Around Town

Local Groups to Hold Rally to Support Immigrants, Refugees in Watertown

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Several Watertown groups will be hosting vigil and community forum supporting immigrants and refugees in town this weekend. Organizers sent out the following announcement:
Please join us for a very special event on Sunday, February 26. Watertown Welcomes Immigrants is a community event to demonstrate support for immigrants and refugees living in Watertown. There will be a Vigil from 3:00-3:45 p.m. in Watertown Square. Please bring signs that express your support for immigrants and refugees in Watertown, in Massachusetts and in the country.

Schools

BC Study Looks for Ways Watertown Schools Can Connect with Non-English Speakers

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Students from a wide variety of cultures and nations fill the classrooms of the Watertown Public Schools, and a study by Boston College researchers seeks to make sure all families are included in what is going on at school. Wednesday night, Rebecca Lowenhaupt, an assistant professor at BC’s Lynch School of Education, told the School Committee that Watertown parents, in general, have a high participation rate in school activities, but the story is different for recent immigrants. “You have a high attendance of parents at back to school night of PreK through eighth grade – 95 percent were in attendance or reached out at that time,” Lowenhaupt said. “While there is a high attendance rate for PreK-8, there is a lower rate for those who first language is not English.” About 11 percent of the students in the Watertown schools are in the English Language Learner (also known as ESL) program, and they speak 28 different languages, with the most common being Portuguese, Spanish, Armenian, Arabic and Pashto.

Around Town

Refugee Crisis Will be Discussed at Upcoming Watertown Meeting

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An immigration expert will come to speak at the October meeting of Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice & the Environment. Watertown Citizens sent out the following announcement:

At the September monthly meeting of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice & the Environment, there was widespread concern about the refugee crisis as it is unfolding in Europe, and what we can or should do here. We are fortunate to bring Eva Millona, Executive Director of Mass Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Colaition (MIRA) to provide information and answer questions. All are welcome, not only Watertown residents. Please join us this Sunday if you are looking for a way to help.