Schools

Watertown Looking at Adding Technical Ed Programs to High School

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Watertown High School may be getting technical education programs for students interested in engineering and medical assisting, but first the district must get approval from State officials. The vocational technical programs would be part of the Mass. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Chapter 74 program. Laura Alderson Rotondo, the district’s Career Technical Education (CTE) coordinator, said the programs not just include classes, but relationships are formed between the school and people who practice the profession locally, as well as with local colleges. The high school currently has some engineering classes, but will need to offer more, Rotondo said.

Kingian Nonviolence

WMS’s Kingian Nonviolence Program Expanding to More Watertown Schools

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A closeup of the section of Watertown’s Kingian Nonviolence Mural featuring Martin Luther King. An effort to teach students and teachers about Dr. Martin Luther King’s nonviolence teachings that began four years ago at Watertown Middle School has now spread to all the Watertown Public Schools. Organizers hope that the program can get regular financial support to keep it going. Over the years, the Kingian Nonviolence teaching has spread from a small group of students at Watertown Middle School to include more teachers, Watertown Police officers and town residents. Now WMS offers a class focusing on the subject, and students from the middle school have sought to spread it to the other schools in town.

Schools

Watertown High School Robotics Team Receives Grant from Bayer

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The following information was provided by the Watertown High School Robotics Team:

Students at Watertown High School have received grant funding for their robotics team as they work to enhance their skills in science and engineering. Bayer Fund, a philanthropic arm of Bayer, recently awarded a one-time $3,000 grant to Watertown High Robotics Team 2423 to support their participation in the FIRST Robotics program. Watertown High Robotics Team 2423 will use support from their Bayer Fund grant to participate in FIRST Robotics educational programs and competitions. FIRST enables teams of students to compete with others in building, designing and programming their own robots to perform preassigned tasks, giving students a chance to get involved with real-world engineering. 

“Students who participate in FIRST Robotics programming learn STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills and become experienced problem solvers,” said Michelle Insco, Senior Manager, Community Engagement. “Bayer Fund prioritizes the investment in hands-on learning experiences for students like those at Watertown High to encourage their development into future scientists, engineers, and computer programmers.”

Bayer Fund’s sponsorship of FIRST Robotics teams continues the nonprofit’s intentional support of programs that improve STEM education.

Building for the Future

Designers to Give Overview of Watertown High School Project on Tuesday

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Planning has begun for rebuilding Watertown High School, and a meeting will be held Nov. 19 to discuss the project. School officials seek input from residents about the rebuilding or renovation of Watertown High School, and the public will have a chance to weigh in this week. On Tuesday, Nov. 19, a public forum will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the WHS Lecture Hall.

Schools

First Public Forum on Watertown High School Project Planned

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The new Watertown High School logo, the shield, was approved by the School Committee on Tuesday. Watertown school officials invite the public to hear about the project to rebuild or renovate Watertown High School at a forum on Nov. 19. The Watertown Public Schools sent out the following announcement:

The Watertown High School Building Committee will be holding its first community forum on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Watertown High School to discuss the planning and process around the proposed new high school project.

Entertainment

Watertown High School Students Competed for Spot on WGBH TV Quiz Show

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The team from Watertown High School that competed for a spot on WGBH’s High School Quiz Show. A group of Watertown High School students recently competed at WGBH’s studio to be part of the High School Quiz Show. WGBH provide the following information:

On Sunday, Oct. 20, Watertown High School visited WGBH’s Brighton studios to participate in Super Sunday, the qualification round of WGBH’s High School Quiz Show. High School Quiz Show is a televised quiz competition between Massachusetts high school students entering its 11th season of broadcast on WGBH. On Super Sunday, student teams come to the studio to take a 45-minute quiz with hopes of placing on to the broadcast.

Cunniff School

School Officials Detail Reasons for MCAS Improvement, Areas of Concern

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Watertown Middle School teachers and staff have a plan in place to raise the MCAS scores at the school after a poor performance in 2018. Monday night, the School Committee heard about the strategies being used in the Watertown Schools that led to improvements for the town’s schools on the 2019 MCAS test. The Watertown Schools have made an effort to use data to drive lessons and to address weaknesses in classrooms and even for individual students, said Theresa McGuinness, the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning & Assessment. “Student performance data is used to identify areas of strength and areas of opportunity, as a district, grade level, cohort and individual in English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics, and science,” McGuinness said. She added that the MCAS data is used in conjunction with other assessment tools used in the Watertown Schools.