Schools

Students from The Guild School Volunteer at the Watertown Food Pantry

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Students from The Guild School sort items and put the on the shelves at the Watertown Food Pantry. (Courtesy of The Guild School)

The following piece was provided by The Guild School:

Each week, a group of Guild School students and vocational services staff volunteer at the Watertown Food Pantry. Volunteers sort items into bins, bag vegetables, stock the shelves with food items, and check expiration dates. Students work on travel training skills to get to and from the pantry. The Guild for Human Services serves more than 160 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities annually through educational, residential, and clinical programming.

Schools

Perkins School for the Blind Teams with MIT to Host Hackathon: The Super Bowl of Accessibility

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A team working on ideas to adapt technology for those with disabilities at #HackDisability: AI for Accessibility Hackathon hosted by MIT and Perkins School for the Blind. (Courtesy of Perkins School for the Blind)

CAMBRIDGE — On any given Friday night at MIT there’s bound to be a few stragglers hanging around the Strata Center, the architecturally world-famous building in Cambridge that houses the MIT Computer and Artificial Intelligence Lab. On Friday Feb. 23, there were more than a few folks about, and not just from MIT: people from Perkins School for the Blind, Amazon, the Museum of Science, Cisco, and even a representative from the White House gathered for Perkins’ “#HackDisability: AI for Accessibility Hackathon,” the Watertown-based school’s second-ever hackathon and the first focused specially on harnessing artificial intelligence for a group that is often left behind by technology. The task was seemingly simple.

Schools

Watertown Students Earn Honors at BC High, Thayer

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Students from Watertown made the honor roll at a pair of private schools: BC High and Thayer Academy. The following information was provided by the schools:

Boston College High School

The following students have been named to the Second Quarter Honor Roll at Boston College High School:

Ambrogio Bellotti, High Honors (Class of 2024)

Isaac Campolon, High Honors (Class of 2024)

William MacKerron, High Honors (Class of 2025)

Emiliano Pedroza, High Honors (Class of 2025)

Owen Driscoll, High Honors (Class of 2026)

Thomas Moloney, High Honors (Class of 2027)

Robert DiStefano, Honors (Class of 2027)

For High Honors a Sophomore and Junior must have at least a 3.80 quality point average and all grades “C+” or higher. Freshmen need a 3.6 quality point average and all grades “C+” or higher. For Honors a Sophomore and Junior must have at least a 3.20 quality point average and all grades “C-” or higher. Freshmen need a 3.165 quality point average and all grades “C-” or higher.

Schools

Dozens of Watertown Students Collected College Honors in the Fall

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See some of the Watertown students to earn honors at their college or university during the fall semester of 2023. UMass Amherst

Below is a list of local students from Watertown who were named to the dean’s list at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for the fall 2023 semester. In order to qualify, an undergraduate student must receive a 3.5 grade-point average or better on a four-point scale.Philip Richard CentolaAidan Paul ConneelyCarina Bella DeLorioRiley Francis DonlanTrisanne Phillipa DunstanLevon GukasyanRita Queenie HackettBenjamin Harrison HeepJackson Wallace HelieGevork George KarapetyanIlana KrebsMaeve Ella LawnDuncan Alexander LeperaAni Nanor ManjikianRobert MartirosyanSaron NebiyeSelina NebiyeJohn Payton-Michael RileyJen RimalSydney Willow RosenthalHenry Peter SarrisSabreena ShahMason Thomas SmithBenjamin Roubik SurenianIsabella Delmaschio TancredoDaniel Kevin TattrieHrachya Tigran TonyanMichael J VarnumGregory Steven VenizelosAnna Rose ZarkadasChristina Noora Zouein

University of Albany

The University at Albany has recognized Kainaat Yousuf of Watertown for selection to the Fall 2023 Dean’s List. The Dean’s List at the University at Albany recognizes the outstanding academic achievements of full-time undergraduate students. To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must earn a grade point average (GPA) of 3.25 or higher in their first semester of study and a GPA of 3.50 or higher in subsequent semesters.

Schools

UPDATED: Demolition of Watertown High School Complete, Crane Going Up to Construct Steel Frame

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The old Watertown High School has been demolished. A crane that will erect the steel frame of the new high school has arrived. (Courtesy of Vertex)

The old Watertown High School is officially history. The project management firm, Vertex, provided the following update on the progress of the new high school project. With the demolition of the existing HS building completed, attention on site has turned to the continuation of foundations and start of steel erection.

Schools

Preliminary School Budget Has Small Surplus, Includes A Few New Positions

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The Watertown Public Schools budget forecast for Fiscal Year 2025 would provide the district with a small surplus. The budget for the current school year is $57.58 million, and when adding the 3.5 percent increase budgeted by City Manager George Proakis (about $2 million) the budget for the 2024-25 school year will be $59.6 million, Superintendent Dede Galdston told the School Committee last week. That would provide a surplus of $75,138. Most of the budget, about 85 percent, falls under personnel, said Lisa Gibbons, the district’s Director of Finance and Operations. Galdston said the figures are for a “level services budget.”

Schools

School Committee Member Rachel Kay Hosting Office Hours

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School Committee member Rachel Kay

Watertown School Committee member Rachel Kay will host virtual office hours this week. Kay sent out the following announcement:

I will be available on zoom on Thursday February 15 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Click here at 7 p.m. on the 15th to log in. Please come with your questions and concerns, and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Schools

Information About Watertown’s Free PreK and Preschool Programs

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On Monday, the School Committee approved Superintendent Dede Galdston’s plan to provide free universal prekindergarten in the Watertown Public Schools beginning in the fall of 2024. Galdston provided more information about the program in an announcement sent out this week, see it below. Watertown Public Schools is pleased to announce that PreKindergarten and Preschool classes will be tuition-free for children who turn 4 by August 31, 2024. Applications for the 2024-2025 school year have already begun, and we are excited to be able to offer up to 40 additional spaces for Watertown children in our prekindergarten and preschool classrooms.

Here is more information about our Early Steps PreKindergarten program and process:

PreKindergarten is for students who turn four by August 31. The classroom has 18 students in it with 1 certified teacher and 1 instructional assistant. The curriculum is age-appropriate with an emphasis on socialization, early numeracy, and early literacy skills.