and sewer rates. Monday night at 7 p.m., the School Committee will meet virtually. The agenda includes a report from the Reopening Task Force, and a review of how the virtual learning went in the spring. Also on the agenda are a review of the Superintendent’s performance related to meeting the 2019-20 goals, and a discussion of the District Improvement Plan. See the entire agenda by clicking here.

Class of 2020

WHS Class of 2020 Graduates Awarded Seal of Biliteracy for First Time

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One of the signs that went up around town to celebrate Watertown High School’s graduating seniors. A dozen Watertown High School graduates got an extra honor when they graduated in June — the Seal of Biliteracy. The students who got the seal had to show they could speak, understand, read and write in both4 English and another language. They showed this by getting certain scores on the standardized tests like the MCAS, and ones for other languages. The Seal of Biliteracy has been adopted by 39 states and in Washington, D.C..

Entertainment

WGBH’s Camp TV Offers Educational Activities for Kids

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The following information was provided by WGBH Channel 2:

Summer is here at last, but Massachusetts parents are feeling the burden of juggling work and childcare as the coronavirus continues to impact the support structures they rely on – from daycare to summer camp to assistance from grandparents. To help, Boston public media producer WGBH has three free resources for a range of ages that I thought might be of interest to your readers: Camp TV;  Beyond the Page: Young Adult Book Club; and Family Fun at Home. You can find more information about each one below. Please let me know if I can answer any questions. If you are considering a story on resources for families this summer, I hope you’ll consider including this information.  

Camp TV

This 1-hour television day camp experience invites “campers” at home to meet enthusiastic head counselor, Zachary Noah Piser, and experience summer camp activities to learn through play. Camp TV will air weekdays at noon ET on WGBH 2 beginning Monday, July 13. Silly Hat Day awaits!

Around Town

Watertown’s School Meal Pickups Extending Through Summer

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The Watertown Public Schools will continue to provide free breakfasts and lunches through the summer, but will be distributing meals on different days. Since the shutdown of schools due to COVID-19, the Watertown School Nutrition program has been giving out meals from the parking lot at Watertown High School to families in need. The program is funded through a Federal grant provided to districts in Massachusetts. During the school year the meals were distributed three days a week, and more than 200 families took part. Over the summer they will be handed two days a week — Tuesdays and Fridays.

Schools

Officials Celebrate Groundbreaking for Construction of 2 Watertown Schools

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Watertown school and town officials put shovels in the ground at the official start of the construction project Cunniff Elementary School. The ceremony also marked the beginning of the Hosmer School project. Standing next to the first of Watertown schools to be torn down and replaced with a state-of-the-art facility, Watertown School and Town officials celebrated the beginning of what will be several years of construction at school sites around town. Officials posed in hardhats, holding shovels during the official groundbreaking of the project at Cunniff Elementary School on Wednesday afternoon. The ceremony also marked the start of the project at Hosmer Elementary School, which will take place simultaneously.

Schools

Mass. Seeks to Bring Back Students in Fall, Classes Will be Social Distanced

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Lowell School in Watertown, and all Massachusetts schools, will operate differently in the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Massachusetts school officials seek to bring back “as many students as possible to in-person school settings” in the fall, but the classrooms will look different with schools being required to adhere to social distancing guidelines. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has put together its Initial Fall School Reopening Guidance, which is expected to be discussed by Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday. The plan, of which the Boston Globe obtained a copy, says getting students back into the classroom is the goal. Education and medical officials weighed the risks of COVID-19 as well as the impact of keeping students at home.

Hosmer School

Groundbreaking Ceremony Planned to Kick Off Cunniff School Project

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The latest rendering of the new Cunniff Elementary School, with the solar array in the parking lot. The first of Watertown’s new school projects will kick off Wednesday, June 24 with a groundbreaking ceremony at Cunniff Elementary School. The School Building Committee invites public is invited to the event, which begins at 4:30 p.m. at the school, located at 246 Warren St. in Watertown. Those who attend must wear a mask of face covering due to the COVID-19 outbreak.