Schools

Information About Watertown’s Free PreK and Preschool Programs

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On Monday, the School Committee approved Superintendent Dede Galdston’s plan to provide free universal prekindergarten in the Watertown Public Schools beginning in the fall of 2024. Galdston provided more information about the program in an announcement sent out this week, see it below. Watertown Public Schools is pleased to announce that PreKindergarten and Preschool classes will be tuition-free for children who turn 4 by August 31, 2024. Applications for the 2024-2025 school year have already begun, and we are excited to be able to offer up to 40 additional spaces for Watertown children in our prekindergarten and preschool classrooms.

Here is more information about our Early Steps PreKindergarten program and process:

PreKindergarten is for students who turn four by August 31. The classroom has 18 students in it with 1 certified teacher and 1 instructional assistant. The curriculum is age-appropriate with an emphasis on socialization, early numeracy, and early literacy skills.

Government

Watertown’s Building and Inspectional Services Departments Moving Out of City Hall

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Another Watertown City department will be moving out of City Hall and into the Parker Annex building. The Health Department and the Information Technology departments have already made the move south of the Charles River. The City of Watertown sent out the following information:

Watertown Building/Inspectional Services is moving on Thursday, February 22, 2024 and Friday February 23, 2024 to the Parker Annex Third floor, room 3D, located at 124 Watertown St., Watertown, MA 02472. They will still have the same phone number of 617-972-6480, the same contact information, and the same webpage. The staff will not be available for in-office face-to-face interactions starting at 11 a.m. on Thursday the 23rd and all-day Friday the 24th.

Entertainment

Small Saves Gears Up for Valentine’s Day in This Week’s Comic

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James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”

Around Town

Watertown Resident Promoted to Chief of Real Estate at 2 Life Communities

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Watertown’s Zoe Weinrobe has been promoted to Chief of Properties at 2Life Communities. (Courtesy Photo)

The following announcement was provided by 2Life Communities:

2Life Communities is pleased to announce the promotion of Zoe Weinrobe to chief of real estate, overseeing a portfolio that has seen unprecedented growth during her seven years with the organization. In her previous role as director of real estate, Weinrobe led the creation of nearly 400 affordable apartments at 2Life while also overseeing the renovations of 2Life’s Golda Meir and Coleman Houses in Newton. As chief of real estate, Weinrobe will expand on her success and lead the organization’s real estate development at a time of tremendous growth. 2Life is currently developing multiple large-scale projects including its middle-income housing model Opus Newton, a redevelopment of the J.J. Carroll Apartments in Brighton with the Boston Housing Authority and Brooke House at Olmsted Village in Mattapan.

Around Town

Watertown Organization Received Grant from Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism

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The following information was provided by the Doug Flutie Jr., Foundation for Autism:

The Doug Flutie Jr., Foundation for Autism (The Flutie Foundation), a leading non-profit in the Autism community, awarded over $639,000 to 67 leading non-profit organizations through the Autism Community Impact Grant. One of the organizations receiving a grant was the Association of Autism and Neurodiversity in Watertown, which received $10,000. The Flutie Foundation recognized organizations located in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Central Florida who share a passion for helping those with autism live life to the fullest. The grant also puts an emphasis on supporting traditionally under-served, under-funded, culturally diverse communities. Funds from the grant will be used to support crucial resources, programming, and activities within the autism community.

Schools

Charles River Chamber Scholarships Available, Expanded Beyond College

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The following announcement was provided by the Charles River Regional Chamber:

The Charles River Regional Chamber is offering scholarship opportunities for up to four deserving students who either live in Needham, Newton, Watertown, or Wellesley and/or who attend school in Needham, Newton, Watertown, or Wellesley and who plan to attend an accredited program, community college, college or university in the next academic year. The student(s) selected will have a check (approximately $2,000) sent to their college or university to be applied toward tuition upon successfully completing their first semester. New this year, the chamber is expanding eligibility for a scholarship to include high school graduates who will be attending community colleges and other accredited post-secondary programs.

“We used to limit participation in our scholarship program to students attending a four-year college,” explained Charles River Chamber President and CEO Greg Reibman. “However, we’re expanding eligibility because we’ve come to recognize that there’s more than one path students can take to a fulfilling career, just as different jobs require different skills, knowledge, or credentials.” Selection will be made by a panel of local leaders who will review all applications completed by the submission deadline of March 29, 2024 at 5 p.m. Decisions will be made based on a combination of the application’s completeness and accuracy, letter of recommendation, and responses to essay questions.

Government

Watertown Appoints New Director of Health Department

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The following announcement came from the City of Watertown:

Congratulations to Abbey Myers, the City of Watertown’s new permanent Director of Public Health, effective, Monday, February 5, 2024. Abbey has been a key member of the Health Department’s staff since she was hired, providing customer service while coordinating many aspects of public health, from updating our COVID policy, to attending emergency management training, building our new rodent policy, establishing better rules for dumpsters, and catching bats (yes . . . bats!). 

She stepped up into the Interim Director role, in August of 2023, where she has served the public well, staffing the Board of Health meetings, managing the Health Department staff, and organizing the Department’s move to the Parker Annex last week.

Schools

Applications Available for 56th Annual Lt. Paul J. Sullivan Scholarship

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Lt. Paul Sullivan was killed in Vietnam in 1968, and a scholarship in his name has been given out for 56 years. For the 56th year, a scholarship will be awarded in memory of Paul J. Sullivan, a Watertown-native who died serving in the Vietnam. The following information was provided by the Lt. Paul J. Sullivan Scholarship Committee:

THE LT. PAUL J. SULLIVAN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

One could not have asked for a finer friend than Paul Sullivan. He was a model of rectitude in his personal relationships. In all his dealings he was straightforward, candid, and direct.