Charity

WMS Looking for Items for Rummage Sale to Benefit Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

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The third annual Rummage Sale for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients Drive will be held this weekend, and Watertown Middle School seeks donations. The Rummage Sale takes place Saturday, March 7 in the Watertown Middle School cafeteria from 10 a.m to 2 p.m.

Proceeds benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients Drive. “We will have great items for sale, as well as raffles, a silent auction, and bake sale as well.” said WMS teacher Jane Evans. Entry is free and parking is available in the front and rear of the school with entrances at both locations.

Charity

Watertown Middle School Kicks Off Pennies for Patients Drive

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Last year, Watertown Middle School students collected more than $30,000 in donations to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and they hope to beat it in this year’s Pennies for Patients drive, which begins March 2. The middle school sent out the following announcement about their drive:

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. Our drive will run from March 2 through March 23. 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.

Entertainment

See When You Can Catch the Watertown High School Musical

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Watertown High School will present The Pajama Game this month. 

The musical will hit the Shaw Auditorium Stage on March 19, 20 and 21 at 7 p.m. each night. The book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell with music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. It is based on the novel “7 1/2 Cents” by Richard Bissell. The play is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International.

Schools

Survey of Watertown Teens Finds Rise in Alcohol Use, Depression

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The Watertown Youth Coalition’s survey of Watertown High School students found a sharp rise in alcohol use and depression among students. 

Preliminary results of the 2014 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that more than 40 percent of students drank alcohol over the previous 30 days, and more than 35 percent reported binge drinking during that time, according to the data released at the WYC’s annual meeting on Wednesday night. Alcohol use was 35.5 percent in 2012 but that number rose to 42.8 percent in 2014, according to the survey of 533 students in the spring of 2014. Binge drinking went from 21.5 percent in 2012 to 35.5 percent in 2014. Attendees were asked to come up with ideas for why this was happening, ways to prevent it and other information that might be useful to study the issues. Watertown High School students who work as peer leaders with WYC reported it is easy to get alcohol from friends or older siblings.

Schools

Watertown School Start Time Might Change So Buses Will be on Time

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The start of school may change next year at the two Watertown schools so that students do not have to endure long waits for the bus after school. 

Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald said the changes will be proposed as Watertown prepares to bid for a new school bus contract. To allow the buses to have more time, school officials have proposed starting school at Hosmer 10 minutes later, and start Watertown Middle School 10 minutes earlier. The same buses that deliver students to and from Hosmer also serve Watertown Middle School. While the mornings have gone well, the afternoons have been regularly late picking up Hosmer students after the afternoon run at the middle school. There are three buses serving both schools, and one bus has been at least five minutes late every day, and a second more than two-thirds of the time, including one day when it was more than 20 minutes late.

Charity

Join the Lowell School PTO for a ZumbaThon Fundraiser

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The Lowell School PTO invites the public to join in a ZumbaThon on March 15. Zumbathon will be run by Lowell’s own Lindsay Jacobson, Amy Peca and Veronica Castillo. The event runs from 2-4 p.m. in the Lowell School Gym on Sunday, March 15. Both adults and children are welcome. The event cost $10 per person. Plus there will be a 50/50 raffle and bake sale.

Schools

School Committee Debating Adding an Extra Day of School

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All this snow had thrown the school calendar into a bit of chaos, and with the threat of snow still very real Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald has proposed adding an extra day of school. After six snow days, the current last day of school is scheduled to be June 30, but Fitzgerald fears students may get another snow day. The extra day would be on Friday, April 3, which is scheduled to be a day off. “If we had a half day on April 3 and there is no snow the last day will be June 29,” Fitzgerald said. “If we had snow, the last day would be June 30.”

Government

Town Seeking State Money to Repair Watertown Middle School

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It’s time to replace the windows at Watertown Middle School and the town hopes to get help from the state to pay for the work. Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald told the Town Council that the school has 207 windows which are 36 years old. On Tuesday, the Council approved the School Department’s application to the School Building Authority’s accelerated repair program. The School Committee then approved the application at a special meeting on Thursday scheduled just to take the vote. The estimated cost of the project is $310,000. If successful, the town would get nearly half the project paid for by state funds.