The Waltham School Committee is seeking a candidate for the position of Superintendent of Schools. The Superintendent reports to a seven-member School Committee. These members are elected biannually to serve four-year terms. The city mayor serves as the chair of the school committee.

THE WALTHAM SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH COMMITTEE

The Waltham School Committee invites interested persons to submit their name for consideration

as members of the Superintendent Search Committee.

The Search Committee will consist of:

3 Members of the School Committee (includes the Vice Chair)

2 Waltham Public Schools Administrators

3 Waltham Public Schools Faculty Members

3 Waltham Public Schools Parents

1 Special Education Representative

1 English Language Learner Representative

2 Community Members at Large (students will be considered and are encouraged to apply)

The Search Committee will hold an initial orientation meeting on Thursday, October 19, 2023 at

7:00pm at Waltham High School. In addition, Search Committee members will participate in a

confidential screening of candidate applications, developing interview questions, actual interviews of candidates, and making recommendations to the School Committee. In order to be considered, you must be available on the following dates:

Thursday, November 2nd at 5pm Narrow down list of candidates by Search Committee

Tuesday, November 14th at 6pm Semi-finalist interviews by Search Committee

Thursday, November 16th at 6pm Additional interviews, if needed, and decision on finalists

Sunday, November 19th Finalists announced by Search Committee

Tuesday, November 28 - Thursday, Nov. 30 Finalist interviews by School Committee

Monday, December 4th - Tuesday, Dec. 5th Site Visits by School Committee

Wednesday, December 6th - Final Decision on Superintendent by School Committee

If you are interested in serving, please submit your name, contact information, and a brief statement of interest to: John Frassica, Vice Chair, School Committee - johnfrassica@walthampublicschools.org

*All interest letters must be received by Wednesday, October 11, 2023.*

On the agenda for the October 4 meeting includes:

• District Strategic Plan Year 1 Action Steps

* Please note, agenda items are subject to change

For further information, please see the School Committee web page here.

The WPS Multilingual Department is committed to building on the strengths of students. We advocate for equitable access to and participation in school and community opportunities, including the Seal of Biliteracy, Waltham community partners, school-based clubs, sports, and activities. Our multilingual students engage in high-quality instruction in a community that is culturally responsive.

Many languages and countries are represented among WPS students. While many students speak English or Spanish as a first language, about 40 other languages are also spoken including: Achi, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Balochi, Bengali, Bulgarian, Khmer, Chinese, Edo, Farsi, French, Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Kannada, Korean, Lao, Luganda, Malayalam, Mam, Mayanmasa, Nepali, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Pashto, Q’eqchi’, Quiche, Russian, Spanish , Tagalog, Tajik,

Tamil, Thai, Twi, Turkish, Ukrainian,Urdu, and Uzbek.

The linguistic diversity of our student population is an asset. Students will have the opportunity to earn the Seal of Biliteracy award during their senior year of high school. Note: information on home languages is collected at registration if you do not see your language accurately recorded, please let us know so it can be included.

La artista de Arts for Learning MA, Verónica Robles, visito la escuela primaria Lenguaje Dual. Gracias a los fondos proporcionados por el PTO de Lenguaje Dual y el Consejo Cultural de Waltham, los estudiantes de Lenguaje Dual pudieron disfrutar de una actuación fantástica de la artista mexicana Verónica Robles, quien interpretó "Colores de México".

Arts for Learning MA Artist Veronica Robles visited Dual Language Elementary School. Thanks to funding provided by the Dual Language PTO and the Waltham Cultural Council, Dual Language students were treated to a fantastic performance by the Mexican Artist Veronica Robles, who performed "Colors of Mexico."

Rachel Weinstein's Structured Reading Classroom: McDevitt 7th Grade Structured Reading welcomed radio personality and Waltham resident Melissa Eannuzzo into their class to answer questions about her profession and offer words of wisdom, support and encouragement to our students.

On Tuesday September 26th, McDevitt opened it's doors to all families to meet teachers and learn about the school. In the foyer, we had tables featuring community organizations, the PTO, after school activities, and Remind/ASPEN trainings.

Dual Language - October 4

Plympton Elementary - October 5

Whittemore Elementary - October 12

The Waltham High School Unified Basketball Team is back in action. The Unified Hawks kick off their 5th season against Concord-Carlisle on Thursday, October 5th @ 4 pm in the big gym at Waltham High School. There is no charge for the event and all students, staff and children are welcome. These amazing athletes and partners would love your support as they continue to work hard to get ready for the upcoming season. Come out and support the Unified Basketball team throughout the season. A Unified Community Is A Strong Community! GO UNIFIED HAWKS!

Transportation updates with bus routes can be found here:

https://www.walthampublicschools.org/page/transportation-updates

Please contact the PIC with any questions at 781-314-5524 (English) 781-314-5668 (Español).

As we navigate the excitement of a new school year, the safety and well-being of our students, especially our youngest learners, remains our top priority. We understand that many of our families are new to school or to our community and the experience of using a school bus, so we want to take a moment to clarify the district's school bus policy for the benefit of our families.

Adult Presence is Mandatory: If your child is in kindergarten or grades 1 and 2, an adult must be present at the school bus stop when they are dropped off in the afternoon. This ensures your child's safety and provides peace of mind for both parents and our bus drivers.

Red Luggage Tags: To assist our bus drivers, especially with the introduction of new routes and students, we're providing red luggage tags. These tags should be fastened visibly to your child's backpack to signal the bus driver that an adult must be present at the bus stop to greet the child. If an adult isn't present at the afternoon bus stop The bus company and your child's school will try to contact the parent or guardian on file. If we are unable to reach you, the student will be safely returned to their school by the bus driver. In such cases, it is crucial that the child is picked up from the school immediately. We kindly ask for your cooperation as with new and returning drivers, and students on board, the tags will act as a helpful reminder, ensuring that our young learners are safely handed over to a responsible adult. Furthermore, it's essential to avoid situations where students need to be returned to school as the school staff is heading home, making it a challenge to provide supervision. We value your partnership in ensuring the safety and smooth operations of our school transportation system.

Thank you for your understanding and adherence to this policy.

The Waltham Police Department recognizes the frustration that accompanies the delays and detours

that motorists must take in relation to the MWRA project on Lexington Street. With school back in

session, we are urging all drivers to be more alert on the road to ensure the satety of students,

motorists, pedestrians and all who use our roadways. Below are some factors to consider when

operating your vehicle:

Slow down - Adhere to speed limits and be aware of the change in speed limits in school zone areas. By slowing down, you are doing your part in keeping others, as well as yourself, from getting hurt.

Eliminate distractions - Staying focused on the roadway is not only your responsibility, it's the law.

Retrain from texting or using the phone while operating a vehicle. People often cross the road

unexpectedly and may emerge suddenly from between parked vehicles. Research shows that taking

your eyes off the road for merely two seconds doubles your chances of crashing.

Reverse responsibly - Every vehicle has blind spots - Check for people who may be around your vehicle,

on the sidewalk or driveway before slowly backing up. Keep your radio at a volume that allows you to

hear other vehicle horns or voices that may be trying to alert you.

Come to a complete stop - Research demonstrates that more than one-third of drivers roll through stop

signs in school zones and neighborhoods. Always bring your vehicle to a complete stop, checking

carefully for people on sidewalks and in crosswalks, before proceeding.

Watch for bicycles - Bicyclists may be inexperienced, unsteady, and unpredictable. More importantly,

they may not be aware of approaching vehicles. Slow down and allow at least four feet ofpassing

distance between your vehicle and the bicycle.

The Waltham Police Department is committed to the safety of our students and residents. By following

these suggestions and obeying all the rules of the road, you are doing your part in keeping our roadways safe. We will be enforcing traffic laws in the area throughout the school year and appreciate your cooperation in maintaining public safety.

ACP - English

ACP - Spanish

Who Is Eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program?

A household is eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program if the household income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or if a member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:

• Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;
• Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider's existing low-income internet program;
• Participates in one of these assistance programs:
  • Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program, including at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Eligibility Provision schools.
  • SNAP
  • Medicaid
  • Federal Housing Assistance, including:
    • Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program (Section 8 Vouchers)
    • Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA)/Section 202/ Section 811
    • Public Housing
    • Affordable Housing Programs for American Indians, Alaska Natives or Native Hawaiians
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • WIC
  • Veterans Pension or Survivor Benefits
  • or Lifeline;

The Department of Children and Families is seeking to keep Waltham children in their

schools and communities. We want to ensure that when DCF assumes care and custody of

a child, that child is able to remain in their school, with their friends and the adults that

support them. In order to accomplish this, DCF is looking for Waltham parents who

would consider becoming a short-term caregiver for a student in need at their child’s

school.

Please complete this brief survey below if you are interested in participating or learning more.

https://fcsn.org/transition-support/

On October 18 and 26 Metro DDS will host 101 Virtual Sessions.

DDS will be continuing to offer DDS 101 sessions this fall for any families, students, and/or schools interested in learning more about DDS services. This is a good opportunity to get a refresher on services or a general introduction if you are unfamiliar with supports that DDS offers. See attached flyer for details, and feel free to use the contact person listed if you have any questions.

APPTEGY

Waltham Public Schools has a new alert system and you can download the app to receive notifications right to your phone.

1. Go to the Apple or Google Play App Store

2. Download the Waltham PS App

3. Tap the Schools icon on the bottom right

4. When the list of schools comes up, check off which schools(s) you would like to receive alerts from. (You may want to also subscribe to Waltham Public Schools to get district wide announcements)

5. Then tap the 3 horizontal lines on the bottom left to bring up this screen.

6. Click Notifications

7. Click Settings on the bottom right

8. Push Notifications

9. Select what schools you would like to receive Push notifications from.

Here is a quick video tutorial to help. You can also go to our home page and download from there (bottom right).