Dear WB Families, Students, and Staff - It is hard to believe we are already in mid-October and the weather is getting cooler (sometimes cold!) We hope you and your child(ren) are having a great start to the school year. As always it is our goal to provide students and families with the best education possible. We hope you find the information in this newsletter informative and valuable. Feedback is so important so if you have any suggestions for additions to the district newsletter (sent on the 2nd and 4th Fridays) please let me know.

A new addition to the newsletter will be a WB Trivia section. Lets test what you know about WB!

If you are familiar with the Howard School you know there is a road out back that is used for bus transportation and for vehicles to access the soccer fields. Before the Howard School was there on that site were the Howard Seminary and the Howard High School. The bus road is at the approximate site of an original road in West Bridgewater. This road name no longer exists except in old maps. Do you know the name of the original road?

The answer and image of the old map are at the end of the newsletter

On September 29th we hosted the MSBA for a Senior Study meeting at the Rose L MacDonald School. The Senior Study is not an invitation to work with the MSBA but is part of the due diligence review phase of the MSBA Statement of Interest (SOI) Process. After we met for about an hour of discussion and providing information we toured the Rose L MacDonald School and the Spring Street School During the meeting we reviewed the needs of the district. Thank you to our WB participants who all did a great job: Mrs. Goulet (Principal), Mrs. Hulme (SC Chair), Mrs. Grant (Business Manager), Mr. Nobrega (Maintenance), and Mr. Gagne (Town Administrator)

Last April we submitted a Statement of Interest for the Rose L MacDonald and the Spring Street School with the goal of being selected by the MSBA for a future building project. At the Senior Study, we discussed adding the Howard School as part of the consolidation project. A Statement of Interest for the Howard School will be submitted in January.

We will be notified by the MSBA of where we are in the process (selected to move forward or need to resubmit SOIs) in December. If selected we would look at potential consolidation projects that could include a PreK-6 building in WB. If you have any feedback, thoughts, or questions about the process please do not hesitate to reach out to Mr. Bodwell at mbodwell@wbridgewater.com

More information will be shared at future School Committee meetings and through our newsletter.

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!

On October 6th we had our second meeting to work to create the district plan in West Bridgewater. This meeting was with our administrative team and the focus was a SWOT Analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. We did the SWOT Analysis in relation to our planning and implementation of our new plan. The next meeting will be on October 25th and this will be a full team meeting (includes administration as well as MSHS Coordinators, Elementary Instructional Team Leaders, Parents, Students, and School Committee members. At this meeting, we will synthesize common vision themes for the district.

Our administrators will be working with all staff in the district to gather all relevant information as to what they see as the vision for the future of the WB schools. We want to look ahead to see where we want to be in 2027 and beyond.

It is also important to get student and parent input. If you would like to provide your input please complete this survey. You do not need to leave your name but it often is helpful to leave contact information so if we have a follow-up question or want to provide you with more information we know how to contact you. Thank you

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

The next Superintendent Coffee Hour with Mr. Bodwell will be on Friday, October 21st at 9:15 am at the Rose L MacDonald School (1 Stepping Stone Lane) As always there will be an agenda of topics to be discussed but then it is open for questions by the attendees. At this meeting, we are planning on having the Food Service Director, Mrs. Grinder, and the Director of Curriculum, Mrs. Llanes. We hope to see you there!

Topics to be discussed:

• Food Service Program - Universal Free Lunch
• New District Initiatives - Elementary Literacy and MSHS Math
• Potential MSBA Elementary School Project
• WB District Plan - Input from all Stakeholders
• Current Happenings and Events at All Schools

On Wednesday, October 5th, West Bridgewater Public Schools held our Multilingual Family Night at the Middle/Senior High School. The presentation was full of important information such as how to check on your child's academic progress, where to find the lunch menus, how to communicate absences, how to navigate the school websites, how to build literacy skills at home, and how to communicate more easily with the school and teachers. Community resources were shared with families and there was a question-and-answer session. Translation services were provided by two West Bridgewater parents, Vanessa Sharkey and Adude Baptista, who we would like to thank very much! Also, a very special thank you to Mary Pistorino and Deb Llanes, who put this wonderful event together!

Literacy

We are very fortunate to be working with a wonderful Literacy Consultant, Deb Dunn, who is helping us with the implementation of our new elementary literacy curricular materials. Deb has a wealth of experience working with districts and we are excited to welcome her to West Bridgewater. She will work with teachers and administrators, coaching and offering professional learning. This opportunity, Research to Practice: Evidence-based Early Literacy, was made possible through a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Mathematics

Teachers in the Middle/Senior high school math department are implementing a new math curriculum this year, Illustrative Math. "Illustrative Mathematics (IM) is a K–12® core curriculum designed to give all students equity and access to grade-level mathematics — ensuring each student is an active participant in their learning."

News from the Policy Subcommittee

October 2022

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 October 3, 2022, the following policies were reviewed and revised as indicated:

• EBC-Supplemental: Interim Policy on COVID-Related Issues (Rescinded)

• EBB: First Aid

• EBC: Emergency Plans

• EBCD: Emergency Closings

• JL: Student Welfare

• JLC: Student Health Services & Requirements

Additionally, the following policies were opened and are scheduled for review at the next school committee meeting on November 7, 2022:

• 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

• 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

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.

The MCAS results from last spring were mailed home on Thursday. Please review the results and if you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to reach out the building administration and/or classroom teacher.

The West Bridgewater Police Association donated "lockdown magnets" for every classroom and office door in the schools. The magnets allow each door to be secured much more quickly by eliminating the need to physically lock the door with a key when seconds matter. The West Bridgewater Police are proud to be able to collaborate with West Bridgewater Public Schools to help ensure each staff and student have a safe learning environment. Thank you WBPD Association!

There continues to be an active Safe Schools Committee which meets monthly. Members of this committee included school and district administrators, counselors, WBPD, WBFD, and SC members.

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

Meals are Free! Just a reminder that school meals are free again for 2022-2023!

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 school (Spring Street 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.

Please check out WB's Food Services page on the District's website for menus and additional information. WB Food Services

Interested in a rewarding, exciting part-time job? We are looking for reliable, hard-working people to work as substitute cafeteria workers. If you are interested contact Ann Marie Grinder, Food Service Director, at agrinder@wbridgewater.com or (508)894-1220

Dear Inclusion Matters Community,

Thanks to all those who came to our webinar with Dr. Ed Carter on Understanding the IEP. We learned so much.

Dr. Carter reviewed with us the parts of the IEP, explained what the law says, and provided families with helpful tips for writing an effective IEP in collaboration with a school district. He also answered families' questions about adequate progress, what good IEP goals look like, and families' and districts' rights and responsibilities.

As promised, we recorded the webinar, and the recording is available online here: https://youtu.be/iN_TEF5-sdY

In addition, Inclusion Matters put together a few folders of resources for families navigating the IEP process and/or wanting to learn more about special education. You can find them here:

• About the IEP: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uOmyNqLvniRFLM5Io8f3Kzgsw3etQjky?usp=sharing

• Guidance about 504 Plans: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14l6UmtsyL-p3-iZ_FEyl9044HU59L376?usp=sharing

• Understanding Special Education & the IEP Process: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15y8bX4z4Xlo9r1uicxoG96ZSOcpxcUt0?usp=sharing

Thanks for joining us, and if you missed our webinar last night, we hope to see you at a future event.

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

SAVE THE DATE - October 29 ( Saturday)- rain date October 30 from 2:00-4:30 pm in the MSHS parking lot. This great annual event is sponsored by the National Honor Socieity. The cost is $5 per child and proceeds go to the NHS Scholarship Fund. We hope to see you there!

MIAA Power Rankings - The latest power rankings are out for the fall sports teams. Once again our fall teams continue to do an outstanding job! Congratulations to our players and coaches. The power rankings are how they seed the upcoming MIAA Tournament. Click on the link to check it out https://miaa.net/power-rankings/

The Athletic Department will be holding a Cow Plop Fundraiser on Saturday October 15th starting at 10:00AM on the WBMSHS baseball field. Tickets are $20 per square! Contact Ms. Hammel if you would like to buy a square! jhammel@wbridgewater.com

**Homecoming weekend is October 14th and 15th!

Friday, 10/14:

Pep rally at the end of the day. This is for students in Grades 7-12!

*2:45PM PM V girls soccer game on turf

*3:30PM JV Volleyball in gym

*4:30PM V field hockey on turf

*5:00PM V volleyball in gym

*5:45PM JV Field hockey on turf

*7:30PM V football on turf

Saturday, 10/15

*10:00AM Cow plop fundraiser on Baseball field

*11:00AM JV girls soccer on turf field

*1:00PM JV boys soccer on turf field

*3:00PM V boys soccer on turf field

*7:00PM Homecoming Dance - gym

Check out the upcoming WB Athletic Boosters Comedy Night Fundraiser on November 5th at 7pm. The link has all the details https://facebook.com/events/s/west-bridgewater-athletic-boos/413558654226603/

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: London Road

Not sure what the significance (if any there is with the name) Maybe we could consider an unofficial name for that road?

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