We are very thankful to Maverick Workwear of North Reading, MA, for generously donating two pallets of Brunt work boots to our CTE Construction Technology program! This thoughtful contribution ensures that our students have access to durable, safety-rated footwear while they learn hands-on carpentry and building trades, helping to create a safer, more professional lab environment and supporting career readiness for our future builders. We can't thank them enough! |
Last week, three of our teachers and ten students braved the arctic temperatures to participate in the Special Olympics MA Polar Plunge at Arsenal Yards! Jumping into a frigid, portable pool while fresh snowflakes fell, The WHS Raider Plunge Team raised over $600 to fund competitions for athletes all over the state. Led by student team captains Hasnain Ali and Ruslan Lavrishin, and faculty plungers Mr. Boyd, Mr. Mayer and Mr. Cooke, the Raiders proved that having fun and helping a cause go hand in hand! Clearly, Mr. Mayer had a great time! |
Our Model UN team competed at the Boston University Model UN Conference during the first weekend of February. There was a total of 108 schools and over 2,500 students in attendance, making for a fierce competition. As always, our students did an outstanding job in their individual committees. Noa Takahashi received a Diplomatic Commendation Award and Charles Curtiss (pictured) received an Honorable Mention Award, congratulations to both of them! |
Members of the Healy-Driscoll Administration visited our Freight Farm, a 40-foot shipping container outfitted to grow food year-round, providing food for the cafeteria's in all five of our WPS schools, to celebrate $1.2 million in grants and see examples of the investments in access to locally grown food for children. Mr. Nabel has been working tirelessly on the farm all year and our new class, High-Tech Farming, has officially begun this semester! Check out this press release for more information. |
February's Attendance Challenge was a great success! 105 students attended school every day, on time, and enjoyed a fantastic hot chocolate buffet this morning! Stay tuned for more attendance related challenges this spring. |
WHS is collaborating with the leaders of other MA school districts and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to gather information about optional, elective science courses.
We are interested in learning more about the kinds of science courses students would like to take and what kind of science learning opportunities families would like to see offered to their students. We aim to use this information to ensure that our teachers are well supported in designing electives, and that students have access to electives that interest them.
If you have a moment, please complete this survey by Saturday, February 28!
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We are hosting various workshops for families focused on sharing information, answering questions, and building community. We'd love to see you there!
Family Conferences Information Sessions
The English Language Parent Advisory Council (ELPAC) is offering two workshops to help families better understand our upcoming family-teacher conferences.
Families who prefer to participate in Spanish are invited to join the workshop using this Zoom Link on Tuesday, February 24, at 7:00 PM.
Families who prefer English or other languages are invited to join the workshop using this Zoom Link on Wednesday, February 25, at 7:00 PM.
Caregiver University
Our Caregiver University on Thursday, March 5, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM at WMS, is an opportunity for families to engage with our community both in and outside of Watertown schools. Interpretation and translation will be available for any language requested. Don't miss this chance to connect with our educational community!
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The parent/guardian focus group for our Portrait of a Graduate work will be held on March 30 from 6:00 to 7:30 PM on Zoom! During this time, we will brainstorm what skills, knowledge, and qualities every Watertown High School graduate should possess. We truly value family perspectives, and your input will help shape a vision that reflects our entire school community. Please add your information to our sign-up form if you'd like to participate! |
Get ready to rock out in March during our String Spectacular and Band-a-Rama concerts! Both concerts begin at 7:00 PM in the WMS gym.
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Band-a-Rama: March 5
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String Spectacular: March 17
This is our fifth annual String Spectacular that includes all of our Watertown string players from grades 4 to 12! This year's concert features exciting pieces of music ranging from fiddle tunes to pop favorites. For more information, check our their concert newsletter!
Additionally, don't miss the middle school's production of Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka Jr. in March! Tickets are $12 and all WPS students have free admission!
- March 6 & 7, 7:00 PM
- March 8, 2:00 PM
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This month, we are piloting a new ELA and Math diagnostic tool, the Renaissance STAR Assessment, in select ELA classes and all Math classes. This brief, online assessment helps teachers better understand students’ academic strengths and areas for growth, allowing them to tailor instruction and better support learning.
Students will complete the assessment during their regularly scheduled class time and are not graded.
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Families will now receive student attendance updates via ParentSquare! These automated emails will be sent to students and families when students meet certain thresholds for absences. As a reminder, students with more than five unexcused absences in a course will lose credit in that course, putting them at risk of being credit deficient and potentially delaying their graduation. Often, the number of days a student misses can add up quickly, sometimes without families even realizing just how many days have been missed. These notifications are part of Watertown High School's ongoing efforts to emphasize the importance of daily school attendance and foster continued communication among students, families, and the school regarding attendance patterns. Please contact Ms. Adrienne Eaton (adrienne.eaton@watertown.k12.ma.us), Assistant Principal, if you have questions regarding these notifications. |
Have great photos that capture your memories from this year? Upload them into this photo drive and they might be featured in the yearbook!
As a reminder, the deadline to purchase the yearbook is April 14! Grab yours now using this link: WHS Yearbook Sale.
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In our past newsletters, we shared that we are beginning the process of developing our own Profile of a Graduate. This is a shared vision that defines the skills, knowledge, and qualities every Watertown High School graduate should possess.
Over the coming months, we will be working with the Watertown community to ensure the profile reflects our shared values and aspirations. We are currently seeking participants (current and recently graduated students, parent/guardians, teachers and staff, and other community members) to help guide us in our development.
There are three ways you can participate:
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Complete this Stakeholder Survey! This is a comprehensive survey to gather input on what skills, qualities, and values should be defined by a Watertown graduate. It will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.
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Participate in a virtual focus group session! We will be hosting two virtual focus groups in February (date TBD) - one for faculty and staff and another for students and families. They will meet for one hour and focus on community visioning and discovery, as well as defining the “Watertown Voice”. Please use our sign-up form to submit your interest.
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Become a Working Group member! We are seeking dedicated community members to serve on our Profile of a Graduate Working Group. This group will participate in three 2-hour virtual sessions (February, March, April), with between-session work, and help guide the development process. We are looking for diverse perspectives, including: current and recently graduated WHS students, parents and guardians, teachers and staff, community members and local employers, and School Committee members.
- Your name and relationship to Watertown High School
- Why you are interested in participating
- Any relevant experience or perspective you bring
We want to ensure that every Watertown graduate leaves our school prepared with not only academic knowledge, but also with the skills, dispositions, and character to thrive. We are excited to build this together, thank you for your commitment to Watertown students!
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The School Committee approved the school year calendar for next year! The first day of school is September 8, with the last day of school on June 21 (June 28 if all five snow days are used). |
- February 16 to 20 (offices closed on 2/16)
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