Letters

LETTER: Getting Your Children Offline in a Digital World

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{This is the third in a series of three letters about the Watertown Speaker Series focusing on technology and children.}

In 2015, children and adults socialize, learn, work, and play in the digital sphere. Given this new digital frontier, with rapidly available and widely accessible technological innovations, Watertown parents and community members came together to learn about healthy technology use and parenting in the digital age. The research is clear: Media use and digital devices can have negative impacts on health. A study on technology use among 8-18 year olds found that light users were more likely to report earning better grades than heavy users, got along well with parents, and were happy at school. Heavy users were more likely to report getting into trouble and being sad or unhappy.

Schools

School Day Starting Later at One School, Bus Added After School

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In an effort to reduce the amount of time students have to wait for buses after school at one Hosmer Elementary School the School Committee voted to start school later. 

Students routinely wait five to ten minutes for the bus to come to take them home, and at least once a bus was 20 minutes late. The three buses must make a run from the middle school, before picking up Hosmer students. In a move to give buses more time the School Committee voted to make the time change. They considered moving the time of both the Hosmer and Watertown Middle School, but decided to just change the elementary school’s schedule, said Superintendent Jean Fizgerald. “An alternative solution was to start 10 minutes later,” Fitzgerald said.

Charity

Dancing With the Stars Event Will Benefit Watertown Education Foundation

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The second annual Dancing with the Stars, which will benefit the Watertown Public Schools, features coaches, state reps and Watertown parents. 
The Watertown Education Foundation (WEF) will host its second annual, “Dancing with the Stars” event on Friday, May 1, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Hellenic Cultural Center, 25 Bigelow Ave., East Watertown. 
Modeled after the popular television show, the event features Watertown “stars” partnered with professional dancers from Avalon Dance & Fitness and Fred Astaire, both located in Belmont. 
The 2015 Stars are:

John Cacace, Watertown High School (WHS) football coach
Jane Corrigan, Watertown resident and Reagle Music Theatre performer
Lidia DiIeso, Cunniff School teacher
Aine Dirrane, IA, Watertown Middle School (WMS)
Aaron Dushku, Watertown Town Councilor
Kendra Foley, Hosmer School parent
Jay Hughes, local realtor, WMS & WHS parent
Armand Keuchkarian, entrepreneur, WMS & WHS parent
John Lawn, State Representative, Watertown Public Schools parent
Sheri Park, Lowell School teacher

“Last year’s event was 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.  It will once again be a terrific event; all are welcome to attend!”
Avalon Dance & Fitness and Fred Astaire instructors will work with the stars on a rigorous practice schedule right up to the event. Professional dancers from various studios and dance organizations will serve as judges. The winners will be announced at the end of the event. Tickets may be purchased on-line at www.watertowned.org; $30 Silver tickets (general seating); $40 Gold tickets (premium seating); and $50 Platinum tickets (table seating). Hors d’oeuvres and cocktails begin at 6:00 and competition begins promptly at 7:30. There will also be a silent auction, and cash bar.  At the conclusion of the competition, the dance floor will be open to all guests for dancing. For more information, please contact info@watertowned.org 

Schools

Group Seeks to Make Watertown High School Safe for Transgender Students

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A group of Watertown High School students has requested that the School Committee add a school district policy for transgender and nonconforming students to make these students feel safe to attend the town’s schools. 

Transgender students do not feel comfortable at Watertown High School, said members of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) at WHS. “A lot of it was the school culture,” said GSA President and WHS junior Jeremy Holt. “When we decided to put this in place the school culture was not open and accepting (of transgender and nonconforming students).” As part of the new policy, they seek some changes to improve the atmosphere at the school. Some changes include creating gender-neutral bathrooms and locker rooms, teachers using the pronoun preferred by the student when addressing the student, and not telling parents what their preferred sexual identity until the student is comfortable telling them. “The three main goals of the policy are to reduce stigmatization of transgender and gender nonconforming students, maintaining the privacy of all students and fostering cultural competence and professional development for school staff,” WHS junior and GSA member Kira Peterson told the School Committee on Monday night.

Entertainment

Watertown Student Artwork on Display at the Watertown Mall

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Come see how creative Watertown students of all ages can be during the annual Watertown Public Schools Student Art Exhibit. 

The Watertown Mall, 550 Arsenal St., is hosting the art exhibit from April 10-28. Enjoy hundreds of fine art pieces crafted by Watertown 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. This event is free to the general public!

Schools

See What School Officials Included in the Budget Request for 2015-16

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Watertown school officials have requested a $2.7 million increase for the 2015-16 school year, which includes more than 20 new jobs, new equipment and bolstering technology in the town’s public schools. Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald said the budget includes teachers to reduce class sizes at Cunniff and Hosmer elementary schools, teachers at the high school to strengthen the computer science and environmental science programs, and an Arabic teacher at the high school. The $41.93 million budget, a 6.87 percent increase from 20141-15, was presented to the School Committee on Monday night. Another area of focus for the budget is student support. This includes adding part-time psychologists at Cunniff and Lowell schools, a part time school adjustment counselor at Watertown Middle School, and two part-time psychologists and a behavioral specialist for the special education program.

Letters

LETTER: Parenting in the Age of Texts, Tweets and Skype

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{This is the second in a series of three articles about the Watertown Lecture Series on children and technology.}

Welcome to the digital age! Teens and tweens have unprecedented access to Instagram Tumblr, SnapChat, Secret, Slingshot, Whisper, Ask.fm, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, Pinterest, Skype, FaceTime, Omegle and other new apps developed daily.Cell phone ownership among kids is widespread and on the rise. Across Massachusetts, in 2011, 20 percent of third graders, 25 percent of fourth graders, 40 percent of fifth graders and 85 percent of 6-12 graders reported having their own phone. Of these, more than 90 percent could use their phone to go online and text. As a result, the average teenager sends more than 3,000 texts per month or more than six texts per waking hour. Kristin Noto, a Middlesex District Attorney from the Partnership for Youth spoke at the Watertown Speaker Series on Wednesday, April 1.

Schools

Federal Grant ‘PEP’-ing Up Physical Ed Classes in Watertown

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A Federal grant has pumped more than $500,00 into physical education in Watertown’s schools, and has allowed gym class to be more than just sports and has branched outside the gym. The Watertown Public Schools is in the second year of the three-year Carol M. White Physical Education Program (or PEP) grant. The district received $391,269 the first year, another $126,034 the second year and is expected to get another $116,936 the third year, said Director of Wellness and Extended Services Donna Ruseckas. This is the second time Watertown has been awarded the PEP grant. “It’s voted on every year by Congress and only so many districts get it,” Ruseckas said.