Schools

Options to Reduce Overcrowding Discussed, Modulars Won’t be Ready By Sept.

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The overcrowding in Watertown’s elementary schools tops the list of School Committee concerns these days, and Monday night Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald warned modular classrooms – if that is the solution – won’t be in place for the beginning of school. There are several options being explored, but Fitzgerald said the final plan won’t be made until all the factors are weighed, including enrollment, space at each school and new spaces, including potential rental spaces or installing modular classrooms.

The School District has hired an enrollment consultant – Decision Insite – to get a detailed enrollment projection, and it has began working with the town’s on-call architect on ways to reconfigure space and to find potential sites for modular classrooms.

The latest enrollment projection for the fall (which does not include information from the consultant) includes three classes of 24 in the third grade at Lowell Elementary School. “That’s not OK with us,” Fitzgerald said. One option which Fitzgerald said she thinks would be unpopular would be to change the schools from neighborhood ones to having all of one grade at one school. One would be Pre-K to 1, another grades 2-3 and fourth and fifth grade at the third school.

Charity

Tickets Still Left for Watertown Education Foundation’s Dancing with the Stars

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The Watertown Education Foundation (WEF) will host its third annual, “Dancing with the Stars” (DWTS) event on Friday, May 6, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Hellenic Cultural Center, 25 Bigelow Ave., East Watertown, the Foundation announced. Modeled after the popular television show, the event features Watertown “stars” partnered with professional dancers from Ballroom in Boston located in Allston. The 2016 Stars are: Marianne Cameron, Cunniff School; Chris Crombie, Watertown Boys & Girls Club; Mialisa Depaolis, Mialisa Salon owner, Watertown; David Leon, Watertown resident and former School Committee member; Georgia Mulgrew, Hosmer School; Kim Seacrist, Cunniff parent; Ernie Thebado, Watertown Recreation Department; and Michael Venezia, Watertown resident. “This event the past two years has been a tremendous success,” said Amy Donohue, WEF co- president. “It is a fun night out for the adults, and a wonderful opportunity to support the WEF grant program.

Letters

Watertown Strong Schools Minutes: Council Committee on Education & School System Matters

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Watertown Strong Schools, a parents group focused on the Watertown Public Schools, attends meetings and writes up a summary and commentary. These are NOT official minutes. Committee members: Michael Dattoli, Chair; Aaron Dushku, Vice-Chair; Lisa Felter, Secretary. Audience members: Mark Sideris (TC), Tony Palomba (TC), Dr. Jean Fitzgerald (Superintendent), John Portz (SC), Liz Yusem (SC), Kendra Foley (SC), Candace Miller (SC), Guido Guidotti (SC), Steve Magoon (Assistant Town Manager/Director of Community Development & Planning), Kate Coyne (WSS), Alyson Morales (WSS), David Stokes (WSS), Mike Shepard, Gretchen Neely, and Charlie Breitrose. The agenda was to discuss current enrollment projections and physical space for the district. Councilor Dattoli opened the meeting by thanking the Superintendent and School Committee members for attending and that he was hopeful that this meeting would be the start of a town/school partnership to help solve the space issues facing the district.

Schools

Survey Finds Most WHS Students Drink, Many Use Marijuana and Some Use Heroin

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A survey of Watertown students found that some students are taking “hard” drugs, while rates of alcohol and marijuana remains steady and depression and even suicidal thoughts can start in middle school. However, fewer students are smoking. 

Every two years the Watertown Youth Coalition (WYC) surveys students at Watertown High School and Watertown Middle School to find out what risky behaviors they are or are not participating in. The WYC is part of the Wayside Multi-Service Center. The dozens of people who showed up for the Watertown Youth Coalition’s The Well Being of Watertown Youth Report event at the Watertown Library split into groups and tried to tackle some weighty subjects. The survey included 539 students form the high school (73.3 percent of the school) and 480 middle schoolers (88.7 percent of WMS). For all of the areas, people agreed that while the schools could do more, it is also very important for parents to get more involved and make sure they know what is happening in their children’s lives.

Letters

LETTER: Watertown Middle and High Schools Need to Start Later

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Watertown should move the middle and high school start times to 8:30am or later to support students’ health and academic performance. Currently the middle school starts at 7:40 a.m. and the high schools starts at 7:55. The superintendent will report on a survey of Watertown parents, students and teachers regarding potential new school start times at the School Committee meeting to be held on Monday, May 2, 7 p.m. at Town Hall. Middlesex district superintendents released a statement in March agreeing to consider moving high school start times to between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. by fall of 2017. Over the last decade, and increasingly across the country, school districts are looking at starting school later.

Schools

Perkins School Gets Grant From Google to Help the Blind Locate Bus Stops

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Google has provided Perkins School for the Blind with a $750,000 grant to develop a cell phone app to help blind people find bus stops and other specific spots. 

The grant comes from the Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities, and will be able to be more precise than the GPS available on cell phones, according to the article on Perkins website. Designers will work on the app over the next year. Read the entire article by clicking here.

Schools

Watertown Students Earn Student of the Term Honors at Minuteman

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Minuteman High School in Lexington announced the four outstanding students as Students of the Term for Term 3 of school year 2015-2016: freshman Fae Eisenheim of Arlington, sophomore Mia Ramos of Watertown, junior Alexander Gonzalez of Watertown and senior Andrew Battcock of Billerica. This honor is awarded to one student from each grade level based upon nominations from teachers. The criteria include academic achievement and good citizenship, according to Assistant Principal Brian Tildsley. All four attended a luncheon in their honor at the Fife & Drum Restaurant at Minuteman recently and were given certificates in recognition of their achievement. Fae Eisenheim “is an overall great student, teammate and friend,” said Nichole Devereaux, her math instructor and basketball coach.

Schools

Watertown Youth Coalition Will Discuss the ‘Well-Being of Watertown Youth’

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Every year or two, the Watertown Youth Coalition and Wayside Youth & Family Support Network surveys the town’s youth to find out how they are doing, and what risks they face from alcohol, drugs, depression and eating disorders, among others. The results will be revealed soon. The public is invited to “The Well-Being of Watertown Youth,” A Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, April 27 from 6-8 p.m. at the Watertown Free Public Library. The group sent out the following announcement:

How well are Watertown youth doing with regard to their health and well-being? Come join us for the release of the most recent Watertown Youth Risk Behavior Survey results.