Moxley Field

New Fitness Equipment at Moxley Field Has Kids Sliding to Fitness

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A new set of stairs now stands on Moxley Field that appear to go no where, but Watertown School and Recreation officials hope they will lead to fun and fitness for the town’s children and adults, alike. The multi-fitness apparatus made by Colliseum is much more than a set of stairs. It also has a slide to shoot down after running a set of steps, and on other sides users can do pull ups, dips and push ups. The stairs appeared the week of Thanksgiving, and on Monday, creator Collis Brown came out for a grand opening celebration with some students from Watertown Middle School and the Watertown Boys and Girls Club. The equipment was purchased by the town with funds from the Carol White Physical Education Program Grant, or PEP Grant. Brown taught physical education teacher at Norwell High School, and coached high school football teams there and at Brookline High School first created the stairs with a slide when he was looking for a way to improve his players’ speed.

Police/Fire

Schools, Police Respond to Threat at Middle School via Social Media

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School official removed a Watertown Middle School student from the school who reportedly sent a threat on social media last week. 

The threat occurred on Instagram on Nov. 30, but school officials did not hear about it right away. When they did, they contacted the Watertown Police, Watertown Police Lt. Dan Unsworth said at Monday’s School Committee meeting. “Early on it was determined it was a 13 year old student at the middle school,” Unsworth said. “We don’t believe it was directed at anyone.”

Schools

Watertown SEPAC Event Features Lawyer Who Works on Special Education Cases

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Watertown’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) welcomes Attorney Daniel T.S. Heffernan who will present “Special Education Law – Recent Developments and Future Trends.” The free event will be on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the library at Cunniff, 246 Warren St. A SEPAC business meeting will begin at 6 p.m.

Heffernan, of Kotin Crabtree & Strong, has extensive trial experience and since 1995 he has served on the board of directors of the Federation of Children with Special Needs, and served as president from 1995-2007. In 2002 he and his wife, Julie, received the Dr. Allen C. Crocker Award for Excellence from the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress.

Around Town

Come Try Out the New Fun Fitness Equipment at Moxley Field

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The new Multi Fitness Stair Trainer will be unveiled at Moxley Field on Monday, Dec. 7 at 2:30 p.m.

As part of the Wellness the Watertown Way campaign, the schools purchased the equipment using money from the federal Carol White Physical Education Program Grant, or PEP Grant. Director of Wellness & Extended Services Donna Ruseckas said the equipment has a stair climbing element along with a slide. This was put in by the designers at Colliseum so instead of having to go back down on the stairs, which puts strain on knees and other joints, they slide and have some fun too! The equipment also includes other work out stations where students can do pull ups, dips and bounce a medicine ball off a wall off.

Government

Council Approves Middle School Windows Despite Jump in Price

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An increase in the cost of replacing the windows at Watertown Middle School gave the Town Council some pause, but councilors ultimately unanimously approved the cost of designing the project, in part because the state will pay for nearly half the bill. Originally, the cost of the windows was estimated at slightly over $300,000, but when representatives from the Massachusetts School Building Authority came to look, they decided to increase the scope of the project can with it the price tag – which is now $2.7 million to $2.9 million. Last week the council was asked to approve $224,400 to cover the schematic design costs of the project. The windows cover the old portion of the middle school, and are a few decades old. Teachers said they are a distraction at best, and can be a real obstacle to learning at times.

ChopChop

Parents Invited to Workshop Featuring Live Cooking Demonstrations

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The Watertown Public Schools has joined with local partners to promote healthy eating and cooking, and will present a healthy cooking workshop with live demonstrations and tastings, plus activities for kids. 

Parents are invited to participate in presentations from WPS Food Service Director, Garden Coordinator, ChopChop, Live Well Watertown, and Metrowest Nutrition, 0n Tuesday, Dec. 1 from 5:30-7 p.m in the cafeteria at Lowell Elementary School, 175 Orchard St.. ChopChop sent out the following information:

ChopChop Kids, the non-profit behind ChopChop: The Fun Cooking Magazine for Families has joined forces with Watertown Savings Bank and the Watertown Wellness Committee to promote healthy eating and cooking in the town of Watertown. ChopChop will be distributed to all elementary school students in the Watertown Public Schools for the 2015-2016 school year. In addition, each issue includes lesson plans for teachers to use ChopChop in the classroom. “The bank is pleased to be able to support this program,” said Carole Katz, VP of Marketing at Watertown Savings Bank.

Conservation Commmision

Watertown High School Students Use Town Forest as a Living Laboratory

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When the Conservation Commission wanted to find out exactly what trees, plants and animals can be found in the town’s largest forested area, Commissioner Patick Fairbairn decided to enlist the help of students from Watertown High School. Last week, two honors biology classes spent the morning walking around Whitney Hill, the area overlooking Victory Field, detailing which species are located in 31 plots being studied on the hill. After coming up with the idea to enlist the help of students, Fairbairn approached School Committee Chairwoman Eileen Hsu-Balzer to ask if a combined effort with the schools could be possible. After speaking with a number of people, he found a WHS teacher who was interested. “Erik Hiltunen was a teacher who saw the value of observation over a long period of time,” Fairbairn said.

Around Town

Watertown Community Foundation Interns Gain Valuable Experience

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How do high schoolers get that critical first work experience? Last summer, the Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) and the Watertown High School Guidance Department piloted an internship program for local teens. For meaningful summer work experience at a business or organization of their choice, students earned a modest stipend. The pilot was intended to cover four students, but the number of outstanding applications led WCF to increase funding and five were selected. “I learned so much from participating….