Entertainment

LETTER: Candidate Sees Shortcuts in Watertown Schools’ Goals

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Dear Watertown,

I want to encourage Watertown citizens to consider the 2015/2016 Superintendent’s goals and the learning goals discussed at the August 10th School Committee meeting. Goal setting is a powerful tool that school districts use to achieve purposeful results. Goals help schools focus energy, attention, resources, and motivation. They inspire commitment and action or, in their absence, inaction. Watertown Public Schools (WPS) is a ~$45 million per year education system, serving 2700+ diverse students with a staff of approximately 550 people.

Around Town

Watertown Art Students Bring Life to Wall in Coolidge Square

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A group of Watertown High School students have transformed a once gray wall in East Watertown now overflows with colorful fruit, vegetables and flowers. The mural went up on the wall next to Uncommon Grounds at the corner of Mt. Auburn Street and Melendy Avenue. This is the third collaboration between students from Watertown High School and artist Gregg Bernstein. The first two – the first along the path between Whites and Waverly avenues and second on Baptist Walk in Watertown Square – were large walls.

Schools

Elementary Foreign Language, Anti-Drug Program In Superintendent’s Goals

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Superintendent Jean Fitzpatrick revealed her proposed goals for the 2015-16 school year, and they include creating a foreign language program in Watertown’s elementary schools, starting an anti-drug program and get state money for a high school building project

Last week, Fitzgerald told the School Committee about her goals. The School Committee will wait until the Sept. 16 meeting to vote to improve them because they want to give parents time to comment on the goals. Among her draft goals, Fitzgerald proposed creating an implementation plan for a five-year comprehensive foreign language program at the elementary school (FLES). She said she plans to present the plan to the School Committee in February 2016, so that there will be time to include the program in the in the Fiscal Year 2017 budget process.

Around Town

Dozens Show Up for Reunion at a Watertown Preschool

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A Watertown preschool decided to hold a reunion and the turnout was well beyond what the founder and director had expected. Julie McMahon started Caterpillars to Butterflies Preschool 16 years ago, and she put out word about the reunion on Facebook just about a week before the event. “We probably had about 75 people in total. About 40 children. I was truly amazed by the number of high school graduates that attended,” McMahon said.

Schools

Superintendent Gets High Marks in School Committee Evaluation

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The School Committee submitted its evaluation of Watertown Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald, and she got high marks. 

Fitzgerald received the one of the two highest marks from all seven School Committee members on the five district goals and several other categories required by the state to be included in the evaluation, said School Committee Chairwoman Eileen Hsu-Balzer at Monday’s School Committee meeting. Hsu-Balzer read out comments made by the School Committee, but did not attribute them. The full evaluation is available in the Watertown Public Schools Central Offices in the Phillips Building. “Under leadership of Dr. Fitzgerald, the Watertown Public Schools continue to move in a positive direction … It is a very exciting time for the Watertown Public Schools,” a School Committee wrote.

Around Town

Watertown High Grads Have Last Celebration Before Heading to College

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Summer is almost over, which means members of the Watertown High School Class of 2015 will soon go on their separate ways, but a core group had one more celebration. Last week, 20 2015 Watertown High graduates traveled to Puntacana, Dominican Republic as a last “hoorah” with their class before they all leave for college. The graduates were accompanied by some siblings and friends as well as their parents. The week was filled with laughs, sun, and dancing, according Gabriella Coppola, one of the attendees.  

Due to the success of this trip, the group hopes to plan another vacation in a different country next year.

Schools

Watertown Students Sample a Taste of Their School Gardens

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Students at Watertown’s three elementary schools planted gardens at their campuses, and last week they tasted some of the fruits – and vegetables – of their labors. 

This spring, Watertown students got their hands dirty and planted vegetables in garden plots set up at Lowell, Cunniff and Hosmer elementary schools. On Thursday, a group of students gathered at Watertown Middle School to enjoy some simple and nutritious dishes – some of which used veggies grown in the school gardens. The dishes were prepared by Watertown Public Schools’ Food Service Director Guy Koppe and Sally Sampson, founder of ChopChop, a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire and teach kids to cook real food with their families. The started with a Berry Bold Smoothie which contained blueberries, strawberries, orange juice and yoghurt. They put it all together in a blender and whipped it into a tasty drink.