Winter Hill Wildcat Weekly
February 13, 2026
Principal's Message
Hello Winter Hill,
It is hard to believe that we are half way through February! Finally, this week the temperatures increased a bit and we were able to be outside for recess everyday - let's hope that trend continues when we return from vacation.
As a reminder, next week is February break. There is no school next week and we look forward to welcoming students back to school on Monday, February 23rd!
Sincerely,
Principal Gosselin
Safety @ Arrival & Dismissal
Our staff are at arrival and dismissal each day to ensure that students enter and leave safely. They are there to support students and their requests are meant to remind families of the procedures, not to annoy them. I ask that you work with our staff by following the procedures and treating them with respect at all times.
If anyone wants to discuss these procedures, please reach out directly to me, Principal Gosselin, and I am happy to meet with you to discuss. My email is cgosselin@k12.somerville.ma.us and the school number is 617-629-5680. Thank you all in advance for your support and cooperation as we dismiss close to 400 students in a very small area.
Arrival Procedures
- There is live drop off for students in grades K - 8 starting at 7:30 on Otis Street. - Parents and guardians may pull to the side of Otis Street and drop off. It very unsafe to allow students to exit the car in the middel of the street and have designated spots for live parking for drop off. See sign below.
- PK drop-off is 8:15 - 8:45. PK parents and caregivers may park in the live drop off area (see sign below) starting at 8:15 without being ticketed.
Dismissal Procedures
- PK students are dismissed at 1:45 and their pick-up area is the Otis Street play area. A parent or caregiver must meet the student in this area.
- K - 8th grade students are dismissed at 2:35. Parents and caregivers can begin to wait in their cars on Otis Street after 2 PM to allow for PK dismissal.
- For parents/guardians of students in grades K - 4, you have two dismissal options:
- (1) if you choose to meet your child on the Otis Street play area, you must park your car in a legal spot and walk to the play area.
- (2) use the live pick up area on the right sides of Otis and Cross Streets to wait for a staff member to escort your child to the car.
- Parents / guardians of grades 5 - 8 should follow #2 above.
- Under no circumstances should children be crossing Otis Street to get to a parent/guardian parked on the left side of the street or getting into their cars in the middle of Otis Street. This is very unsafe and may lead to a child getting seriously injured. If you want your child to meet you on the other side of the street, they must use a crosswalk.
Parking Services are present and will ticket cars that are parked illegally or parked in the arrival / dismissal lane, indicated by the sign below.
Informative Walk and Talks
The Winter Hill and Brown School communities are invited to join project Perkins Eastman for an informative Walk & Talk event at the former Winter Hill School building. Come share your perspectives and help shape the design of Somerville’s next new school building!
Members of the school building project team will lead a roughly hour-long walk around the Sycamore school site during which community members will be invited to share both their preferences and concerns about the new school. Potential topics of discussion include:
- Outdoor space
- Traffic + pick-up/drop-off
- Historic uses of the space that we should seek to retain
- Environment and sustainability priorities
The information and feedback gathered will be used by the City’s project team and architects to help inform preliminary design efforts and work moving forward.
Event details:
- Date #1 – Saturday, February 28,10 to 11 a.m.
- Date #2 – Saturday, March 7, 10 to 11 a.m.
Please meet the group outside nearby Brianna’s Cafe (393 Medford Street). The Walk & Talk will begin promptly at 10am. Please arrive early if you’d like to grab coffee or a snack prior.
Interpretation is available by request. Please contact us at languageaccess@somervillema.gov or call 311 (617-666-3311).
Community Forum
March 3rd
The City is also hosting a two-hour Community Forum on Tuesday, March 3 beginning at 6:00pm at Somerville High School’s Highlander Forum. All community members are invited to learn about the project and provide feedback. Learn more about this meeting here.
Other Engagement Opportunities and Staying Informed
In addition to the events above, the City - along with project architect Perkins Eastman - will continue to host opportunities for the community to learn more about ongoing preliminary design work, ask questions, and provide design feedback. Topic specific community design workshops (sustainability, community programs, etc.) are planned for April and May.
Learn more and stay up to date on the project webpage at somervillema.gov/newschool. We’re also launching a dedicated monthly newsletter providing updates on progress and info about opportunities to get involved—sign up here or on the project webpage.
Thank you for being a part of the work to bring a new school building to Somerville. If you have any questions, please email capitalprojects@somervillema.gov or contact 311.
PTA
💖 Help Us Finish Ms. Kalluri’s Project Today!
DonorsChoose is matching donations today only with code HEART (while funds last).
Our one eligible project right now is Ms. Kalluri’s, and it’s just about $300 away from being fully funded.
🎸 Save the Date! Rock Out for Winter Hill!
Join the Winter Hill community on Saturday, March 21st for a fun, music-filled night supporting our school.
Sent on behalf of the PTA for Winter Hill Community Innovation School
Email: winterhillpta@gmail.com
Website: http://www.winterhillpta.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WinterHillSomervillePTA
DONATE ANYTIME! https://givebutter.com/winterhillpta
Spring Sports for Grades 6 - 8
Is your child interested in playing Spring Sports?
Students in grades 6-8 are invited to play on our Outdoor Track and Field or Flag Football teams. The teams will compete against teams from other towns.
How do you register?
Registration starts February 2 and ends April 8, 2026. Please visit the Sports Registration page to get started.
What if I have trouble registering or have questions?
Please contact Assistant Athletics Director Indira Evora.
Thank you,
Stanley Vieira, Somerville Public Schools Athletics Director
What's Happening?
Know Your Rights Workshops
In collaboration with the Somerville Office of Immigrant Affairs, we are offering an online Know Your Rights training for SPS families next Thursday, Feb 19th at 7pm. This will consist of a presentation that covers information about different aspects of our constitutional rights, family preparedness, and time for Q and A at the end. There will be a separate session in each target language and families can simply join by clicking on the link to their preferred language. No registration required.
Participe da reunião em português
Patisipe nan reyinyon an an kreyòl Ayisyen
The Power of Parenting
6 Free Workshops in English and Portuguese starting February 24th
- 12 free parenting workshops and discussion sessions
- Opportunity for paid Parent Leadership role
- Resources for professional clothing from Dress for Success or Suits and Smiles
Click the link below for more information.
Food for Free Market
Next Market: February 24th
Information for Families
School Information
There is lots of information including staff bios, departments and programs, social-emotional learning, PTA information, and our blog.
District
Somerville Public Schools Handbooks
Somerville Family Learning Collaborative
Somerville SEPAC
Special Education Parent Advisory Council has launched a survey to better understand what’s working and what needs to improve in special education. The Council hopes to hear from all families - whether your child has an IEP, a 504 plan, or not. The survey is anonymous and available at the links below:
Take Our Survey Faça nossa pesquisa Haz nuestra encuesta Pran sondaj nou an