Around Town

Pennies for Patients is Back! Find Out How to Help the Effort to Cure Blood Cancers

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This year, the Watertown Middle School will again be participating in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s School & Youth Program, Pennies for Patients —a three-week coin, cash, and check drive to raise funds to find cures for blood cancers, organizers announced. Our drive will run from March 2 through March 24. 

As you may know, leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20. Mr. Johnson, our physical education teacher, is a lymphoma survivor. Our fundraising is in honor of him and in memory of two other WMS teachers, Pat Stayn and Peter Clough, who died as a result of lymphoma. In addition, in recent years, several of our parents have battled these diseases, some successfully and others without success.

Schools

Superintendent Finalist said She Believes Watertown is a Good Fit for Her

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Dede Galdston, one of two finalists in the search for the town’s next superintendent, said she is looking for a particular kind of district, and Watertown fits well. She discussed her priorities, style of leadership and values Monday night during a public forum and interview with the School Committee. For the past six years, Galdston has been assistant superintendent in Billerica, and she has worked in that district for more then 20 years, starting as a Spanish teacher before becoming foreign language coordinator, assistant principal at Billerica High School and then humanities coordinator. Her current district is nearly twice the size of Watertown’s, at 5,000 students, and has a more homogenous population. Before coming to Massachusetts, however, she worked in very diverse communities – first in San Jose, Calif., and then in the Bronx.

Schools

Watertown Cheerleaders Head to States After Winning Division Championship

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The Watertown High School cheerleading squad has enjoyed a successful winter, and will look to keep it going at States this weekend. 

In February, the team went to the Middlesex League competition in Lowell, where the Raiders qualified for Regionals. The team also won the Wildcat Invitational. On March 5, the team headed to Wilmington High School and had a great day, said Jennifer Ryan, one of the teams’s coaches. “We actually qualified to move onto States,” Ryan said. “Also, we were the North Small Co-ed Division Champions!”

Schools

Schools Need $1.75 Million to Maintain Programs, Special Ed Costs Rising

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The Watertown Schools will need $1.75 million more next year to maintain the current staffing and programs, according to school officials, and special education costs are expected to grow in FY 2018 and beyond. The total FY18 Level Service Budget is $45,332,330 representing a 4 percent increase over FY17 (the current school year), or $1,755,330 more, said Mary C. DeLai, interim Director of Business Services. The amount includes cost of living adjustments and step increases provided in union contracts. In October, Town Manager Michael Driscoll included a 5 percent increase for the schools in his preliminary FY18 Town Budget. One area that DeLai anticipates where costs will increase is special education.

Schools

Watertown Youth Coalition Run Relaxation Station During WHS Exam Week

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The Watertown Youth Coalition (WYC) Peer Leaders, part of Wayside Multi-Service Center, helped provide some relief to fellow students during mid-term exams week, the group announced. WYC Peer Leaders set up a Relaxation Station in the lobby of Watertown High School each day of exam week offering tea, hot chocolate, snacks, relaxing coloring pages, and tip sheets on how to beat exam stress. A large coloring mural provided the opportunity for community collaboration and more coloring. Large crowds of students and some teachers visited the table and had great things to say about having this support provided during the stressful week. The Relaxation Station was a huge success, with both students and school faculty asking if it will be back for final exams week.

Arthur Unobskey

First Superintendent Finalist Answers Questions from Public, School Committee

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Superintendent finalist Arthur Unobskey said he likes the atmosphere of the Watertown Schools, and if he were appointed head of schools he would stress transparency, communication, collaboration between teachers and staff, and wants to use data to improve how to best teach students. Unobskey, who is assistant superintendent in Gloucester and lives in Lexington, spent the day touring the Watertown Public Schools, meeting teachers and answering the questions of parents and the School Committee. He said he felt a warmth among students, who seemed happy to be in school. He also likes the fact that students come from a diverse set of backgrounds. In the classrooms, Unobskey hopes the school system can create an environment where the ambitious students feel comfortable staying in the town’s schools through high school, while educating those who are not as advanced without splitting students into lanes.

Hosmer School

UPDATE: Hearing Planned for Project to Improve Streets Around Hosmer School

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Note: The meeting originally scheduled for March 15 has been postponed to April 5. A Design Public Hearing will be held by MassDOT to discuss the proposed improvements project under the “Safe Routes to School” program for the Hosmer Elementary School in Watertown, MA, state officials announced. See more information about the project here: http://www.watertowndpw.org/Pages/construction/HosmerIndex

WHERE: Hosmer Elementary School Cafeteria, 1 Concord Road, Watertown, MA 02472

WHEN: Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 7 p.m.

PURPOSE: The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the Town of Watertown are proposing pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements for the Hosmer Elementary School as part of the Safe Routes to School infrastructure program. The project is located at the intersection of Chauncey Street and Boylston Street and continues on Boylston Street through the School Street intersection, ending just north of Fairfield Street. The goal of the project is to improve walking and bicycling safety and access to/from the Hosmer Elementary School.

Entertainment

See Art Made by Watertown Students at the Watertown Mall

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The Watertown Mall announced it will host the Watertown Public Schools Annual Student Art Exhibit from March 14-28, 2017. Enjoy hundreds of fine art pieces crafted by Watertown Public School students in Kindergarten through grade 12. You will be amazed at the breadth and depth of artistic talent on display. Mediums showcased include, but are not limited to: watercolor, crayon, cray pas, pencil, photography, computer art, 3D, ceramics, and paper machè. The exhibit will run from Tuesday, March 14, to Wednesday, March 28.