Superintendent's Weekly Update

Warm regards,

Robert Wargo

Superintendent

Kindergarten is a significant milestone in your child's educational journey, and ensuring timely registration is crucial for a smooth transition into our school community. Therefore, we kindly urge you to complete the registration process by the specified deadline to secure your child's place.

It's essential to highlight that while we strive to accommodate families within their neighborhood zones, we must also adhere to the policies outlined by our School Committee. Specifically, we want to draw your attention to policies JC - Attendance Areas and JCA - Assignment of Students to Schools.

According to these policies, there is a possibility that your child may not be assigned to the school within your immediate neighborhood zone due to various factors, including capacity constraints, transportation and balancing student populations across our district.

To ensure a smooth registration process and to address any concerns or questions you may have, we encourage you to reach out to the Family Engagement Center or visit our website for more information.

The 2024 Capstone Fair was a tremendous success! This past week over 375 students from Weymouth High School presenting their projects with pride to their peers, teachers, caregivers, judges, and the community.

The Capstone is a long-standing tradition at WPS that allows students to work with an advisor on independent projects that combine what they've learned in their electives with 21st-century skills in a real-world context.

Over two nights, we watched our students take the stage and showcase their hard work, discussing what they learned and why it matters. As Superintendent, I'm incredibly proud of our students and their families, who showed up in support of their hard work. Many of the topics addressed challenges that their generation holds the power to influence, change, and cure, and I believe this project was a significant step towards discovering the power they hold in impacting their future industries and contributing to their community.

We would like to thank the Capstone students, families, the community, judges, sponsors, WHS administrators, advisors, and Capstone Chair, Malissa Northup for their contributions to the fair's success. Your hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed.

The 2024-2025 District Calendar was approved by the School Committe on Thursday, March 7th. Please see below for some important dates.

• September 3: Opening Day (No school for students) - Full Day Staff

• September 4: Staff Development Day - Full Day (No school for students)

• September 5: Half Day for Grades 1-5 and Grades 6 & Grade 9 only

• September 6: Grades 1-12 - Full Day Staff & Students

• September 9: Pre-K & Kindergarten first day of school

• November 27: Half Day for staff/students; November 28-29: Thanksgiving Break

• December: Holiday Break starts on December 20; Schools reopen on Thursday, January 2

• June 27: Tentative Last day of school - half day for students (includes 5 snow days)

The 24th Annual Weymouth Junior Police Academy is just around the corner, and we're thrilled to announce the opportunity for two lucky students from each 5th grade class to secure a guaranteed spot through our school representative drawing!

Here are the important details you need to know:

• Selection Process: Two students will be randomly selected from every 5th grade class to participate in this unforgettable experience.
• Deadline for Entries: All entries must be submitted by midnight on April 12, 2024, to be considered for the drawing.
• Program Dates: The one-week program will run from July 8th to July 12th, 2024.
• Cost: If selected, the cost for participation is $295.00. This fee covers all activities, materials, and experiences throughout the week.

General registration will open to all interested participants on April 10, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. through the Weymouth Recreation website. Stay tuned for more information, which will be sent out prior to the opening of registration.

This is your child's chance to dive into the world of law enforcement, learn valuable skills, and forge lifelong friendships. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity!

To enter the drawing please click here.

Let's make the 24th Annual Weymouth Junior Police Academy the best one yet!

This week was spirit week at Academy!!! The students and staff had fun with all the different themes! It was a great way to celebrate our school pride! The week was coordinated by our student leadership group, the Academy Ambassadors!

Also our 5th grade committees launched the TWO BITE CLUB this spring. Grade 1 won the first leg of the competition (Veggies) and earned an extra recess for trying new vegetables. Round two focuses on foods from the Dairy group. The program is aimed at students trying new foods from the different food groups and forming healthy eating habits.

The NSRWA (North and South River Watershed Association) program entitled Water All Around You went to Pingree Elementary school on Thursday. Adams Academy students were the "teachers' for the fun hands-on activities. Stations included building a water filter, a water conservation game, interactive surface and groundwater models, and students even participated in a water taste test. Both groups had a blast.

This week Chapman had their March Madness games.

This week's video was created by 6th grader Sophia H. in Chapman Middle School's Community Video and Photojournalism class taught by Mr. Dreyfus. Sophie used green screen special effects to tell the story of visiting some of the best Olympic Gymnasts in the world.

On Thursday, Seach Elementary had a BFit school assembly hosted by the Boston Bruins! John Whiteside, former Bruins strength and conditioning coach and Andrew Raycroft, former Bruins goalie provided a fun and engaging program about health, wellness, exercise and community.

Sports Registrations are through FamilyID: https://www.familyid.com/weymouth-high-school-athletics

Digital Wellness: Let your Kids be the Experts
Dr. Jill Walsh

When it comes to discussing technology with kids the power balance is off; despite our efforts, they know more about it than we do. This often limits conversation, but please don’t let it! If I have learned anything from the teens I’ve interviewed over the years it is that they really want to talk to us. But the way we frame the conversation is critical. It often works best when we accept that they are the tech experts and let them know that want to understand it better. Instead of starting with a lecture or our own agenda, begin some of your tech discussions with open-ended questions.They will be skeptical at first, but I promise they will open up once they see you don’t have a hidden agenda. Below are suggestions to get started:

• “What’s your favorite platform/app right now?” This lets your teen tell you what is important to them. Follow this up by asking why they like it to get a sense of what appeals to them (i.e. is it that they are exhausted and need a break; the chance to connect with friends). Stay curious with this!

• “What do you wish I understood better about your tech use?” Most likely they will say some version of “I wish you understood that I’m not doing bad stuff.” That’s okay. This an entry point to talk about your concerns and for them to share their worries..

• If you hear something about technology from parents or the news that makes you nervous, mention it to your child and say “What have you heard about this?” After talking about it generally you can say “I’m bringing this up because it makes me nervous and I want to make sure you are prepared to handle it. What would you do in this situation?” This lets you work together to develop strategies for challenging moments.

I am only suggesting we see teens as tech experts. We have knowledge about navigating relationships, health and wellness, and developing a sense of self and should not defer to them on those things! And guidance on those topics is what teens need from us. A friend problem that happens on Snapchat is, for them, still a friend problem.

International Festival

• WPS is excited to announce this year's 3rd annual district-wide International Festival event!
• The event will take place on Tuesday, 5/14 from 5 - 8:30 pm.
• The committee relies heavily on the community's involvement to make this a successful event and are hoping for participation from families in all Weymouth Schools.
• To get more information on the event and how to volunteer, click on this LINK.

Recycling Fundraiser

• Turn your trash to cash. Help WPS raising money for each class.
• Bring your textiles to your class' bin that is located in the parking lot near the tennis courts.
• Click on this LINK to view more information.

Weymouth Youth & Family Services - Teen Center

• Stop by the teen Center and check out what they have to offer. The Teen Center is a safe and fun environment for all teenagers from all over Massachusetts and all are welcome!! We have snacks, pool games, parties, field trips, gaming systems, and more. Come to the center to hang out with your friends and staff. The Teen Center is also for families, not just teens. The staff provide social services for those in the community in need, they can help.
• Come and bring your friends to use the centers:
• Pool Tables
• Video Games
• Ping Pong
• Bumper Pool
• Air Hockey
• FREE WI-FI
• Click on this LINK to get more information and to view the brochure

Dreamcatcher Scholarship

• The Dreamcatcher Scholarship is now open and taking applications for the Spring 2024 season.
• Prospective athletes may apply at the SCHOLARSHIP LINK no later than April 1 to be eligible.
• Student athletes should write their essays and submit prior to the deadline.
• Recipients will be informed within one week of the deadline.

• March 20 - 6:00 p.m. - Budget Sub-Committee Meeting
  
• March 21 - 7:00 p.m. - School Committee Meeting - WHS Humanities Cente
• Friday, March 29th - No school in observance of Good Friday
• Sunday, March 31st - Easter
• April 25th - Special Olympics

• Bus Routes
• Bus Payment Information
• Champions Before and After School Care - 781-812-8735 - or lolee@discoverchampions.com
• Food Services
• SEPAC - Click here for meeting schedule
• Student Handbook 2023/2024
• Technology Support For Families
• Town Wide Parent Council Meets the Second Tuesday of Each Month
  
• Weymouth Food Pantry Calendar
• Wraparound Center Flyer
  

For a quick tutorial on how to login to Aspen, find your child’s report card, and/or find your child’s Special Education progress report:

• How to login into the Aspen Family Portal

• How to find your child’s report card

• How to find your child’s Special Education progress report