Schools

Watertown May Build Two New Elementary Schools Instead of Renovating Them

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The option of building new buildings at two Watertown’s three elementary school appears to be back on the table, after Town Council President Mark Sideris announced that they may fit within the town’s budget during Wednesday’s School Building Committee. Originally, the School Building Committee previously went in the direction of renovating the current schools and putting on additions at Hosmer and Cunniff elementary schools to save money. However, the cost estimates for doing so has risen significantly. Sideris and Town Manager Michael Driscoll discussed other options, and decided that the possibility of building new schools may be within reach, Sideris said. The decision came after hearing from parents and neighbors of the schools, many of whom worried about the loss of green space with the proposed school expansions.

Around Town

Learn About Early Literacy Development at Event at Watertown Library

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The following information was provided by the event organizer:

Lecture and Discussion: Early Literacy Development (Birth To Age 5) at The Watertown Public Library 

On Saturday Dec. 8, a lecture and discussion about early literacy development at the Watertown Public Library at 1 p.m. will be led by Teddy Kokoros, a Pre-K Teacher at Transpiration Children’s Center and adjunct early childhood education professor at Fisher College, Lesley University, and UMass Boston. The event will be at Watertown Public Library’s Lucia Mastrangelo Meeting Room and is free and open to the public. http://reservations.watertownlib.org/reservation/40734

This event will go over how teachers and parents of young children can best support young children’s early literacy development. Topics covered will including finding quality picture books, dialogic reading, vocabulary development, reading comprehensions skills, phonics and decoding.

Schools

Parking, Drop Off at Lowell School Concern Residents, Some Oppose Location of Additions

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Parking dominated the discussion of the plans to renovate and expand Lowell Elementary School at Wednesday night’s community meeting. The School Building Committee presented the latest designs for the renovated Lowell School at the community meeting. The school will be expanded so it can handle up to 550 students (the school currently has about 420), and update the current classrooms and facilities to provide a 21st century education, said Superintendent Dede Galdston. The Lowell library was filled with both parents and nearby residents. The topic of parking, and the drop off and pickup of students, were among the topics discussed by the attendees.

Arts

Watertown School Staff Putting on Play with 1 Day Prep to Raise Money for Band Trip

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Some familiar faces in the Watertown Public Schools will have just one day to prepare a play for a performance on Saturday night. The proceeds from the event will help defer cost of the Watertown High School music program’s trip to New York. 

The Mystery Staff Show features 16 members of the WPS staff, who will not know what they will be performing until just 27.5 hours before they go on stage at the Watertown High School auditorium on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m.

Tickets cost $10, and the money raised will help cut the cost of the every-other-year trip to New York by Watertown High School’s music program. Members of the band, orchestra and chorus head to the Big Apple for a weekend that includes performances, a trip to a play, and visits to tourist spots. The cast includes: Zack Allen, Heidi Baildon, Laurie Brackett, Culley Byham, Holly Cachimuel, Megan DiDuca, Aine Dirrane, Jess Donato, Amy Donohue, Chad Foster, Chris McDermott, Pat O’Neill, Nyssa Patten, Magen Slesinger, Siran Tamakian, and Sarah Thiemann.

Schools

School Committee Votes Against Seeking Membership to Minuteman Vocational District

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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.

Schools

Mixed Results on MCAS for Watertown Middle, High School Students

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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.

Schools

Watertown High School Robotics Team Receives a $5,000 Grant

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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.

Schools

Two Watertown High School Students Named National Merit Commended Students

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Two Watertown High School seniors received recognition from National Merit Program for being among the top scorers on the PSAT. Nathan Follett and Robert Leonard were named Commended Students in the 2019 National Merit Program, based on their scores on the 2017 PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test), Superintendent Dede Galdston announced at this week’s School Committee meeting. Approximately 1.6 million students took the PSAT in 2017, and the top 50,000 were identified by the National Merit Program. “They are approximately in the top 3 percent of students in the nation,” Galdston said. School Committee Chairman John Portz added, “Congratulations to both of you.