Business

Perkins Students Learn Life Skills Working at Local Businesses & Organizations

By |

Perkins School for the Blind student Hugh helps Watertown Savings Bank sort coins as part of a work experience partnership. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Students from Perkins School for the Blind have the opportunity to expand their education by leaving campus and learning on the job by working for businesses and organizations in and around Watertown. The school has developed partnerships with multiple employers, including Watertown Savings Bank and the Mount Auburn Cemetery, where students spend time each week. Hugh, a student at Perkins, heads over to the main branch of Watertown Savings each week to help the bank manage all the coins that come into the bank. “My job is I go behind the bank and behind to where they kept the coins, then open up the rolls, and then put it into a machine, so they count it and then sort it into a bag,” Hugh said.

Schools

Watertown’s Special Education Program “Needs Assistance” According to State Report

By |

For the first time, the Watertown Public Schools’ Special Education program has failed to earn a grade of “Meets Requirements” from state officials. The School Committee heard a report about the shortfalls and possible solutions at its Dec. 8 meeting. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) calculates a score for each school district based multiple factors including the outcomes for students with disabilities (graduations rates, MCAS, inclusion in regular classrooms), compliance with Special Education regulations, and other factors such as staffing and funds spent on special education. Watertown received a score of 31 out of a total of 45 points, or 69 percent, which falls into the “Needs Assistance” category.

Schools

Hosmer School Celebrated 2025-26 Literacy Week with a Theme of “The Power of Words”

By |

The following piece was provided by Hosmer Elementary School:

On Friday, Dec. 5, Hosmer School proudly concluded its annual Literacy Week, a vibrant celebration of the theme “The Power of Words” held districtwide in Watertown from December 1-5, 2025. The week highlighted how words shape communication, spark imagination, and strengthen community. The guiding message “Words have power. We communicate with our words.

Schools

Watertown Schools Receive Grant to Provide Hands On Learning About Green Buildings

By |

The Watertown Public Schools received a Student and Young Adult Career Awareness and Training grant of $250,000 from the Mass. Clean Energy Center in the state’s effort to grown Massachusetts’ clean energy workforce. The funds will be used to launch the High-Performance Buildings initiative to deliver clean energy career exposure and hands-on learning opportunities to a broad student population, according to the announcement from MassCEC. The grant was one of 22 awarded in category, with a total amount awarded of $4.7 million in the category and $27 million overall. See more information in the announcement, below.

Government

City Will Buy Modular Classrooms to Give Time & Flexibility for Middle School Project

By |

The City Council voted to purchase the modular classrooms currently being used as the temporary Watertown High School at Moxley Field. (Courtesy by City of Watertown)

City Councilors unanimously voted to purchase the modular classrooms set up on Moxley Field on Tuesday. The City will make up the cost by eliminating leasing costs, and by owning them there will no longer be a rush to start a project to renovate or rebuild Watertown Middle School and there are hopes of reducing the price tag for that project. In the latest meeting regarding the future of the Middle School, City Manager George Proakis said buying the modulars for $2.2 million makes sense. It gives School and City officials time to plan because the current lease of the modulars ends on April 30, 2026.

Government

City Council Looking at Middle School Options; High School Project on Time, Receiving Solar Reimbursement

By |

A new middle school could still be a possibility in the near future, as the City Council discusses the options on Nov. 25, 2026. Above is a vision of what a new Watertown Middle School could look like created by Ai3 Architects. Tuesday night, the future of the Watertown Middle School may be decided by the City Council. Councilors have discussed how to approach the rehabilitation of the school at 68 Waverley Ave.

Entertainment

Watertown High School Drama Presents “Little Women” This Weekend

By |

Watertown High School’s fall production of “Little Women” will go on the Watertown Middle School stage for three shows from Nov. 21 to 23. See more information below. The WHS Drama Program presents: Little Women. ​The production will take place on Friday, ​November 21 ​at 7 p.m., Saturday, November 22 at 7 p.m., and Sunday, November 23 at 2 p.m.

All shows will be at the Watertown Middle School Auditorium.

Schools

Girls on the Run Finishes Fall Season with a 5K in Boston

By |

(Photo by Nina Cohen)

The following announcement was provided by Girls on the Run:

Following a successful spring season, Girls on the Run returned to Watertown this fall with a roster of 20 girls in grades 3, 4 and 5. The girls were from the Hosmer, Lowell, Cunniff and St. Agnes Schools. The eight-week program began on Sept. 24th and culminated in a celebratory 5K at the Boston Common on Nov.