I hope you all enjoy your long weekend and I hope you get an opportunity to thank and honor those military veterans who are currently serving and who have served in the past. Thank you so much for your service to our Nation.

IMPORTANT SAFETY MESSAGE

This is a general reminder to all our drivers (parents, family members, guests, and students) to please drive safely in and around the schools. This is especially true in the parking areas.

This week at the MSHS we had a parent nearly hit by another adult driver who was exiting the MSHS (taking a left turn where it is clearly marked not to turn left) into the Spring Street School parking lot. This is for bus traffic only and we ask that parents respect the signage and follow the rules. Only buses should be traveling to and from the MSHS in the Spring Street School lot.

We understand it may be quicker and more convenient for parents and students to travel in the SSS lot but it clearly is not safer. Please be respectful of the safety of our students and staff and follow the rules. If you have any questions or concerns about these rules do not hesitate to contact the Superintendent.

The large meeting room at the Town Hall is named McDonald/Brown meeting room. Why?

The answer can be found at the end of the newsletter. Thank you to Mr. Jerry Lawrence for providing me with information for this section.

The annual NHS Trunk or Treat had another fantastic year. Children who attended were able to get candy from over 40 cars with kid- friendly themes. We had Patriots, fairies, dinosaurs, Shrek and cowboys, to name a few. Thank you to the community for supporting this event- the NHS scholarship earned over $2,000 this year! We hope to see you all next year!

The tradition continues where the Seniors (Class of 2023) dress up in costume and parade to the Spring Street School and the Howard School. This is always a lot of fun for our seniors and the youngers students and staff at the schools.

News from the Policy Subcommittee

The objective of the Policy Subcommittee is to regularly review policies of the West Bridgewater School Committee to determine if they are current, consider the interests of stakeholders, and are in line with guidance from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. At the most recent school committee meeting on November 7, 2022, the following policies were reviewed and revised as indicated:

• EB: Safety Program

• EEAE: School Bus Safety Program

• EEAEC: Student Conduct on School Buses (See also JICC)

• GBGB: Staff Safety

• JCLA: Physical Examination of Students

• JLCB: Immunization of Students

• JLCC: Communicable Diseases

• JLCCB: Pediculosis (Head Lice) Policy (Rescinded)

• JLCD: Administering Medications to Students

• IHAM and IHAM-R: Health Education

• JICC: Student Conduct on School Buses (See also EEAEC)

• JQ: Student Fees, Fines and Charges

Additionally, the following policies were opened and are scheduled for review at the next school committee meeting on December 5, 2022:

• EEA: Student Transportation Services

• EEAA: Walkers and Riders

• EEAEA: Bus Driver Examination and Training

• EEAEB: Drug and Alcohol Testing for School Bus and Commercial Vehicle Drivers

• EEAG: Student Transportation In Private Vehicles

• EEAJ: Motor Vehicle Idling On School Grounds

• IHAMA: Parental Notification Relative to Sex Education

• IHAMB: Teaching About Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs

For any questions or to provide feedback, please contact the policy subcommittee at kmilton@wbridgewater.com and rdragonetti@wbridgewater.com. A complete listing of policies can be found at https://www.wbridgewaterschools.org/page/school-committee.

Thank you to the students and staff at the Howard School who generously donated the canned goods to the West Bridgewater Food Pantry. Thank you to Mrs. Wenzel and Mr. Peckrill for dropping them off! Great job everyone!

Some of the Kindergarten staff and other elementary teachers were checking out some of the new interactive technology that we hope to add to the classrooms in the near future.

November's school schedule will include 3 early release days to facilitate Parent-Teacher Conferences. To accommodate parents schedules, we offer the opportunity for your child to remain at school after dismissal as part of our Surround Care program at the Spring Street School for Kindergarten, at the Rose L. MacDonald School for grades 1-3, and at the Howard School for grades 4-6. The fee is $9/hr. Students must bring their own lunch or pre-order a bagged lunch from the cafeteria (food service link on the district website). You may pick up your child at any time before the closing time of 6 pm. A snack/drink will be provided later in the day as well.

To be sure there is adequate staff available, we ask that you complete the registration below no later than 12:00 noon on Tuesday, November 15th.

The early release days are: Friday, November 18

Monday, November 21

Tuesday, November 22

There will be no Surround Care on Wednesday Afternoon, November 23rd.

***Please complete this registration form even if your child is a regular attendee in the program so that we know your plans for the day. A separate registration is required for each day you plan to have your child attend.

Surround Care Page

Below is information that will provide you more information about the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy. If you would like more information please contact the MSHS.

Good afternoon WB Families,

We are sending this information out to all families in the district as part of a DESE requirement. We are proud of the World Language Department and its efforts associated with the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy.

Dear Parent or Guardian,

An important goal of the West Bridgewater Public Schools’ World Language Department is to adopt the principles of proficiency in second language instruction. Our focus is on what the students can “DO” with the language, not how much they know “about” a language. This is a progressive philosophy that is spreading across the nation and as such, Massachusetts has now joined over 40 other states in awarding a Seal of Biliteracy that certifies a student’s communicative ability in a second language to future schools and employers.

On June 26, 2018, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted regulations that describe the criteria that school districts must use to award the State Seal of Biliteracy on the diplomas and transcripts of graduating seniors. The purposes of the seal include to:

• Recognize the value of language diversity

• Provide employers with a method of identifying people with language and

biliteracy skills.

• Provide universities with a method to recognize and give credit to applicants for the

attainment of high level skills in languages

• Prepare students with skills that will benefit them in the labor market and the global society

• Strengthen intergroup communication and honor the multiple cultures and languages in a community.

How does a student earn the Seal of Biliteracy upon graduation? This opportunity is open to all of our students!

If your child is a native speaker or heritage speaker of a language other than English and has attained a high level of literacy in this native or heritage language, then they can apply to take a language proficiency test by speaking to any ESL teacher or any World Language Teacher at the high school.

If your child is a native English speaker, then they can earn this seal by starting a second language early in their school career and staying with it as long as possible. Learning a second language is a complex cognitive process that takes a number of years to master. Mid April each year we will offer our World Language learners the opportunity to take the AAPPL (Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages) or STAMP exam. Since we need to order test tickets, students would need to complete an application stating their desire for this assessment. This exam would in no way affect your child’s grade. The exams are scored externally by certified raters and are reported separately for each of the four domains of language (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) to your child and your child’s teacher.

The rating provided by this assessment is a nationally recognized rating that can be used both academically and professionally to describe one’s proficiency in a language. This information should be placed in the “skills” section of a resume or CV and shared with college admissions counselors to highlight student achievement and to determine placement in second language classes. Students will be ranked according to the lowest score they receive in any one domain.

Proficiency Rating: Seal of Biliteracy Level

Intermediate-Mid Developing Biliteracy - Massachusetts Language Opportunity Coalition Seal and certificate

Intermediate-High Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy

(with MCAS ELA of 240)

Advanced-Low Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction

(with MCAS ELA of 260)

AAPPL and STAMP scores are proficiency benchmarks aligned to ACTFL (American Council on The Teaching of Foreign Languages) levels Novice (low, mid, high), Intermediate (low, mid, high) and Advanced (low, mid, high). If you are curious to find out more about the exam, please review some of the exam materials at: https://www.actfl.org/assessment-professional-development/assessments-the-actfl-testing-office/aappl/tasks-topics

If you have any questions please contact your child’s World Language Teacher or ESL teacher. World Language Coordinator Mrs. Sarah Oliveira (soliveira@wbridgewater.com) is also a good resource if you have any questions. We are very excited about this initiative and the many benefits it will provide as well as the doors this will open for our students.

Sarah Oliveira

World Language Coordinator

Spanish Teacher

Spanish Honor Society Advisor

Friday, November 11th at 10 am. Check out the flyer for the parade route.

Save the Date - WB invites its parents and caregivers to a free webinar on Tuesday, November 29th from 7-8pm with Elise Wulff, M.Ed. The webinar is "Helping Our Kids and Teens Manage Stress and Anxiety". Check out the flyer for more information. Elise Wulff is delivering professional development to our staff during the year and also consulting in each of the schools. We are confident you will find this webinar to be valuable and informative!

Breakout EDU Boxes

Students in Mrs. O'Donnell's grade 6 technology class enjoyed working on Breakout EDU boxes. Breakout boxes are a digital puzzle game that builds collaboration and problem solving skills among the teams of students. The puzzles are standards-aligned and offer a wide range of content for use. Students become active participants in their learning.

On November 8th we had our 4th meeting to work to create the district plan in West Bridgewater. This meeting was a full team meeting including building and district administration, MSHS Coordinators, Elementary Instructional Team Leaders, Parents, Students, and School Committee members. At this meeting, we synthesized common vision themes for the district and did a root cause analysis activity. Thank you to all the members of the committee for their hard work and dedication! It continues to be important to get student and parent input. If you would like to provide information please complete the survey below:

**WB District Plan for the Future Survey https://forms.gle/GhsRUh9yo9WMt67g8

There was a Superintendent Coffee Hour with Mr. Bodwell today, Thursday, November 10th at 9:15 am at the Spring Street School. Thank you to those who attended the meeting this morning, here are the topics:

• Potential New Elementary School Project Prek-6 through MSBA Process

• FY24 Budget Process and Priorities

• WB District Plan for the Future Survey Identifying Priority Areas

• Future Webinar 11-29 “Helping Our Kids and Teens Manage Stress and Anxiety” Elise Wulff

• Upcoming Parent/Teacher Conferences in November

• District Newsletters

• Fall Athletics and MIAA Tournament

• Potential Turf Field and Courts at Schools - Special Town Meeting December 5th

• MSHS students visits the Howard School

• Future Guest Speakers for Coffee Hours?

• Open Discussion/Questions/Concerns

• Check out website www.wbridgewaterschools.org Facebook www.wbridgewaterschools.org/o/district-office Twitter @WBPSwildcats

The next meeting is on Friday, December 9th at 9:15 at the Middle/Senior High School. We hope to see you there!

Here are some social media safety tips from Officer Pope.

Any questions, concerns, or comments, please feel free to reach out to SRO Pope at 508-586-2525 ext 5119 or tpope@wbpd.com

Adding funds to a student's lunch account. Extra a la carte items such as bottled water, freshly baked cookies, ice cream and milk for students that bring lunch from home are offered for sale in the cafeteria. The selection depends on the grade (K-1 only offers milk). Students must have money on their lunch account to purchase any extra items. Cash and checks are accepted and electronic payments can be made through MySchoolBucks. You will need your child's 10-digit SASID# to register for a MySchoolBucks account.

Click on WB Food Services to find November's menus. Looking for information on nutrition and fitness? Check out the Nutrition Education and Nutrition and Fitness Tips tabs for lots of great content!

Food Assistance- If you or someone you know is having trouble making ends meet, Project Bread Food Source Hotline is a great resource. West Bridgewater residents facing food insecurity can also utilize the West Bridgewater Food Pantry.

Questions or concerns? Please contact Ann Marie Grinder, Food Service Director at agrinder@wbridgewater.com or (508)894-1220.

The captains of the fall sports teams went over to the Howard School last week to read to the students. They did this in the 4th grade and then the 5th grade. It was so great to see them with the younger students. Great job everyone!

Inclusion Matters is a group of West Bridgewater families whose kids have IEPs and 504s. We offer webinars and events for families. If you'd like to learn more about our events for parents, guardians, and students, please email us at InclusionMattersMA@gmail.com to join our private email list.

See our upcoming events on our Facebook page at @InclusionMattersMA and our website at www.InclusionMattersMA.com

Upcoming Fundraiser in December - Rock Your Socks!! More information coming out in future newsletters!

West Bridgewater Lions Club Fall and Holiday Craft Fair is on Sunday, November 13th from 10 am to 3 pm at West Bridgewater Middle/Senior High School. There will be over 100 Booths!

Congrats to the WB Volleyball team as they defeated Georgetown and advanced to the ELITE 8 for the first time! A very relaxed team playing in front of a full crowd at home for the last time was truly a sight to see. Thank you to an amazing student section who stayed on their feet cheering on the team. They will travel to Hopedale on Saturday, 11/12 to continue their run for the Division 5 title. Good luck!

Congrats to our WB girls soccer team on a great game and season! They battled hard against Blackstone Valley Tech in the MIAA round of 16! The game went into overtime with the Wildcats coming up short with a final score of 4-3. We are proud of our WB Wildcats!!

Congratulations to our WB Boys soccer team on a great game and season! They traveled to East Hampton in the MIAA Round of 32 on Monday, 11/7. Hard battle fought by all with the final score in East Hampton’s favor 3-1. We are proud of you!!

Congrats to our WB Field Hockey team on a great season! They faced Ipswich in their first tourney game this past Thursday night. Our Wildcats battled hard but came up short with a 1-3 final score. We are so proud of the team and we wish the seniors the best of luck!!

Congrats to the WB Football team in the first round of the tourney vs Wahconah! WB hung tough with the defending Superbowl Runners up for a half, but could not overcome turnovers in the end. After blocking a punt, the Wildcats had a chance to take the lead before the half, but were unable to punch it in from 3 yards out. The Wildcats are looking to finish their season strong on Thanksgiving vs. Southeastern. Good Luck!!

Congrats to our Boys and Girls XC teams as they competed in the MAC XC Championship on Monday, 10/31.! Great job to everyone! The teams return to action in mid-November at the MIAA Divisional Qualifiers.

Congratulations to the WB Cheer team on becoming Mayflower D4 Champions for the second year in a row! The Wildcats will move on to compete at Regionals on November 13 at Duxbury High School.

If you are interested or know someone interested in being a substitute teacher please click on the link below. If you are not sure and have any questions please feel free to reach out to the building principal and ask them any questions you may have about the position.

Trivia Answer: Marjorie MacDonald was the town's first female Selectman, serving for 18 years. Anna Brown was the town's first female Town Clerk, serving for 39 years. Both women were touted as pioneers and were given credit for breaking the glass ceiling for future female politicians in West Bridgewater.

Mark Bodwell, Superintendent of Schools

Email: mbodwell@wbridgewater.com
Website: www.wbridgewaterschools.org
Location: 2 Spring Street, West Bridgewater, MA, USA
Phone: (508) 894-1230
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wbridgewaterschools
Twitter: @WBPSwildcats