Schools

Schools Seek Input on Decisions on High School Site, PreK/Preschool Programs

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As the Watertown Public Schools move full speed ahead on rebuilding or renovating the town’s schools, school officials must soon make some decisions which would impact the designs of both the elementary schools and Watertown High School. There are three key questions that must be answered in the next month, or so, in order for schematic designs of the school projects to continue, School Committee Chairman John Portz said at Monday’s School Committee meeting. A meeting has been scheduled for Monday, Jan. 29, 2018 at 7 p.m. at a site to be determined. The first question, Portz said, is whether the Lowell Elementary School site off Orchard Street should be considered as possible site for a new Watertown High School building.

Around Town

Watertown High Renovation Project Accepted Into State School Building Program

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The proposal to renovate or rebuild Watertown High School was accepted by the Massachusetts School Building Authority on Wednesday morning, meaning approximately half the cost of the project will be reimbursed by the state assuming Watertown clears the remaining hurdles. 

Watertown Superintendent Dede Galdston sent out a Tweet at 11:20 a.m. announcing that the project was accepted in the the MSBA. The MSBA Board just unanimously voted to invite Watertown into the Eligibility Period for a core program project for Watertown High school! — Deanne Galdston (@WatertownSupt) December 13, 2017
This was the fourth time that Watertown School officials had applied to get funding to renovate the aging high school, and it had already made it farther than previous efforts by being considered for being admitted into the program. Galdston said simply in an email, “We are thrilled!!!” when asked about the invitation into the MSBA program.

Asbestos

School Officials Hire Firm to Remove Asbestos from Watertown High School

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A firm has been hired to remove the asbestos found at Watertown High School for more than a quarter million dollars. 

The asbestos was discovered during an inspection by EFI Global, the district’s asbestos consultant. There were a few locations, but the most prominent one was in the skim coat plaster on the walls and ceilings of classrooms in the high school. The district will hire Northstar, a licensed asbestos abatement firm, to work on the high school, said Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Mary DeLai. “The estimated time for the work will be 60 work days,” DeLai said. “It will probably take until March 1 to complete the abatement.”

Around Town

Need Help Raking Your Leaves – Volunteers Will Help Neighbors in Watertown

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If you need help raking leave – for free – or, if you want to volunteer to help your fellow Watertown residents, there is an event for you this weekend. Trees for Watertown and National Honors Society from Watertown High School are hosting a morning of community leaf raking on Saturday, Nov. 18 and Sunday, Nov. 19. Those who need help raking their leave can contact David Meshoulam by email at david.meshoulam@gmail.com or call at 608-852-4388.

Schools

Open House at Watertown High School, Superintendent Coffees

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Watertown’s Superintendent of Schools Dede Galdston announced that parents are invited to an open house at Watertown High School to meet teachers and find out programs offered by the school. Also, she will be hosting a pair of Superintendent’s Coffees where parents and residents can speak with her in an informal setting. Galdston sent out the following information:

Watertown High School is hosting an Open House on Monday, November 20, 2017 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. This is an excellent opportunity for Watertown families with students in grades 7 and 8 to visit with High School teachers and students in a variety of content areas. Families will learn about the variety of exciting programs and opportunities available at Watertown High School. I will be holding two superintendent’s coffees, one on Wednesday, November 15 at 9:00 a.m. and again on Thursday, November 16 at 7:00 p.m. Both of the coffees will be held in the Innovation Lab, 3rd Floor, Phillips Administration Building.

Schools

Details of Asbestos Report at High School, District Will Hire Firm to Remediate

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Superintendent Dede Galdston announced details of the report about the asbestos found in the Watertown Public Schools, Monday evening, including plans to remove some found in plaster on the walls of classrooms at Watertown High School. The study was conducted by EFI Global, the consultant hired to do the work as part of the district’s requirement under the Asbestos Hazardous Emergency Response Act (AHERA). The schools must do the inspection every three years, and last week Galdston said that more powerful testing methods found asbestos not detected in prior years. Asbestos was discovered in skim coat plaster at the high school. Air quality was also tested in the rooms where damaged plaster was found, and Galdston said that it came in 10 times lower than the limit allowed by the EPA.

Schools

Start Time for Watertown High School Moving Later Starting Fall of 2018

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Watertown High School will start 35 minutes later starting in the fall of 2018 after the School Committee voted to approve the school start time change on Monday night. 
Both the high school and Watertown Middle School will start at 8:30 a.m., while Cunniff, Hosmer and Lowell elementary schools will start at 8:15 a.m.

Research shows benefit of moving the start of school later is that high school students will be more ready to learn because it is more inline with adolescents’ biological clocks, said School Committee Chairman John Portz. “In the education world often times with research you have conflicting opinions. This is an issue where there is very little conflict,” Portz said. The change was made after more than two years of discussion and research by Watertown School officials. After an initial study by the School Start Time Task Force, the same group was asked to come up with recommendations for how to implement a time change and how it would impact other schools in town.

Schools

Asbestos Found in Walls of Watertown High School, Effort to Remove it Underway

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An inspection of Watertown High School discovered that the plaster on the walls contain asbestos, Superintendent Dede Galdston announced Monday, and the district has started determining the best way to deal with the hazardous material. 

The inspection was conducted by a firm hired by the Watertown Public Schools as part of complying with the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA). Galdston sent a letter about the asbestos to Watertown High School parents, and read it at Monday’s School Committee meeting. “During these inspections it was determined that the skim coat plaster at the high school contains some amount of asbestos,” Galdston said. “While previous reports did not identify asbestos in the plaster, more recent sampling and analytical methods have improved such that the levels of asbestos in plaster can now be detected.” All the plaster in the school is being examined to determine the extent of the asbestos, Galdston told the School Committee.