Government

Schools, Development, Transportation Priorities for Town in Next Two Years

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Among the key areas of focus for the Town Council in the new term will be improving Watertown’s schools, deal with the development boom and seek to improve transportation, Town Council President Mark Sideris announced at Monday’s inauguration ceremony. Sideris, the Town Council (Michael Dattoli, Aaron Dushku, Susan Falkoff, Lisa Feltner, Angeline Kounelis, Anthony Palomba, Vincent Piccirilli and Kenneth Woodland) and the elected or re-elected School Committee members (Eileen Hsu-Balzer, Kendra Medville Foley and Candace Miller) and Library Trustees (Sheppard Ferguson, Penelope Peoples and Timothy Tracy) were sworn in at the event held at the Arsenal Center for the Arts’ Charles Mosesian Theater. Development has been the top issue in town, particularly in the areas east of Watertown Square along Arsenal Street. Two major apartment projects have been approved along Arsenal Street and a new hotel is going up near the malls. Zoning for two areas that could change the town significantly continue to subjects of hot discussion: the Regional Mixed Use District (RMUD) in the area of the two malls in town, and the redevelopment of the Arsenal on the Charles.

Schools

Watertown Teaming with Boston College to Encourage Parent Participation

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In an effort to encourage more participation among families in their children’s schools, Watertown Public Schools is forming a pilot-program partnership with faculty at the Boston College Lynch School of Education to identify how to attract more diversity among families who actively participate in school programs and events, according to an announcement from BC. The first research collaboration of its kind between the town and the Lynch School is made possible through a grant by the Collaborative Fellows Program of the Lynch School. “I’m delighted to be partnering with the Boston College Lynch School on this important initiative,” said Dr. Jean Fitzgerald, Superintendent of Watertown Public Schools. “I believe that a strong school community is built through the positive connections we make with the families of our students.  The collaboration between the Lynch School and the Watertown Public Schools will shine a light on the strengths and opportunities for increasing those connections and expanding family engagement here in Watertown.”

“Administrators in the school district have noticed that some families, often those more established in the community, are very engaged in schools – they come to all the parent-teacher conferences and are active members in parent-teacher organizations, the school-site council, that kind of thing,” said Lynch School Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership Rebecca Lowenhaupt, Ph.D., lead researcher in this project. “But other community members are much less likely to become involved.”

Dr. Lowenhaupt said her team, which includes middle school assistant principal Jason Del Porto, school district administrators, and researchers from the Lynch School, will undertake a system-wide needs assessment of family engagement using focus groups, data analysis, and conversations.

Schools

The First Day of Classes for Watertown Public School Coming Soon

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The school year opens on Sept. 8 for the Watertown Public Schools, here is some information that might be helpful. 
School Hours
Cunniff Elementary School: 8:15 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Hosmer Elementary School: 8:30 a.m.-2:45 p.m.

Lowell Elementary School: 8:15 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Watertown Middle School: 7:40 a.m.-2:10 p.m.

Watertown High School: 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Registration
To register for the Watertown Public Schools,  you will need:

2 proofs of residency (mandatory) including a mortgage bill/lease/real estate tax bill and a utility bill (telephone bill, electric bill, water bill, etc.)
Child’s birth certificate (mandatory)
Copy of child’s medical records (mandatory)
Copy of any early intervention or special education evaluations (optional)

In addition you will need to fill out some forms. They are available by clicking here for you to download, fill out and bring when you come to register your child. Other documents may be needed to register. To find contact the school:

Early Steps Integrated Preschool (ages 3 – 5)

1 Concord Road, 617-926-7765

http://www.watertown.k12.ma.us/dept/student/sped/preschool.html

Cunniff Elementary School (grades PreK – 5)

246 Warren St., 617-926-7726

http://www.watertown.k12.ma.us/cunniff/index.html

Hosmer Elementary School (grades PreK – 5)

1 Concord Road, 617-926-7740

http://www.watertown.k12.ma.us/hosmer/index.html

Lowell Elementary School (grades PreK – 5)

175 Orchard St., 617-926-7770

http://www.watertown.k12.ma.us/lowell/index.html

Watertown Middle School (grades 6 – 8)

68 Waverley Ave., 617-926-7783

http://www.watertown.k12.ma.us/wms/index.html

Watertown High School (grades 9-12)

50 Columbia St., 617 926-7760

http://www.watertown.k12.ma.us/whs/index.html

 
School Buses
Registration for the 2015-2016 school year Transportation Program will be available for students in Hosmer, grades K-5 (student must be in Kindergarten and at least 5 years of age) and the Middle School grades 6-8 who live more than .75 miles from the schools. Please note that you must register your child each year; registrations are not automatically carried into the next school year.

Schools

Live Well Watertown Hosting Back to School Bonanza

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Come out to the Arsenal Project on Wednesday to get some ideas for healthy meals or snacks, take a peek at the Watertown Schools lunch menu and have fun with activities and music for kids! Live Well Watertown will host the Back to School Bonanza for Busy Families on Wednesday, Sept. 2 from 10 a.m to noon at the Innovation Space, across from Dunkin’ Donuts in the Arsenal Project, 485 Arsenal St. in Watertown. Activities include:

Plan ahead for the school year with some new ideas for healthy eating!

Schools

Group Seeks to Make Watertown High School Safe for Transgender Students

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A group of Watertown High School students has requested that the School Committee add a school district policy for transgender and nonconforming students to make these students feel safe to attend the town’s schools. 

Transgender students do not feel comfortable at Watertown High School, said members of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) at WHS. “A lot of it was the school culture,” said GSA President and WHS junior Jeremy Holt. “When we decided to put this in place the school culture was not open and accepting (of transgender and nonconforming students).” As part of the new policy, they seek some changes to improve the atmosphere at the school. Some changes include creating gender-neutral bathrooms and locker rooms, teachers using the pronoun preferred by the student when addressing the student, and not telling parents what their preferred sexual identity until the student is comfortable telling them. “The three main goals of the policy are to reduce stigmatization of transgender and gender nonconforming students, maintaining the privacy of all students and fostering cultural competence and professional development for school staff,” WHS junior and GSA member Kira Peterson told the School Committee on Monday night.

Schools

See What School Officials Included in the Budget Request for 2015-16

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Watertown school officials have requested a $2.7 million increase for the 2015-16 school year, which includes more than 20 new jobs, new equipment and bolstering technology in the town’s public schools. Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald said the budget includes teachers to reduce class sizes at Cunniff and Hosmer elementary schools, teachers at the high school to strengthen the computer science and environmental science programs, and an Arabic teacher at the high school. The $41.93 million budget, a 6.87 percent increase from 20141-15, was presented to the School Committee on Monday night. Another area of focus for the budget is student support. This includes adding part-time psychologists at Cunniff and Lowell schools, a part time school adjustment counselor at Watertown Middle School, and two part-time psychologists and a behavioral specialist for the special education program.

Schools

Federal Grant ‘PEP’-ing Up Physical Ed Classes in Watertown

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A Federal grant has pumped more than $500,00 into physical education in Watertown’s schools, and has allowed gym class to be more than just sports and has branched outside the gym. The Watertown Public Schools is in the second year of the three-year Carol M. White Physical Education Program (or PEP) grant. The district received $391,269 the first year, another $126,034 the second year and is expected to get another $116,936 the third year, said Director of Wellness and Extended Services Donna Ruseckas. This is the second time Watertown has been awarded the PEP grant. “It’s voted on every year by Congress and only so many districts get it,” Ruseckas said.

Schools

Watertown Schools Preparing for Growing Enrollment

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Watertown’s schools will grow by more than 180 students over the next 10 years, according to projections by school officials, and the district will have to figure ways to fit these students into the schools. 

First priority is figuring out next year, the 2015-16 school year, when the school are expected to have four fewer students than the enrollment for the 2014-15 school year – 2,579 for PreK-12. The challenge next year will be the larger than normal grades at Cunniff and Hosmer schools, school officials said at Monday’s School Committee Budget and Finance Subcommittee meeting. Cunniff’s two fourth grade classes are projected at 25 and 26 in 2015-16, and Hosmer’s third grade is projected to have three classes of 26 and one of 25. Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald said the district plans to add a teacher to each of the schools, but not to create a new class. “Both principals will use the teachers for smaller instructional groups,” Fitzgerald said.