Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/author/cbreitro/page/536/)
The latest concert to benefit Watertown’s sister city relationship will feature the gospel group Meeting Across the Water. The concert will be Saturday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. at the First Parish Church, 35 Church St. in Watertown. The Tremedal Concerts benefit the Watertown-El Salvador Sister City Project.
The Town of Watertown will not seek to join the Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School District, at least not this year.
The School Committee voted last week to follow the recommendation of a subcommittee that looked into whether to join the regional district which runs the vocational high school in Lexington. Watertown has consistently sent more than 50 students to Minuteman each year over the past 10 years. This year there are 56 students, or more than 10 percent of the total enrollment (516) and sends more students than all but one community. Arlington, a member community, sends 119 students this year. There are 10 member towns, and students from those communities are accepted before the school looks at out-of-district applicants, Minuteman Superintendent Edward Bouquillon said at the joint Budget & Finance and Curriculum subcommittee meeting.
The MCAS scores at Watertown Middle School and Watertown High School showed both improvements and drops from prior years, as well as compared to the state average. The School Committee heard the report last week, and members were interested in what is being done to improve Watertown’s scores. Interpreting the scores is not as easy as past years, said Theresa McGuinness, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching, Learning and Assessment, because many students took the new version of the MCAS test last year, while others took the old one. At Watertown Middle School, the scores dropped in English Language Arts (ELA) in sixth, seventh and eighth grades, but remained ahead of state average in seventh and eighth grade, said Watertown Middle School principal Donna Martin. In math, the WMS scores were down from 2017.
The Watertown High School Robotics Team sent out the following information:
Students at Watertown High School have found external support as they utilize robots to improve skills in science and engineering. The Monsanto Fund, a philanthropic arm of Bayer, recently awarded a one-time $5,000 grant to Watertown High Robotics Team 2423 to support their FIRST Robotics activities and encourage local students who participate in the program. Watertown High Robotics Team 2423 will use support from the Monsanto Fund grant to participate in FIRST Robotics and its educational programs and competitions. FIRST enables teams of students to compete with others in building, designing and programming their own robots to perform preassigned tasks– giving young students a chance to get involved with real-world engineering. “Allowing today’s students to learn STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills through hands-on experiences is crucial to preparing our next generation to drive innovation and overcome challenges,” said Michelle Insco, Monsanto Fund program officer.
Giving Tuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, kicks off the charitable giving season. This year it is Nov. 27, and if you want to give where you live here are a couple of options. A Watertown-based organization aiming to stop child abuse, a program at the Perkins School for the Blind, and the Watertown Boys & Girls Club are seeking donations during #GivingTuesday. Watertown Community Foundation
There is no better way to see the true impact of your donation than to give where you live.
The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
Nov. 12, 2:06 a.m.: An officer spotted a woman on Philip Darch Road known to be wanted on an arrest warrant. The 36-year-old Watertown woman was arrested on the warrant from Concord District Court for traffic offenses. Nov.
Three condos and a Cape sold this week in Watertown. $410,000 – 27 Grant Ave. Unit 27, 6 room, 2 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, Townhouse condo/townhouse
$585,000 – 136 Acton St., 6 room, 3 bedroom, 2 full bathroom, Cape single-family home
Sponsored by:
$719,001 – 504 Main St. Unit 2, 8 room, 3 bedroom, 2 full bathroom, 2/3 Family condo/townhouse
$720,000 – 58 Church St. Unit 58, 7 room, 3 bedroom, 2 full & 1 half bathroom, Townhouse condo/townhouse
Fifteen minutes before the 2018 Donohue’s Turkey Trot was scheduled to begin, Bigelow Avenue was nearly deserted. As race time approached, however, hundreds of runners emerged from Donohue’s Bar & Grill for the Thanksgiving morning 5K on the streets of Watertown. Despite temperatures in the low teens, 567 runners ran the 20th edition of the race. Many ran in duffle coats, others in head to toe furry costumes, and many had turkey headwear. One brave runner came out in shorts.