Schools

Watertown Schools See Influx of Students at Elementary, High School Levels

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Charlie BreitroseThe new school building at Cunniff Elementary School, along with the new Hosmer School have seen an increase of enrollment this fall. Watertown High School has also grown. More students arrived at the Watertown Public Schools than expected this fall, requiring the addition of some new classes, teachers and support staff. Superintendent Dede Galdston told the School Committee on Monday that she believes the district’s new schools are part of the draw. The 2022-23 school year is the first that students will spend the whole year in the new Cunniff and Hosmer elementary school buildings.

9/11

Watertown Students Create 9/11 Tribute With Help of Public

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Students from the Watertown Middle School’s Project 351 Team created a tribute to the Massachusetts residents lost on 9/11. A colorful arrangement of rocks sits in front of the Watertown Free Public Library, with each rock representing one of the 206 Massachusetts residents who lost their lives in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The installation was created by a group of Watertown students, who got a hand from the public, said Montserrat Llacuna, a freshman at Watertown High School who led the Middle School’s Project351 Watertown Team to create the tribute. Each of the 206 rocks were painted an have messages of hope, courage and support.

Capital Projects

Capital Projects Include Community Path, Work at Middle School, Reuse of Old Police Station

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The City Council approved the recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2023-27 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), which includes extending the Community Path, improvements to Watertown Middle School, reusing the old Watertown Police Station, along with road repair and other projects. The 34 recommendations of the FY23-27 CIP includes $27.6 million in capital spending in Fiscal year 2023, which would be 7.71 percent of the total projected City revenues not including the funds for the Building for the Future school projects (16 percent with them). That figure fits within the City Council’s budget guideline to spend between 7.5 percent and 8 percent of the City Operating Budget on capital projects, said Council Vice President Vincent Piccirilli. Community Path

Three of the CIP recommendations related to extending the Community Path, which currently goes from Arlington Street, behind Target to School Street, and runs along Arsenal Street. The path will be extended from Taylor Street (off Arsenal Street) to Saltonstall Park.

Around Town

LETTER: Former Watertown Middle School Teacher Looks to Heal, Rebuild Relationships in Spirit of MLK Jr.

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The following letter was written to you, my Watertown community, almost a year ago. It was written upon Watertown News’ request for a statement from me on March 5th, 2021. As an employee of the Watertown Public Schools, I was not permitted to make such a statement at any time over the past year. Having now resigned from WPS, I would love the opportunity to share my thoughts with you and hopefully work towards some healing and rebuilding of the fractured relationships that last year’s incidents engendered. I can’t think of a better time to do this than Martin Luther King Day 2022.

Assistant Principal

Watertown Schools Welcome Two New Assistant Principals, Administrator Who Will Integrate Technology into Learning

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Superintendent Dede Galdston introduced the School Committee to two new assistant principals and an administrator who will focus on using technology in education. The new assistant principals will be working at Watertown Middle School and Lowell Elementary School, while the district also filled the administrative position is known as the Coordinator of Digital Learning and Libraries. The middle school’s new assistant principal, Susan Carle, is returning to the area after working in the Midwest. She has been the assistant principal at Northwest Middle School in Chicago since 2016, Galdston said. Prior to that she was an instructional support leader and resident principal.

Schools

Busing Considered if Temporary High School is at Moxley Field, Veterans Group Support Using Site

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Ai3 ArchitectsA rendering of what a two-story modular building could look like on Moxley Field. It would be the temporary location for Watertown High School while a new school is constructed. Watertown School officials will look at busing students to the temporary high school and the middle school if modulars are built on Moxley Field, the School Building Committee heard at its meeting on Wednesday. Designers of the new Watertown High School, and the temporary campus, responded to a petition submitted by neighbors of the area near Moxley Field, addressing all the questions raised including: traffic issues, issues with tearing up the field dedicated to a Watertown Marine, stormwater issues and others. See the slide presentation from the meeting by clicking here.

Police/Fire

Middle School Video: Statements from Teacher, School Officials & Police Union

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Watertown Middle School

The showing of a video to a group of Watertown Middle School students caused an uproar in Town. The video is being called anti-police and misleading, with some calling for the teacher who showed it to be disciplined or fired. The video, which was created by MTV, was not sanctioned by Watertown School officials before it was shown during Community Meeting at WMS in February. Superintendent Dede Galdston said that she cannot share details of a personnel matter, that the Watertown Public School officials are looking into the incident. “While personnel matters cannot be shared publicly, please know that District leadership will address this incident directly in a way that is consistent with School Committee policies and procedures,” Galdston wrote in a statement released Saturday.

Letters

LETTER: Resident Calls for Stronger Response to Showing of Anti-Police Video at Middle School

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Dear Dr. Galdston,

Let me preface my comments by expressing my admiration for the vast majority of wonderful teachers that have answered a “calling” to educate children, especially those in the Watertown Public Schools. As I noted, being a teacher is far more than a job, it’s a vocation and calling. My older sister was foreign language teacher and reading specialist, before she retired. I personally saw all the hours she put into the lesson planning and correcting papers. People don’t see all the work teachers do. Nor do they see that they often buy supplies with their own money. But the most important thing many folks don’t see or understand is the emotional commitment teachers make to their students. Having said that; I must express my dismay at your weak response to the situation at the Middle School. In your statement you rightly noted that the video shown to the students was Anti-Law Enforcement.