NEASC

High School Re-Accredited, But Report Says School Facility Needs Upgrading

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Watertown High School received the seal of approval from the re-accreditation team visited the high school last spring, but there are still some areas in glaring need of improvement, the report said. The school has received notice from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges’ Commission on Public Schools, WHS Principal Shirley Lundberg told School Committee members last week. The school not only received re-accreditation but got a large number of commendations, Lundberg said. “When the process started I went to a conference where they say to expect to get about 12 commendations,” Lundberg said. Watertown received 26 accreditations, she added.

Scholarship

Applications Being Accepted for 49th Lt. Paul J. Sullivan Scholarship

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The Lieutenant Paul J. Sullivan Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the 49th annual Lt. Paul J. Sullivan Scholarship. The Scholarship Award of $4,000 will be awarded to a deserving high school senior to perpetuate Paul’s memory. There will also be awards for the other finalists. Last year, a total of $18,000 was awarded to seven young men and women. Paul was a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Watertown and a graduate of St.

Schools

Find Out When the Superintendent Finalists Will Visit, How You Can Participate

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The Watertown School Committee will host two candidates for the position of Watertown School Superintendent, school officials announced. Arthur Unobskey, Assistant Superintendent of the Gloucester Public Schools, will visit Watertown on March 2, and Deanne Galdston, Assistant Superintendent of the Billerica Public Schools, will visit on March 6. The candidates will visit each of the district’s five schools, meeting the principal, teachers, staff, and students. The candidates also will meet a group of high school students, town officials, and will hold a question-and-answer session with teachers and other educators in the district. An open public forum will be held each day from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Town Council chambers in Town Hall.

School Committee

Consultant to be Hired to Plan for Renovation of Watertown’s Schools

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The School Committee agreed to hire a consultant to get the planning for renovating Watertown’s schools rolling, and at the same time officials will apply to the state for money to renovate the high school. School officials want to renovate the five Watertown schools, but they need to decide which to tackle first. School Committee Chairman John Portz announced last week that a “request for qualifications” has been put out by the district looking for consultants. “There are a series of next steps. One is hiring a consultant to prioritize building projects,” Portz said.

Brigham House

Watertown Students Bond with Seniors Through Intergenerational Activities

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This school year, some of Watertown’s youngest students have added a new component to their curriculum—events with the town’s senior citizens. Preschool and elementary school students have trick-or-treated, performed a Thanksgiving play, listened to “Mrs. Mittens” read a winter story, and delivered valentines. With the Phillips School building (adjacent to the Senior Center) now being used for some preschool classes, the partnership was welcomed and convenient, said Karen Feeney, Watertown’s Early Childhood director. “We are thrilled to collaborate with our neighbors as a way to foster community. The seniors have so much fun and the students love it.

Schools

Watertown Schools Release Statement on Respecting Diversity

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In light of recent discussions at the Federal level about travel bans from certain countries and immigrations, School Committee Chairman John Portz and Interim Superintendent John Brackett released a “Statement on Respecting Diversity.” The statement reads:
In Watertown, we celebrate our diversity. As a school system, we are committed to protecting the right of all students and educators to participate in our learning community. Recent events at the national level regarding travel restrictions and related actions prompt us to reiterate and reassure that Watertown Public Schools is an open, welcoming, and inclusive place to learn and work. Debates in national policy continue, but we are committed to providing a safe, learning environment for all students.

Letters

LETTER: Councilor Believes New Developments Not Causing School Overcrowding

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I want to preface this article by saying that there will always be more work to do when it comes to improving our schools and class sizes in general. I don’t believe there is a definite line we could ever reach where I would say there is no more work to be done. I think that is simply true as we are part of an ever-evolving and changing world.  With that being said, the standards I use to measure our class sizes and school population are both comparative and historic. I write this because almost every action taken by the Town and/or School Committee comes back to a widely held belief that our schools are overcrowded and class sizes are too high. Part of that belief is that development in town is the main cause of this.

Schools

Superintendent Candidates Will Visit Watertown, Attend Public Forums

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With two finalists chosen for Watertown’s next superintendent, the School Committee is preparing a strategy for interviewing the candidates and a schedule of public forums. 

Wednesday night, School Committee Chairman John Portz formally announced the two finalists – Dr. Deanne Galdston, Assistant Superintendent of the Billerica Public Schools, and Dr. Arthur Unobskey, Assistant Superintendent in the Gloucester Public Schools (see their bios below). The finalists selected from 12 candidates who were interviewed by the Superintendent Search Committee, said School Committee Vice Chair Kendra Foley, who chaired the Search Committee. Each of the finalists will spend a day in Watertown, during which they will visit each of the five schools, speak with a Watertown High School student, meet the Town Manager and Town Auditor, and then have two public forums – one with teachers and staff in the afternoon and one with parents and community members in the evening. “Candidates will come for pretty much the entire day – 12 hours – from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.,” Portz said. Unobskey will be be in Watertown on March 2 and Galdston will visit on March 6.