School Bus

School Committee Changes Rules for Who Gets Priority on School Buses

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Students who live farther from school will get priority for seats on the school bus under the changes to the Watertown Public School’s Transportation Policy, passed by the School Committee last week. The state requires districts to provide free transportation for students in grades K-5 who live 2 miles or more walking distance from school, said School Committee member Eileen Hsu-Balzer, who is chair of the Policy Subcommittee. In Watertown the limit for free bus transportation is dropped to 1.5 miles for those going to Hosmer Elementary School. Also, sixth graders who live 2 miles or more from Watertown Middle School get to ride for free. The Watertown Schools also provide free transportation for students attending the Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Lexington.

Schools

School Building Committee Meeting Three Times in August

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School may be out for summer, but the planning for the reconstruction of Watertown’s three elementary schools will still be in session. The School Building Committee, which oversees the design and construction of Hosmer, Lowell and Cunniff elementary schools, has three meetings scheduled in August. The group is scheduled to meet on Aug. 1, 15 and 29, but the meeting on the 15th may conflict with a School Committee meeting. The School Building Committee meets at 6 p.m. in the Council Chamber in Town Hall.

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.

Schools

13 WHS Students Get Summer Internships Through Watertown Community Foundation

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The Watertown Community Foundation provided the following piece:

The days of lolling at the town pool are just a memory for this year’s Watertown High School internship awardees. No sooner had school ended than students began rolling up their sleeves to:
• dig in the community gardens
• teach acting skills to youngsters
• learn the legal profession
• perfect their presentation skills
• spend one-on-one time with seniors
• measure trees in town
• greet hospital patients and their families

In 2015, when the Watertown Community Foundation and the Watertown High School Guidance Department launched this unique summer internship program for our town’s high school-age students, we had no idea how quickly it would grow! From just five students in 2015, it has nearly tripled to a record 13 students in the program this summer. Watertown students find an internship that can provide them with meaningful work experience. They commit to working 120 hours over the course of the summer and are paid a stipend at the end of the work experience.

College Honors

Pair of Watertown Residents Named to Their College’s Dean’s Lists

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Two Watertown residents were recently named to their college’s Dean’s List. Student at Savanah College for Art and Design
Emerson Shaye O’Connor was named to the Dean’s List at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Ga., for spring quarter 2018. Emerson is seeking a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion Marketing and Merchandising with a minor in Fashion Design. She is the daughter of Julie MacDonald of Watertown and Jonathan O’Connor of Newton. Named one of Kaplan’s “25 cutting edge schools with an eye toward the future,” the Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution with locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Ga., and in Lacoste, France.

Schools

Comcast Awards Watertown Grad Scholarship for Academics, Community Service

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The following release was provided by Comcast:

Watertown’s Kaitlin Tracy was one of 103 Massachusetts students to receive a 2018 Leaders and Achievers Scholarship. The program, funded by the Comcast Foundation, is a one-time, $1,000 scholarship awarded to the best and brightest high school seniors for their community service, academic performance and leadership skills. Since 2001, more than $28 million has been awarded to nearly 27,000 high school seniors across the country as part of the Leaders and Achievers Program. “Our Leaders and Achievers Scholarship winners are exceptional students who are committed to academic excellence and community service,” said Tracy Pitcher, Senior Vice President of Comcast’s Greater Boston Region. “We are honored to recognize their achievements and excited to support them as they continue their educational journeys.”

Comcast, joined by Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, recognized the students at a special event held at the Massachusetts State House today. Added Lt. Governor Polito, “Our administration is committed to helping students across the Commonwealth receive a quality, affordable education and we are pleased to have partners like Comcast assist in those efforts. We are proud of this year’s Leaders & Achievers Scholarship recipients for their community service, academic performance and leadership skills and look forward to their future growth and successes.”

The Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program provides scholarships to students who strive to achieve their full potential, who are catalysts for positive change in their communities, who are involved in their schools, and who serve as models for their fellow students.

Charity

Winners of 50th Annual Lt. Paul J. Sullivan Scholarship, Other Awards Announced

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The following information was provided by the organizers of the Lt. Paul J. Sullivan Scholarship:

Congratulations to the 50th Anniversary Lt. Paul J. Sullivan Scholarship award winners. A record $23,000 was presented to these 10 wonderful young men and women. Awards were presented on Saturday, June 23, 2018, at the Sons of Italy, Watertown. 2018 Lt. Paul J. Sullivan Scholarship Winners
Elizabeth Powderly, of Watertown, 2018 Lt. Paul J. Sullivan Scholarship Winner, Watertown High School, attending Penn State. Emily Koufos, of Watertown, Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship in memory of Paul Cusick, Watertown High School, attending the College of the Holy Cross.