Around Town

LETTER: Barely Meeting the Minimum is Not Good Enough for Watertown Students

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The following letter was sent by a group of Watertown parents called WPS Parents for Moving School Forward:

While school districts across Massachusetts are presenting their communities with joyous plans to return elementary students to school full time by the state required date of April 5 or earlier, Watertown is setting itself up to again lag behind in providing students access to public school. Our community has been informed of a plan that would put elementary students in school for only half days starting April 5 until an eventual return to full time April 26. As this approach is contrary to the back to school full time by April 5 mandate that the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has recently announced, WPS is now in the process of asking DESE is this is allowable. As best as we can understand, WPS is arguing to DESE that if we do half days for most of April, but regular full days for the rest of the year after that, then over the full 10 weeks remaining we will end up with an average that meets the state minimum hourly per-day requirements and therefore should be permitted to delay full time return. Whether DESE allows this or not, it is a bad choice for the students of Watertown.

Around Town

Senior Events: Zoom With Sen. Brownsberger, A “Trip to Ireland” & COVID Info

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Watertown Senior Center

Programs for Week of March 15, 2021

Join us via Zoom for the following programs. Call for access info: (617) 972-6490.New participants always welcome in every program! We hope you’ll join us! Monday:   10:00 AM, Art Class with Dawn Scaltreto12:30 PM, Chair Yoga with Diane2:00 PM, Zoom with Senator BrownsbergerTuesday:     10:00 AM, Zoom Trip to Ireland11:30 AM, Grab-n-Go pick-up begins for those who registered12:30 PM, Tai Chi & Meditation with Marie2:00 PM, Line Dancing with Bradley                                     Wednesday: HAPPY SAINT PATRICK’s DAY!9:00 AM, Coffee with the Director10:00 AM, New Time & Instructor! Exercise with Shannon Lee JonesThursday:        9:00 AM, Pilates with Marina Z.10:30 AM, Talk with Tom: Coffee & Casual Conversation2:00 PM, Irish Music with Police Chief Michael LawnFriday:            10:00 AM, Exercise with Shannon Lee Jones     12:00 PM, Seated Strength & Balance with Pearl2:45 PM, Mellowtones Chorus with Anne Silverman

Looking Ahead

Wednesday, March 24 at 9:00 AM: Pet Lovers Group will host Dr. Dawn Binder, Owner of Cushing Square Veterinary Clinic in Belmont, who will talk about adopting senior pets, how to take care of senior pets, bringing new pets into the home, and answer your questions as part of “Ask a Vet”.  Please join us and don’t forget to include your pets.

Around Town

See How to Preregister to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine at a Mass Vaccination Location

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Massachusetts residents can now sign up to get preregistered for the COVID-19 vaccine. The state’s vaccine signup went live on Friday, March 12. The system preregisters users to get a vaccine at one of the Mass Vaccination sites. These currently include: Gillette Stadium, Fenway Park (until March 26), the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, the DoubleTree in Danvers, the Eastfield Mall in Springfield, the Natick Mall, and the former Circuit City in Dartmouth. Beginning March 27, the Hynes Convention Center in Boston will be a vaccination site.

ARF East Region

COVID-19 Panel Discussion Being Hosted by Watertown-Based Armenian Group

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Hear from a panel of experts on the COVID-19 vaccine at a virtual discussion hosted by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Eastern Region, which is based in Watertown. The group put out the following information:

Join the ARF Eastern Region for a LIVE Covid-19 panel discussion on Sunday, March 14 at 5 pm EST on Facebook Live for the latest information on the Covid-19 vaccine from those working the front lines. To join the livestream, click here: https://www.facebook.com/arfeastusa/posts/1734107006775898

Panelists include John Bilezikian, MD, endocrinology, Columbia University; Kim Hekimian, PhD, public health, Columbia University; Tsoline Kojaoghlanian, MD, infectious disease, Maimonides Children’s Hospital; Lawrence Najarian, MD, ophthalmology, New York University; and, Karine Shnorhokian, MSN, RN, regional director, CareOne. 

There will be an opportunity for participants to ask panelists questions.

Anti-Bias Coalition

Upcoming One-Man Performance Part of Watertown Youth Coalition’s Diversity & Equity Series

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The Watertown Anti-Bias Coalition will host An Evening With Mykee Fowlin on Monday, March 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

The performance is called “You Don’t Know Me Until You Know Me,” and will be held remotely over Zoom. It is part of a series of the Watertown Anti-Bias Coalition’s series addressing diversity and equity in the Watertown Schools. Fowlin describes it as:

“To varying degrees, we all wear masks. We are conditioned to hide our true selves, out of fear of being rejected and/or judged. We are taught to devalue or ignore our pain as if its utility is better served hidden than exposed.

Around Town

Watertown Scouts Collecting Items for Watertown Food Pantry

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Watertown Scouts collected 2.5 tons of food in the fall, and will be having another food drive in March. Watertown Scout Troop 30 provided the following announcement:

The 2.5 tons of food collected by scouts in November has gone to meet an unprecedented need in our community, so scouts are asking you again to help. March 20, 12:30-3 p.m., scouts are collecting shelf-stable food items for the Watertown Food Pantry at 80 Mt. Auburn St. 

Scouting for Food has become a tradition for Scouts in Watertown. Both Troop 30 (age 10-17) and Pack 30 (age 5-10) scouts have made the food drive part of their Thanksgiving tradition, collecting enough food that it’s measured in tons.

Around Town

March at the Library: Ask Doctors About COVID, New Rep Moving Play & Trivia Night

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The Watertown Free Public Library. The following information was provided by the Watertown Library:

On Thursday, March 18, the New Repertory Theatre, the Pigsgusset Initiative, and the Watertown Free Public Library invite you to a dynamic community conversation with culture keepers about local Indigenous history. In May, the New Rep will premiere their second Moving Play, written by Mwalim Morgan J. Peters (Mashpee Wampanoag), and directed by Jaime Carrillo (Aymara). This event is a unique opportunity to hear from the playwright and director as they discuss challenging narratives that attempt to erase them. We hope you will join us, virtually, for an inspired, interactive, dialog moderated by Dr. Mishy Lesser of The Upstander Project.

Around Town

Watertown COVID-19 Cases Dropping; Teachers Soon to be Added to Vaccine List, New Site

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Watertown’s COVID-19 cases dropped below 100 for the fist time since before Thanksgiving. Also, the list of those eligible for the vaccine will soon include teachers, and those looking for vaccines have a new option in the area. The town had 89 cases over the previous 14 days according to the Mass. Department of Public Health’s most recent report on Feb. 25.