Perkins School for the Blind

Perkins School for the Blind Hosts Harry Potter Weekend

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Perkins School for the Blind got a taste of Hogwarts over the weekend, when children with visual impairments got to participate in Harry Potter Weekend. 

The outreach program opened the campus to students throughout the community with visual impairment for some fun and games inspired by the young wizard. “This was a terrific weekend not only for volunteers and staff, but for the students. The kids were so immersed in the activities,” said Mike Cataruzolo, manager of Volunteer Services at Perkins School for the Blind. “They really felt like they were at having a magical time at Hogwarts. We hope to have this weekend again next year.”

Schools

Watertown Students Get a Taste of Science, Technology & More During STEM Week

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In an effort to boost interest by students in STEM education — science, technology, engineering and math — the Baker-Polito Administration declared Oct. 22-26, 2018 STEM Week. The Watertown Public Schools organized a range of events for students in elementary, middle and high school, including field trips to local companies, panels of professionals, and design challenges. Some of the students and classes attending the events are from STEM subjects, but there are others from classes like civics and economics. Laura Alderson Rotondo, the district’s Career Technical Education (CTE) coordinator, said she would have liked to have gotten every student in the district involved in the STEM Week activities, but having started planning in September it was not possible.

Cunniff School

School Committee Excited by Improvement on MCAS Shown by Watertown Elementary Students

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The elementary school results on the 2018 MCAS test pleased the School Committee, particularly the improvement by students over the last year. Watertown’s principals and administrators presented the results at Monday night’s School Committee meeting. Efforts were made after last year’s MCAS results, said Assistant Superintendent of Teaching, Learning and Assessment Theresa McGuinness. “Last year, when we met to discuss the scores we realized we had a curriculum alignment problem,” McGuinness said.  “We met to see how we could make changes.” The growth in the scores particularly stood out, she said.

Schools

See When Renovation Projects to be Presented to Watertown’s Elementary Schools

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Parents and neighbors of Watertown’s three elementary schools will get to see what is in store for their buildings during the upcoming renovation projects, and they will have a chance to give their feedback. 

The district’s architect and the School Building Committee will present the current plans at meetings held at the individual schools. The first meeting will be at Cunniff Elementary School on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. Next will be Hosmer Elementary School on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. Lowell Elemenatary School’s meeting will be on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 6 p.m.

Parents will be notified through announcements sent out by their children’s schools, while nearby residents will be sent a notice of the meeting, said Town Council President Mark Sideris, who is also chair of the School Building Committee.

Around Town

Applicants Sought for Watertown Community Foundation’s Education Grants

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) has merged with the Watertown Education Foundation (WEF) and announces the release of the Fall 2018 School Program Grants. This program focuses solely on Watertown’s public schools and seeks to support activities that improve instruction and learning.  The application form is available online. Grant requests of up to $2,500 will be considered, though the average amount awarded will likely range from $500 to $1,000. Where partnerships of two or more schools or organizations are involved an award of up to $5,000 will be considered. A total of $35.000 will be awarded Applications can be submitted for individual classrooms, grade-level initiatives, after-school programs, school-wide efforts, and system-wide plans.

Entertainment

Crafts, Entertainment & Treats at the Annual Homelearners’ Fall Fair

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The following information was provided by Advocates for Home Education in Massachusetts:
The AHEM Homelearners’ Fall Fair, featuring handmade crafts, entertainment, and delicious baked goods, will be held on Saturday, Nov. 3, for three action-packed hours: 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., at First Parish of Watertown, 35 Church St., Watertown, MA. Admission is free. For information visit www.ahem.info. This lively fair provides a great opportunity to buy inexpensive, homemade gifts for the holidays, sample tasty baked goods, be entertained by a variety of talents, and enjoy networking and conversation with other homeschoolers — also a great way to introduce people to the homeschooling concept.

Schools

Watertown Public Schools Hosting Screenings for Special Education Preschool

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The Watertown Public Schools provided the following information:

The Watertown Public School’s Special Education Department will be offering Early
Childhood screenings for children ages 3 to 5 years old. Screenings are for children whose families have concerns about their developmental progress. They are conducted in an arena model specifically in the areas of:
Speech and language
Fine Motor (OT)
Gross Motor (PT)
Pre-Academic Readiness
Screenings are by appointment only. Families with concerns are encouraged to
contact the preschool to make an appointment by calling 617-926-7765 or e-mail
Karen.feeney@watertown.k12.ma.us

The arena screenings will be held at Early Steps Integrated Preschool located at the Hosmer Elementary School, 1 Concord Road on the following dates and times:
Monday, Oct. 22, 12:00–12:30, 12:30–1:00
Monday, Nov.

Schools

Watertown High School Robotics Team Excels at Beantown Blitz Competition

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On Oct. 6, the Watertown High School Robotics Team competed in Beantown Blitz in Revere where after a long day of competition they were able to advance to the final match and achieve a second place alliance finish in a closely contested final! Seventeen teams from around the New England region attended the competition and joined in three team alliances against other alliances to score points with their robots by strategically and efficiently placing game cubes in Exchanges, Switches and Scales. After competing in nine qualifying matches, the team moved on to the elimination matches. In the semi­final match, the WHS Robotics team’s alliance handily won the round 2­0 in a best of three.