Schools

District Opens New Central Registration Office & New Enrollment Procedure

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The new centralized registration office for the Watertown Public Schools opened this week, and already had dozens of new students enrolling. 

In the past students and parents would go to the school to register, but the Central Registration Office was created in part to make sure that classes in Watertown’s elementary schools do not become overcrowded. Along with the new office, located in the Phillips Building, 30 Common St., the School Committee heard about the flow chart to decide where students will be placed. Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald said the goal is to keep classes between 18-20 students for Pre-K through first grade, 20-22 for grades 2 and 3 and 22-24 for fourth and fifth grades. The placements will be made by the Central Office Team and elementary school principals based on location, siblings and class size, said the District’s Data Manager Lauren Harwood. “The goal is to keep children in their neighborhood schools,” Harwood said.

Letters

LETTER: Commentary on Student Placement Decision Process

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The Watertown Strong Schools parent group wrote up this summary of the recent School Committee Policy Subcommittee meeting, and added commentary at the end. Unofficial Minutes: Meeting of the Policy Subcommittee on 07/06/2016 – Key Points and Commentary

Note: These are NOT official minutes. Commentary can be found at the bottom of the minutes. Written by: David Stokes

Committee members: Dr. Guido Guidotti, Chair; Liz Yusem; Eileen Hsu-Balzer; Dr. Jean Fitzgerald, Superintendent. Audience members: Donna Ruseckas, Director of Wellness and Extended Services; John Portz, School Committee Chairperson; Lisa Feltner, Town Councilor; David Stokes, WSS; Stephanie Venizelos, Live Well Watertown and WPS Wellness Committee; Laurie McManus, former School Committee member; Charlie Breitrose, Watertown (MA) News; and one other community member.

Enrollment

Policy Changes Will Allow Superintendent to Place Students to Avoid Overcrowding

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In hopes of avoiding situations like last year at Cunniff School when classes got overcrowded the School Committee’s Policy Subcommittee approved recommendations to allow the superintendent to place students out of their neighborhood school if it avoids large class sizes. In June, the School Committee requested that Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald freeze enrollment at the town’s three elementary schools, and not place students coming in over the summer until August. They also requested that the Policy Subcommittee come up with a policy to place the students. On Wednesday afternoon, the Fitzgerald told the subcommittee she thought that the current policies regarding attendance areas and assignment of students to schools gave her the tools she needed to make the placement. Students will still be placed in their neighborhood school when possible, Fitzgerald said, but if classes are too large at the school, they will be placed in other schools.

Letters

LETTER: Concern Over Pace of the Watertown Schools’ Master Plan

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Watertown Strong Schools provided a summary of the first meeting of the Steering Committee of the Master Planning Design Process for the Watertown Public Schools. School officials are looking to build the town’s schools for the 21st Century and deal with growing enrollments. Unofficial Minutes: Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Master Planning Design Process on 06/15/2016 – Key Points and Commentary

Note: These are NOT official minutes. Commentary can be found at the bottom of the minutes. Written by: Kate Coyne and David Stokes

Committee members: John Portz, Co-chair; Liz Yusem, Co-chair; Dr. Jean Fitzgerald, Superintendent; Charles Kellner, Director, Business Services; Vincent Piccirilli, Town Council Vice-President; Michael Dattoli, Town Councilor; Steve Magoon, Assistant Town Manager and Director, Community Development and Planning; Deb King, WEA President and WMS teacher; Toni Carlson, K-12 Educational Technology and Library Coordinator; Dr. Kimo Carter, WMS Principal; Alyson Morales; Pete Caron; Mike Shepard; Elaina Griffith; Chris Lowry.

Letters

LETTER: Parents Group Writes About Overcrowding, Enrollment and More

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The Watertown Strong Schools parent group followed the School Committee meeting on June 13, which tackled some key issues, such as overcrowding, enrollment projections and where dozens of students were honored. Unofficial Minutes: School Committee Meeting 6/13/16 – Key Points and Commentary

Note: These are NOT official minutes. Commentary can be found at the bottom of the minutes. Written by: Pete Caron, Julie Cotton, Kate Coyne, Alyson Morales, and David Stokes. Committee members: John Portz, Chair; Kendra Foley, Vice-Chair; Guido Guidotti, Secretary; Eileen Hsu-Balzer; Candace Miller; Mark Sideris; Liz Yusem; Dr. Fitzgerald, Superintendent; Charles Kellner, Director, Business Services; and Craig Hardimon, Human Resources Director.

Schools

Approved Overcrowding Plan Focuses on Controlling Where New Students Go

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The School Committee approved a plan to deal with the overcrowding facing Watertown’s elementary schools next school year. The plan has fewer moves of classes from school to school, but creates less breathing room, so a district registrar will determine where new students are placed. The plan, the third presented by Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald, was approved by the School Committee on Monday night at their second meeting in two weeks. The only class moving out of its school is an Early Steps Integrated Preschool, which moves from Hosmer School to the Phillips Building. Room will also be created by other moves including:
• Combining Learning Support programs at Cunniff into one room
• Making the Computer Room at Lowell into a classroom
In the first plan, all the Early Step classes would have moved to the Phillips, as well as moving PreK classes from Cunniff and Lowell out of their schools along with two Cunniff kindergartens.

Letters

LETTER: Parent Skeptical of New Plan to Deal With School Overcrowding

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Watertown Strong Schools, the parent group, attended the Superintendent’s meeting about plans to move some PreK and preschool classes to the Phillips Building. Unofficial Minutes: Superintendent’s Meeting Concerning Short Term Space Proposals 6/8/16 – Key Points And Commentary

Note: These are NOT official minutes. Commentary can be found at the bottom of the minutes. Written by: Kate Coyne

School Administration members attending: Dr. Fitzgerald, Superintendent; Beth Sahakian, Community Education Director; Bob LaRoche, Hosmer Principal; and April Romano, Early Steps preschool Director. School Committee members attending: John Portz, Chair; Kendra Foley, Vice-Chair; Guido Guidotti, Secretary; Candace Miller; and Liz Yusem.

Overcrowding

LETTER: Parents React to New Overcrowding Plan & More from School Meeting

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Parent group Watertown Strong Schools submitted this roundup of the School Committee meeting on June 6, where the overcrowding plan, facilities master plan, enrollment and many other items were discussed. 

Note: These are NOT official minutes. Commentary can be found at the bottom of the minutes. Written by: Alyson Morales

Committee members: John Portz, Chair; Kendra Foley, Vice-Chair; Guido Guidotti, Secretary; Eileen Hsu-Balzer; Candace Miller; Mark Sideris; Liz Yusem; Dr. Fitzgerald, Superintendent; Charles Kellner, Director, Business Services; and Craig Hardimon, Human Resources Director. Audience members: Mena Ciarlone, Cunniff Principal; Elizabeth Kaplan, Lowell Principal; Bob LaRoche, Hosmer Principal; Donna Ruseckas, Director of Wellness & Extended Services; Adam Silverberg, World Languages Coordinator; Lauren Harwood, Accountability Data Manager; Vincent Piccirilli, Town Council Vice President; Aaron Dushku, Town Councilor; Lisa Feltner, Town Councilor; Jim Cairns, WSS; Pete Caron, WSS; Julie Cotton, WSS; Kate Coyne, WSS; Rebecca Grow, WSS; Diego Hammerschlag, WSS; David Stokes, WSS; Alyson Morales, WSS, Mike Shephard; and many other parents and community members. Math Olympiad

The Lowell 5th grade Math League was honored along with their teacher Mrs. Debra Garabedian for placing first in the nation in the Continental Math Leauge.