Schools

Schools to Provide Learning Opportunities During Coronavirus Closing, but Will Not be Business as Usual

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Watertown Public School students will have chances to continue learning from home while the schools are closed for two weeks in an effort to stop the spread of the Coronavirus, but Superintendent Dede Galdston said it will not be considered part of the regular classes, nor impact grades. Students at Watertown High School have the Chromebooks, and efforts will be made to get the laptop computers to all Watertown Middle School students to use while they are out of school. Teachers are planning activities for the elementary school students, Galdston added. “Our intent is to keep learning alive, but it is not mandatory and not considered instruction,” Galdston said. “In order to provide equity in access, we are not allowed to provide remote learning as a replacement to in person education.”

Schools

Watertown Schools Postpones Trip & Events Due to Coronavirus, Plans for Possible Remote Learning

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A Spring Break trip to Europe, a band performance, Mr. WHS and more Watertown Public Schools events have been postponed in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak in Massachusetts. On Wednesday, Superintendent Dede Galdston sent a letter updating the situation in the Watertown schools as the COVID-19 virus spreads in the area. This comes a day after Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts, and several area colleges announced that students would not be attending classes on campus for the rest of the academic year. In Watertown, a planned trip to Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic has been postponed. About 60 WHS students had signed up to participate.

Dede Galdston

Universal PreK in Watertown: the Superintendent Would Like to See That

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Watertown Superintendent Dede Galdston spoke at the 2020 Unity Breakfast about her desire to have universal PreK. Equity has been a big push for the Watertown Public Schools, and Superintendent Dede Galdston said that part of giving students an equal opportunity is to provide universal Pre-kindergarten to the students of Watertown. Galdston spoke of universal PreK during her talk a the 2020 Watertown Unity Breakfast, of which she was the honorary host. She said Martin Luther King Jr. not only inspired her with his Civil Rights work, but also in his study of education. “Why not give every child equal opportunity to start school at an equal level?”

Around Town

Watertown’s Effort to Bring MLK’s Teachings to Schools Honored at Unity Breakfast

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The Watertown High six students who received the Unity Award for their work spreading Kingian Non-violence teachings to WHS. Pictured from left, Fred Laboissiere, Tino Themelis, Eva Henry, Claire abian, Catherine Fabian and Shivani Sharma. The people who brought the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. to the Watertown schools and the community came together, and were honored during the the 20th annual Watertown Unity Breakfast on Monday. The annual celebration on Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been put on by the World in Watertown for two decades, and at the 2020 breakfast the local efforts to teach the principles of Kingian Non-violence in town were at the forefront. The keynote speaker was one of those who trained Watertown teachers, students and police about applying King’s non-violence teachings today, and the Unity Award went to six students who spread MLK’s teachings to Watertown High School.

Schools

Watertown Superintendent Identifies Strengths, Areas to Work On in Her Entry Plan

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During her first six months as Superintendent, Dede Galdston dove deep into the workings Watertown Schools and came up with recommendations to improve the schools in areas ranging from student success, aligning the curriculum, improving communication, staff diversity, and, of course, improving the school buildings. Monday night, Galdston introduced her Superintendent’s Entry Plan to the School Committee. The report came from Galston’s conversations with more than 75 individuals and groups over the last half year, plus examining district test results, curriculum and other material. Participants welcomed the opportunity to speak with the superintendent, Galdston noted. “Time and again, I heard that this was one of the first times that people had the opportunity to have an open conversation with the superintendent and that they hoped this type of communication forum would continue into the future,” Galdston wrote.

Dede Galdston

School Committee Approves Contract for New Watertown Superintendent

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The School Committee officially welcomed Watertown’s next superintendent, Dede Galdston, on Monday night when they also approved her contract. 

Galdston told the School Committee she is grateful for the appointment and she is excited to be coming to Watertown. “First off, than you all for believing in me and having the confidence that I will shepherd you through the coming years and helping the children of Watertown move forward,” Galdston said. She will continue to work in her current position of assistant superintendent in Billerica through the end of June, but she has already started getting to know her new district. “I have been here already, and I can’t wait to get started with the work,” Galdston said. The incoming superintendent brought her husband and four sons to the School Committee meeting.

Schools

School Committee Unanimously Selects New Superintendent

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Members of the School Committee enthusiastically and unanimously chose Dr. Dede Galdston to be Watertown’s next superintendent on Monday night. School Committee members said Galdston, currently Assistant Superintendent in Billerica, has the experience, temperament and even the personality that they believe will allow her to successfully lead the Watertown Public Schools. School Committee Vice President Kendra Foley said she wanted to make sure that the next superintendent was the best fit for Watertown, and she believed Galdston has the qualities needed to lead the town’s schools. The two finalists, Galdston and Arthur Unobskey, were selected from 31 applicants, and then came to town for a day long interview and tour of the schools. Teams of School Committee members and school administrators then visited their districts, said School Committee Chairman John Portz.

Schools

Superintendent Finalist said She Believes Watertown is a Good Fit for Her

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Dede Galdston, one of two finalists in the search for the town’s next superintendent, said she is looking for a particular kind of district, and Watertown fits well. She discussed her priorities, style of leadership and values Monday night during a public forum and interview with the School Committee. For the past six years, Galdston has been assistant superintendent in Billerica, and she has worked in that district for more then 20 years, starting as a Spanish teacher before becoming foreign language coordinator, assistant principal at Billerica High School and then humanities coordinator. Her current district is nearly twice the size of Watertown’s, at 5,000 students, and has a more homogenous population. Before coming to Massachusetts, however, she worked in very diverse communities – first in San Jose, Calif., and then in the Bronx.