Schools

Grades at Some Watertown Schools Full; Students Face Heat in First Week

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The school year has begun in Watertown, and preliminary enrollment figures put classes at the town’s elementary schools at or under the class size guidelines, but some are right at the limit. Superintendent Dede Galdston gave the enrollment figures to the School Committee last week, just days into the school year. The Watertown Public School’s class size guideline calls for classes of no more than 20 for kindergarten and first grade, 22 for second and third grades and 24 for fourth and fifth. As the opening of school approached, there were some grades which worried Galdston. “One area of concern, originally, was kindergarten numbers,” Galdston said.

Schools

As Kindergarten Changes, Superintendent Assures That Children Will Have Recess, Unstructured Time

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With Watertown Public Schools officials’ efforts to add programs such as Spanish lessons and social and emotional learning to the day of kindergartners, many parents in town worried that their children will not have enough unstructured time or recess. 

More than 360 parents signed a letter written by a Lowell School parent who was concerned that kindergartners in Watertown would only have one recess each day and no free-choice, unstructured time. Rachel Danford, who wrote the letter, spoke at Monday’s School Committee meeting, saying that research shows that kindergartners do better when they have two recesses each day. Superintendent Dede Galdston responded in a letter she sent to parents and posted on the Watertown Public Schools website, and spoke at Monday’s meeting. She said a misconception about the schedule for Watertown kindergartners changing may have arisen due to a sample schedule shared with parents in the spring. She added that the district has not done a good job explaining how the new curriculum initiatives will fit into the kindergarten day.

Schools

Watertown School Committee Puts Hold on Purchasing Vans with End of Year Surplus

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The School Committee balked at using funds remaining at the end of the year on two vans, at least for now, but approved spending money to prepay special education tuition and to add funds to the Town’s Special Education Stabilization Fund. The proposal came Monday night, at the last planned School Committee during Fiscal Year 2018, and if funds are not spent or designated they go back to the Town’s general fund. The Watertown Public Schools is projected to end the year with a $785,928, said School Committee Vice President Kendra Foley. The surplus came about due to lower than expected special education costs, vacancies left unfilled and hires that were not made, Foley said. The School Committee’s Budget and Finance Subcommittee discussed what to do with the funds at a prior meeting, and proposed using $400,000 to prepay special education tuitions for the first three months of the next fiscal year, put $200,000 into the Special Education Stabilization Fund and purchase two 12-seat vans (10 passengers plus the driver and the front passenger seat) with $100,000.

Schools

School Committee Weighing Busing Options Under New School Start Times

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The School Committee is considering options for school busing for next Fall when the start time of the high school and middle school move later. They seek to serve as many students without increasing school bus fees or adding greatly to the budget. The state requires students in grades K-6 living more than 2 miles from school to be bused for free by districts. Currently, Watertown buses students who live 1.5 miles or more from Hosmer School and sixth-graders living more than 2 miles from the Middle School for free. For students living closer, or seventh or eighth graders, the district offers busing for a fee of $300 (and a $475 family cap), with students living south of the Charles River going to Hosmer paying a discount rate of $200 (family cap of $320).

Schools

Artwork by Watertown Public Schools Students Will be on Display at the Mall

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The Watertown Mall, located at 550 Arsenal Street, Watertown, will again be hosting the Watertown Public Schools’ Annual Student Art Exhibit from April 4 to April 24, 2018, the Mall announced. The exhibit will feature hundreds of works of art made by students from Watertown Public Schools. You will be left awestruck by the hardworking young artists, who range from kindergarteners to high schoolers, and their very unique talents. The art displayed will vary in medium and you will be exposed to spectacular pieces created using watercolors, crayons, cray pas, pencils, computer art, ceramics, paper machè, and more. The exhibit will run from Wednesday, April 4th to Tuesday, April 24th and we hope to see you there.

Entertainment

Musicians from Around the Watertown Public Schools Playing at Bandarama

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Musicians from each of the Watertown Public Schools will perform at Bandarama on March 6, 2018, at 7 p.m. in the Watertown High School Gymnasium. See what each group will be performing during the concert. Middle School Sixth Grade Band

Morgan Schneider, conductor
Raiders March – J. Williams/arr. J. Bullock

Middle School Combined Sixth, Seventh , & Eighth grade String Ensemble

Dr. Frederik Schuetze, conductor
Fiddles on Fire – M. Williams

High School Concert Band

Dan Jordan, conductor
Hawaii Five-O – Stevens/Lopez
The Ides of March – S. O’Loughlin

High School String Ensemble

Dr. Frederik Schuetze, conductor
The Beach Boys – arr. J. Moss

Middle School 7-8th grade Band

Morgan Schneider, conductor
Superheroes R Us – arr.

Schools

Watertown Superintendent Identifies Strengths, Areas to Work On in Her Entry Plan

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During her first six months as Superintendent, Dede Galdston dove deep into the workings Watertown Schools and came up with recommendations to improve the schools in areas ranging from student success, aligning the curriculum, improving communication, staff diversity, and, of course, improving the school buildings. Monday night, Galdston introduced her Superintendent’s Entry Plan to the School Committee. The report came from Galston’s conversations with more than 75 individuals and groups over the last half year, plus examining district test results, curriculum and other material. Participants welcomed the opportunity to speak with the superintendent, Galdston noted. “Time and again, I heard that this was one of the first times that people had the opportunity to have an open conversation with the superintendent and that they hoped this type of communication forum would continue into the future,” Galdston wrote.

Schools

Find Out About Potential School Start Time Changes at Forums

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The Watertown Public Schools could make some significant changes to the school start times, moving the middle and high schools later and the elementary schools earlier. These changes will be discussed at a set of upcoming forums.

The School Committee received a report from the committee looking into start times over the summer, where a couple of options were laid out (read more here). On Monday, the School Committee was told that the district will take a serious look at the option to start Watertown High School and Watertown Middle School at 8:30 a.m. and moving the elementary schools to start at and earlier hour. Superintendent Dede Galdston sent out the following letter about the school start time changes and the forums:

The Watertown Public School District is currently considering changes to the start and end times for all of our schools beginning in the fall of 2018. The reasons for considering this move are many with the most important being to improve educational opportunities for all of our students based upon optimal times for student learning to occur.