Wildcat Nation

On behalf of Weymouth Public Schools, I hope you had a wonderful holiday and a happy and healthy new year surrounded by family and friends.

We hope you enjoy this month's WIldcat Nation district newsletter, and we look forward to seeing our students back in school on Monday. Please note the following reminders for next week:

• Tuesday, January 10 is an Early Release Day for Professional Development
• Next week's Town Wide Parent Council meeting is in-person on Tuesday, January 10 at 7PM at Weymouth High School in the Humanities Center. This special meeting will feature a working session with the Superintendent to gather family input for the district strategic plan. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Thank you,

Robert Wargo

Superintendent

• Tuesday, January 10 - Early Dismissal - Professional Development
• Tuesday, January 10 - Town-Wide Parent Council 7PM WHS Humanities
• Wednesday, January 11 - WHS School Council
• Monday, January 16 - No School: Martin Luther King Jr Day
• Tuesday, January 17- Abigail Adams/Early Education Facilities Committee at 7PM on Zoom
• Wednesday, January 18 - Budget Sub-Committee at 6PM
• Thursday, January 19 - School Committee at 7PM
• Friday, January 20 - Last Day of Term 2
• Tuesday, January 24 - ELPAC Meeting at 7PM
• Wednesday, January 25 - Budget Sub-Committee at 7PM

From education to athletics, WPS alumni are making fantastic things happen in their careers and communities. Whatever your accomplishment, we want to hear from you. If you've been a part of, or done something noteworthy, whether at home or abroad, tell us your story. To have yourself or someone else considered for an Alumni Spotlight feature, please complete the online nomination form below.

On Thursday, December 22nd Weymouth High School welcomed students from the class of 2022 back to campus for Reverse College Day! Students joined us from Bridgewater State University, Harvard University, Mass Maritime Academy, Merrimack College, Roger Williams University, Suffolk University, UMass Boston, University of Maryland, and the University of New Hampshire. Current WHS Junior and Senior students attended the event to ask questions about the alumni’s experience during their first semester of college. Staff joined in the fun by wearing college gear and guidance counselor Ms. Meads MC’ed the event while raffling off door prizes.

Mayor Bob Hedlund and the Boys Rugby Team celebrate at an awards ceremony for the Weymouth Boys Rugby 2022 State Champions at the Weymouth Knights of Columbus.

During Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week (November 12-20), WHS highlighted our ongoing collaboration with the Weymouth Food Pantry. The WFP currently operates a weekend backpack program at all 8 primary schools and the Maria Weston Chapman Middle School, and has provided snacks and emergency bags of food for students at the high school. Through their weekend backpack program they are able to support 468 children in the district with snacks and meals for the weekend. We are excited to now introduce a similar weekend backpack program at WHS! With many thanks to George Washington Toma for the donation of a refrigerator and freezer to support our efforts, and utilization of McKinney-Vento Grant funds to purchase indiscriminate bags for the food, WHS is excited to pilot this program as an added support to students. The first delivery of 30 bags was well received prior to school vacation and we hope the program continues to grow.

In September 2022, Weymouth Public Schools became a member district with MPY, a non-profit organization that offers training and programming to support the education and development of students. As a member district we have access to numerous quality webinars, trainings, and speakers for our staff. In November, all staff assigned to grades 6-12 participated in the live webinar Gender: Identity, Expression, and Pronouns that explored the social constructs of gender and how it impacts youth. In December, approximately 40 primary level staff attended a webinar on Self Regulations Strategies K-5. Looking further into this school year we will be offering a parent information evening around social media’s impact on mental health as well as a student assembly for high school students on counteracting bullying. Weymouth is continuously identifying training opportunities for staff discuss current best practices in the field.

Family engagement at JECC where preschoolers are joined by family members to build a gingerbread house.

The Winter Concert featuring our students in Grades 3-5 was held on Monday, December 19. It was a great way to kick off the week. It was a standing room only event. Led by Mr. Brennan, our music teacher, the kids sounded great!

The Winter Workshop was held on Tuesday, December 20. Students got into the spirit by shopping for gifts for their loved ones for the holidays. Special thanks to our AAPC and all of the volunteers that made this event possible.

Student and Staff Free Throw Competition was held on Friday, December 23. Teams of 2 5th graders were paired up with one staff member in the showdown. It was awesome rooting for the teams in the finals up in the gymnasium.

Also, our 5th Grade Committees held a special vote in deciding a name for the new Academy Ave School Store. Using popsicle sticks, every student in the building was able to cast their votes. The winning name was the Wildcat Workshop.

We were happy to offer our first after school enrichment activity of the year. Mr. Dreyfus worked with an outstanding group of 5th graders to create the Murphy Wildcat Media Club.

Several students in 4th and 5th grade have begun to partner with younger students as Book Buddies. This is a great opportunity for all students involved as they collaborate and enjoy some great books!

During the final school week of 2022, we capitalized on the spirit of the season with Winter Spirit Week. Themed days included "Holiday Attire", "Grinch Day" (wear green) and "bring your favorite book to school day".

Earlier in December, we welcomed an amazing group of students and staff from the WHS Black Student Union. Through their kindness and leadership, we were able to add several new titles to our school library.

We continued our important work with Holly Hill Farm as they came to work on lesson topics in the garden (potatoes) and in the classroom as well (composting).

Murphy ended the month with an incredible chorus performance from our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. Our creative music teacher Mr. Brennan assembled and facilitated an impressive show for families and friends to enjoy before the holiday break.

We had an amazing visit from the black student union group from WHS. They wrote a grant to purchase books that represent our current student population. Their goal is to help create a culturally diverse library. Culturally relevant literature is important because it can lead students to academic achievement, create educational equity and critical consciousness within a classroom community, and teach all students to take on a global perspective and understand cultural competence. We enjoyed their visit and look forward to reading the books

How lucky are our 2nd graders?! Students spent the morning working with 2 local curators from the South Shore Art Center in Cohasset. They got to create masterpieces based on animals up for adoption at local animal shelters. Mrs. Johnson (Mrs. Murphy's mom) and Ms. Alicia dedicated their time to teach the students about contrasting colors, shapes, and lines; from artwork created by Sally Dean, a South Shore artist. Ms. Alicia brought her dog Diji in to share with the classes. They had a fantastic morning! We love being able to bring the arts into school!

A special send-off for our Student Teacher Julia Callbeck who started at Ralph Talbot School this week.

Student Recognition Ceremony! Student's were recognized by their teacher for their exemplary contributions to our school and the Principal's selection for exemplary contributions.

Stem week at Pingree Elementary

Holiday Fun!

ST Math class winners of highest puzzle passing received a special penguin craft along with a visit from their favorite penguin.

Math Coach Reinhart doing a JiJi activity with the first graders.

Learning about holidays around the world!

The Reason of the Season...

Grade 1 had a fun Book Swap to celebrate friendship and reading during the holiday season.

The Parent Council provided students with an amazing magic show as a reward for their Fun Run fundraising efforts.

The day before vacation was a festive Pajama Day with a wonderful "Nutcracker" dance performance by Mrs. Labriola's Kindergarten class.

Mrs. Loud and Mr. Carey's students loved having a singalong with the Whipple Center's musical group (and a very special guest singer, Mr. Wargo!)

Holiday spirit at Chapman

This Just In! Chapman Middle School Basketball

WHS CTE Construction Trades students, under the supervision of Mr. Brian Nash and Mr. David Richardson, worked with the Weymouth Police Department to build an enclosed kennel for the K-9 dogs. The project, funded by Weymouth Rotary, provided real world work experience for the students. This project was unique in that part of the structure, roof, fencing and concrete slab, were already existing and needed to be included in the finished kennel. The design and blueprints were produced in the WHS CTE architectural drafting program. We are proud to have been able to work with WPD in order to provide this home away from home for our K-9 teams.

The Backpack Program is BACK, and has expanded into a districtwide program! Each Friday students who are in need and enrolled in the program are discreetly provided a backpack of food to take home for the weekend. This is a weekly program that continues all year, or until you no longer wish to participate.

If you feel that your children would benefit from receiving additional food to meet their nutritional needs over the weekend, we encourage you to sign them up by filling out the form provided by their school. All information related to this program is confidential. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Backpack Program Founders:

Marisa Matta | marisa.matta@weymouthschools.org

Katie Mahoney | kathleen.lyon@weymouthps.org