Principal's Newsletter

October 11, 2022

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Watertown High School students and teachers attend a performance of "Twilight: Los Angeles 1992". Raider Times/ Courtesy Malcolm Cooke

psat for all 10th and 11th graders

Grades 9 and 12 will have a late start on October 12th to accommodate all 10th and 11th graders taking the PSAT. Students in grade 9 and 12 should report to school at 11:30am.

All 10th and 11th-grade students will take the PSATs on Wednesday, October 12. The test begins promptly at 8:30. The PSATs are a practice version of the SAT test, one of two tests (the ACT being the other) that many colleges and universities in the United States accept as a college entrance exam during the admissions process.

The benefits for students taking the PSATs are many. Here are some highlights:

Higher SAT Scores - According to CollegeBoard, students who take the PSATs get higher scores on the SAT, on average, than those who do not.

FREE SAT Prep - CollegeBoard has partnered with Khan Academy to provide free online test prep for students. PSAT test takers have the added benefit of linking their CollegeBoard account with Khan Academy so they can take advantage of personalized test prep based on their PSAT scores - free test questions, practice exams, a schedule for studying, and more. According to CollegeBoard, students who spend 20 hours engaging in Khan Academy Test Prep gain 115 points from PSAT to SAT.

Experience - Taking the PSAT provides students with a similar experience to that which they will get on SAT test day. They will get a feel for the timing of the test, the format, and the expectations.

Access to Scholarships - CollegeBoard has partnered with a number of national scholarship organizations that will reach out to PSAT test takers with resources and information about scholarships.

Once test scores are released in December, information about accessing scores and using the many associated resources will be available to students and families through Advisory, Guidance classes, workshops, and at Guidance Night in January.

School Site Council

We are currently seeking family volunteers to sit on WHS' School Site Council. SSC is a state mandated council that advises the principal and other leadership on the progress and development of the School Improvement Plan.

Meetings occur the second Wednesday of the month and will be over Zoom. Our first meeting has been rescheduled from Wednesday, October 12th to Monday, October 17th. Please reach out directly to me if you are interested. You don't need to commit to the whole year to participate (even though we would love you to:-))

Picture Re-takes

The picture re-takes will be held Monday, October 17th between 9am and 1pm in the auditorium. Come dressed to impress.

Spirit week & Homecoming

The 2022 Homecoming dance will take place on October 22nd, 7-10pm.

The week following up to the Homecoming Dance will be Spirit Week!

Monday 10/17 - Pajama Day

Tuesday 10/18 - Tie Dye Tuesday

Wednesday 10/19 - Disney Day

Thursday 10/20 - Initial Day (come dressed as something that starts with your initial. For example, Amanda would come as an alligator.)

Friday 10/21 - Raider Nation Day

Join Watertown SEPAC for a virtual Disability-Centered Equity Listening Session

Watertown families of students with disabilities, you’re invited to share your thoughts and concerns about the 2022 Watertown Public Schools Equity Audit.

This is a chance for you to tell your story, share your concerns, and let school leaders know about your family's experience with special education and related services in the Watertown Public Schools.

Administrators including the Superintendent and the Director of Student Services will be there to listen to your stories and concerns. To save time for family voices, questions from families will be noted by the SEPAC to be answered at a later date.

We recognize that there is no one way to experience an issue; and that many voices and perspectives need to be heard for real, lasting, and equitable change. We hope you can join us to share your unique voice and story.

This event will be led by Heidi Harris & Danielle Hardin on Monday, October 17 from 6-8pm.

From the Federation of Children with Special Needs (FCSN) www.fcsn.org

Equity Hour

M.O.O: Managing [mis]understandings (Mr. Jamele Adams, LIT League)

All of us have unique perspectives on how we see the world, and everything in it. These varying perspectives often lead to misunderstandings. This session will teach and practice a communication protocol that will help to manage both understanding and misunderstanding of perspectives.

Parent & Caregiver Hour: 10/25, 6-7p, via Zoom

Please register using link before attending

Seeking STEM Professionals for Classroom visits

Watertown High School is creating a database of STEM professionals/companies that would be willing to share their experiences with our students through classroom presentations throughout the school year. By providing this information to teachers, they can target presentations to topics being taught. If you are interested in being included on our list, please complete this STEM Professional Database Entry Google Form. You will need to be logged into a Gmail account to complete this form.

new building update

I would like to continually update families regarding the new building and the temporary space at Moxley Field. Plans are continuing on time and the School Building Committee continues to meet and plan for the future. Please find the SBC's website here as it is a great resource to keep your finger on the pulse of these exciting new projects.

Here is a link to the latest presentation

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WHS At fenway!

WHS Football will take on Belmont for the 100th time, at Fenway Park, on Wednesday, November 23, 2022 at 4:00pm. Every student of Watertown High School will get a free ticket and tickets for families are available here. The school will be providing fan buses for students. More information on transportation and free student tickets will be available as the date approaches. Students should pay close attention to their email for more updates. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our football program, and we couldn't be more excited!