Schools

Watertown Weighing Whether to Join Minuteman Vocational District, Parent Says More Urgency Needed

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Watertown Public School officials must decide whether it makes more sense for the town to join the Minuteman Vocational Technical High School District, continue to send children as a non-member, or find some other option for vocational education. At Monday’s School Committee meeting, Superintendent Dede Galdston said the district continues to research what will be best for the students of Watertown, but one parent advocate for joining Minuteman said the district is not moving fast enough. Watertown currently sends dozens of students to the vocational high school in Lexington. Last year, there were so many students that they more than filled a 53-student school bus. The Watertown Public Schools pay the tuition for the students to attend Minuteman.

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.

Around Town

Mall Hosts Events featuring Aquarium, Peter Rabbit and Museum of Science

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The Watertown Mall has plenty of activities for children coming up. See details here. The Watertown Mall sent out the following announcements:
Whale Day
The Watertown Mall, located at 550 Arsenal Street, Watertown, will be hosting the New England Aquarium for their “Whale Day” event on Tuesday, July 31, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Visit the Watertown Mall for their “Whale Day” event, sponsored by the New England Aquarium. The event will be taking place on July 31, 2018 from 11:00 to 2:00. A great program for families, Whale Day allows children to learn about whales and other ocean life and participate in fun activities, such as a whale feeding simulation and a whale species matching game.

Real Estate

Half a Dozen Watertown Homes Sold This Week

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Here are the six homes that sold this week in Watertown. $430,000 – 10 Williams St. Unit 25, 4 room, 2 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, Mid-Rise condo/townhouse

$670,000 – 40 Commonwealth Road Unit 1, 7 room, 3 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, 2/3 Family condo/townhouse

$870,000 – 129 Arsenal St., 3 unit, 13 total room, 5 total bedroom, 3 Family multi-family home

Sponsored by:

$650,080 – 64 Union St., 6 room, 3 bedroom, 1 full & 1 half bathroom, Gambrel /Dutch single-family home

$391,000 – 20 Riverside St. Unit 3-8, 4 room, 2 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, condo/townhouse

$475,000 – 10 Williams St. Unit 89, 5 room, 2 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, High-Rise condo/townhouse

Government

Parts of Common Street Closing for Construction Starting This Week

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The Watertown Department of Public Works announced that the construction project on Common Street will soon begin, and the street will be closed much of the day. 

The project includes creating a roundabout at the intersection of Common Street, Orchard Street and Church Street. Also, the intersection with Spring Street will be redesigned. The DPW sent out the following announcement:
Beginning Monday, July 23, Common Street will be closed between Mt. Auburn Street and Orchard Street between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., with local access provided to abutters and Middlesex Road residents only. The closure will also include the intersection of Spring Street — there will be no access to Common Street from Spring Street.

Around Town

Signing of First Treaty Made by U.S., Reading of Declaration of Independence Celebrated in Watertown

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The Historical Society of Watertown commemorated two important moments in the history of the Town, the state and the nation during the annual Treaty Day on July 14. During the ceremony, the Historical Society held a reenactment of the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in Massachusetts, and also remembered the first treaty signed by the recently formed United States. Both events took place at the Edmund Fowle House, the meeting place of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress during the first year of the Revolutionary War. Members of the Historical Society reenacted the reading of the Declaration of Independence, which was done from the second floor window of the house on Marshall Street. The first reading took place on July 18, 1776.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Driver Arrested on 3rd OUI, Man Gets in Trouble for Setting Off Fireworks

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
July 4, 9:31 p.m.: Police received multiple reports of fireworks being set off in town, and when an officer was patrolling on near Mt. Auburn Street and Parker Street he noticed fireworks going off on Phillips Street. The officer saw a man light more fireworks. Police also found that the man was wanted on a warrant.